Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44F—SPECIAL DESIGNS OR PICTURES
  • B44F9/00—Designs imitating natural patterns
  • B44F9/02—Designs imitating natural patterns wood grain effects

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method of decorating plastic articles, in particular extruded and foamed plastic profiles, this decoration imitating in a particularly realistic manner the appearance of natural materials, for example that of wood.
• Extruded plastic decorative profiles and foams such as moldings, have an appeal due to their lightness compared to plaster moldings, wood or natural stone.
• extrudable and foamable thermoplastics that can be used for this type of product, mention may be made, inter alia, of polystyrene plastics (PS crystal, HIPS, ABS, PS + PPO, etc.) and polyvinyl plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
• Decorative wood moldings are generally used for door contours, skirting boards, picture rails, frames of pictures or tables, etc. Available in various densities depending on the selected tree species, the real wood moldings must however be regularly maintained to maintain their attractive quality and appearance. We can not ignore the problem of natural wood resources, which are not infinite and although they are renewable, the cycles can be long and this can pose ecological problems in case of excessive demand.
• Sawdust can be recovered from various processing industries and recycled in extrusion within a thermoplastic matrix (PP, PVC, HDPE, ...), which gives the decorative profile a tending towards the wood but equal to neither the texture nor the rendering of this noble material.
• PP thermoplastic matrix
• PVC polyvinylene
• HDPE high density polyethylene
• a method used by those skilled in the art is to cover decorative profiles foamed and extruded plastic film, having an imitation of the appearance of wood, to make them more attractive and granted to some interiors .
• the conventional method is to transfer on the visible face of the molding, after sufficient cooling thereof, a roll of film of plastic material on which is deposited a transferable ink (decal).
• the operation is accomplished by the use of a roll of flexible material, silicone rubber most frequently.
• the roller presses the film on the face of the PS foam profile to be decorated, and, with the help of heat, the paint is transferred perfectly to the profile. The smoother the surface beforehand (without streaks or defects), the better the result.
• a possibility to increase the realism of the rendering of the wood appearance is to press the ink film imitation wood veins on the face of the molding, but by introducing ribs, that is to say that the surface of the profile will no longer be flat, but hollowed out here and there of channels for example, that the painting will have to marry the best possible.
• the light illuminating the face thus decorated will not be returned in a uniform way, there will be "shadows" that more accurately reflect the imperfections present on a wooden molding.
• Obtaining these ribs or channels can be done in a high pressure press, batchwise.
• the sheet can be composed of one or more resins, or paper, colored with patterns in wood grain or containing particles, and can also be stamped beforehand or after coloring to create hollows and bumps, imitating the texture wood.
• This ready-to-use sheet is applied by hot rolling or continuous gluing to the desired face of the decorative molding. Nevertheless, this process requires the use of adhesives specific, sometimes containing solvents, the latter may pose problems of handling and toxicity.
• the methods of the state of the art all have at least one of the following disadvantages: they do not allow to obtain plastic profiles imitating not only the appearance, but also the texture of a natural material, they require several distinct and / or discontinuous steps, they require the use of special glues and / or toxic solvents, the quality of the finish is not satisfactory.
• An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a simple continuous method for decorating plastic articles both from the point of view of appearance, as from the point of view of texture, for example to realistically imitate natural materials.
• this object is achieved by a method according to claim 1.
• the present invention provides a method for the continuous production of a decoration on at least an extruded and foamed plastic article face in a single step, said step comprising:
• Printing the at least one face of the article by transferring an ink from a transferable ink composite film.
• the method is characterized in that said printing is carried out concomitantly with the embossing by the same embossing roll, the roll being made of an elastic material and being heated to the surface softening temperature of the plastic article.
• the present method of decoration is simple while combining, in one step, both the application of any pattern (printing), the realization of a surface structure (embossing) on a plastic article. It also allows continuous work, thus ensuring a high flow and thus improved profitability.
• the major advantage of the process is nevertheless the quality of the result obtained.
• the implementation of the method of the invention for example for the manufacture of profiles imitating wood, allows decorations with a much more realistic rendering.
• the ink is perfectly applied and matches the relief created by the embossing roll, thus giving a sealed and resistant surface.
• Another significant advantage of the present process is its versatility. Indeed, it is not only possible to vary almost infinitely the decorations, both in terms of the chosen pattern, as the level of the desired grain. It is also easily applicable to all kinds of articles, such as elongated profiles, but also articles with other aspect ratios, especially since it can be easily adapted for the decoration of several faces of the same article.
• the method according to the invention requires neither the use of toxic solvents, nor that of specific adhesives and generates virtually no waste, which reduces investment and operating costs and therefore the costs of production.
• the embossing roll of elastic material may, in principle, be made of any sufficiently flexible material to avoid shearing of the ink film.
• the elastic material of the roll will preferably be of the elastomer type, having a temperature resistance sufficient to not deform in the temperature range to which it must be heated.
• Silicone rubbers possess the ideal properties of resilience, temperature resistance and hardness to satisfy these criteria; they are commonly used in the industry for these properties. Therefore, a particularly suitable material is silicone rubber.
• the hardness of the elastic material of the embossing roll although chosen according to other parameters of the process, such as the nature of the ink film, the nature of the plastic material of the article, etc. In other words, this hardness will be chosen according to the ease of obtaining the effects of ribs and is generally between 40 and 90 shore A, preferably between 60 and 80 shore A.
• the relief such as streaks
• various methods well known to those skilled in the art are available. For example, it is possible to mill the surface, or to form the material by molding in a mold having streaks on the surface, which will print as a negative in the plastic during its baking.
• the decoration can thus be varied at will, for example by using a relief imitating the ribbings of the wood, the grain of natural stones or any geometrical structures, it suffices to change the embossing roll and / or the transferable ink film pattern.
• the transferable ink films are conventional films known to those skilled in the art, for example: bottle, automobile, graphic industry in general, etc.
• the temperature at which the elastic material of the embossing roll is preheated and the pressure with which this roll is applied to transfer the ink to the profile will be adapted so as to cause sufficient softening at the surface of the plastic profile, so that the streaks print in negative and the decorative ink is transferred correctly.
• the parameters that may influence the choice of this temperature and this pressure are, among others, the nature of the polymer used, the density and the surface hardness of the foamed profile.
• the surface softening temperature is between 160 and 200 ° C., preferably between 170 and 180 ° C.
• the temperature of the embossing roll may in principle be by any means to maintain the surface of the groove of the roll at the surface softening temperature of the articles to be decorated, preferably by means of a heater separated by external radiation.
• the plastic articles used in the present process are extruded articles and conventional foams usable in this field.
• the processes for producing thermoplastic foams or not by extrusion are known to those skilled in the art. Extrusion has an obvious productivity advantage.
• thermoplastic materials preferably for a possibility of recycling.
• the selected polymers will advantageously have sufficient mechanical strength, to ensure acceptable rigidity especially if cutting lengths of several meters.
• Polymers meeting these criteria include, but are not limited to, optionally modified thermoplastic (co) polymers, such as polystyrene (PS) crystal, impact polystyrene (HIPS), poly (styrene-acrylonitrile) (SAN), poly (acrylonitrile) butadiene-stryrene) (ABS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and mixtures thereof, optionally combined with other thermoplastic polymers, such as, for example, polyphenylene oxide (PPO), such as Noryl ( PS + PPO). Crystal polystyrene is a particularly suitable polymer for the manufacture of light and resistant decorative moldings.
• the density of foamed profiles that can be decorated using the process of the present invention can vary from 60 to 700 kg / m 3 , preferably between 150 and 400 kg / m 3 .
• Another object of the present invention relates to an apparatus for decorating extruded plastic articles and foamed in a single step, said apparatus comprising:
• a heating device for heating the embossing roll for heating the embossing roll
• a reeling roll and a rewinding roll for a transferable ink composite film in which the plastic article is moved by the conveying means under the embossing roll rotating at the speed of displacement of the article of material plastic, said transferable ink composite film from the reel being passed between the plastic article and the embossing roll, the roll being made of an elastic material and being heated to the surface softening temperature of the plastic article.
• a further aspect of the invention is a decorated plastic article obtained by a method or apparatus as described above.
• the present invention also provides the use of a method or apparatus for the continuous production of a decoration on at least one face of extruded and foamed plastic articles in a single step such described above, in particular for the production of moldings, skirting boards, picture rails and decorated frames.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a decoration apparatus according to the invention.
• the decorating apparatus comprises an embossing roll 2 made for example of silicone rubber and held above a conveyor device or against a roller.
• the groove of the embossing roll 2 is provided with a relief representing, in negative, the grain that it is desired to give to the surface 10 of the article 1.
• a radiator 3 is placed above the roller 2 so as to heat its groove at the surface softening temperature of the article 1.
• the apparatus further comprises a transferable ink film 11 from a reel 4 and which is passed between the embossing roll 2 and the article 1 and rewound on the rewinding roll 5 after the operation .
• the operation of decorating the surface 10 of the article 1 comprises firstly the embossing of the surface so as to create a texture and secondly the impression of the same surface of a decorative pattern.
• the plastic article 1 for example crystal polystyrene
• the roller 2 can be adjusted in height so as to adapt the pressure exerted by the roller on the film 11 and the surface 10 of the article 1. Due to the heat of the roll 2, the surface 10 is simultaneously embossed by the relief and printed by the ink of the film 11 to give a surface 10 'having the decoration, that is to say the pattern and the texture, chosen .
• the film 11 is rewound after use on the roll 5.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Shaping Of Tube Ends By Bending Or Straightening (AREA)
• Extrusion Moulding Of Plastics Or The Like (AREA)
• Materials For Medical Uses (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
• Printing Methods (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=34927134

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications Before (1)

Country Status (7)

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Family Cites Families (7)

• 2004
  • 2004-10-27 EP EP04025533A patent/EP1652652A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2005
  • 2005-10-24 DE DE602005024167T patent/DE602005024167D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-10-24 EP EP05801765A patent/EP1827800B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2005-10-24 CA CA002584734A patent/CA2584734A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-10-24 US US11/577,901 patent/US20090130311A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-10-24 RU RU2007119640/12A patent/RU2007119640A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2005-10-24 AT AT05801765T patent/ATE484375T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2005-10-24 WO PCT/EP2005/055479 patent/WO2006045763A2/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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