The coloring of metals by sol-gel process

Stainless steel is very widely used in the world of construction, in particular for its resistance to corrosion and its excellent mechanical properties.

The brushing possibilities also make it a material of choice for architects, designers and decorators, as well as making it even more attractive and broadening its spectrum of application, its coloring is also becoming very popular. Like brass and copper, also very popular in interior design for their brilliance and purity, with the possibility of varying colors thanks to controlled oxidation processes or deposits of other metals.

Conventional painting processes (powder coating or varnish) often cause metals such as stainless steel to lose their "design" appearance and/or their finish. For example, a satin finish or microbeading will not be visible due to the excessive thickness of the coating (around 10 to 100 microns). The methods of variation of surface color in the mass by chemical (or electro-chemical) or plasma deposition also have their limitations such as the palette of colors, the alteration of these with corrosion or the minimum size of the batches.