BE1024447B1 - Floor panel - Google Patents

Abstract

Floor panel with a substrate (13) and a top layer (14) applied thereto, the aforementioned top layer (14) comprising a printed decor (15) arranged between a foamed PVC bottom layer (17) and a transparent wear layer (16), characterized by that the aforementioned wear layer (16) is free of PVC, is foamed, and has a thickness T1 that is less than the thickness T2 of the aforementioned foamed PVC backing layer (17).

Description

(73) Holder (s):

UNILIN BVBA 8710, WIELSBEKE Belgium (72) Inventor (s):

NAEYAERT Christophe 8490 JABBEKE Belgium (54) Floor panel (57) Floor panel with a substrate (13) and a top layer applied thereon (14), the aforementioned top layer (14) comprising a printed decor (15) arranged between a foamed PVC bottom layer ( 17) and a transparent wear layer (16), characterized in that said wear layer (16) is free of PVC, is non-foamed, and has a thickness T1 less than the thickness T2 of said foamed PVC underlay (17).

BELGIAN INVENTION PATENT

FPS Economy, K.M.O., Self-employed & Energy

Publication number: 1024447 Filing number: BE2016 / 5570

Intellectual Property Office

International classification: B44C 5/04 E04F 15/10 Date of issue: 27/02/2018

The Minister of Economy,

Having regard to the Paris Convention of 20 March 1883 for the Protection of Industrial Property;

Having regard to the Law of March 28, 1984 on inventive patents, Article 22, for patent applications filed before September 22, 2014;

Having regard to Title 1 Invention Patents of Book XI of the Economic Law Code, Article XI.24, for patent applications filed from September 22, 2014;

Having regard to the Royal Decree of 2 December 1986 on the filing, granting and maintenance of inventive patents, Article 28;

Having regard to the application for an invention patent received by the Intellectual Property Office on 07/07/2016.

Whereas for patent applications that fall within the scope of Title 1, Book XI, of the Code of Economic Law (hereinafter WER), in accordance with Article XI.19, § 4, second paragraph, of the WER, the granted patent will be limited. to the patent claims for which the novelty search report was prepared, when the patent application is the subject of a novelty search report indicating a lack of unity of invention as referred to in paragraph 1, and when the applicant does not limit his filing and does not file a divisional application in accordance with the search report.

Decision:

Article 1

UNILIN BVBA, Ooigemstraat 3, 8710 WIELSBEKE Belgium;

represented by

SCHACHT Benny, Ooigemstraat 3, 8710, WIELSBEKE;

VAN HOOYDONCK Guy, Ooigemstraat 3, 8710, WIELSBEKE;

a Belgian invention patent with a term of 20 years, subject to payment of the annual fees as referred to in Article XI.48, § 1 of the Economic Law Code, for: Floor panel.

INVENTOR (S):

NAEYAERT Christophe, Wetstraat 3A, 8490, JABBEKE;

PRIORITY:

BREAKDOWN:

Split from basic application: Filing date of the basic application:

Article 2. - This patent is granted without prior investigation into the patentability of the invention, without warranty of the Merit of the invention, nor of the accuracy of its description and at the risk of the applicant (s).

Brussels, 27/02/2018,

With special authorization:

BE2016 / 5570

Floor panel.

This invention relates to floor panels.

More specifically, the invention relates to floor panels with a substrate and a top layer applied to it with a printed decor. Such floor panels are widely known, for example from WO 97/47834. The floor panels disclosed there concern, inter alia, floor panels with a substrate which mainly consists of an HDF plate with a laminate layer directly pressed thereon, which comprises one or more paper sheets soaked in melamine resin, including preferably a paper sheet with a printing in, for example, a wood or stone motif. , namely a so-called decor paper.

It is known that the melamine surface of such a laminate panel gives rise to ticking noises when using it. A variety of solutions to this problem are known from the prior art. It is known from WO 03/016655 to provide a sound-absorbing layer such as a cork layer under the melamine layer. It is known from WO 2010/088769, among others, to provide the melamine layers with a coating of a flexible monomer. WO 2009/101217 and WO 2010/070474 give examples of laminate panels in which the top layer, instead of melamine resin, is built up mainly of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In the case of WO 2010/070474, these are panels with a printed decor that can be formed on the substrate and are finished with a transparent PVC layer.

In the panels whose top layer is completely made of PVC, a scratch resistance is established in comparison with the traditional melamine surface. In addition, the PVC layer must be made considerably thicker than a melamine layer in order to obtain a comparable wear resistance. The nature and thickness of the PVC layer gives rise to a plastic-like appearance of the floor panel, especially in those cases where an imitation of a product such as wood, stone or ceramic is

BE2016 / 5570 pursued. The relief that can be obtained in a PVC layer is blurred, which also detracts from the truthfulness of the imitation obtained. The aforementioned WO 2010/070474 attempts to remedy this by providing the surface with indentations obtained by a combination of chemical and mechanical techniques.

The present invention aims primarily to provide an alternative floor panel offering a solution to one or more of the Problems with the prior art panels.

To this end, the invention relates to a floor panel with a substrate and a top layer applied to it, wherein the aforementioned top layer comprises a printed decor applied between a foamed bottom layer, preferably of PVC or another thermoplastic material, and a transparent wear layer, characterized in that the said wear layer is free of PVC, is not foamed, and has a thickness less than the thickness of said foamed PVC underlayer. The invention offers a compromise between sound absorption and faithful imitation. As already mentioned, the latter is especially important in the imitation of wood, stone or ceramic.

It goes without saying that the aforementioned wear layer is preferably made harder or more wear-resistant than the foamed bottom layer. For this purpose, the wear layer can be designed in various possible ways.

According to a first possibility, the wear layer can use a thermoplastic material with a higher glass transition temperature than the material of the bottom layer, for example with a higher gloss transition temperature than that of PVC, or with a glass transition temperature of more than 80, or even 90 ° C or more. For example, it is possible to opt for a wear layer of polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), preferably isotactic polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) or a polyamide (PA).

BE2016 / 5570

According to a second possibility, the wear layer can use a material with a curing mechanism other than PVC. PVC cures by cooling and the wear layer is currently chosen for a material that cures by a mechanism other than cooling. This may be a thermally cured material such as a melamine based resin, a UV curable lacquer layer, electron beam curable lacquer layer, an excimer curable lacquer layer, a drying lacquer layer or the like. Preference is given to a radiation-curable lacquer layer, such as a UV-curable lacquer layer, preferably an acrylic-based lacquer layer, a urethane-based lacquer layer, a polyester-based lacquer layer or an epoxy-based lacquer layer. Due to the use of a radiation-curing lacquer layer, the underlayer is minimally or not addressed during the curing of the lacquer layer.

According to a third possibility, for the wear layer, use can be made of a material that encloses hard particles. These are preferably hard particles such as aluminum oxide or silicon oxide, which preferably have an average particle size between 20 and 200 micrometers. Preferably, a content of such particles is used from 2 to 20 grams per square meter. It is noted that this third option is preferably combined with one of the preceding measures. For example, a radiation-curable lacquer layer can be used which encloses the aforementioned hard particles.

It is clear that the wear layer in the context of the present invention is seen as the full layer between printed decor and the surface of the panel. Furthermore, it is clear that this wear layer is preferably built up essentially or even completely, as in the above possibilities. However, it is not excluded that the wear layer on the surface of the panel still comprises a superficial coating.

Preferably, the thickness of the wear layer is less than half the thickness of the bottom layer, or even less than 25% of the thickness of the bottom layer. A good value for the thickness of the wear layer is between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters, and better still between 0.15 and 0.3 millimeters. Such a limited thickness, especially in the case of

BE2016 / 5570 radiation-cured coatings containing aluminum oxide particles, another wear resistance sufficient for floor panel applications.

Preferably, the aforementioned printed decor consists of a printing formed directly on the aforementioned underlayer. The printing can here be carried out by the deposition of pigment-containing inks on the above-mentioned bottom layer, for instance by means of a digital inkjet printer. Preferably, at least use is made of inks with the basic colors eyane, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). However, it is not excluded that one or more so-called spot colors are used. These are colors that are matched to the decor to be printed. In the case of wood motifs, a reddish color is then eligible. Preferably, the printing is formed on the basis of UV-curable inks. Since little or no heat is required for the curing of the inks, the bottom layer is not affected by the curing of the inks.

As aforementioned, the aforementioned wear layer preferably concerns a lacquer layer, such as an acrylic-based layer or a urethane-based layer.

The aforementioned wear layer is preferably cured on the basis of UV radiation, electron radiation and / or ecimer radiation.

The aforementioned wear layer preferably comprises hard particles, such as aluminum oxide particles.

As mentioned, the aforementioned bottom layer preferably comprises or consists of foamed PVC. It is preferably foamed PVC of the type used in so-called cushion vinyl and / or foamed PVC with a plasticizer share of 12phr or more, for example 20 phi or more. The degree of foaming of the bottom layer is preferably such that a density reduction compared to the non-foamed material is greater than 20 percent, and preferably even greater than 50%. Preferably, it is mainly a closed-cell type or substantially closed-type foam.

BE2016 / 5570

Preferably, the aforementioned bottom layer is foamed at least chemically. This can be done, for example, by adding azodicarbonamide as a foaming agent to the PVC composition. According to a variant, the above-mentioned bottom layer can be foamed at least mechanically. In such a case it is, for example, about adding expanding granules to the PVC composition, such as, for example, polystyrene-based granules or those known under the brand name Expancel ©.

There are various possibilities for applying the aforementioned underlayer to the substrate.

According to a first possibility, the above-mentioned bottom layer is adhered to the above-mentioned substrate via an adhesive layer. Such an embodiment allows a smooth production of the foamed PVC bottom layer, for instance on a continuous production line specially provided for this purpose. To allow such production, the foamed PVC underlayer preferably encloses a support, such as a glass fiber-based support, for example a glass fiber (non woven) or glass fabric (woven). Such a carrier gives the final floor panel a certain impact resistance.

According to a second possibility, the above-mentioned bottom layer is adhered directly to the substrate without the use of adhesive layers. According to this possibility, a PVC plastisol is preferably used, which is applied to the surface of the substrate in liquid or pasty form and foamed there. Preferably, the bottom layer is cooled by means of a pressing element, for instance by means of one or more pressing rollers or pressing belts, such that its thickness can be slightly calibrated.

Irrespective of the manner in which the bottom layer is adhered to the substrate, this bottom layer preferably comprises a glass fiber or glass fabric. As already mentioned, such glass fiber or glass fabric contributes to the impact resistance of the floor panel. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, the aforementioned

BE2016 / 5570 glass fiber or glass fabric on the top surface of the aforementioned bottom layer, or at least in the top quarter of the thickness of the said bottom layer. Such an embodiment is particularly important when the wear layer and / or the printed decor is to some extent brittle, or at least is considerably more brittle than the PVC underlay. In such a case there is a risk that the lacquer layer breaks. The presence of a fiberglass-based layer or other reinforcing layer near the wear layer can significantly reduce this risk. The inventor has determined that, for example, with acrylic-based and / or radiation-cured lacquer layers, this solution may be sufficient for floor applications.

For the substrate, use is preferably made of a substrate which mainly consists of an MDF or HDF board material.

Preferably, the floor panel of the invention is further characterized in that it is provided with mechanical coupling parts on at least two opposite edges and that these coupling parts, in a coupled condition of two such floor panels, provide a clamping effect of the above-mentioned underlayers against each other at the location of the concerning edges. With such an embodiment a certain watertightness of the edges can be obtained. This is important, for example, in cases where the substrate uses a porous and / or wood-based substrate, for example in the case of MDF or HDF.

According to a special embodiment, the above-mentioned substrate is provided on at least two opposite edges with a coating which prevents or limits the penetration of moisture into the substrate, the coating concerned being formed overlapping with the edge of the above-mentioned underlayer. In other words, according to this embodiment, a moisture-resistant coating is provided at the edge of the floor panel, said coating extending from the substrate to at least over the boundary with the above-mentioned underlayer. Preferably, the coating extends further, namely at least beyond the boundary with the printed decor and / or with the wear layer.

BE2016 / 5570

Preferably, the wear layer is provided with a structure or relief formed by depressions on the surface thereof. Preferably, this structure contributes to the imitation of the pattern depicted in the printed decor and / or the structure forms a demarcation of the printed decor, for example on at least one edge thereof. For example, in the case of a wood imitation, it is possible to work with indentations in the form of wood tracks and / or veins. According to another example, it is possible to work with a demarcation of the decor in the form of chamfers or other chamfers. In the case of stone decor, a structure can be used that mimics the presence of cement joints.

Preferably, the wear layer is provided with structural parts which continue into the aforementioned underlayer, or, in other words, the printed decor is also structured. Such an embodiment is particularly interesting in the realization of structural parts such as chamfers, because in this way, despite the limited thickness of the wear layer, they can nevertheless be made deep. The relief obtained in the printed decor itself also contributes to the panel's faithful imitation. According to a particular example of this, even the reinforcement layer, for example the glass fiber or glass fabric, can follow the contour of the respective structural parts.

With the insight to better demonstrate the features of the invention, some preferred embodiments are described below, by way of example without any limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows in perspective a floor panel according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a larger-scale section according to the line II-II shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows an even larger scale view of the area indicated by F3 in Figure 2; and

Figures 4 and 5 show variants in a similar manner to that of figure 3.

BE2016 / 5570

Figures 1 and 2 show an elongated floor panel 1 with a pair of long opposing edges 2-3 and a pair of short opposing edges 4-5. Both the short pair of edges 4-5 and the long pair of edge 2-3 are herein provided with coupling means or coupling parts 6, with which two such floor panels 1 can be coupled to the relevant edges 2-3-4-5 in such a way that they are locked both in a horizontal direction H1 perpendicular to the respective edge 2-34-5 and in the plane of the floor panels 1, and in a vertical direction V1 perpendicular to the plane of the coupled floor panels 1. The coupling parts 6 are preferably the pair of long edges 2-3 are designed similarly to the coupling parts 6 to the pair of short edges 4-5, and they preferably both allow at least one coupling by means of a revolving movement along the respective edges 2-3-4-5. However, it is not excluded that the coupling parts 6 on the respective pairs of edges 2-3 and 4-5 are of different design. For example, coupling parts 6 may be provided on the long edges 2-3 which allow at least one coupling by means of such a revolving movement, while the coupling parts 6 allow at least one coupling by means of a translation movement on the short edges 4-5, for example by means of of a horizontal sliding movement of the relevant edges 4-5 towards each other or by a downward movement of the relevant edges 4-5 towards each other.

Figure 2 clearly shows that these coupling parts 6 can mainly be designed as a tooth 7 and groove 8, this groove 8 being bounded by an upper lip 9 and a lower lip 10. The aforementioned tooth 7 and groove 8 result in known manner in the above-mentioned locking in vertical direction VI. In order to obtain the locking in the horizontal direction H1, said tongue 7 and groove 8 are provided with locking parts, which mainly consist here of a projection 11 near the end of the lower lip 10 and a recess 12 co-operating therewith in the underside of the said tooth 7. On the right-hand side of figure 2 it is also shown that the cooperation of two such floor panels 1 in the example results in a deflection B of the lower lip 10. This results in so-called "prestressing", whereby two such floor panels 1 become actively towards each other. printed.

BE2016 / 5570

Figure 2 further clearly shows that the floor panel 1 of the example is of the type which has a substrate 13 and a top layer 14 applied thereon. The top layer 14 herein comprises at least a printed decor 15 and a transparent wear layer 16 above it.

The special feature of the present invention consists in that the floor panel 1 between the aforementioned printed decor 15 and the aforementioned substrate 13 comprises a foamed underlay 17, preferably of PVC or another thermoplastic material, and that the aforementioned wear layer 16 is free of PVC and is not foamed. The thickness T1 of the wearing layer 16 is less than the thickness T2 of the bottom layer 17. In this case, it concerns a bottom layer 17 comprising foamed PVC. The substrate 13 in this case comprises an HDF panel (High Density Fiberboard), with an average density of more than 750 kilograms per cubic meter. The materials of the top layer 14, bottom layer 17 and substrate 13 are chosen such that the hardness and / or wear resistance of the wear layer 16 is higher than the corresponding properties of the bottom layer 17. In this case, the wear layer mainly consists of a UV-cured acrylic lacquer which includes alumina particles. Preferably the wear layer 16 is at least ten percent and more preferably at least twenty percent harder than the bottom layer 17, the hardness being expressed on the Rockwell scale.

The substrate 13 here relates to an internal layer of the floor panel 1 itself, which in itself consists of a single layer and wherein the relevant layer has a thickness T3 which is greater than half the thickness T of the entire relevant panel 1. Preferably the thickness T3 of the substrate 13 is at least 70% of the thickness T of the entire floor panel 1.

In the example, the contour of the coupling parts 6 is completely formed in the substrate

13. By contour is meant the surface which comprises all contact surfaces 18 between two coupled floor panels 1, with the exception of the contact surface 18A at the top edge 19 of the panels 1. It is of course not excluded that, for example, the underside of the upper groove lip 9 and / or the in contact with it

The top side of the tine 7, which is stepped, consists of the material of the bottom layer 17. In such a case, the remaining part of the contour of the coupling parts 6 is preferably formed in the material of the substrate 13.

In the example, the bottom layer 17 extends above the horizontal level N1 defined by a central line of the floor panel 1. In this case, it even extends above the horizontal level determined by a central line of the coupling parts 6, determined by the tooth -in-groove coupling 7-8, which central line in this case is approximately equal to the level NI. The bottom layer 17 is, in the examples, adhered directly to the substrate 13 without the use of adhesive layers.

The aforementioned bias or deflection B provides a clamping effect of the aforementioned underlayers 17 against each other at the location of the respective edges 19, namely in this case at the contact surfaces 18A.

Figure 3 clearly shows that an air chamber 20 is provided above the tongue-in-groove coupling 7-8 but below the surface of the floor panels 1. In this case, this air chamber 20 consists of undercuts 21 which are arranged on both the tongue and groove sides of the panels 1. It is of course possible to obtain such an air chamber 20 by applying such an undercut 21 on only one of the two sides 2-3, preferably on the groove side; for example, the undercut 21 can also be useful when joining the tongue 7 and groove 8. Due to the presence of said air chamber 20, the aforementioned clamping effect can be concentrated on the contact surfaces 18A situated above this air chamber 20, such that the seam can remain closed at the top edge 19.

The bottom layer 17 forms more than 45 percent of the total thickness of the top layer 14. For the transparent or translucent wear layer 16, a radiation-cured lacquer layer with a thickness T1 of at least 0.1 millimeter is preferably used. Preferably, the wear layer is no thicker than 0.6 millimeters. The inventors have determined that a thickness T1 of 0.2 to 0.4 millimeters provides good wear resistance.

BE2016 / 5570

The joint thickness T4 of said top layer 14 is preferably between 1.5 and 3 millimeters, a thickness T of 1.7 to 2.5 millimeters being desirable.

For the substrate 13, it is possible to work with a sheet material, for example HDF or MDF, with a thickness T3 of 3 millimeters or more. Preferably, thickness t3 of the substrate 13 is between 4.5 and 7 millimeters.

In the case of the example of figure 2, an optional counter layer 22 is applied to the underside of the substrate 13. Such a counter layer preferably consists of a material similar or equal to that of the wear layer 16 and / or the bottom layer 17.

For the printed decor 15, use was made of UV-curable pigment-containing inks which have been deposited directly on the bottom layer 17, for instance by means of a digital printing device, such as an inkjet printer. The printing in this case is carried out without intermediate primer layers and the inks are thus deposited directly on the foamed underlayer 17. The inventor has surprisingly determined that good printing quality could be obtained despite the presence of a foamed substrate.

In figure 3 it is further indicated with a dashed line that the bottom layer 17 comprises a glass fiber or glass fabric 23. The glass fiber or glass fabric 23 is hereby located in the top quarter 24 of the aforementioned bottom layer 17.

Figure 4 shows a variant in which the substrate 13 is provided with a coating 25 which limits or prevents the penetration of moisture into the substrate 13. The respective coating 25 is overlapped with the edge or boundary 26 of the bottom layer 17. In this way, the substrate part is prevented from being immediately affected by moisture under the bottom layer 17 and thus the risk is reduced that effects, such as swelling of the substrate material by moisture penetration, become visible on the surface of the floor panel.

BE2016 / 5570

Figure 5 shows another variant in which the wear layer 16 on its surface 27 is provided with a structure or relief of indentations 28. The indentation 29 is an example of an indentation for the imitation of wood tracks. The indentations 30 form a demarcation of the decor 15 in the form of chamfers on the edges 19 of the floor panel 1.

In this case, the indentations 30 are an example of structural parts that continue into the bottom layer 17, the printed decor 15 also being structured at the location of these indentations 30. In this example, even the reinforcement layer 23 follows the contour of the indentations 30.

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

BE2016 / 5570

Claims (15)

Conclusions. 1. - Floor panel with a substrate (13) and a top layer (14) applied to it, said top layer (14) comprising a printed decor (15), arranged between a foamed PVC bottom layer (17) and a transparent wear layer (16) characterized in that said wear layer (16) is free of PVC, is non-foamed, and has a thickness T1 less than the thickness T2 of said foamed PVC underlayer (17). Floor panel according to claim 1, characterized in that said printed decor (15) consists of a printing formed directly on said underlayer (17). Floor panel according to claim 2, characterized in that the printing is formed on the basis of UV-curable inks. Floor panel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aforementioned wear layer (16) is a lacquer layer. Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wear layer (16) is an acrylic-based layer or a urethane-based layer. Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aforementioned wear layer (16) is cured on the basis of UV radiation, electron radiation and / or ecimer radiation. Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said wear layer (16) comprises hard particles, such as aluminum oxide particles. BE2016 / 5570 Floor panel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the above-mentioned bottom layer (17) is adhered to the above-mentioned substrate (13) via an adhesive layer. Floor panel according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the above-mentioned bottom layer (17) is directly adhered to the substrate (13) without the intervention of adhesive layers. Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said underlayer (17) comprises a glass fiber or glass fabric. Floor panel according to claim 10, characterized in that said glass web or glass fabric is located on the top surface of said underlayer (17), or at least in the top quarter (24) of thickness T2 of said underlayer (17) . Floor panel according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the above-mentioned bottom layer (17) is at least chemically foamed. Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said substrate (13) mainly consists of an MDF or HDF board material. Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the floor panel (1) is provided with at least two opposite edges (2-3) with mechanical coupling parts (6) and that these coupling parts are in a coupled condition of two such floor panels. provide a clamping effect of the aforementioned underlayers (17) against each other at the location of the respective edges (19). Floor panel according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said substrate (13) is provided on at least two opposite edges (2-3) with a coating (25) which prevents the penetration of moisture into the substrate (13). BE2016 / 5570 prevents or restricts, the respective covering (25) being overlapping with the edge (26) of the aforementioned underlayer (17). BE2016 / 5570 η 2016/5570 re BE2016 / 5570 BE2016 / 5570 Floor panel. Floor panel with a substrate (13) and a top layer (14) applied thereto, the above-mentioned top layer (14) comprising a printed decor (15), arranged between a foamed PVC bottom layer (17) and a transparent wear layer (16), thereby characterized in that said wear layer (16) is free of PVC, is non-foamed, and has a thickness T1 less than the thickness T2 of said foamed PVC underlayer (17).