BE1005859A4 - PROCESS FOR THE PRINTING OF COLORFUL PATTERNS ON A SUBSTRATE BASED ON FIBERGLASS AND NEW PRODUCT OBTAINED. - Google Patents

Abstract

Printing of colorful patterns. The method is characterized in that it consists in coating at least one of the faces of said flexible substrate with a film of a receptive material of flexible nature, provided in an amount of at least 6% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate, and to deposit on said gelled film decorative patterns provided by direct thermal transfer. Application to textile products based on glass fibers.

Description

Method for printing colored patterns on a substrate based on glass fibers and new product obtained

The present invention relates to the field of decoration of various supports by providing colored patterns and it relates, more particularly, to the decoration of flexible substrates constituted at least in part, based on woven glass fibers, used in very numerous applications in as light screens, curtains, decorative backgrounds, wall coverings, etc.

Products, such as those listed above, are generally manufactured, by reason of their constituent material, so as to present a single-color, uniform appearance, more generally of weakly marked shade.

For understandable reasons for improving the aesthetic appearance of such substrates, the possibility has been sought of having them wear decorative patterns provided on such substrates after their manufacture or manufacture.

For this purpose, the prior art knows the printing of such substrates by screen printing by rotary frame or not. One such technique consists in depositing on the surface to be decorated on the substrate a paste containing dyes which must then be subjected to a fixing treatment generally by heating, or even baking.

Given that the substrates recalled above do not, by themselves, have an absorbent nature due to the nature of the material constituting them, the printing of colored patterns by screen printing does not allow density patterns to be obtained very controllable and of good definition, especially when the patterns use a variety of colors that must be precisely delimited from each other.

Such a result results from the economic necessity of depositing all the colored pigments before the final fixing treatment and, consequently, from the impossibility of precisely juxtaposing, without risk of migration, colored deposits of different shades making up the pattern. research.

Insofar as the pattern to be created can be satisfied with such a technique, decoration by screen printing is not yet satisfactory, even acceptable. In fact, the dyes are generally deposited on the substrate in layers of considerable thickness which have the effect, after polymerization or hardening, of stiffening the substrate. Such a result is, of course, unacceptable for a substrate constituted by a textile sheet which must, by definition, have a certain flexibility in the use reserved for it.

Also known from patent FR 82-11 122 is a decoration technique which consists in coating the support with a liquid plastisol, then in transferring a decorative pattern from a transfer paper, while the plastisol is still liquid and before being gelation. This method is only recommended for low footage. It has the major disadvantage of not providing control of the transferred pattern due to the very plastic state of the plastisol to receive it.

The present invention aims to remedy the above drawbacks by proposing a new method making it possible to provide decorative patterns of high definition, of great richness, of juxtaposed colors, of high precision and of certain reproducibility, on a flexible substrate with based on woven glass fibers, without resulting in a significant thickness of layers or hardening of the substrate.

The method of the invention is also provided so that the contribution of colored patterns can be carried out quickly at low cost, for the execution of all complex patterns or not, based on a variable number of fundamental colors or not .

To achieve the above objectives, the method according to the invention is characterized in that it consists in coating at least one of the faces of the flexible substrate with a film of a receptive material of flexible nature, provided è at least 6% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate, and to deposit on said gelled film decorative patterns provided by direct thermal transfer.

The subject of the invention is also the new industrial product constituted by a flexible substrate based on woven glass fibers, at least one face of which bears at least locally a colored impression added by direct thermal transfer.

The method of the invention aims to allow the decoration of a flexible substrate based on woven glass fibers, the thickness, weave and stiffness of which must be considered as characteristics which are indifferent to the method.

According to a first step of the method of the invention, the flexible substrate is subjected to a first phase of treatment of at least one of these faces on which any colored pattern must be provided.

This first preparation phase consists in coating, at least locally, the face to be decorated with a flexible film of a receiving thermoplastic material which is provided at least at a rate of 6% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate, and preferably between 8 and 35%.

The film of receiving material is supplied by lamination or by coating, in a regular and uniform manner, in particular by means of a calendering optionally followed by a fixing intended to gel and intimately hang the film brought onto the face to decorate.

The film of receiving material, which can be transparent, translucent or slightly colored, is generally chosen based on polyvinyl chloride, acrylic or polyester material and, in such a case, the fixing is ensured by polymerization by thermal effect.

The conditions for laminating, coating, timing, or even fixing must be considered to be within the knowledge of a person skilled in the art led to use such products, for example for the treatment of surfaces of flexible supports, such as canvases or the like.

When this preparatory phase has been completed, the film of flexible material provided on the surface to be decorated of the substrate represents a receiving layer in the stable state favorable to the reception and fixing of colored pigments which, in the sense of L ' The invention is provided by the process of direct thermal transfer between a carrier support, generally flexible, such as paper and the film coating the surface to be decorated.

The conduct of direct thermal transfer of the dyes consists in placing the flexible film facing the face to face and the face to be decorated and the face of the support carrying the colored pigments to be transferred and on which the printing has been carried out beforehand to materialize in contours, colors the motif to be transferred to the film. The substrate and the support are brought into temporary contact at a temperature between 140 and 210 ° C by applying a pressure between 0.5 and 5 kg per cm ^ <5.10 ^ and 5-10 ^ P).

The temporary presence can result from an application which is then limited to a contact between 3 and 40 seconds. The temporary application is preferably carried out by contacting by continuous scrolling, at a speed of between 1 and 4 m / min, between a heating cylinder and a pressure medium which can be a pressure cylinder or a carpet enveloping the cylinder. heating.

Particularly satisfactory results have been obtained by proceeding according to the examples below.

EXAMPLE 1:

A substrate consisting of a fabric of glass fibers of 2,165 grams / m 2, of plain weave, was coated with a flexible film of gelled polyvinyl chloride provided at a rate of 30% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate.

A thermal transfer valve support sold under the trademark "PARIDEM" by the company SUBLISTATIC and bearing the reference "FAKIR" was statically applied to the film for a period of 10 seconds with a pressure of 2 5 2 kg / cm ( 2.10 P) and at a temperature of 180 ° C.

The entire motif carried by the support was transferred directly to the film without apparent presence of an overlapping layer of pigments, presenting a clear definition, without altering the colors and the richness of the decorative motif. Aging tests have revealed an absence of alteration or degradation of the pattern over time.

EXAMPLE 2:

A substrate of glass fiber fabric with the following characteristics of 165 grams / tn, of plain weave, was, on at least one of the faces, coated with a film of gelled polyvinyl chloride, at a rate of 30%. by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate.

Such a substrate was placed in the presence of a heat transfer medium of the "PARIDEM" brand from the SUBLISTATIC company and of the "FAKIR" reference by scrolling at a linear speed of 3 to 4 meters / minute between a heating cylinder and a cylinder. pressure exerting a linear pressure of 3 to 4 tonnes over a length of 160 centimeters corresponding to the width of the width of the substrate and the support. Heat transfer takes place under good conditions at a temperature between 140 and 180 ° C.

As in Example 1, the decorative and colored pattern transferred directly has a high definition and is presented without modification, alteration or degradation of the contours and combination of colors.

EXAMPLE 3:

A substrate with the same characteristics as that of Example 2 was coated with a flexible film of acrylic material in an amount of 13% by weight of the substrate. The gelled acrylic film was brought into contact with a thermal transfer medium, of the "SUBLISTATIC" brand sold by the SUBLISTATIC company and of the "BLUE MOON" reference. The application was carried out by continuous scrolling of the substrate and the support on a heating cylinder brought to a temperature of 195 to 210 ° C. The thermal transfer support applied was kept applied to the film, during the scrolling, by the 'through a conveyor belt enveloping the heating cylinder at least 180 °. The linear speed adopted was between 2.5 to 3.5 meters / minute and the application pressure exerted by the conveyor belt was between 1 and 2 kg / cm (1.10 and 2.105 P.).

Results similar to those previously stated were obtained.

EXAMPLE 4:

A substrate with the same characteristics as that used in Examples 2 and 3 was coated with a flexible polyester film, of a thickness close to 5/100 of a millimeter.

Such a film was gelled statically in the presence of a thermal transfer support, of the "SUBLISTATIC" brand, sold by the SUBLISTATIC company and of the "SYCOMORE" reference. The application was carried out for 15 to 20 seconds on the film at a temperature of 200 ° C. with a pressure of 2 kg / cm 2 C2.105 P).

Equally satisfactory results have been obtained in this case.

A technique of application by scrolling can also be retained.

The implementation of the operating phases of the process, as described above, makes it possible to obtain a new product constituted by a flexible substrate based on woven glass fibers, one of the faces of which bears at least locally a colored impression. unalterable, not constituting an apparent layer of added colored pigments and capable of being executed with high definition, based on contrasting dyes, of variable densities, defining various patterns of great richness without resulting in a modification of the substrate in its overall thickness or its flexibility.

The invention is not limited to the examples described and shown, since various modifications can be made thereto without departing from its scope.

Claims (11)

1. Method for printing colored patterns on a flexible substrate based on woven glass fibers, characterized in that it consists in coating at least one of the faces of said flexible substrate with a film of a receiving material of a flexible nature, provided at a rate of at least 6% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate, and to deposit on said gelled film decorative patterns provided by direct thermal transfer. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the film is provided on the face of the substrate by coating or by laminating followed by calendering. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the film of flexible receiving material is provided between 8 and 35% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate. 4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the film is based on polyvinyl chloride. 5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the direct thermal transfer deposition is carried out by temporarily bringing the face to be decorated of the flexible substrate and a support of decorative patterns into contact, at a temperature between 140 and 210 ° C and applying a pressure between 5.104 and 5.105 P. 6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat transfer takes place by subjecting the substrate and the support to a continuous movement between a heating cylinder and a pressing cylinder at a speed of between 1 and 4 meters / minute. 7. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the support of decorative patterns to be transferred consists of a product sold under the brand "PARIDEH". 8. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the support of decorative patterns to be transferred consists of a product sold under the brand "SUBLISTATIC". 9. New product constituted by a flexible substrate based on woven glass fibers of which at least one face carries at least locally a film of receiving material provided on the face of the substrate at a rate of at least 6% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of said substrate and on which a colored impression is reported by direct thermal transfer. 10. New product according to claim 9, characterized in that the flexible film of receiving material is provided in an amount of 8 to 35% by weight of dry extracts relative to the weight of the substrate. 11. New product according to claim 10, characterized in that the film of flexible receiving material is based on polyvinyl chloride.