Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Junichi Handa

Hiroshi Ito

Taketoshi Minohara

Yoshio Takagi

Hiroshi Hattori

Yuji Tanaka

Hiroshi Itou

Akira Suganuma

Disclosed are a pigment including a light-transparent ceramic scaly substrate, a tin compound layer coated on a surface of the substrate in an amount of 0.6 to 0.75% by weight with respect to the substrate, the amount being converted into metallic tin, a rutile type titanium dioxide layer formed on a surface of the substrate coated with the tin compound, a metal compound layer coated on a surface of the titanium dioxide layer in an amount of 0.15 to 0.6% by weight with respect to the substrate, metal of the metal compound being at least one selected from the group consisting of Bi, Sb, As, Cd, Zn, Mn, Pb and Cr, and the amount being converted into metal, and metallic glossy dots formed on the surfaces in a scattering manner, the metallic glossy dots occupying 0.05 to 95% of a total surface area of the surfaces, and a process for producing the same. Since the metallic glossy dots are formed preferentially between the titanium dioxide layer and the substrate on which the tin compound layer facilitating the metallic glossy dots formation selectively is coated. Therefore, the particle diameters of the metallic glossy dots are made uniform, and accordingly the light scattering and the light reflection are also made uniform. As a result, the pigment produces a color tone which varies less. With the production process, it is possible to stably produce a pigment producing a less varying color tone.

Pigment and process for producing the same

A metallic paint film of this invention comprises a base paint film containing by from 1 to 20 weight % of a novel pigment, which comprises a ceramic scaly substrate, an inorganic compound coating film formed on all the surfaces of ceramic scaly substrate, and a plurality of metal dots formed on the surfaces of inorganic compound coating film and occupying from 0.05 to 95% of the total surface area of the inorganic compound coating film. When an automobile body or the like is painted with the metallic paint film, it gives not only a simple metallic feeling but also a pearly gloss effect. In addition, the metallic paint film improves the three-dimensional effect of the automobile body or the like.

Metallic paint film

A production process of pigment according to this invention comprises the steps of: a first step of forming an inorganic compound coating layer on the entire surfaces of scaly substrates made of ceramic; a second step of forming metallic glossy dots on the surfaces of the inorganic compound coating layer in a scattered manner by an electroless plating, and the metallic glossy dots occupying from 0.05 to 95% of the surfaces of the inorganic compound coating layer with respect to the total surface area of the inorganic compound coating layer; and a third step of irradiating ultraviolet ray on particles formed by the second step. The impurities and the like, which adversely affect the color hue of the pigment, have been discolored or faded away by the ultraviolet ray irradiation in the third step. Accordingly, the pigment having good weather resistance can be produced readily and stably by the present invention.

Production process of pigment

A pigment comprises a substrate, a metallic layer formed on at least one surface of the substrate and imparting metallic luster, and a transparent inorganic compound layer formed on surfaces of the substrate and the metallic layer. Thereby, the pigment produces color by light interference of a ray reflected on a surface of the transparent inorganic compound layer and a ray passed through the transparent inorganic compound layer and reflected on a surface of the metallic layer. Thus, the pigment is excellent in coloring power and hiding power, and particularly useful for an automotive finishing paint.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Junichi Handa