BE1017927A3 - Floor panel, has decorative side formed with printing, transparent plastic layer fitted on decorative side, and multiple zones exhibiting reduced transparency on rest of plastic layer, where plastic layer is visible to naked eye - Google Patents

Abstract

The panel has a decorative side (2) i.e. ornamental side, formed with a printing (3), and a transparent plastic layer fitted on the decorative side, where the plastic layer is visible to a naked eye. Multiple zones exhibit a reduced transparency on rest of the plastic layer. Internal engraving is performed internally using a radiation energy i.e. laser light. An independent claim is also included for a method for manufacturing a floor panel.

Description

Floor panel and method for manufacturing such floor panels.

This invention relates to a floor panel and to a method for manufacturing such floor panels.

More specifically, the invention relates to floor panels of the type which have a print on the decorative side, wherein at least one transparent or transparent plastic layer is applied over this print. This type of floor panels is well known per se. It is also known that the plastic layer of such floor panels can have a relief that may or may not correspond to the aforementioned printing. Such relief can be formed by indentations, such as in WO 01/96689, or by the removal of material, such as in WO 2006/090287, in which case it concerns a material removal with laser light.

The present invention contemplates an alternative floor panel that offers a host of new imitation possibilities and / or that can be manufactured in an advantageous manner. To this end, the invention relates to a floor panel of the above-mentioned type, characterized in that said plastic layer has one or more areas visible to the naked eye internally, that is to say below its surface, which zones are formed on the basis of the technique of internal engraving, wherein the the zones concerned also determine the appearance of the aforementioned decorative side. Said zones may show reduced transparency with respect to the rest of said plastic layer. With this it can be achieved that the plastic layer has matte zones.

According to the invention, the aforementioned internal engraving technique is preferably carried out on the basis of radiation energy, such as laser light. Such a technique is known per se in other technical domains, for example from US 2006/0249490. The laser light herein preferably has a focus which is located below the surface of the aforementioned plastic layer. The supply of radiant energy can cause the plastic to melt or evaporate in the zone in question and that, for example, after solidification, inclusions will occur which show a different refraction of light from the surrounding plastic material.

It is clear that the zones created by internal engraving are intentionally arranged and do not concern the side effect of any other processing. The actual surface of the aforementioned plastic layer is preferably at least substantially or completely protected against simultaneous removal of material at the area of the zone concerned when performing the internal engraving. This does not exclude that such material removal can be carried out in a separate step. The zones concerned are preferably located above the aforementioned printing.

The aforementioned printing may have a wood motif or a stone motif. One or more of the aforementioned zones may then be visible on the decorative side as an imitation of a wood or stone characteristic, wherein the aforementioned motif preferably has a printed characteristic corresponding to the relevant zone. More lively decors can be obtained in this way. For example, one or more of the aforementioned zones may form an imitation of wood traces and / or wood grains.

The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the floor panels described above or hereafter, with the additional characteristic that the above-mentioned technique of internal engraving is carried out on the aforementioned plastic layer when it is already applied over the aforementioned printing or not.

The inventive idea of the invention can be applied to many floor panels. For example, it can be applied to floor panels that have one or a combination of two or more of the following properties, insofar as they are not contradictory: - the floor panel is a laminate panel that has at least one substrate and a top layer applied to it, this top layer comprises at least the aforementioned printing and plastic layer; - the floor panel has the characteristics of the previous paragraph, wherein the aforementioned top layer contains one or more material sheets such as paper layers; - the floor panel has the characteristics of the previous paragraph, wherein the aforementioned printing is applied at least partially on one of the aforementioned material sheets; - the floor panel has the characteristics of one of the previous paragraphs and is manufactured using either a so-called DPL (Direct Pressure Laminate) technique, in which plastic sheets of material on a substrate, such as an MDF or HDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) or High Density Fiberboard) plate, are consolidated, or, by means of a so-called HPL (High Pressure Laminate) technique in which the plastic sheets of material are first consolidated together and then applied to a substrate; - the aforementioned plastic layer consists essentially of a resin, preferably a thermosetting resin, such as a melamine resin or another amino resin; - the aforementioned plastic layer mainly consists of a lacquer, such as a UV or electron beam curing lacquer.

- the aforementioned plastic layer contains hard particles, such as aluminum oxide; the aforementioned printing is at least partially applied directly to the substrate, with or without the intervention of primers and / or other primers.

With the insight to better demonstrate the characteristics of the invention, a few preferred embodiments are described below as an example without any limiting character, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 shows a floor panel according to the invention; figure 2 represents a partial section along the line II-II indicated in figure 1.

Figure 1 shows a floor panel 1 which has a print 3 on the decorative side 2 or top side, in this case a print 3 in the form of a wood motif with wood characteristics, such as grain 4, nuts 5 and mirrors 6.

Figure 2 shows that the aforementioned print 3 is located on a substrate 7 which forms the core of the relevant floor panel 1. The printing 3 shown here relates to a printing 3, whether or not directly applied to the substrate 7. It is clear to the person skilled in the art that this printing 3 can also be on a material sheet, but such a variant is not shown here. A transparent plastic layer 8 is provided over this printing 3, which may or may not contain a material sheet.

In the example of Figure 2, a counter layer 10 is provided on the underside 9 of the substrate 7.

The special feature of the present invention is that the aforementioned plastic layer 8 internally has at least one zone 11 formed on the basis of the technique of internal engraving. Figure 2 shows various of such zones 11 and also illustrates how these can be formed on the basis of internal engraving by means of laser light 12. As stated in the introduction, the focus 13 of the laser light 12 is preferably located below the surface 14 of the plastic layer 8, but preferably also above the printing 3. As shown, one or more inclusions 15 at the location of the respective zone 11 are formed which locally influence the transparency of the plastic layer 8. Optionally, similar techniques can be applied as described in the aforementioned US 2006/0249490, wherein the size and / or the amount of the inclusions can be adjusted on the basis of the laser settings, namely by adjusting the power, the pulse shape , the pulse frequency, the focus distance or the like.

Figure 2 also illustrates that the aforementioned zones 11 can correspond to the printing 3 and / or that they can be at different depths in the aforementioned plastic layer 8, whereby special effects, such as depth effects, can be achieved.

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described above, but such floor panels and methods can be realized according to different variants without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (6)

1. A floor panel which has a print (3) on the decorative side (2) over which at least one transparent or transparent plastic layer (8) is arranged, characterized in that said plastic layer (8) internally one or more zones (11) visible to the naked eye has been formed on the basis of the technique of internal engraving, wherein the zones concerned (11) also determine the appearance of the aforementioned decorative side (2).
2. Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that said zones (11) exhibit reduced transparency with respect to the rest of said plastic layer (8).
3. Floor panel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said technique of internal engraving is implemented on the basis of radiation energy, such as laser light (12).
4. Floor panel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said printing (3) has a wood motif and that one or more of the aforementioned zones (11) on the decorative side (2) are visible as imitation of a wood characteristic, the zone concerned preferably corresponds to a printed characteristic.
5. Floor panel according to claim 4, characterized in that one or more of said zones (11) form an imitation of wood tracks and / or wood grain (4).
6. Method for manufacturing a floor panel with the features of one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said technique of internal engraving is carried out on the aforementioned plastic layer (8) when it is already applied or not over said printing (3) .