JP7660969B2 - Resin components and countertops or sinks for residential facilities - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a resin component in which aggregate is dispersed in a resin base material, and to a countertop or sink for residential equipment that uses the resin component.

In recent years, the mainstream kitchens are system kitchens that have multiple storage spaces (cabinets) underneath a worktop made of a single tabletop. The worktop, which covers the entire top surface of the kitchen, is equipped with a built-in stove, sink, and a cooking space, which is a flat table surface mainly used for cooking.

For the top plate of the worktop, synthetic resin such as artificial marble or a metal plate such as stainless steel is used. For example, the kitchen counter in Patent Document 1 has a surface layer of synthetic resin-based artificial marble. According to Patent Document 1, discoloration and deformation are unlikely to occur even at high temperatures from a range, and defects such as cracks or delamination are unlikely to occur.

Kitchen counters made of artificial marble, such as those described in Patent Document 1, have the advantage of being highly aesthetic and having a good design. However, kitchen counters (tops) made of artificial marble are easily scratched by contact with cooking utensils and tableware. This means that the scratches are easily noticeable, and the aesthetics are easily lost over time.

The inventors therefore developed a resin component in which aggregate colored in a similar color to the resin base material is dispersed in the base material and the surface is treated to have an uneven surface (Patent Document 1). As a result, by using the resin component for the countertop of a system kitchen, it is possible to prevent scratches on resin components such as artificial marble from becoming noticeable and to maintain a high level of aesthetics for a long period of time.

Patent application No. 2019-061847

As a result of further investigation, the inventors found that scratches on the resin member become less visible under certain conditions. For this reason, there is room for further improvement in the resin member of Patent Document 1.

In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide a countertop or sink for residential facilities that can make scratches less noticeable and maintain a high level of aesthetics for a longer period of time.

In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of a resin member according to the present invention is a resin member having aggregate dispersed in a resin base material, the surface of which is treated to have an uneven surface, and when the surface gloss of the resin member is x (%) and the average area per pattern in the uneven surface treatment is y ( mm ² ), x and y are within the range of the following formula, "y<-0.05(x-12) ² +6".

According to the above configuration, by applying the unevenness treatment to the surface of the resin member, scratches, i.e. , scuffs caused by contact with cooking utensils or tableware (hereinafter referred to as cooking utensils, etc.), can be made less noticeable. This makes it possible to maintain a high level of aesthetics in the resin member for a long period of time. Furthermore, by dispersing aggregates harder than the resin, even if the base resin is scraped by contact with cooking utensils, etc., the aggregates are exposed, preventing further scraping of the resin. Furthermore, by making the surface glossiness of the resin member and the average contact area per handle satisfy the above formula, scratches on the surface of the resin member can be made less noticeable. Therefore, it becomes possible to maintain a high level of aesthetics for a long period of time.

The average height of the unevenness in the unevenness treatment is preferably 68 μm or more. This allows the bottom of the pot to come into contact with the convex parts when an item such as a hot pot is placed on the resin member, preventing the bottom of the pot from coming into contact with the concave parts of the bottom of the item. This prevents the unevenness from becoming flat, and therefore prevents marks from being left behind by the hot pot or the like.

In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the top plate for residential equipment according to the present invention is characterized by using the above-mentioned resin member. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain the above-mentioned effects in the top plate for residential equipment. Examples of residential equipment include kitchens, kitchen counters, washbasin counters, and tables. In addition, the same effects can be obtained by using the above-mentioned resin member for a kitchen sink.

The present invention provides a countertop or sink for residential facilities that makes scratches less noticeable and can maintain a high level of aesthetics for a longer period of time.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system kitchen. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a top plate according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the surface properties of a top plate. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a pattern on the surface of a resin member. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the area per pattern and the surface glossiness. FIG. 1 shows a sample before and after a scratch test. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating projections and recesses on the surface of a resin member.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values shown in the embodiment are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid duplicated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated.

(System Kitchen (Kitchen 100))
Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system kitchen (hereinafter, referred to as kitchen 100) according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the kitchen 100 of this embodiment is a so-called system kitchen equipped with multiple storage units (cabinets) under a single worktop 110. The worktop 110 is made of stainless steel and covers the entire upper surface of the kitchen 100. The worktop 110 is also provided with a built-in stove 112, a cooking space 114 which is a flat table surface and a kitchen counter mainly used for cooking, and a sink 116.

Beneath the countertop 110 are storage compartments, such as a stove cabinet 120 in which the stove 112 is installed, a base cabinet 130 corresponding to the cooking space 114, and a sink cabinet 140 in which the sink 116 is installed. Each storage compartment functions as a storage space, and the free space within the storage compartment also accommodates wiring to the stove 112, and water supply and drainage pipes to the sink 116 and faucet.

In this embodiment, the countertop 110 of the system kitchen 100 is shown as an example of a countertop or sink for residential equipment using a resin member, but this is not limited to this. The resin member of this embodiment can also be used as a countertop for residential equipment such as a kitchen counter, a washbasin counter, or a table.

(Top plate 110 (resin member))
2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top plate 110 of this embodiment. The top plate 110 of this embodiment is composed of a resin member 150 whose main component is methacrylic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, the resin member 150 constituting the top plate 110 has a surface 150a subjected to an unevenness treatment. This makes it possible to make scratches caused by contact with cooking utensils or tableware (hereinafter referred to as cooking appliances 102) less noticeable. Therefore, it is possible to maintain a high level of aesthetics for a long period of time in the top plate 100 made of the resin member 150.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the surface properties of the top plate 110. In particular, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a rock-like textured finish is applied. The rock-like texture is composed of irregular curved surfaces, and irregularity means that the height, interval, and curvature of the peaks and valleys are irregular. This makes it possible to more effectively make scratches caused by contact with the cooker 102 less noticeable, thereby enhancing the above-mentioned effect. This is because if the surface were a regular uneven shape, scratches and marks from a high-temperature pan would be more noticeable. However, the textured finish is not limited to a rock-like finish, and other treatments and patterns are naturally possible.

Refer to FIG. 2 again. As shown in FIG. 2, the top plate 110 has large-diameter aggregate 154 and small-diameter filler 156 dispersed in a resin member 150, which is a base material. The aggregate 154 and the filler 156 can be made of any hard material, and for example, both can be made of silica. The main difference between the aggregate 154 and the filler 156 is the particle size, with the aggregate 154 being larger in diameter than the filler 156.

In particular, in this embodiment, when the surface gloss of the resin member 150 constituting the top plate 110 is x (%) and the average area per pattern in the uneven processing is y (mm ² ), x and y are within the range of "y<-0.05(x-12) ² +6 (Formula 1)." This makes scratches on the surface 150a of the resin member 150 less noticeable. Therefore, it becomes possible to maintain the high aesthetic appearance for an even longer period of time.

In this embodiment, the average height of the unevenness in the unevenness treatment applied to the surface 150a of the resin member 150 constituting the top plate 110 is set to 68 μm or more. As a result, when an object such as a pot is placed on the resin member 150, the bottom surface of the pot comes into contact with the convex parts. This makes it possible to prevent the bottom surface of the object from coming into contact with the concave parts. This makes it possible to effectively prevent pot marks on the resin member 150 caused by the bottom surface of a high-temperature pot .

Next, a scratch test of the resin member 150 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the pattern on the surface of the resin member 150. In carrying out the scratch test, a pattern extraction process is first carried out. In the pattern extraction process , a ceramic teacup is dragged in a circle of 10 cm in diameter with a vertical load of 2 kgf against a sample of the resin member 150 painted with white paint, thereby wearing away the surface of the sample. In the area of the sample surface that comes into contact with the bottom of the teacup, the paint is worn away due to the wear , and the surface of the base material is exposed.

The method for calculating the area per pattern will now be described. First, the above-mentioned surface treatment is performed on the surface of a sample of the resin member ¹⁵⁰ to generate a surface image of the sample. Next, the surface area of the sample is compared with the number of pixels of the image to calculate the area per 1px. For example, if the surface area of the sample is 170 x 120 mm2 and the number of pixels of the image is 739 x 521 px, the area per 1px is calculated to be 0.05 ^mm2 /px using the formula "surface area of sample/number of pixels of image".

Then, further image processing is performed on the surface image of the sample to extract island-like patterns 158 of the uneven pattern of the sample as shown in Fig. 4, and the number of pixels per pattern is measured. Next, the number of pixels per pattern is multiplied by the area per 1px (e.g., ^0.05mm2 /px) to calculate the area per pattern. In detail, the area per pattern 158 is calculated by the formula " number of pixels per pattern (px) x area per 1px ( ^mm2 /px) (Formula 2)".

Using the above formula 2, the area per each of the island-like patterns 158 on the surface image of the sample was calculated, and the average value was taken as the "area y (mm ² ) per pattern in the unevenness treatment." The surface glossiness x (%) of the sample of the resin member 150 was measured by irradiating it with light at an incident angle of 60 degrees and using a glossmeter (PG-1M, manufactured by Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd.).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the area per pattern and the surface glossiness. The vertical axis is the area y (mm ² ) per pattern, and the horizontal axis is the surface glossiness x (%) of the sample of the resin member 150. For the sample of the unpainted resin member 150, a ceramic teacup was dragged over the surface of the sample. The load condition was the same vertical load of 2 kgf as in the pattern extraction process. Then, a visual inspection was performed to see whether scratches were recognized. That is, if scratches were recognized in the visual inspection, it was determined that the scratches were recognized, and if scratches were not recognized in the visual inspection, it was determined that the scratches were not recognized. As shown in FIG. 5, when the glossiness of the resin member 150 was 2.0%, scratches were not recognized if the area per pattern was 1 mm ² or less. And, when the glossiness of the resin member 150 was 2.0%, scratches were recognized if the area per pattern exceeded 1 mm ² .

When the gloss of the resin member 150 is 7.0%, scratches are not noticeable if the area per pattern is 5 ^mm2 or less. However, scratches are noticeable if the area per pattern exceeds 5 ^mm2 . When the gloss of the resin member is 12%, scratches are not noticeable if the area per pattern is 6 ^mm2 or less, but scratches are noticeable if the area per pattern exceeds 6 ^mm2 .

When the gloss of the resin member 150 is 17%, scratches are not noticeable if the area per pattern is 5 ^mm2 or less, but scratches are noticeable if the area per pattern exceeds 5 ^mm2 . When the gloss of the resin member 150 is 22%, scratches are not noticeable if the area per pattern is 1 ^mm2 or less, but scratches are noticeable if the area per pattern exceeds 1 ^mm2 .

6 is a diagram showing samples before and after a scratch test. The upper image shows a sample of a test piece with an area of 1.0 ^mm2 per pattern and a gloss of 2.0% before and after the scratch test. The lower image shows a sample of a test piece with an area of 1.6 ^mm2 per pattern and a gloss of 2.0% before and after the scratch test.

No scratches were observed in any of the samples before the scratch test shown in the upper and lower left sides of Fig. 6. In the sample with an area of 1 ^mm2 per pattern shown in the lower right side of Fig. 6, scratches (within the dashed circle) were observed after the scratch test. In contrast, in the sample with an area of 1 ^mm2 per pattern shown in the upper right side of Fig. 6, scratches were not observed even after the scratch test.

Considering the above results, it can be seen that scratches become more noticeable if the gloss of the resin member 150 is too low or too high. On the other hand, it can be seen that scratches are not noticeable if the gloss of the resin member 150 is around 12%, even if the area per handle is somewhat large. According to the inventors' consideration, scratches on the resin member 150 are generated due to the gloss difference between the scratches and other parts, and it is presumed that scratches become less noticeable when the gloss of the resin member 150 is around 12%.

On the other hand, even if the gloss of the resin material 150 deviates from 12%, scratches will not be noticeable if the area per pattern is small. In other words, the relationship between gloss and area of the pattern is important. If the plots with the largest area per pattern at each gloss are connected, a quadratic curve with a vertex at "x=12, y=6" is drawn, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 5. The approximation equation of this quadratic curve is "y<-0.05(x-12) ² +6 (Equation 1)". Therefore, if x and y satisfy this equation, scratches on the resin member 150 will not be noticeable, and it is possible to ensure a high aesthetic appearance of the top plate 110.

7 is a diagram illustrating the unevenness of surface 150a of resin member 150. FIG. 7(a) is a schematic diagram of the unevenness of surface 150a of resin member 150, and FIG. 7(b) is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the unevenness height and the presence or absence of pot marks. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the height from one convex to the other in the unevenness treatment applied to surface 150a of resin member 150 is taken as unevenness height h, and the average value of the overall unevenness height h of the unevenness treatment of the sample is taken as the average unevenness height. Irregularities
The height was measured using a depth gauge (manufactured by Mitutoyo Corporation). The resin material 150 used was a dark gray color that would easily show scratches or pot marks.

Figure 7(b) shows whether or not pan marks are generated when a pan (see Figure 1) filled with oil at 200°C is placed on a sample of the resin member 150. As shown in Figure 7(b), when the average height of the unevenness on the surface 150a of the resin member 150 is just under 10 μm, it was confirmed that pan marks are generated on the surface 150a of the resin member 150. In contrast, when the average height of the unevenness on the surface 150a of the resin member 150 is 68 μm or more, no pan marks are generated on the surface 150a of the resin member 150 even when a hot pan is placed on it. Therefore, it can be seen that by setting the average height of the unevenness in the unevenness treatment to 68 μm or more as in this embodiment, it is possible to suitably prevent the resin member 150 from being scratched by the bottom surface of an object such as a pan.

In this embodiment, the resin member 150 is mainly composed of methacrylic resin. However, the present invention can be applied not only to methacrylic resin but also to unsaturated polyester resin and vinyl ester resin. This is because it is presumed that the pot marks are caused by partial thermal deformation of the resin. Considering that the thermal deformation temperature of methacrylic resin is 80 to 100°C, the thermal deformation temperature of unsaturated polyester resin is 65 to 100°C, and the thermal deformation temperature of vinyl ester resin is 100 to 165°C, the present invention can be applied to any resin with a thermal deformation temperature of around 100°C or close to 100°C (including 100°C).

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the examples described. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used for resin components in which aggregate is dispersed in a resin base material, and for countertops or sinks for residential facilities that use the resin components.

100...kitchen, 102...cooker, 110...top, 112...cooker, 114...cooking space, 116...sink, 120...cooker cabinet, 130...base cabinet, 140...sink cabinet, 150...resin member, 150a...surface, 154...aggregate, 156...filler, 158...handle

Claims (4)

A resin member in which aggregate is dispersed in a resin base material,
The surface is treated with irregular curved surfaces.
When the surface gloss of the resin member is x (%) and the average area of each pattern in the uneven surface treatment is y ( mm ² ),
The x and y are expressed by the following formula: y<-0.05(x-12 ) ² +6
The resin member is characterized in that The resin member according to claim 1, characterized in that the average height of the unevenness produced by the unevenness treatment is 68 μm or more. A top plate for housing equipment, characterized by using the resin member according to claim 1 or 2. A sink characterized by using the resin member according to claim 1 or 2.

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