JPS6245358B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Decorative wall or floor coverings are well known and manufactured on a very large scale. Some of them have a substantially uniform surface level, and the decoration usually forms this by printing a multicolored design on or into the material. ing.

Numerous attempts have been made to create such decorative floor coverings, yet with profiled surfaces. Various methods have been proposed. For example, French Patent Specification No. 2251446 describes the following method. That is, a decorative color scheme is printed onto a sheet of hardened plastic material, a transparent durable resistive layer is applied, and an additional layer of plastic material is applied on top of this, but only in specific areas. By printing this, the profiling effect is produced. However, in spite of the above and other proposals, methods for obtaining profile effects that have been widely used industrially are as follows.
forming a coating material consisting of a foamed polymer layer having raised areas separated by recessed areas; and
A protective layer is formed over the foamed layer to impart the desired self-cleaning and durable resistance properties to the product.

There are two conventional methods for producing such profiled floor or wall coverings. One method is as follows. A substantially uniform layer of foamable material is deposited onto a substrate and foamed, usually after application of a durable resistive layer, and then mechanically embossed to form the desired shape. This will give you a profile effect. Such a method is described in US Pat. No. 3,741,851.

A second method for producing cushioned floor or wall coverings with profiled surfaces is a method widely adopted in industry and consists of the following. A layer of foamable material is deposited on a substrat, the layer being deposited on a first area such that after foaming, the level of this layer is equal to the level of the remaining areas other than the first area. It is above the surface level of the second area, and after this layer has been deposited, usually after the application of a protective layer, it is foamed. One of such methods is as follows. The foamable composition is applied onto a substrate, where the foamable composition is applied to various areas of the substrate.
Compositions of the same composition may be deposited at varying loadings (e.g., by spreading or printing onto a profiled substrate), or compositions of varying composition may be deposited at the same dosage. The foaming composition is applied to the substrate using different amounts or different amounts (eg, using compositions containing varying amounts of blowing agent). Such a method is, for example,
It is described in US Pat. Another major method for carrying out the above method is as follows. A substantially uniform layer of the foamable composition is deposited and the chemical agent is selectively applied to certain areas, for example, under the layer, over the layer, or There is a method of printing on top of the durable resistive layer so that it can be selectively foamed in different discrete areas. For this purpose, an inhibitor for the blowing agent is added.
It is better to apply it to certain areas, so that the foaming rate can be lower in these areas than in other areas. Such a method is
For example, British Patent Specification No. 1069998, British Patent Specification No. 1150902
It is described in the number.

Profiled and cushioned wall or floor coverings are manufactured on a very large scale, but their designs are becoming increasingly detailed and complex. For example, it is now common practice to perform six different printing operations on a foamed layer before applying a transparent durable layer, and sometimes on the foamed layer itself. There is also a growing demand for it to have designer features. This increased complexity of the design makes it considerably more difficult and expensive to print in practice, so that the decorative appearance of profiled and cushioned wall or floor coverings can be improved. To improve〓〓〓〓〓
There is an urgent need to devise a new and simple method for this purpose.

For good durability and cleaning properties, as the top surface of floor or wall coverings,
It is well accepted that providing a protective layer is essential. For example, UK Patent Specification No. 968991 and US Patent Specification No. 3239365.
According to the issue, the following can be seen. The colored material is printed onto a substantially smooth top layer of foamable composition, and the design, both in terms of color and profile effect, is very distinct according to the method described in the above specification. are limited and therefore do not seem to have been commercially successful. An industrially successful method is as follows. It is a protective coating of one color, usually a clean transparent coating, applied to the entire surface of the covering, but sometimes the protective coating is applied only to the raised areas of the covering. , and so on. Therefore, decorative effects cannot be expected with such a protective layer. British Patent Specification No. 1,069,998 describes a method in which an ink containing a chemical agent is printed onto a protective layer. Inks containing inhibitors are
Since it is common to print in small quantities, it is unlikely that such deposits form part of the protective layer. In any event, as shown in Figure 9 of the above specification, the ink-printed area is small and is of the profiled floor or wall covering on which the durable layer is to be placed. Most of the surface is covered with dirt.

Print foamable compositions with different compositions or
Alternatively, the foamable composition of the same composition may be printed in varying amounts, or the foamable composition may be printed such that the foaming area of the foamable composition is selectively controlled; a foamed polymer layer comprising raised areas separated by recessed areas formed by foaming the resulting layer and a protective layer covering at least the raised areas; A decorative pattern is printed between the protective layer and the protective layer, the protective layer is composed of first and second non-foamed layers, at least one of the non-foamed layers is discontinuous, and at least one of the non-foamed layers is discontinuous. one is transparent so that some or all of the decorative pattern printed is visible through the protective layer, each of the non-foamed layers is at least 0.05 mm thick, and has a color and/or opacity to each other; The floor or wall covering is characterized in that the first and second non-foamed layers are different and at least a portion of the first and second non-foamed layers are visible.

According to the invention, therefore, the decorative effect of the covering can be increased by applying a protective layer, at least only on the raised areas. This protective layer has a thickness of at least
0.05 mm and where the first and second non-foamed layers overlap, the thickness will in all cases be at least 0.1 mm.

Normally, the first layer is a layer that covers the whole thing, but
Both the first and second layers can be discontinuous if desired, but in this case they can be adjacent, overlapping, or The second layer may be applied over the entire first layer.

Both the first and second layers of the protective layer will be formed of materials such that they can be used as wear resistant layers. These layers must therefore have good abrasion, durability, and cleanability.

Normally the protective layer will cover the entire surface of the sheet material, but in some cases it does not have to cover all the recessed areas. For example, if the profiled pattern contains several relatively small recessed areas, there is no need to apply a protective layer to these areas and some or all of these areas Even when covering with a protective layer, only a thin protective layer is sufficient, but with this method no decorative effect can be expected. As mentioned above, for example thickness 0.01~0.04
A thin protective layer of mm may be deposited only in the recessed area as described above, or it may be applied, for example, over the protective layer and the recessed area, or below the protective layer but over the recessed area. The protective layer may be applied as an overlying layer. This thin protective layer is primarily applied for visual effects and to improve cleaning properties. this is,
〓〓〓〓〓
Preferably made of polyurethane.

Although the protective layer is formed exclusively from specific first and second layers, one or more additional layers may be included within the protective layer, unless this reduces the color difference and opacity effect. It may be included in Therefore, if these additional layers are continuous, this additional layer will be below the first layer, but if they are not continuous, this additional layer will be covered by the second layer. It can also be on some of the first layer portions that are not covered, or on some of the second layer, or both. Such additional layer may be made of a polymeric material, which may be the same or different from the polymeric material of the first and/or second non-foamed layer. For example, the formation of such additional layers can produce profiling effects, color differences, gloss differences, or a combination of these; UK patent application filed no.
As stated in No. 40930/76 and No. 140932/76.

Typically, the first and second layers will each have a thickness of 0.05 to 0.77 mm, so that the protective layer has a total thickness of 0.1 to 0.8 mm. For example, when the thickness of the first layer is 0.1 to 0.7 mm, the thickness of the second layer is 0.05 to 0.7 mm when layered on top of the first layer.
It is best to set the thickness to 0.15 mm, and if it is placed adjacent to the first layer, it should be thicker than that (for example,
0.1~0.3mm). All additional layers are
It is better to have a thickness of 0.02~0.35mm, but 0.05~
A suitable value is 0.25 mm.

Particularly suitable products according to the present invention include:
You can get it by doing the following: The decorative pattern is printed between the foam layer and the protective layer, and at least one of the first and second non-foam layers is transparent so that at least some parts of the pattern are visible. be. Preferably, one of the non-foamed layers is a continuous transparent layer and the other is a discontinuous colored layer. A continuous transparent layer can be below or above one or more colored layers that are not continuous. It is often preferable to: In other words, the decorative pattern is applied only to the foamed layer, one of the first and second non-foamed layers is a discontinuous colored layer, and this is applied to the covering layer that does not have the decorative pattern. It is applied to the pattern corresponding to the area.

The first, second, and all other layers in the protective layer are made of vinyl-based polymers, usually PVC,
Alternatively, it will be made of polyurethane or other suitable polymer. All polyurethanes are preferred because they can be cured by UV radiation, so the coated product can be rapidly cured by radiation.

The floor or wall covering according to the present invention can be manufactured as follows. depositing a layer of foamable material, optionally printing a decorative pattern on the layer, depositing the first layer on top of the layer, and printing a second layer;
Here, the first and second layers are made of non-foamable materials, and the foamable material is foamed to produce the profiling effect.

Although the product can be embossed to create a profile effect after foaming, as described in US Pat. No. 3,741,851, for example, the profile effect is typically developed during foaming. It is preferable to let For these reasons, the foam layer may be formed by using the same composition in various amounts, or it may be formed by foaming layers with different compositions in the same amount or in various amounts. Alternatively, the foam layer may be a uniform layer in which chemicals are selectively placed in certain areas, allowing for selective foaming in different areas. It may be possible to control it manually. The expandable polymer is usually PVC or other vinyl-based polymer. The combination of these methods to obtain the profiling effect is described in the application no.
This can be carried out as described in No. 40928/76.

By printing foamable plastisol in various colors and forming a foam layer,
Although some decorative patterns may be formed during the foam layer deposition process, the decorative pattern that is visible through the wear layer, at least in part, and usually the entire decorative pattern, is not visible through the wear layer. Foaming non-foaming ink〓〓〓〓〓
This is created by printing on top of the foam layer and below the durable layer. These inks may be printed directly onto the foamable layer or onto an overlying non-foamed layer. This non-foamed layer extends over the foamed layer and provides a smoother base and/or better color for printing.

Continuous layers in the protective layer can be applied, for example, by reverse roll or knife-on roll coating methods, or by printing methods, whereas discontinuous layers can be applied by printing methods. applicable.

One of the preferred methods is as follows. A foam layer is applied throughout and rotogravure or rotary screen printing is applied.
the ink is applied together with a foam layer and/or with at least one ink composition containing a foam modifier. then apply the first layer, usually by rotary screen printing through an open screen, and apply the second layer by rotary screen printing, and if desired apply another layer. apply layers,
The product thus obtained is then heated to foam and harden.

Another preferred method is as follows.
One or more foamable compositions are used to form a foam layer by rotary screen printing, and a pattern, each second layer and usually the first layer is formed by rotary screen printing.
layer, and another third layer, and then
The product thus obtained is heated to foam,
It hardens it.

Typically, it is desirable to have areas of varying color and/or opacity precisely matched to areas of varying surface level. In this way, in a preferred embodiment, the first layer material is exposed within the first area of the foam layer, while the second layer material is
The surface may be exposed only in areas other than those mentioned above, or vice versa. Therefore,
Typically, a material with one color and/or opacity will cover the raised areas, and a material with a different color and/or opacity will cover the recessed areas. This means that
This can be done by printing the second layer to match the foamable pattern.

In order for the pattern to be visible through the first layer, the first layer must be transparent.
The color may be colored or not. Portions of the second layer may also be transparent, but in some cases the second layer must be colored to give the durable layer a different color than the first layer. Sometimes. If you leave part of the second layer uncolored and print it only on the colored first layer, there will be no effect, but if you print it directly on the decorative pattern, it will be effective. It will come. Usually, the first layer is not colored, but at least a portion of the second layer is colored.

It is often preferred to have the second layer more opaque than the first layer. It can also be made quite translucent or opaque so that the underlying pattern is obscured. The second layer can be printed from two or more different materials in two or more operations, resulting in a pattern consisting of areas of different color and/or opacity. It is.

The polymeric materials printed to form the first and second layers can include conventional polymers, dyes, pigments,
Other ingredients may be mixed and prepared to obtain the desired color and opacity.

The expandable foam layer is formed on a substrate which may be later removed, but is also typically part of the final product. Substrates used in known cushioned wall or floor coverings can be suitably used; for example, the substrate can be made of asbestos, glass fiber or cellulosic material.

Although the foamed layer can be a continuous layer, covering the entire surface of the substrate with foamed material, particularly advantageous results can sometimes also be achieved with a discontinuous layer. In particular, the foam layer can be discontinuous and applied on top of the visible decorative layer, in which case this decorative layer can function as a durable layer and also 〓〓〓〓〓
You can also see through the protective layer. Although the substrate can consist of a layer of fibrous material as mentioned above, it may optionally be coated with a solidified or foamed plastic material, or it can be made of a hard plastic material. The base itself may also be made. When the substrate comprises a layer of solidified plastic material, this layer
It can also function as a decorative plastic layer. However, although it is customary to deposit a layer of decorative plastics material on a substrate, this substrate preferably carries a layer of expandable plastics material when this layer is applied. be. A layer of decorative plastic material is
Although it may be deposited as a single layer, two or more layers are typically deposited thereon. It can be printed with a decorative pattern, for example, and then
This may be covered with a transparent protective layer so that the pattern can be seen through the protective layer.
The decorative plastic layer usually includes a surface that can also serve as a durable layer.

The decorative plastic layer may be a continuous or discontinuous layer, but the overlying foam aggregate layer is present, at least in part, in areas where no decorative plastic layer is present. It is usually preferable to do the following: The foamable layer provided on the substrate is completely covered with a layer of plastic material printed with a continuous or discontinuous decorative pattern, and a discontinuous layer of foamable polymeric material is printed thereon.

The accompanying drawings schematically illustrate preferred products according to the present invention.

The product illustrated in FIG. 1 consists of a fibrous substrate 1 carrying a foamed polymeric layer 2 consisting of a foamed plastics material, which layer 2 also comprises a solidified plastics material. A decorative plastic layer 3 consisting of the following is supported on its entire surface. Above this is a foamed polymer layer 4 consisting of foamed plastic material. If you wish,
Layer 3 may be applied as a discontinuous coating only to the areas not covered by layer 4. Although not shown, a decorative ink is printed on this, but this is done before the foaming process is carried out. On top of these, a non-foamed material forming a first non-foamed layer 5 with a thickness of 0.05 mm or more is coated over the entire surface, and on top of this, a non-foamed material with a thickness of at least 0.05 mm and a different color is applied. A non-foamed material forming a non-foamed layer 6, such as having a foamed material, is applied so that the raised areas are covered. An example is as follows.
Thickness for forming foamed polymer layer 2 on substrate 1
A decorative plastic layer 3 is prepared by coating the entire surface of a 0.25 mm foamable composition layer with an ink containing golden-colored metal particles giving a decorative pattern. and printing a foamable composition on layer 3 to form a foamed polymer layer 4, and printing a non-foaming material thereon to form first and second non-foamed layers 5, 6; The product is then heated to foam and harden.

In the case of the product shown in Figure 1, the difference in thickness is created by the presence of layer 4, but a similar difference in thickness can be achieved by a chemical method as in the product shown in Figure 2. It can be formed by That is, a layer of expandable plastisol is spread on a substrate and printed using an ink containing a foam suppressor or foam activator or optionally an inert decorative ink (not shown); A protective layer is applied and the resulting product is foamed and cured. In the illustrated product, the protective layer consists of a first and second non-foamed layer 5 and 6 and also a third non-foamed layer 7. These layers 5, 6, 7 are all formed by foam layer 2 before foaming.
It is printed on a foamable composition layer that forms a foamable composition layer. layer 5 is formed over the entire surface area except for the recessed areas, layer 6 has a different color;
It is formed only in the raised area. layer 5,6
All have a thickness of 0.05 mm or more. In the recessed areas (for example the areas previously printed with antifoam ink) a layer 7 is applied, which consists of a polyurethane lacquer with a thickness of 0.01 to 0.04 mm. Alternatively, layer 7 may cover the entire surface of the covering with layers 5,6.

Layer 5 may be colorless. Instead of or in addition to being colored in various colors, the layers 5 and 6 are
It can be of various opacity. For example, layer 5
is colorless and transparent, but layer 6 can be colored and opaque, for example by having pigments dispersed therein.

Describes a general method for carrying out the invention〓〓〓〓〓
Then, the result is as follows.

Asbestos felt is coated with a layer of a blowing agent-containing polyvinyl chloride composition. A blowing agent causes the layer to expand upon melting. The coated substrate is printed using a rotary screen printing technique with various inks, one of which contains a foam inhibitor to suppress the expansion process. Colorless and transparent plastisol is placed in the penultimate station of a rotary screen printing machine.
Apply a PVC layer to the entire surface. This layer has a thickness of 0.15
mm, and is prepared so that it becomes a transparent and glossy film when melted. At the last printing station, another layer of plastisol PVC is printed so that the colored areas containing the inhibitor match the unprinted areas. This layer is formulated so that when melted, the result is a colored film having a thickness of 0.075 mm.

The material prepared in this way can be heated to
When raised to melting and foaming temperatures, a product is obtained, but the product thus obtained is structured, covered with a cushion, and patterned, with an organized pattern. The recessed areas reveal the true color of the printed ink, and the raised areas are blurred over their entire surface.

Generally, this substrate consists of fibers and a binder, and its weight ranges from 150 to 1000.
g/m ² , preferably 200 to 700 g/m ² , and the binder often represents 10 to 50% of the total weight.
Although the substrate may be coated with a plastic material thereon, typically the weight of the substrate is
Even when such a plastic coating is included, it is less than 2000g/m ² and its thickness is
Usually less than 1.2mm. In normal cases, the thickness is
At least 0.3mm, but typically 0.5-1mm
It is preferable that When the substrate is used as a floor covering, it is preferred to have a greater thickness and weight than when it is used as a wall covering. The total amount of expandable plastisol is usually between 200 and 800 g/m ² , preferably between 300 and 500 g/m ² when the material is used as a floor covering, but when the material is used as a wall covering. 50～
It can also be 300g/ ^m2 . If this material is used as a wall covering, a lacquer with a thickness of 0.01 to 0.04 mm at least in the valleys is sufficient as a protective layer, but if it is used as a floor covering, a protective layer Preferably, the coating covers the entire surface area to a thickness of at least 0.05 mm.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The accompanying drawings, both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, are schematic diagrams illustrating two embodiments of the product according to the present invention. 1... Fibrous base, 2... Foamed polymer layer, 3...
... Decorative plastic layer, 4... Foamed polymer layer, 5
...First non-foamed layer, 6...Second non-foamed layer, 7...
Third non-foamed layer. 〓〓〓〓〓

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Printing foamable compositions with different compositions, or printing foamable compositions with the same composition in various amounts, or printing foamable compositions with selective foaming areas. A foamed polymeric layer comprising raised areas separated by recessed areas formed by controlled printing of a foamable composition and foaming of the layer thus obtained. and a protective layer covering at least the raised areas, and a decorative pattern is printed between the foamed polymer layer and the protective layer, the protective layer comprising first and second non-foamed layers, the non-foamed layer at least one of the non-foamed layers is discontinuous, and at least one of the non-foamed layers is transparent so that part or all of the decorative pattern printed through the protective layer can be seen; Floor or wall covering, each having a thickness of at least 0.05 mm and differing from each other in color and/or opacity, characterized in that at least a part of the first and second non-foamed layers is visible. 2. The covering according to claim 1, wherein one of the non-foamed layers is a continuous transparent layer and the other is a colored discontinuous layer. 3. Claims characterized in that each part of the covering that does not carry a protective layer carries a third non-foamed layer having a thickness of up to 0.04 mm. The covering according to item 1 or 2. 4. According to claim 1 or 2, the entire surface of the covering carries an outer transparent third non-foamed layer having a thickness of up to 0.04 mm. Covering as described. 5. Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the decorative pattern is formed by a visible decorative layer, and the decorative layer functions as a durable layer or can be seen through the protective layer. 4
The covering described in any one of the following paragraphs. 〓〓〓〓〓