CA1064778A - Three-dimensional decorative surface - Google Patents
Three-dimensional decorative surfaceInfo
- Publication number
- CA1064778A CA1064778A CA309,789A CA309789A CA1064778A CA 1064778 A CA1064778 A CA 1064778A CA 309789 A CA309789 A CA 309789A CA 1064778 A CA1064778 A CA 1064778A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- top coat
- ink
- composition
- wet
- lines
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B05—SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05D—PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL
- B05D5/00—Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures
- B05D5/06—Processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces to obtain special surface effects, finishes or structures to obtain multicolour or other optical effects
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
- B44C—PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK; PAPERHANGING
- B44C3/00—Processes, not specifically provided for elsewhere, for producing ornamental structures
- B44C3/02—Superimposing layers
- B44C3/025—Superimposing layers to produce ornamental relief structures
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
- B44C—PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK; PAPERHANGING
- B44C5/00—Processes for producing special ornamental bodies
- B44C5/04—Ornamental plaques, e.g. decorative panels, decorative veneers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
- B44F—SPECIAL DESIGNS OR PICTURES
- B44F7/00—Designs imitating three-dimensional effects
Landscapes
- Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Decorative articles having a three-dimensional patterned surface are formed employing the different surface tension properties of a wet ink printed patterm amd a liquid top coat composition; the difference in surface tension is such that the liquid top coat composition retracts from the wet ink pattern: subsequently the ink is dried and the top coat is dried and cured.
Decorative articles having a three-dimensional patterned surface are formed employing the different surface tension properties of a wet ink printed patterm amd a liquid top coat composition; the difference in surface tension is such that the liquid top coat composition retracts from the wet ink pattern: subsequently the ink is dried and the top coat is dried and cured.
Description
~06477B
BACKGROU~D OF THE INVE~TION
a) Field of the Invention This invention relates to a decorative article having a three-dimensional patterned surf~ce and its manu-facture; more especially the invention iq concerned with panels having a three-dimensional patterned surface.
b) Description of Prior Art Various proposals have been made for the manu-facture on a large scale of decorative surfaces simulating surfaces more traditionally produced by craftsmen.
In U.S. Patent 3,811,915, Burrell et al, there is disclosed a three-dimensional simulated wood grain product and its manufacture in which a qilicone-containing ink is employed to repel a colourles~ top coat.
' 15 In Canadian Patent 981,124, Barker et al there is '' ` described the manufacture of a simulated ceramic tile having a contoured surface in which a pattern of dry ink lines of silicone-containing ink is employed to repel a pigment-containing top coat~
, 20 SUMMARY OF THE I~VE~TIO~
.
' ~ The pre~ent invention has as an object to provide decorative articles having a three-dimen~ional patterned surface, which can readily be formed as an integral panel,and ~, which can be readily adhered as a single unit to a wall or other surface to be decorated. -It is a further object of the invention to provide ~uch articles that are lightweight.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of producing such decorative articles; and more particularly a method of producing a panel havinq a three-, dimensional patterned surface.
~l~6~77~3 According to the invention there is provided a decorative article having a three-dimensional patterned surface comprising a substrate having a flat surface coated with a coloured printable base, an inked layer comprising a layer of ink lines forming a printed pattern on said printable base and a top coat of a hard resinous film, forming material, said top coat having a variable height thickne~s defining a contour of vaileys, hills and plains;
said top coat having a height thickness of less than 1 mil over said ink lines; said ink lines being form~d from a wet ink composition and said top coat being formed from a liquid top coat composition; said ink composition and liquid top coat composition having differing surface tension properties effective to establi~h said contour by retraction of said liquid top coat composition from said wet ink lines.
According to one embodiment of the invention the decorative article is in the form of a panel adapted to be adhered to a wall.
According to another aspect of the invention there ls provided a method of producin~ an article having a three-: dimensional patterned surface comprising: coating a flat surface of a substrate with a coloured printable base;
printing on said printable base a patterh composed of lines of a wet ink composition, applying to said printable base, over the pattern of wet ink lines, a liquid top coat com~
position of a re'cinous film forming material in a volatile, organic solvent; allowing said liquid top coat composition to retract from the wet ink lines to form ridges of the liquid top coat composition adjacent the wet ink lines, and subsequently drying and baking the substrate to dry said \
~L~)64778 lnk lineR and fix said liquid material as a hard resinous top coat defining a contour of valleys, hills and plains, said top coat remaining on the printed pattern in a thick-nes~ less than 1 mi~.
In general the ink may be colourless or coloured, although a coloured ink is particularly preferred in many embodiments. When a coloured ink is employed, it forms a clearly visible pattern of coloured ink lines. In this embodiment the top coat thickness of less than 1 mil oYer the ink pattern is such that the colour of the ink is not -obscured.
The liquid top coat must be applied to the inked pattern while the ink is ~till wet. The llquid top coat and the ink composition are selected to have surface tension ; effects sufficiently different that the liquid top coat com~
'position retracts from the wet ink lines. The ability of different ink compositions and tvp coat compositions to meet this requirement can be readily determined by experiment and in general the surface tension properties of one of the composition~ can be modified by additlon of a solvent.
P~rticularly the liquid top coat composition should have a surface tension property higher than that of the ink.
In order to en ure that the ink remains wet after printing it may be appropriate to add a high boiling solvent particularly solvents having a boiling poin~ of at least 350F, ~or example, mineral ~pirits, ethylene glycol mono-methyl ether acetate ("Cellosolve" acetate - "Cellosolve"
is a trademark of Union Carbide Corp.), and cyclohexanone.
Such a solvent will evaporate at room temperature only slowly and thu~ the ink will remain wet.
It i~ to be understood that the term "wet"
qualifying the ink lines i~ intended to exclude ink lines , - ~O~i~7~
which have been fully dried as in the procass described in the aforementioned Canadian Patent 981,124. The ink lines should be as wet as posslble in order to obtain the necessary surface tension effect. As the solvent in the ink volatilizes or evaporates the ink lines will become tacky and eventually dry. In the tacky stage the ink lines may still have sufficient liquid to obtain the surface tension effect, however, generally it is desirable that the ink lines be wet.
In particular it is preferred to apply the liquid top coat composition immediately after the printing with the wet ink composition. Indeed, the desirability of i~mediately applying the liquid top coat composition avoids the necessity of a separate drying stage, thereby effecting an economy over proce!sse~ in which the ink is driedO Further, since the ~eparate drying stage for the ink is omitted, there is a saving in the manufacture time which effects a further economy.
A ~ariety of three-dimensional decorative surfaces ~` 20 can be prcduced in accordance with the invention, in parti- cular simulated ceramic patterns.
The three-dimensional decorative surfaces are ~uitably formed on panels which can be applied to a wall or other surface to be decorated. In particular the panels may be ~ormed to ~imulate an array of bathroom or kitchen tiles. In this way a bathroom or kitchen can be tiled by application of panels to the wall by a procedure which is much simpler and less expensive than the application of individual tiles. At the same time, the simulation which can be achieved is very effective.
- 11D647~7~
The liquid top coat composition may be colourless and transparent or may contain a pigment. When producing a ceramic appearance it is especially appropriate to employ a pigment in the top coat composition. In this case the variation in contour from the relatively flat plains sloping up to the hills results in varying colour intensities in the top coat, which forms a part o~ the ceramic appearance.
The top coat may be of a pigmented transparent resinous material, such that the colour of the under-coat in the non-inked, plain araas is visible, the colour varying in intensity in the hill area~ and the slopes thereof.
When a pigment is included in the top coat, the three-dimensional effect is especially significant, and this is particularly desirable when a ceramic appearance i~ desired. However, even if there is no pigment and the top coat i9 colourless, a discernibla three-dimensional appearance and feel iY obtained.
~; The variation in the thickness of a colourless ~, transparent top coat produces different reflections and refraction~ of the light which enhanca and render discernible the three-dimensional contour.
The ink compo~ition may be any conventional printing ink~and is sultably one which will not dry rapidly, for example, typical inksdry in 3 to 4 hours in air at room temperatuxeO A~ indicated above the ink may be colourles~ or coloured. Coloured ink~ com~
prise a vi~cous to semi-solid suspension of finely divided pigment in a liquid vehicle, and may dry by evaporation of a volatile ~olvent vehicle, or by oxidation and poly-merization of a drying oil or resin.
~06477~
Particularly preferred inks are those based on alkyds, acrylics and homo and copolymers of vinyl chloride, particularly copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinylbutyl ether, with ketones as the solvent: the pigments for the coloured inks are conventional being typically inorganic oxides and salts of the transition metals the pigments are selected according to the colour of ink desired.
: ~ , .:
7~3 The inks are ~elected such that the surface tension properties of the liquid ink composition are sufficiently different from those of the liquid top coat composition to effect the desired retraction of the liquid top coat compoqition ~rom the wet ink lines.
The ink compositions employed in the invention are free of silicone oil.
~; The ink pattern of the wet ink composition is ~uitably composed of ink lines. If whole areas are inked then an uneven retraction of the liquid top coat composition is o~tained and the inked areas are not properly defined by ridges of top coat.
It has been found that an ink line width of 1/16 to 3/16 inches in the ink pattern shows good results with a width of 1/8 inches being especially preferred; the lower limit of the width i9 dictated by the need to have a clearly vi~ible pattern, if the ink lines are too fine the pattern will be les~ di~cernible to the eye. The area of the printable base covered by ink lines may represent ~` 20 a relatively small area of the printable base surface thi~ will depend on the nature of the pattern simulated and will generally be from 5 to 3~/Ot typically 10 to 2~/~ of the total area of the printable base.
The liquid top coat composition is suitably a two component composition in which two components which react with one another are mixed shortly before application to the qubstrate. After application the two components are fully reacted to provide a hard cured resinous coating. In this ca~e it is important that the reactants not react or cure to any 3ignificant extent prior to the coating operation.
Such two component compo~itions are well known in the _ ~ _ ~ai69~7~3 coating art, and curing is typically effected by heat or a catalyst. One such two component composition comprises a polyester and an epoxy compound, for example, an oxirane modified ester.
The two component liquid top coat composition is suitably applied to a wet thickness of about 4 to about 5 ~ milsa This thickness of top coat results in ridges or ; hills, adjacent tha wet inked pattern of about 8 mils wet height thickness, which dry to a height thickness of about 4.5 to 5 mils. The height thickness of the ridges or hills of the top coat i9 desirably at least about 4 mils to obtain a markedly discernible three-dimensional feel and appearance.
This is especially ~o when a hand painted ceramic is being simulated. However, with other patterns, ~ less marked three-dimensional appearanceq may be ; preferred and in ~his case a smaller coating thickness, for example, 1 to 2 wet mils may be applied.
Although the liquid top coat retracts from the wet ink pattern a very small coating thickness of top coat may remain on the wet ink pattern, however, this is less than l mil in thicknes~ for a coatin~ thickness ~f 4.5 to S mils. When the top coa~ is plgmented according to t~he teachings of this invention, it is found that this small residual thickness of top coat over the ink does not obscure the colour of the ink. It is, of course, essential that the pattern of wet ink line~ be clearly visible when the top coat retracts from the wet ink pattern.
The liquid top coat composition may be any resinous film~forming material, in a volatile organic vehicle,such ~6~77~
resinous materials are well kno~n for producing finishing surfaces of plaYtic material. Conventional top coat resin compo~itions are colourless and transparent when used to provide a protective surface over a printed pattern.
In one embodiment the conventional colourless, transparent top coat compositions are employed to produce a three-dimensional contoured surface having an appearance markedly different from the non-contoured, smooth, protective surfaces which are more usually formed from these top coat compositions.
In a second e~bodiment the present invention represents a departure from the prior systems in that a small amount of pigment is incorporated into the otherwise colouxless, transparent resin top coat composition to give it colour and to contrast with the colour in the ink lines and the colour in the under-cozlt. This is especially advantageous where a hand paint:ed ceramic pattern is to be simulated~
Suitable volatile vehicles include aromatic solvents and glycols, a particularly preferred solvent for the preferred two component resin system,based on polyes~er re~in and oxirane modified ester resi~ i3 xylol.
Any pigm~nt compatible with the resin system can be employed in the top coat when a coloured top coat .
is desired; the particular pigment chosen depends on the colour desired.
When employe~ the pigm~nt is pre~ent in relatively small amounts to provide colour in the top coat. The lower limit is dictated by the desire to have a discernible colour in the top coat. If there is too little pigment, the top coat will appear colourless, the upper limit depends on the particular colour of the pigm~nt and the rolour of --lo --!
~06477~
areaq of the base coat which are not inked, since if the colour in the top coat is too intense it will mask the background colour; and thi~ may be undesirable; this will depe~d on the particular design. Suitably it is found that 0.75% to 2~/o and preferably about 1.5% by weight of pigm~nt colouring based on the total weight of the liquid top coat composition, is sufficiant to produce the ceramic effect, while avoiding the masking of background colour~.
The pigments employed in the under coat and the optional pigment in the ink and top coat are selected so that there is a discernible contrast between the three~
Thi~ may be achieved either by employing completely different colour~ in the under coat, ink and top coat, or by employ-ing different shades of the same colour, or by employing two different ~hades of one colour with a completely different colour. For example, when a hand painted ceramlc i~ to be ~imulated it i9 e~pecially preferred to use a white pigmented top coat; in this case the under-coat might be a pale blue and the ink lines a deep blue, or the ink lines might be yellow and the under-coat green; a third possibility i5 that the under-coat, ink lines and top coat could be different shades of the same colour, for example, different shades of blueO It is, of course, important that there be adequate and discernible differentiation in the colours or shades in order to produce a contrast in the colours and provide the desired appearance, for example, a ceramic appearance.
It i~ found that an especially pleasing appearance is obtained by employing different shades of the ~ame colour for the under-coat and ink lines, in con--- 11 _ ~L~6477~3 junction with a white pigmented top coat, the under-coat being a pale shade and the ink lines being a deep shade of the same colouxO
An advantage of employing a white pigmented top coat in this manner is that the colour of the under-coat is observed in different shades, thus enhancing the ceramic appearance in this embodiment, The ridges or hill~
of the top coat formed are substantially opaque and obliterate the underlying under coat. The top coat between the ridges in the non-inked areas, which forms the plains is only partially opaque or in other word~
is translucent and the colour of the undercoat is visible therethrough as a lighter ~hade than the exposed areas of under-coat in the valleys adjacent the ink lines where the top coat i~ repelled. As indicated previou~ly there may be a very ~mall coating thicknes~ of top coat in the valleys, of less than 1 mil thickness, however, this ~mall thickness is sub9tantially transparent 80 that coloured ink lines and the under coat adjacent the ink line~ are clearly visible.
When a pigment is present in the top coat composition it i9 instrumental in conjunction with the applied thickne~s of liquid top coat compo~ition in obtaining the required retraction to expose the wet ink line pattern and the adjacent coloured under-coat, and to provide a resinous top coat which is transparent over the valleys, opaque in the hills and translucent in the plain~.
By employing a pigment content of 0.75 to 2.~/o b~ weight in a wet thickne~s of about 4 to 5 mils the required variation in the top coat can be obtained.~ If _ 12 _ ~06~77~
more than about 2.~ by weight of the pigment is employed, then the retraction by surface tension may be affected.
It is believed that the weight of the pigment particles slows down the retraction and if the weight of the pigment particle~ is too high no satisfactory retraction of the liquid top coat composition is obtained. Lowering the viscosity of the liquid top coat composition does not appear to overcome khe problem of poor retraction when the pigment content is increased, so that it appears to be the content of pigment particles which is significant~
The pigment content may al~o be expressed on a volume basiq and in this case suitably comprises from 0.2 to 0.5%, preerably about 0.4%, by volume of the liquid top coat composition.
It will be understood that the invention i9 not ; re~tricted to any particular colour combinations and that the term "colour" includes white and black as well as intermediate grey colour~ in addition to the more con-ventional spectral colours such as blue and yellow.
The liquid top coat composi$ion for application ~ to the in~ed substrate suitably has a ~ontent of the ; re3inous material of 5~h to 7~/0 by weight, with about 65%
being preferred. The liquid top coat composition should, of cour~e, remain liquid for a time long enough to allow it to retract from the wet ink by virtue of the differing surface ten~ion properties, and form the ridge~.
When the volatile vehicle of a pigmented liquid top coat composition ha~ been volatized the resinous top coat remaining contain~ about 1 to about 4%, preferably about 2.25 to 2.5%, by weight of pigment, based on the weight of the non-volatile part of the liquid top coat composition, ~(16477~
The top coat may be applied to the substrate by conventional means, for example, spraying or curtain coating, the latter being preferred.
In another embodiment the liquid top coat com-position may be based on an alkyd resin and a melamine resin containing an acid catalyst, for example, para-toluene sulphonic acid, which will promote the cure at an elevated temperature.
Alkyd/melamine resin coating compositions are widely employed to provide a colourless, transparent, ~mooth protective finish on patterned substrates If they are employed in too great a coating thickness, however, there i~ a tendency for bubbling of the resin coating which result3 in blistering and an unacceptable product, Thi~ arises from the need for relatively high ~emperatures to cure the alk~d/melamine top coat composition.
This tendency to blister is especially ~ignificant in the present invention in which ridges of i the liquid tQp coat composition are formed, The blis~er-ing is especially notable in the ridges where the top ~oat has its graatest height thickne~s.
It is found that the blistering is avoided if the alkyd/melamine liquld top coat composition is applied in a coating thickness of 1 to 2 mils, preferably about 1.5 mil~ A wet coating thickness of about 1.5 mils - result~ in ridges of about 3 wet mils thickness. While this lower coating thickness results in a less marked three-dimensional contour it nevertheless is satisfactory for many designs and certainly produces an improved appearance in comparison with the conventional smooth, non-contoured surfaces formed from alkyd/melamine resins.
_ 14 -~.~64'77~3 As indicated previously the liquid top coat com, position is applied while the ink pattern is still wet.
~ The liquid top coat composition may be applied at any '~ time while the ink is still wet, however, in a continuous-in-line prQduction it is desirable to apply the top coat composition immediately after the printing with the wet ink as this permits a higher through-put. Most preferably the liquid top coat composition is applied within 25 seconds of th~ inking stage and will generally be applied 5 to 25 second~ after printing with the wet ink.
When the desired contour is obtained in the top coat it is fixed by evaporation of the solvent, followed by baking to harden the resinous material. The ink is dried by an initial evaporation of the solvent whereafter the ink cures. Evaporation of the solvent from the ink occurs simultaneously with evaporation of solvent from the top coat composition. When the solvent has been ,~ evaporated from the top coat composition its retracted po~ition i5 essentially fixed even though the top coat is not cured. Subsequently the top coat composition is hardened by ~uring and the ink may also be cured. The curing produces a hard protective finish.
In one embcdim~nt the drying stage comprises ex-posing the wet top coat and wst ink to a temperature of up to about 200F for about 30 seconds, and this drying stage may be followed by a baking at an elevated temperature. The temperature for baking is dependent on the nature of the resin forming ingredients of the top coat composition.
In the case of the two component polyester/epoxy compositions baking at about 250F for 2.5 to 3 minut,es is appropriate to effect the cure.
- ` ~
~06477~
In the case of the alkyd/melamine compositions higher temperatures are required typically 300 ~o 500F, preferably 350 to 400F, and most preferably about 450F, ; for 1 to 5 minutes, preferably about 2 minutes.
Problems occur in some instances if the drying temperature i9 above about 200F and a temp2rature of ; about 140F is particularly suitable. If the top coat is heated above about Z00F during the drying stage in which the solvent i3 evaporated there is a danger of bubbling and 10 leaching of the colour.
The curing may quitably be carried out in an oven having a plurality of stages in which the temperature increases from the inlet end to the outlet end within the specified range. The use of higher temperatures in the 15 curing stage results in a harder resin coating which is .
much preferred.
The sub~trate particularly preferred is a hard-board sheet, although ojther substrates, for example, particle board can also be used. Non-wood based porous ~ sheets, for example, pla~ter board or sheets o gypsum can also be employed. It will be evident that the substrate m1ght be selected from~a variety of materials which are self-supporting, and in sheet form, with the appropriate phy~ical characteristics.
In a particularly advantageous and preferred embodiment the substrate comprises a hardboard panel 4 ft.
by 8 ft. When a plurality of hand painted ceramic tiles :
i5 to be simulated there iisi suitably defined on the panel eight rows of sixteen, six inch square tile3, with a narrow margin between adjacent tiles; or there can be defined twelve rows of twenty-four, four inch square tiles with a narrow margin bet~een adjacent tiles. In this case the - 16 _ 106~
narrow margin is defined by the ink layer in the form of ink lines, dividing the panel into six inch squares; or four inch squares: in this way the margin forms a depressed zone or valley corresponding to the depressed zone which occurs between adjacent tiles when conventional tiles are secured to a wall.
There can thus be produced a light-weight panel of 128 tile~ or 288, which can be readily secured by adhesive to a wall or other surface to be decorated. In this way a wall can be given a tiled ~urface far more quickly than when each tile is secured individually on the wall. Furthermore utilizing the panels the wall can be more readily fitted and a full panel can be easily cut to provide an appropriate size panel to complete the covering of the wall. It will be appreciated that these figures are given only by way of example and tiles of different dimensions and panels of a different size could also be employed~
The under-coat for the hardboard sub trate i3 of a conventional kind and serve~ to seal the pores of the hardboæ d sur~ace and provide a colollred printable base surface. Conveniently the under-coat may be made up of two ~eparate coatings; a lower fill coat to seal the pores and an upper base coat to provide a coloured print-able base. Such coatings are well known in the art and may ~uitably be applied to the ~ub~trate by con~entional techniques, for example, roller coating. The fill coat is suitably applied by rever~e roller coating and dried in a hot air oven at 150F for one minute, advantageously the fill coat surface is sanded to make it smooth before application of the base coat.Theba~e coat i~ suitably applied by a curtain coater and dried in a hot air oven at about 375F for 1.5 to 2 minute~.
- 17 _ ~6~7~78 While the methcd has been described in terms of forming a single wet ink pattern, it will be readily understood that additional inking patterns could be employed, with such i~k patterns being dried to obtain a multiplicity of colours in the tile. In this case the wet ink layer is applied as the final inking stage. Of course, there will be no retraction of the li~uid top coat compoRition from the dry ink pattern.
The ink patterns can be formed by conventional ink printing technique3 where the substrate is not requixed to be flexible including silk screen printing, and offset roller printing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIO~ OF DRA~INGS
The invention is illustrated in preferred embodiments by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 illustrates ~chematically a hard-board panel defining a plurality of simulated ceramic tiles, and FIGURE 2 illustra~es a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 DESCRIPTIO~ OF PREFERRED FMBoDIMæNTs With reference to Figure 1 there is illustrated a hardboard panel 10 defining a plurality of simulated ceramic tiles 12, with a narrow inked margin 14 between , .
~' .
- 1~
~0~477~3 adjacent tiles 12, a design has been shown on certain of ; the tiles 12 by way of illustration.
With reference to Figure 2 there is illustrated a cross-section of a tile 12 comprising a hardboard sub-strate 16 defined by a portion of the panel 10 of Figure 1, a sanded fill coat 18 and coloured base coat 20. An ink pattern of inked portions 22 is printed on base coat 20, the inked portion 22 comprises lines of ink. A hard top coat 24, optionally containing a pigment,provides a con- -toured surface defining valleys 26 over inked portions 22, hills 28 adjacent inked portions 22 and pl~ins 30 between hills 28. The tile 12 terminates at a hill 28a sloping into a valley 26a over inked mc~rgin 14.
This in~ention is il]ustrated by reference to the following Examples which are not to be construed as limiting.
ExAMoeLE 1 In the laboratory a sheet of hardboard 6 inches by 12 inches wa~ roller coated with a fill coat of formulation A below. The fill coat wa~ dried in a hot air oven at 150F for one minute and the resulting coated surface was sanded to provide a smooth surface which was then curtaln coated with a base coat of formulation B
below, the baqe coat was dried in a hot air o~en at 375F for 2 minutes.
The resulting base coat was printed with a pattern of ink lines using a silk screen with an ink of formulation C below. Within 30 second~ of formation of the ink pattern, and while the ink was ~till wet there was applied by drawdown a liquid top coat composition D
in a thickness of 4 wet mils.
~06~77~3 The liquid top coat composition retracted from the wet inX pattern in 10 to 15 seconds.
The top coat was cured in an oven at 250 to 300F
for 3 minuteq. There was no difficulty in the curing and no blistering.
The resulting product displayed good pattern ~ormation with ridges of top coat adjacent the inked pattern.
; A sheet of hardboard 6 inches by 12 inches was treated with formulations A, B and C, in the ~ame manner as in Example 1~
Within 30 seconds of formation of the ink pattern, and while the ink was still wet, there was applied by drawdown a liquid top coat composition E
(alkyd/melamine) in a thickness of 4 wet mils. I
The liquid top coat composition retracted from the wet ink pattern in 10 to 15 ~econds.
The top coat was cured in an oven at 400F for ~ 2.5 minute~.~
Good pattern formation and three-dimensional effect were obtained.~ However, blistering occurred in the ridges and bubbling of the top coat was observed :
during the curing,~ so tha~ the finished article was not conmercially acceptabla.
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated but the liquid top coat composition E was applied in a thickness of ; 3 wet mils.
As in Example 2, pattern formation was good, although the three-dimensional effect was less pronounced.
~ 20 -~L064'-~78 Fine bubbling wa observed during the curing and there was some blistering, although less than in Example 2.
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated but the liquid top coat composition E waq applied in a thicXness of 1.5 to 2 wet mils.
Good pattern formation was obtained, no bubbling was observed during curing and there were no blisters in the finished article. The three dimensional effect was much less pronouncad but still discernible.
EX~MPLE 5 On a production-line, a hardboard sheet 4 ft. by 8 ft. was treated with formulations A and B under the same conditions as in Example 1.
The resulting base was printed by gravure rolls with the ink of formulation C which was thinned for printing consi~tency to 45 soc~ 4 Ford Cup, by addition of mineral qpirits.
Within 25 seconds and while the ink pattern was ~till wet, there was applied by a curtain coater a liquid top coat composition D in a thickness of 4 wet mils.
~he li~uid top coat composition retracted in 15 seconds.
. The panel was pas~ed into an oven in which the tempera~ure ranged from 250F at the inlet to 300F at the outlet, for a reqidence time of 3.25 minutes to effect cure of the top coat~
The resulting product displayed good pattexn formation and three dimensional effect.
7~t~
.
Examples 1 to 4 were repeated but using an acrylic type ink of formulation F instead of the ink of formulation C. The result~ were, in each case, the same.
Formulation A
A 34 gallon quantity was made up of -*Beckosol 12-006 (phenolated, phthalic free resin modified alkyd resin available frpm Reichhold Chemical Inc.) 150 lbs Barytes (barium ~ulphate)X5R* avail-able from Canadian Titanium Co. 430 lbs Tioxide RHD-3* (titanium dioxide pig-ment available from Tioxide of Canada Ltd.) 120 lbs Super Hi-Fla~h*, a naphtha aromatic ~olvent available from Cam~co Solvents & Chemical Co. Ltd. 54 lbs Cellosolve* Acetate (mono and dial~yl ethers of ethylene glycol -Union Carbide Chemical Corp.)` 5.7 lbs ; Lead ~uodex* 1 lb 14 oz Manganese Nuodex* 12-1/2 oz Cobalt Nuodex* (metal soaps of organic acids available from Nuodex Products Co. Ltd.) 1 lb 9 oz Formulation B
- .
A 264 gallon quantity was made up of -Tioxide RHD-3* (T-O2 - Tioxide of Canada Ltd.) 630 lbs Blancfixe* (a precipitated barium ~ulphate extender pigment ; available from Prescott Co Ltd.) 1,722 lbs Dry Ultra Marine Blue 15 oz Aroplaz EP-1537-1* (alkyd re~in in a ~olvent available from Ashland Oil Canada Ltd.) 930 lbs * trademark 64'~78 Xylol 252 lbs Toluol 150 lbs The above waq ground and mixed well.
Triethylamine 1 lb 5 oz Resimene U-901* (A m,elamine and 378 lbs urea formalde-Resimene 875* hyde resin in 51 lbs ~available from organic liquid Monsanto solvent) Chemicals Ltd.) Toluol ,102 lbs Formulation C
An alkyd base green ink was made up of the following ingredients -Chrome Yellow No. lO9i (a lead chromate pigment - Reed Pigmenl Ltd.) 2 Lbs Thalo Green No. 9140 (Hoechst Chemicals &
Dyestuffs Ltd.) 2 Ibs Glyptal No. 2J02 (trademark of General Electric Co. for an ~lkyd-type polymer and plasticizer) 50 lbs Cobalt Nuodex 6%
(Nuodex i8 a trademark for metal soaps of organic acids - Nuodex Products Co.
Ltd.) 0_15 lbs Lead ~uodex 2P/o (trademark)0.5 lbs Calcium ~uodex 4% (trademark)0.75 lbs *trademark -~L0~7~
Formulation D
A two component liquid top coat compo~ition was o~tained by mixing components a) and b) in a 1:1 ratio by volume a) Aroflint 607 (trademark of Ashland Oil Canada Ltd. for a polyester resin) 581 lbs Xylol 125 lbs Cellusolve acetate (trademark of Union Carbide Corp, for ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate~ 75 lbs White Colourant T-3104 (titanium diQxide colour of J. J. Barker Co., Ltd.)46.75 lbs Slip-Aid* No. Sl 50 ~polyethylene dispersion from Lomas Chemicals Ltd. 81 lbs b~ AroElint ~o. 404 XA7-60 (trademark of Ashland Oil Canada Ltd. for an oxirane modified ester resin) 1,080 lbs Formulation E
A one componant alkyd/m~lamine top coat was made up of the following ingredlents -Resimena~o. 747 ~- (trademark of Monsanto Chemicals Ltd.) 105 lbs ;, n-Butyl Alcohol 80 lbs :
Catalyst ~o. 4040*
(p-toluene sulphonic acid from Cyanamid of ` Canada Ltd.) 6.5 lbs Aroplaz No. 6029 X 60*
(oil free alkyd from A~hland Chemicals of Canada Ltd.) 536 lbs Xylol 60 lbs * trademarX
BACKGROU~D OF THE INVE~TION
a) Field of the Invention This invention relates to a decorative article having a three-dimensional patterned surf~ce and its manu-facture; more especially the invention iq concerned with panels having a three-dimensional patterned surface.
b) Description of Prior Art Various proposals have been made for the manu-facture on a large scale of decorative surfaces simulating surfaces more traditionally produced by craftsmen.
In U.S. Patent 3,811,915, Burrell et al, there is disclosed a three-dimensional simulated wood grain product and its manufacture in which a qilicone-containing ink is employed to repel a colourles~ top coat.
' 15 In Canadian Patent 981,124, Barker et al there is '' ` described the manufacture of a simulated ceramic tile having a contoured surface in which a pattern of dry ink lines of silicone-containing ink is employed to repel a pigment-containing top coat~
, 20 SUMMARY OF THE I~VE~TIO~
.
' ~ The pre~ent invention has as an object to provide decorative articles having a three-dimen~ional patterned surface, which can readily be formed as an integral panel,and ~, which can be readily adhered as a single unit to a wall or other surface to be decorated. -It is a further object of the invention to provide ~uch articles that are lightweight.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of producing such decorative articles; and more particularly a method of producing a panel havinq a three-, dimensional patterned surface.
~l~6~77~3 According to the invention there is provided a decorative article having a three-dimensional patterned surface comprising a substrate having a flat surface coated with a coloured printable base, an inked layer comprising a layer of ink lines forming a printed pattern on said printable base and a top coat of a hard resinous film, forming material, said top coat having a variable height thickne~s defining a contour of vaileys, hills and plains;
said top coat having a height thickness of less than 1 mil over said ink lines; said ink lines being form~d from a wet ink composition and said top coat being formed from a liquid top coat composition; said ink composition and liquid top coat composition having differing surface tension properties effective to establi~h said contour by retraction of said liquid top coat composition from said wet ink lines.
According to one embodiment of the invention the decorative article is in the form of a panel adapted to be adhered to a wall.
According to another aspect of the invention there ls provided a method of producin~ an article having a three-: dimensional patterned surface comprising: coating a flat surface of a substrate with a coloured printable base;
printing on said printable base a patterh composed of lines of a wet ink composition, applying to said printable base, over the pattern of wet ink lines, a liquid top coat com~
position of a re'cinous film forming material in a volatile, organic solvent; allowing said liquid top coat composition to retract from the wet ink lines to form ridges of the liquid top coat composition adjacent the wet ink lines, and subsequently drying and baking the substrate to dry said \
~L~)64778 lnk lineR and fix said liquid material as a hard resinous top coat defining a contour of valleys, hills and plains, said top coat remaining on the printed pattern in a thick-nes~ less than 1 mi~.
In general the ink may be colourless or coloured, although a coloured ink is particularly preferred in many embodiments. When a coloured ink is employed, it forms a clearly visible pattern of coloured ink lines. In this embodiment the top coat thickness of less than 1 mil oYer the ink pattern is such that the colour of the ink is not -obscured.
The liquid top coat must be applied to the inked pattern while the ink is ~till wet. The llquid top coat and the ink composition are selected to have surface tension ; effects sufficiently different that the liquid top coat com~
'position retracts from the wet ink lines. The ability of different ink compositions and tvp coat compositions to meet this requirement can be readily determined by experiment and in general the surface tension properties of one of the composition~ can be modified by additlon of a solvent.
P~rticularly the liquid top coat composition should have a surface tension property higher than that of the ink.
In order to en ure that the ink remains wet after printing it may be appropriate to add a high boiling solvent particularly solvents having a boiling poin~ of at least 350F, ~or example, mineral ~pirits, ethylene glycol mono-methyl ether acetate ("Cellosolve" acetate - "Cellosolve"
is a trademark of Union Carbide Corp.), and cyclohexanone.
Such a solvent will evaporate at room temperature only slowly and thu~ the ink will remain wet.
It i~ to be understood that the term "wet"
qualifying the ink lines i~ intended to exclude ink lines , - ~O~i~7~
which have been fully dried as in the procass described in the aforementioned Canadian Patent 981,124. The ink lines should be as wet as posslble in order to obtain the necessary surface tension effect. As the solvent in the ink volatilizes or evaporates the ink lines will become tacky and eventually dry. In the tacky stage the ink lines may still have sufficient liquid to obtain the surface tension effect, however, generally it is desirable that the ink lines be wet.
In particular it is preferred to apply the liquid top coat composition immediately after the printing with the wet ink composition. Indeed, the desirability of i~mediately applying the liquid top coat composition avoids the necessity of a separate drying stage, thereby effecting an economy over proce!sse~ in which the ink is driedO Further, since the ~eparate drying stage for the ink is omitted, there is a saving in the manufacture time which effects a further economy.
A ~ariety of three-dimensional decorative surfaces ~` 20 can be prcduced in accordance with the invention, in parti- cular simulated ceramic patterns.
The three-dimensional decorative surfaces are ~uitably formed on panels which can be applied to a wall or other surface to be decorated. In particular the panels may be ~ormed to ~imulate an array of bathroom or kitchen tiles. In this way a bathroom or kitchen can be tiled by application of panels to the wall by a procedure which is much simpler and less expensive than the application of individual tiles. At the same time, the simulation which can be achieved is very effective.
- 11D647~7~
The liquid top coat composition may be colourless and transparent or may contain a pigment. When producing a ceramic appearance it is especially appropriate to employ a pigment in the top coat composition. In this case the variation in contour from the relatively flat plains sloping up to the hills results in varying colour intensities in the top coat, which forms a part o~ the ceramic appearance.
The top coat may be of a pigmented transparent resinous material, such that the colour of the under-coat in the non-inked, plain araas is visible, the colour varying in intensity in the hill area~ and the slopes thereof.
When a pigment is included in the top coat, the three-dimensional effect is especially significant, and this is particularly desirable when a ceramic appearance i~ desired. However, even if there is no pigment and the top coat i9 colourless, a discernibla three-dimensional appearance and feel iY obtained.
~; The variation in the thickness of a colourless ~, transparent top coat produces different reflections and refraction~ of the light which enhanca and render discernible the three-dimensional contour.
The ink compo~ition may be any conventional printing ink~and is sultably one which will not dry rapidly, for example, typical inksdry in 3 to 4 hours in air at room temperatuxeO A~ indicated above the ink may be colourles~ or coloured. Coloured ink~ com~
prise a vi~cous to semi-solid suspension of finely divided pigment in a liquid vehicle, and may dry by evaporation of a volatile ~olvent vehicle, or by oxidation and poly-merization of a drying oil or resin.
~06477~
Particularly preferred inks are those based on alkyds, acrylics and homo and copolymers of vinyl chloride, particularly copolymers of vinyl chloride and vinylbutyl ether, with ketones as the solvent: the pigments for the coloured inks are conventional being typically inorganic oxides and salts of the transition metals the pigments are selected according to the colour of ink desired.
: ~ , .:
7~3 The inks are ~elected such that the surface tension properties of the liquid ink composition are sufficiently different from those of the liquid top coat composition to effect the desired retraction of the liquid top coat compoqition ~rom the wet ink lines.
The ink compositions employed in the invention are free of silicone oil.
~; The ink pattern of the wet ink composition is ~uitably composed of ink lines. If whole areas are inked then an uneven retraction of the liquid top coat composition is o~tained and the inked areas are not properly defined by ridges of top coat.
It has been found that an ink line width of 1/16 to 3/16 inches in the ink pattern shows good results with a width of 1/8 inches being especially preferred; the lower limit of the width i9 dictated by the need to have a clearly vi~ible pattern, if the ink lines are too fine the pattern will be les~ di~cernible to the eye. The area of the printable base covered by ink lines may represent ~` 20 a relatively small area of the printable base surface thi~ will depend on the nature of the pattern simulated and will generally be from 5 to 3~/Ot typically 10 to 2~/~ of the total area of the printable base.
The liquid top coat composition is suitably a two component composition in which two components which react with one another are mixed shortly before application to the qubstrate. After application the two components are fully reacted to provide a hard cured resinous coating. In this ca~e it is important that the reactants not react or cure to any 3ignificant extent prior to the coating operation.
Such two component compo~itions are well known in the _ ~ _ ~ai69~7~3 coating art, and curing is typically effected by heat or a catalyst. One such two component composition comprises a polyester and an epoxy compound, for example, an oxirane modified ester.
The two component liquid top coat composition is suitably applied to a wet thickness of about 4 to about 5 ~ milsa This thickness of top coat results in ridges or ; hills, adjacent tha wet inked pattern of about 8 mils wet height thickness, which dry to a height thickness of about 4.5 to 5 mils. The height thickness of the ridges or hills of the top coat i9 desirably at least about 4 mils to obtain a markedly discernible three-dimensional feel and appearance.
This is especially ~o when a hand painted ceramic is being simulated. However, with other patterns, ~ less marked three-dimensional appearanceq may be ; preferred and in ~his case a smaller coating thickness, for example, 1 to 2 wet mils may be applied.
Although the liquid top coat retracts from the wet ink pattern a very small coating thickness of top coat may remain on the wet ink pattern, however, this is less than l mil in thicknes~ for a coatin~ thickness ~f 4.5 to S mils. When the top coa~ is plgmented according to t~he teachings of this invention, it is found that this small residual thickness of top coat over the ink does not obscure the colour of the ink. It is, of course, essential that the pattern of wet ink line~ be clearly visible when the top coat retracts from the wet ink pattern.
The liquid top coat composition may be any resinous film~forming material, in a volatile organic vehicle,such ~6~77~
resinous materials are well kno~n for producing finishing surfaces of plaYtic material. Conventional top coat resin compo~itions are colourless and transparent when used to provide a protective surface over a printed pattern.
In one embodiment the conventional colourless, transparent top coat compositions are employed to produce a three-dimensional contoured surface having an appearance markedly different from the non-contoured, smooth, protective surfaces which are more usually formed from these top coat compositions.
In a second e~bodiment the present invention represents a departure from the prior systems in that a small amount of pigment is incorporated into the otherwise colouxless, transparent resin top coat composition to give it colour and to contrast with the colour in the ink lines and the colour in the under-cozlt. This is especially advantageous where a hand paint:ed ceramic pattern is to be simulated~
Suitable volatile vehicles include aromatic solvents and glycols, a particularly preferred solvent for the preferred two component resin system,based on polyes~er re~in and oxirane modified ester resi~ i3 xylol.
Any pigm~nt compatible with the resin system can be employed in the top coat when a coloured top coat .
is desired; the particular pigment chosen depends on the colour desired.
When employe~ the pigm~nt is pre~ent in relatively small amounts to provide colour in the top coat. The lower limit is dictated by the desire to have a discernible colour in the top coat. If there is too little pigment, the top coat will appear colourless, the upper limit depends on the particular colour of the pigm~nt and the rolour of --lo --!
~06477~
areaq of the base coat which are not inked, since if the colour in the top coat is too intense it will mask the background colour; and thi~ may be undesirable; this will depe~d on the particular design. Suitably it is found that 0.75% to 2~/o and preferably about 1.5% by weight of pigm~nt colouring based on the total weight of the liquid top coat composition, is sufficiant to produce the ceramic effect, while avoiding the masking of background colour~.
The pigments employed in the under coat and the optional pigment in the ink and top coat are selected so that there is a discernible contrast between the three~
Thi~ may be achieved either by employing completely different colour~ in the under coat, ink and top coat, or by employ-ing different shades of the same colour, or by employing two different ~hades of one colour with a completely different colour. For example, when a hand painted ceramlc i~ to be ~imulated it i9 e~pecially preferred to use a white pigmented top coat; in this case the under-coat might be a pale blue and the ink lines a deep blue, or the ink lines might be yellow and the under-coat green; a third possibility i5 that the under-coat, ink lines and top coat could be different shades of the same colour, for example, different shades of blueO It is, of course, important that there be adequate and discernible differentiation in the colours or shades in order to produce a contrast in the colours and provide the desired appearance, for example, a ceramic appearance.
It i~ found that an especially pleasing appearance is obtained by employing different shades of the ~ame colour for the under-coat and ink lines, in con--- 11 _ ~L~6477~3 junction with a white pigmented top coat, the under-coat being a pale shade and the ink lines being a deep shade of the same colouxO
An advantage of employing a white pigmented top coat in this manner is that the colour of the under-coat is observed in different shades, thus enhancing the ceramic appearance in this embodiment, The ridges or hill~
of the top coat formed are substantially opaque and obliterate the underlying under coat. The top coat between the ridges in the non-inked areas, which forms the plains is only partially opaque or in other word~
is translucent and the colour of the undercoat is visible therethrough as a lighter ~hade than the exposed areas of under-coat in the valleys adjacent the ink lines where the top coat i~ repelled. As indicated previou~ly there may be a very ~mall coating thicknes~ of top coat in the valleys, of less than 1 mil thickness, however, this ~mall thickness is sub9tantially transparent 80 that coloured ink lines and the under coat adjacent the ink line~ are clearly visible.
When a pigment is present in the top coat composition it i9 instrumental in conjunction with the applied thickne~s of liquid top coat compo~ition in obtaining the required retraction to expose the wet ink line pattern and the adjacent coloured under-coat, and to provide a resinous top coat which is transparent over the valleys, opaque in the hills and translucent in the plain~.
By employing a pigment content of 0.75 to 2.~/o b~ weight in a wet thickne~s of about 4 to 5 mils the required variation in the top coat can be obtained.~ If _ 12 _ ~06~77~
more than about 2.~ by weight of the pigment is employed, then the retraction by surface tension may be affected.
It is believed that the weight of the pigment particles slows down the retraction and if the weight of the pigment particle~ is too high no satisfactory retraction of the liquid top coat composition is obtained. Lowering the viscosity of the liquid top coat composition does not appear to overcome khe problem of poor retraction when the pigment content is increased, so that it appears to be the content of pigment particles which is significant~
The pigment content may al~o be expressed on a volume basiq and in this case suitably comprises from 0.2 to 0.5%, preerably about 0.4%, by volume of the liquid top coat composition.
It will be understood that the invention i9 not ; re~tricted to any particular colour combinations and that the term "colour" includes white and black as well as intermediate grey colour~ in addition to the more con-ventional spectral colours such as blue and yellow.
The liquid top coat composi$ion for application ~ to the in~ed substrate suitably has a ~ontent of the ; re3inous material of 5~h to 7~/0 by weight, with about 65%
being preferred. The liquid top coat composition should, of cour~e, remain liquid for a time long enough to allow it to retract from the wet ink by virtue of the differing surface ten~ion properties, and form the ridge~.
When the volatile vehicle of a pigmented liquid top coat composition ha~ been volatized the resinous top coat remaining contain~ about 1 to about 4%, preferably about 2.25 to 2.5%, by weight of pigment, based on the weight of the non-volatile part of the liquid top coat composition, ~(16477~
The top coat may be applied to the substrate by conventional means, for example, spraying or curtain coating, the latter being preferred.
In another embodiment the liquid top coat com-position may be based on an alkyd resin and a melamine resin containing an acid catalyst, for example, para-toluene sulphonic acid, which will promote the cure at an elevated temperature.
Alkyd/melamine resin coating compositions are widely employed to provide a colourless, transparent, ~mooth protective finish on patterned substrates If they are employed in too great a coating thickness, however, there i~ a tendency for bubbling of the resin coating which result3 in blistering and an unacceptable product, Thi~ arises from the need for relatively high ~emperatures to cure the alk~d/melamine top coat composition.
This tendency to blister is especially ~ignificant in the present invention in which ridges of i the liquid tQp coat composition are formed, The blis~er-ing is especially notable in the ridges where the top ~oat has its graatest height thickne~s.
It is found that the blistering is avoided if the alkyd/melamine liquld top coat composition is applied in a coating thickness of 1 to 2 mils, preferably about 1.5 mil~ A wet coating thickness of about 1.5 mils - result~ in ridges of about 3 wet mils thickness. While this lower coating thickness results in a less marked three-dimensional contour it nevertheless is satisfactory for many designs and certainly produces an improved appearance in comparison with the conventional smooth, non-contoured surfaces formed from alkyd/melamine resins.
_ 14 -~.~64'77~3 As indicated previously the liquid top coat com, position is applied while the ink pattern is still wet.
~ The liquid top coat composition may be applied at any '~ time while the ink is still wet, however, in a continuous-in-line prQduction it is desirable to apply the top coat composition immediately after the printing with the wet ink as this permits a higher through-put. Most preferably the liquid top coat composition is applied within 25 seconds of th~ inking stage and will generally be applied 5 to 25 second~ after printing with the wet ink.
When the desired contour is obtained in the top coat it is fixed by evaporation of the solvent, followed by baking to harden the resinous material. The ink is dried by an initial evaporation of the solvent whereafter the ink cures. Evaporation of the solvent from the ink occurs simultaneously with evaporation of solvent from the top coat composition. When the solvent has been ,~ evaporated from the top coat composition its retracted po~ition i5 essentially fixed even though the top coat is not cured. Subsequently the top coat composition is hardened by ~uring and the ink may also be cured. The curing produces a hard protective finish.
In one embcdim~nt the drying stage comprises ex-posing the wet top coat and wst ink to a temperature of up to about 200F for about 30 seconds, and this drying stage may be followed by a baking at an elevated temperature. The temperature for baking is dependent on the nature of the resin forming ingredients of the top coat composition.
In the case of the two component polyester/epoxy compositions baking at about 250F for 2.5 to 3 minut,es is appropriate to effect the cure.
- ` ~
~06477~
In the case of the alkyd/melamine compositions higher temperatures are required typically 300 ~o 500F, preferably 350 to 400F, and most preferably about 450F, ; for 1 to 5 minutes, preferably about 2 minutes.
Problems occur in some instances if the drying temperature i9 above about 200F and a temp2rature of ; about 140F is particularly suitable. If the top coat is heated above about Z00F during the drying stage in which the solvent i3 evaporated there is a danger of bubbling and 10 leaching of the colour.
The curing may quitably be carried out in an oven having a plurality of stages in which the temperature increases from the inlet end to the outlet end within the specified range. The use of higher temperatures in the 15 curing stage results in a harder resin coating which is .
much preferred.
The sub~trate particularly preferred is a hard-board sheet, although ojther substrates, for example, particle board can also be used. Non-wood based porous ~ sheets, for example, pla~ter board or sheets o gypsum can also be employed. It will be evident that the substrate m1ght be selected from~a variety of materials which are self-supporting, and in sheet form, with the appropriate phy~ical characteristics.
In a particularly advantageous and preferred embodiment the substrate comprises a hardboard panel 4 ft.
by 8 ft. When a plurality of hand painted ceramic tiles :
i5 to be simulated there iisi suitably defined on the panel eight rows of sixteen, six inch square tile3, with a narrow margin between adjacent tiles; or there can be defined twelve rows of twenty-four, four inch square tiles with a narrow margin bet~een adjacent tiles. In this case the - 16 _ 106~
narrow margin is defined by the ink layer in the form of ink lines, dividing the panel into six inch squares; or four inch squares: in this way the margin forms a depressed zone or valley corresponding to the depressed zone which occurs between adjacent tiles when conventional tiles are secured to a wall.
There can thus be produced a light-weight panel of 128 tile~ or 288, which can be readily secured by adhesive to a wall or other surface to be decorated. In this way a wall can be given a tiled ~urface far more quickly than when each tile is secured individually on the wall. Furthermore utilizing the panels the wall can be more readily fitted and a full panel can be easily cut to provide an appropriate size panel to complete the covering of the wall. It will be appreciated that these figures are given only by way of example and tiles of different dimensions and panels of a different size could also be employed~
The under-coat for the hardboard sub trate i3 of a conventional kind and serve~ to seal the pores of the hardboæ d sur~ace and provide a colollred printable base surface. Conveniently the under-coat may be made up of two ~eparate coatings; a lower fill coat to seal the pores and an upper base coat to provide a coloured print-able base. Such coatings are well known in the art and may ~uitably be applied to the ~ub~trate by con~entional techniques, for example, roller coating. The fill coat is suitably applied by rever~e roller coating and dried in a hot air oven at 150F for one minute, advantageously the fill coat surface is sanded to make it smooth before application of the base coat.Theba~e coat i~ suitably applied by a curtain coater and dried in a hot air oven at about 375F for 1.5 to 2 minute~.
- 17 _ ~6~7~78 While the methcd has been described in terms of forming a single wet ink pattern, it will be readily understood that additional inking patterns could be employed, with such i~k patterns being dried to obtain a multiplicity of colours in the tile. In this case the wet ink layer is applied as the final inking stage. Of course, there will be no retraction of the li~uid top coat compoRition from the dry ink pattern.
The ink patterns can be formed by conventional ink printing technique3 where the substrate is not requixed to be flexible including silk screen printing, and offset roller printing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIO~ OF DRA~INGS
The invention is illustrated in preferred embodiments by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 illustrates ~chematically a hard-board panel defining a plurality of simulated ceramic tiles, and FIGURE 2 illustra~es a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 DESCRIPTIO~ OF PREFERRED FMBoDIMæNTs With reference to Figure 1 there is illustrated a hardboard panel 10 defining a plurality of simulated ceramic tiles 12, with a narrow inked margin 14 between , .
~' .
- 1~
~0~477~3 adjacent tiles 12, a design has been shown on certain of ; the tiles 12 by way of illustration.
With reference to Figure 2 there is illustrated a cross-section of a tile 12 comprising a hardboard sub-strate 16 defined by a portion of the panel 10 of Figure 1, a sanded fill coat 18 and coloured base coat 20. An ink pattern of inked portions 22 is printed on base coat 20, the inked portion 22 comprises lines of ink. A hard top coat 24, optionally containing a pigment,provides a con- -toured surface defining valleys 26 over inked portions 22, hills 28 adjacent inked portions 22 and pl~ins 30 between hills 28. The tile 12 terminates at a hill 28a sloping into a valley 26a over inked mc~rgin 14.
This in~ention is il]ustrated by reference to the following Examples which are not to be construed as limiting.
ExAMoeLE 1 In the laboratory a sheet of hardboard 6 inches by 12 inches wa~ roller coated with a fill coat of formulation A below. The fill coat wa~ dried in a hot air oven at 150F for one minute and the resulting coated surface was sanded to provide a smooth surface which was then curtaln coated with a base coat of formulation B
below, the baqe coat was dried in a hot air o~en at 375F for 2 minutes.
The resulting base coat was printed with a pattern of ink lines using a silk screen with an ink of formulation C below. Within 30 second~ of formation of the ink pattern, and while the ink was ~till wet there was applied by drawdown a liquid top coat composition D
in a thickness of 4 wet mils.
~06~77~3 The liquid top coat composition retracted from the wet inX pattern in 10 to 15 seconds.
The top coat was cured in an oven at 250 to 300F
for 3 minuteq. There was no difficulty in the curing and no blistering.
The resulting product displayed good pattern ~ormation with ridges of top coat adjacent the inked pattern.
; A sheet of hardboard 6 inches by 12 inches was treated with formulations A, B and C, in the ~ame manner as in Example 1~
Within 30 seconds of formation of the ink pattern, and while the ink was still wet, there was applied by drawdown a liquid top coat composition E
(alkyd/melamine) in a thickness of 4 wet mils. I
The liquid top coat composition retracted from the wet ink pattern in 10 to 15 ~econds.
The top coat was cured in an oven at 400F for ~ 2.5 minute~.~
Good pattern formation and three-dimensional effect were obtained.~ However, blistering occurred in the ridges and bubbling of the top coat was observed :
during the curing,~ so tha~ the finished article was not conmercially acceptabla.
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated but the liquid top coat composition E was applied in a thickness of ; 3 wet mils.
As in Example 2, pattern formation was good, although the three-dimensional effect was less pronounced.
~ 20 -~L064'-~78 Fine bubbling wa observed during the curing and there was some blistering, although less than in Example 2.
The procedure of Example 2 was repeated but the liquid top coat composition E waq applied in a thicXness of 1.5 to 2 wet mils.
Good pattern formation was obtained, no bubbling was observed during curing and there were no blisters in the finished article. The three dimensional effect was much less pronouncad but still discernible.
EX~MPLE 5 On a production-line, a hardboard sheet 4 ft. by 8 ft. was treated with formulations A and B under the same conditions as in Example 1.
The resulting base was printed by gravure rolls with the ink of formulation C which was thinned for printing consi~tency to 45 soc~ 4 Ford Cup, by addition of mineral qpirits.
Within 25 seconds and while the ink pattern was ~till wet, there was applied by a curtain coater a liquid top coat composition D in a thickness of 4 wet mils.
~he li~uid top coat composition retracted in 15 seconds.
. The panel was pas~ed into an oven in which the tempera~ure ranged from 250F at the inlet to 300F at the outlet, for a reqidence time of 3.25 minutes to effect cure of the top coat~
The resulting product displayed good pattexn formation and three dimensional effect.
7~t~
.
Examples 1 to 4 were repeated but using an acrylic type ink of formulation F instead of the ink of formulation C. The result~ were, in each case, the same.
Formulation A
A 34 gallon quantity was made up of -*Beckosol 12-006 (phenolated, phthalic free resin modified alkyd resin available frpm Reichhold Chemical Inc.) 150 lbs Barytes (barium ~ulphate)X5R* avail-able from Canadian Titanium Co. 430 lbs Tioxide RHD-3* (titanium dioxide pig-ment available from Tioxide of Canada Ltd.) 120 lbs Super Hi-Fla~h*, a naphtha aromatic ~olvent available from Cam~co Solvents & Chemical Co. Ltd. 54 lbs Cellosolve* Acetate (mono and dial~yl ethers of ethylene glycol -Union Carbide Chemical Corp.)` 5.7 lbs ; Lead ~uodex* 1 lb 14 oz Manganese Nuodex* 12-1/2 oz Cobalt Nuodex* (metal soaps of organic acids available from Nuodex Products Co. Ltd.) 1 lb 9 oz Formulation B
- .
A 264 gallon quantity was made up of -Tioxide RHD-3* (T-O2 - Tioxide of Canada Ltd.) 630 lbs Blancfixe* (a precipitated barium ~ulphate extender pigment ; available from Prescott Co Ltd.) 1,722 lbs Dry Ultra Marine Blue 15 oz Aroplaz EP-1537-1* (alkyd re~in in a ~olvent available from Ashland Oil Canada Ltd.) 930 lbs * trademark 64'~78 Xylol 252 lbs Toluol 150 lbs The above waq ground and mixed well.
Triethylamine 1 lb 5 oz Resimene U-901* (A m,elamine and 378 lbs urea formalde-Resimene 875* hyde resin in 51 lbs ~available from organic liquid Monsanto solvent) Chemicals Ltd.) Toluol ,102 lbs Formulation C
An alkyd base green ink was made up of the following ingredients -Chrome Yellow No. lO9i (a lead chromate pigment - Reed Pigmenl Ltd.) 2 Lbs Thalo Green No. 9140 (Hoechst Chemicals &
Dyestuffs Ltd.) 2 Ibs Glyptal No. 2J02 (trademark of General Electric Co. for an ~lkyd-type polymer and plasticizer) 50 lbs Cobalt Nuodex 6%
(Nuodex i8 a trademark for metal soaps of organic acids - Nuodex Products Co.
Ltd.) 0_15 lbs Lead ~uodex 2P/o (trademark)0.5 lbs Calcium ~uodex 4% (trademark)0.75 lbs *trademark -~L0~7~
Formulation D
A two component liquid top coat compo~ition was o~tained by mixing components a) and b) in a 1:1 ratio by volume a) Aroflint 607 (trademark of Ashland Oil Canada Ltd. for a polyester resin) 581 lbs Xylol 125 lbs Cellusolve acetate (trademark of Union Carbide Corp, for ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate~ 75 lbs White Colourant T-3104 (titanium diQxide colour of J. J. Barker Co., Ltd.)46.75 lbs Slip-Aid* No. Sl 50 ~polyethylene dispersion from Lomas Chemicals Ltd. 81 lbs b~ AroElint ~o. 404 XA7-60 (trademark of Ashland Oil Canada Ltd. for an oxirane modified ester resin) 1,080 lbs Formulation E
A one componant alkyd/m~lamine top coat was made up of the following ingredlents -Resimena~o. 747 ~- (trademark of Monsanto Chemicals Ltd.) 105 lbs ;, n-Butyl Alcohol 80 lbs :
Catalyst ~o. 4040*
(p-toluene sulphonic acid from Cyanamid of ` Canada Ltd.) 6.5 lbs Aroplaz No. 6029 X 60*
(oil free alkyd from A~hland Chemicals of Canada Ltd.) 536 lbs Xylol 60 lbs * trademarX
- 2~ -~064778 Formulation_F
An acrylic ink was made up of the following ingredients -Chrome Yellow ~o. 1091 2 lbs Thalo Green No. 9140 2 lbs Acrylic B-6THT
(acrylic ester - Rhom &
Hass Co.) 60 lbs Camsco No. 120 ~trademark for mineral spirits - Union Carbide Chemical Corp.) 5 lbs .
' . ` .
An acrylic ink was made up of the following ingredients -Chrome Yellow ~o. 1091 2 lbs Thalo Green No. 9140 2 lbs Acrylic B-6THT
(acrylic ester - Rhom &
Hass Co.) 60 lbs Camsco No. 120 ~trademark for mineral spirits - Union Carbide Chemical Corp.) 5 lbs .
' . ` .
Claims (21)
1. A decorative article having a three-dimensional patterned surface comprising a substrate having a flat surface coated with a coloured printable base; an inked layer com-prising a layer of ink lines forming a printed pattern on said printable base, and a top coat of a hard resinous film-forming material; said top coat having a variable height thickness defining a contour of valleys over the ink lines, hills adjacent the ink lines and plains between the lines of the pattern; said topcoat having a height thickness of less than 1 mil over said ink lines; said ink lines being formed as wet ink lines from a wet ink composition and said top coat being formed from a liquid top coat composition; said ink composition and liquid top coat composition having differing surface tension properties effective to establish said contour by retraction of said liquid top coat composition from said wet ink lines.
2. An article according to claim 1, wherein said top coat is a colourless transparent top coat.
3. An article according to claim 1, wherein said top coat is derived from an alkyd resin and a melamine resin.
4. An article according to claim 1, wherein said top coat is derived from a polyester resin and an oxirane modified ester resin.
5. An article according to claim 1, wherein said top coat contains about 1 to about 4%, by weight of a pigment.
6. An article according to claim 5, wherein said hills have a height thickness of at least 4 dry mils adjacent said ink lines, the colour in the top coat providing a contrast with the colour in the printable base and the colour in the printed pattern.
7. An article according to claim 6, wherein said sub-strate is a hardboard panel.
8. An article according to claim 7, wherein said liquid top coat composition has a surface tension greater than said wet ink composition.
9. An article according to claim 1, wherein said ink lines are colourless.
10. An article according to claim 1, wherein said ink lines are coloured and said pattern is clearly visible.
11. A method of producing an article having a three-dimensional patterned surface comprising:
coating a flat surface of a substrate with a coloured printable base, printing on said printable base a pattern composed of wet ink lines of a wet ink composition, applying to said printable base, over the pattern of wet ink lines, a liquid top coat composition of a resinous film forming material in a volatile organic solvent;
allowing said liquid top coat composition to retract from the wet ink lines to form ridges of the liquid top coat composition adjacent the wet ink lines, and subsequently drying and baking the substrate to dry said ink lines and fix said liquid material as a hard resinous top coat defining a contour of valleys over the ink lines, hills adjacent the ink lines and plains between the lines of the pattern, said top coat remaining on the printed pattern in a thickness less than 1 mil.
coating a flat surface of a substrate with a coloured printable base, printing on said printable base a pattern composed of wet ink lines of a wet ink composition, applying to said printable base, over the pattern of wet ink lines, a liquid top coat composition of a resinous film forming material in a volatile organic solvent;
allowing said liquid top coat composition to retract from the wet ink lines to form ridges of the liquid top coat composition adjacent the wet ink lines, and subsequently drying and baking the substrate to dry said ink lines and fix said liquid material as a hard resinous top coat defining a contour of valleys over the ink lines, hills adjacent the ink lines and plains between the lines of the pattern, said top coat remaining on the printed pattern in a thickness less than 1 mil.
12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said liquid top coat composition has a content of resinous material of 50% to 70%, by weight.
13. A method according to claim 11, wherein said liquid top coat is colourless and transparent.
14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said liquid top coat composition contains 0.75 to 2.0%, by weight, of a pigment and said liquid top coat composition is applied in a wet coating thickness of 4 to 5 mils.
15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said drying comprises exposing the liquid top coat composition and wet ink pattern to a temperature up to about 200°F to evaporate the solvent.
16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said baking comprises exposing the top coat composition to a temperature of about 250°F for 2.5 to 3 minutes.
17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said top coat is derived from a polyester resin and an oxirane modified ester resin.
18. A method according to claim 11, wherein said top coat is derived from an alkyd resin and a melamine resin and is applied in a wet coating thickness of 1 to 2 mils; said drying comprises exposing the liquid top coat composition and the wet ink pattern to a temperature up to about 200°F to evaporate the solvent; and said baking comprises exposing the top coat composition to a temperature of 300 to 500°F for 1 to 5 minutes.
19. A method according to claim 11, wherein said liquid top coat composition has a surface tension greater than said wet ink composition.
20. A method according to claim 11, wherein said ink composition is colourless.
21. A method according to claim 11, wherein said ink composition is coloured and said top coat thickness remaining on the printed pattern is such that the colour of the ink is not obscured.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA309,789A CA1064778A (en) | 1978-08-22 | 1978-08-22 | Three-dimensional decorative surface |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA309,789A CA1064778A (en) | 1978-08-22 | 1978-08-22 | Three-dimensional decorative surface |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1064778A true CA1064778A (en) | 1979-10-23 |
Family
ID=4112181
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA309,789A Expired CA1064778A (en) | 1978-08-22 | 1978-08-22 | Three-dimensional decorative surface |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1064778A (en) |
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2695745A1 (en) * | 2012-08-06 | 2014-02-12 | Unilin BVBA | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10124603B2 (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2018-11-13 | Unilin, Bvba | Methods for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10471769B2 (en) | 2014-01-10 | 2019-11-12 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US11794460B2 (en) | 2018-01-04 | 2023-10-24 | Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl | Methods for manufacturing panels |
-
1978
- 1978-08-22 CA CA309,789A patent/CA1064778A/en not_active Expired
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| US11446938B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2022-09-20 | Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US9321278B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2016-04-26 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10814648B1 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2020-10-27 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10807385B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2020-10-20 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| EP2695745A1 (en) * | 2012-08-06 | 2014-02-12 | Unilin BVBA | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10214028B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2019-02-26 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US9566823B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2017-02-14 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10549550B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2020-02-04 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US11987044B2 (en) | 2012-08-06 | 2024-05-21 | Unilin, Bv | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| WO2014024100A1 (en) * | 2012-08-06 | 2014-02-13 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10471769B2 (en) | 2014-01-10 | 2019-11-12 | Unilin, Bvba | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US11465439B2 (en) | 2014-01-10 | 2022-10-11 | Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US11878548B2 (en) | 2014-01-10 | 2024-01-23 | Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10906349B2 (en) | 2014-01-10 | 2021-02-02 | Unilin Bv | Method for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10994555B2 (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2021-05-04 | Unilin Bv | Methods for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US10124603B2 (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2018-11-13 | Unilin, Bvba | Methods for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US11613133B2 (en) | 2014-02-06 | 2023-03-28 | Unilin Bv | Methods for manufacturing panels having a decorative surface |
| US11794460B2 (en) | 2018-01-04 | 2023-10-24 | Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl | Methods for manufacturing panels |
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