CA2184851A1 - Method of manufacturing a microweavable flatware article made of synthetic material, the article produced thereby and an ink-imprinted film component for use in making the flatware article - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a flatware article, such as a dish or cup that is decorated with a multi-colour design embedded in a food contacting surface of the article. The flatware article can be used in a microwave oven without causing deterioration of the multi-colour design, such s fading, bubbling or emission of harmful toxic fumes. The method comprises injecting molten polycarbonate material into amould where is positioned a transparent film imprinted with the design. The filmbonds with the polycarbonate material to form a laminated structure. The ink impression is applied on a surface of the film that bonds with the polycarbonate so the ink is embedded in the laminated structure and it is thus protected from scratches and contact by foods. The invention also extends to a novel flatware article.

Description

~Y.PAR: 9- 5-96; 6:44PM; 10~DELAGAUCHEIIERE~ 510 BllRRA~D VAN;~ 3f 4 a4s5~

TITLE: A METHOD O~ T[;RING A ~ICROWA~ ~; F~TWAE~E
ARTICL13 ~D~ OF ~ ~TIC M~ T aT, TNE ~RT~C~ ~DU~u THER~:~ay ~ND AN INK-IMPRINTED FIIM CC~PONENT ~OR USE IN
MAKING THE FLATMA~ TICLE.

FIELD OF THE IN~EUTION
The present inventlon relzltes to a process ~or manufact;urin~
articles made of synLhetic materlals s~lch a~ polycarbonat~, that are decurated with a deslgn elemen~ embedded un~er the ~urf~ce of the article. The in~ention i~ pzrticularly w~]1 suite~ ~or manufacturing flatware such as dishes or cups ~hat can be safely u~ed in a ~icrow~ve oven ~ince the de~ign el~ment is encapsulated in the surrounding material and thUS lt 1~ unl~kely to releas~
armful fumes wheJI subjected to i~tense ~lectromaqnetic r~dlation.
~he invention ~l~o e~t~nds to ~uch novel miGrowaveable article wit~
an embedded design element and to a fil~ compo~ent bear1ng a de~i~n eleme~t for u3e in manufacturing the ~icrowavea~le ~rticle.

r~C~ OF T~E INVENTION
Chil~ren in p~rti.cular enjoy eat.inq from ~1atwa~e ~rticle~

~V.P~: 9- 5-96 ; 6:44PM ;10~0~ ~GAU~ff~ 510 B~UD V~;~ 4~ 4 th~t are imprinted with colou~ful decorations .such as cartcn ca~a~ters~ It is known to ~a~u~act~re such fla~ware articles from melamine resin ~y e~beddi~g i~ the base m~lamine resin material a paper film be~ring the colourfu.l ~oration.

Mel~ine resin howcve~, ~ele~ses ~armful vapours when sub~ec~ to intense electromagnetic r~di~lon and it i5 therefore not suitable for ~anufacturin~ flatware that c~n be used to heat f~nd in ~ micro~ave oven. Mor~ov~r, the em~edded paper ~ilm may react with the electrvmagne~ic çnergy in the ~icrow~e o~en, releasing ~umes that ~ay contaminate the contents being heated.
~u~t~ermore the paper ~i3.m which surfacerJ the article, pr~vides a poor surfa~e finlsh that is prone to scratche~
deterioration.

M~ny ~latw~re artic~.~s, as reali~ed i~ the prior ~rt a~e made fro~ poLycar~ona~e, a m~terlal wh~e molecules do ~ot react with t~e acti~ity of ~ microwave o~en. Accordi~gly those a~ticles ~an s~fcly be use~ in a micro~a~e vven witho~lt risk of ~0 food conta~ination by toxic fumes. To decorate such poly~arbonate articles, a decorative indici~ i.s pri.nted on thei.r surf~c~, such indicia ~lowever is pro~l~ to scratches and when su~jected to intense electromagnçtic ~nergy in a microwav~ ove~, m~ bubbl~, or cau~e the ink-imprinted decor~tion ~o fa~e and rele~e toxic ~'V.P.~: 9- 5~ :31PM ; 1000~ ~GAU~ ~1~1 51~ BU~ Y~;# 5~23 - 21 ~4851 fu~es. Thus the article can not be safe~y used in A microwave oven even tho~gh the ~ody mat~rial is inherently suitable for a ~icro~ave envir~n.~ent.

Although attempts have been made to improve the alrea~y existent microwa~eable ~la~ware a~ticles wi t~l a decor~ti~e in~iGi.a, none ~f them are s~tlsfactory. Thus there is a nee~ to prnvide a fl~twa.re article with a surfac~ ~ecor~ted with an aesthetic design element that is resi~l-ant t~ scr~c~es and when used in a microw~ve oven will nor fade, bu~bl~ no~ emit harm~ul toxic fumes.

] S OE~ECTIVES AND S$ATEMENT OF THE INV~NTION

It i~ an obj ect of the pr~sent irlvention to pr~v ide procesS for manufacturing a fla~w~re arti~,~e with a surface pro~ided with an ~esthe~ic design elem~n~ that when used in a ~0 mic~owave oven will r.o~ f~de, ~ubble ~lor emit har~ful toxic f~mes.

It is another obj~c~ ~f ~}1~ inver~ion to pr~vi.de a process fo~ manufac~llring a. flatware ~rt~ic~ e w:i.th a surfa~e provi~ed E~V.PAR: 9- 5-9~ i 6:31PM; 10~ AU~HErlERE~ 51û BURRARD YAN;# 6~2~

with a~ thetic desigrl ele~ent which has a ql(~ssy ~urfac:~
finish that is highly resistant to scratches.

It ls a further object o~ the inven~if)n to pro~7ide Elatware ar~icle with a surfa~e pro~rided w1th ~n aesthetic design ement that when u~e~ in a microwa~re will not f~de, ~ubble nor emit harxnful toxic ~ume.~.

. Yet it is another object ~f Lhe invention to pr~ride all ink-imprinted film componer~t for prt~vl ding the aesthetic dcsigrl elemer~t on the surface of the fl~tware arti~le that when used in a mi~rowa~re will rlOt fade, bu~ble ~or emit harmful toxic fumes As em~odied ~nd broadly descri~ed herein, th~. i nv~nt~ on pr~vides a microwavea~le arti~le for holding food products, said microwatJeable article comprising:
- a main body includin~ a first synthe~ic material;
- a decorative i~dicia placed on a surfa~e c~f ~aicl Irain body;
- a film inc~luding a .~e~ond syntheti_ Tnat~erial overlaying saicl decorative indiciai ~aid film ~laving ~ thiclcness and tran~;parency selected tc alLow said dee~¢)r~tive lndicia to be vl~i~le to ~he hum~r eye through the f i lm;

~.P~: 9- 5-9~ . 6:31PM ~ 10~0~LA~AU~ ~1~ 51~ BL~ VAN;# 7/!23 - 2 1 84~5 1 sai~ fil~ be~ng bonde~ to sai~ body alon~ an area of juncture whe~eb~ ~aid decoxati~e indicia is encapsulated ~etween said main bo~y and s?~id film;
- said first ?~d second mate~i.als b~ing co~petible with one another ~here~y sald area of juncture is resistant to delaminati~n when said article is used ln a Iuicrowave o~en; and - said first and second ~a~erials bein~ select~d to sub~tan~ially prevent degradatiun and relea~e or toxic vapo~rs wh~n used in ~ micro~rave oven.
1.0 ~ s embodied and bro~dly described herein, the invention also provides a proce~ fvr manuf~cturing a ~icrowavea~le article ~or hol.ding food prodllcts, said proce~s co~prising the step~ of:
- placing in a mould a film carrying on an inn~r .surface 1~ thereof a d~rative indi~ia, said film ~eing sukst~ntidl1y transp?~rent ~n~ made of a first ~ynt~eti~ m~eri.dl, said lnner surf~ce f~cing a ca~ity of sai~ mould to cont~ct. ~aterial in~e~ed therein - in~ecting in said mould a ~e~nd synthetic ma~erial, said second syn~heti~ material heing in a molte~ state ~o ~t least partially fill said ~ould and bond ~it~l t3ald film alon~ a line of ~un~ture t~a~ at le~st ~?lrtially surroun~s sai~ decor~tive indici~, whe~eby said d~or~tiv~ indicia is enc~s~lated betw~
said film ~nd s~i~ se~on~ synthetic ~.~teriai when the seco~

ENV.P~: ~- 5-96 ; 6:32PM ; 1~00~ ~GAU~ ~IE~ 510 B~ V~;# ~t23 syntheti~ ~aterial solidi~ies, - said fir~ an~ ~eco~ ter~ls ~eing compatible with or,e another wheYeby said ~rea of juncture when tne secon~ synthetic material solidifie~ is resista~t to delamination wh~n ~aid ~rticle is used in a ~icrowave oven: an~
- said fi LSt an~ ~e~on~ ~aterials being ~ele~L~d to subs~ntiall~ preve~t degradati~r. and release r~f tox~c vapour~
when ~sed in a microwave oven.

In a preferred embo~imentr ~h~ microwaveab~e article is ~anu~actured by in~ection ~ulding. A fil~ with a printed indl~la on one 3ide is placed in~ide the mould wi~h the printed indicia facing the ~ould e~vity. Polyc~rhon~te that forms the main ~ody of the ~rticle is then inj~cted in~o the mould to bond wit~ the film and Lhus encapsulate ~he d~corative indicia. Polyc~rbonate is the mate~ial of choose for ~anuf~çt.uri~g t~e m~in bGdy of the article because it has a hlgh impact strengt~, is dimensiona1l.y ~ta~le, and can be used in a microwave oven wi~h ro rlsks of distorting, ~o~teni~g or releasing toxic futnes. Polycarbonate is al~o characterised as h~i n~ goo~ r~sis~ance to chemica~ 5 and ultraviolet light and it is crack resist~nt.

In a most preferre~ çmbodiment, the fil~ is a c~s~ ~ype clear polycar~ te fil~, more particular, a polycarb~nate ENV.P~: 9- 5-~ ; 6:32PM ; l~OODE~AU~ ~1~ 51~ BU~ V~;# 9/23 '- 21 84851 Acrylonitrile-~utadiene-Styren~ ~hereinafter ~eferred ~o a~ ~BS) co~tcd materi~l with low shrinka~e and glossy surface fi~ish.
The ABS coating a~lo~s ~o pro~ a surf~e with ~ h ~mp~ct resiS~ance, excellent surface finish, hi~h di.m~nsional sta~ility at high temperatures, good chemical resis~ance and good stress crackin~ resistance.

The film has a low flow index and a ~lolecl;llar weigh~ between ~7 000 ~nd 30 000 y/~ol. The fi~.m has a thickness in th~ range ]O ~m about 0. 02~ to abou~ 0.~8mm ~nd the surfaçe of the film is tre~te~ tG obtain a surface textu~e in the range from about 2~ tn 55 Dyn~ on Whl~ he dec~orative indi cia i.s printecl. The surfacP
roug~n~ss allows the i.nk of the decora~i~e indicia to a~here 4etter to the sllrface.
After the inj ection process i s compleLed, the fornled piece is subjected to a hea~ treatrment proces!; to relie~e stresses that may have developed at the in~erface bet~een the film an~ the main body. M~st prefer~bly, t.he ~leat treatment process is an 2a annealing prc~ess ~hat ~nsists of heating th~ piece to a constant elevated tempe~atur4 for ~ periad of ti~e ~nd then allol,rin~ it to c~ a slow ra~e.

~V.PAR: 9- 5-96; 6:32PM; 1000DELAGAU~HETIERE~ 51a BURRARD VAN;#13~2a DES~:RIPTION OF T}IE 1: RAWIN~

Figuro 1 i~ ~ persp~;ive ~iew of a flatware article well sllited for use in a microw~ve oven, that is constr~cted in ~;c~rd~nce to the invention;

Figure 7 i.s a persp~ctivc ~iew of a ~le~r ~olycarbon~e film coate~ on th~ unc~erside wi~h arl ink ~mpre~ion providing ~
de~o~ati~e indicia for use in ~anufacturing the flatware article in figure 1;

Figure 3 ls a cro~s sectional view taken alon~ lines 3-3 in figure 2;

Figure 4~ is a cross sectional ~iew of ~n injecL:ion mou.ld, for man~facturing the flatware article shown in figure 1;

Figure 4~ is an enlar~ed cr~s sectional ~ie~ of the mould ca~it~
shown ~t figure 4a, the mould being closed and ~he i.njection process initiatedi an~

~igure 5 is a further enl~rged view of the mould cav;ty showing the distri~tlon of the injecte~ polymer an~ the ciear polycarbnnate film t~erein.

ENV.P~: g- 5-~ ; 6:32~ ; 1000DE~AU~H~l~1 51~ BU~ V~l;#11~23 ~1 84851 PESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIM~NT
Referring ~o~ to the drawings, figure l ill~].stra~es a novel flat~are ~rticle in the form of the dish 10 th~ is char~cterized ky an aesth~t.ic design ~dici~ on the rece~sed ~ood contacting surface of the dish. ~he dlsh l0 is const.ruct~A ~-~ch that it can be ~fely used in a microwave ove~. In o~her wor~s, th~ materi~
of the dish '0 wi~l ~ot release L~xic f~mes ~at c~n con~aminate the foad under ~he e~fect nf electro~agnetic radiat.iorl ~nd heat.

~ore specific~lly, the dish l0 inclu~e~ a cup-shaped ~ain ~ody l2 includlng a ~ownwardly sloping ~ide ~ll and ~ flat bottom w~l 16. ~he decorative indicia is applie~ lo the ~l~t bottom wall 16. Contr~r~ to conven~ional p.rocesses where the indicia is si~ply printed on ~he surface of th~ dish, in the present ~ase the indici~ is embed~ed in t-he material of the di~h so it is ~hie1ded from contact with the food.
As best shc~n in f~Lgure~ ~ a~d ~ the decorative i21~iCi~
whiCh is an ink-i~pression 17 is shielde~ by a ~].ear polycarbonat~ film 13 that .is bonded with the ~ase mater.ial of the dish l0. The film 1R includes a ~hin cle~r c~st type l~ye~ of ~V.P~: 9- 5-96 ; 6:33PM ; lOOODE~GAU~ ~l~ 51a BU~ V~;~l2~23 pol~c~rbonate ~comme~ial desig~ation Merlon ~,ex~n) 20~ one surface thereo~ being printed with the ind.i.cia an~ the other surface ~oated with c~ ABS layer 22 that 1~ very t~in by comparison ~o the polycar~onate layer ~n. The ABS layer provides S a st~ng long l~sting surface ~oatingr resistant to stains, scrat~hes, stress cracking and ~hemical~. The film ~0 possess a low ~low index with ~ molecula~ weight bet.ween 27 000 an~ 30 000 g/mol. The thickn~ss ~f t~e film~excluding the thickness o~ the ink i~pres~i~n) is in the rany~ Lrom ~bout O.O~m~ to about 0.0 mm. Most prefe~ably ~he rh~kness of the film is of O.O~mm.

The surf~c~ of ~he flll~ Qn ~hich the i~k- lmpression 17 is made is tre~te~ in a manner well known to those skilled in the art to obtain a su~face texture ~etween 25 to 55 Dyn~s. Most prefer~bly, ~le surfac~ o~ the film has ~ texture of 42 Dynes.
The surf~ce ro~ghness allows to ~etain well the ink-impressi~n w~ich has a ~ypi~al thickness in the r~ e from about 0.C02 m~
and abou~ O.OlOmm. If the ink impression is ~ubstantially less than 0.002 mm it ~i]l ~ virtllally transparent, while if it is ~oo thick ie., substan~lc~lly greate~ than O.OlOmm, it will ~pre~d and bot~h the design on the film upon injection of the synth~ttc material forminy Lhe main body.

The ~anufa~ture of the dish 10 is ~cGomplished in two i ~V.P~:9- 5-96 ; 6:33PM ;lOOODE~GAU~ ~l~ 51~ B~ V~;#13l23 stages, the first is the in~ction mouldin~ process, ~epi~ted at figures 4, a and 5B and the final ~tage is an anneaLing step to release intern~l stresses tha~ may develop at the i~lterfa~e of th~ f.ilm 18 and the base material of the dish lO.

Wh~n the oLd is opened ~ in figure 4a, th~ film ~.~ which has previously ~een printed ~ith t~e decorati~e in~ici.a and die-cut to size is electrostat1~ally charged (in a manner well known to those skllled in the art~ is pl~ed in trhe injectl~n old. The film is pla~ed such that the A~S ~.~ated sldQ, la is ~ttracted due to its charge agairlst ~he cld plunger 24 ~nd the or inked side faces the oid ~vity, At Lhis point, t~e old plunge~ is displaced in to close the moul~ ~avi~y.

15The injecti~n process begins by heati~g(a~oYe ~30 C~
polycarbon~.e mate~ial and melting it into a polycar~late resin. ~n in-line ~eed screw injects the molt~n polycarbona~e materi~l thro~gh a passage 28 into the enclose~ c~vity as shown in figurc 6B.

Poly~arbon~te i~ an amorphous po~ymer w~ich when h~at~d to a temperaturo above its glass t~nsition point 150 de~rees C and then subjecte~ to shearin~ str~ss, the ~ol~cules will tend to align themsel~es in the gener~l direction o~ th~ stress. If the ~Y.P~: 9- 5-96 ; 6:33PM ; 1000~ ~AU~ ~l~ 51~ BURRg~ V~;#14~23 mass is then cooled ~elow its transition temperat.ure whil~ the ~olecules are stil~ under stres~, the molecules remain in an oriented stat~. Such an orientatlon c~ have ~i~nifiGa~t effects on the properties of the p~l~mer mass. Thus in inj ection moulding, th~ shear stress ~cting durin~ the flow of th~
poly~arbonat.e causes molec~lar ~rien~ation up~ ooli.ng. In order to ~void the ~ndesirable bullt-in stre~s due to such orienLat.ion of molec~les before the plastic mass sets, the mould cav'ties are kept wa~m ie between 100 and ~2-~ degrees C and the in~ection rates are fast.

~ ft~r the injection of t~le pol~carbonate has been comple~ed the material gradu~lly cools down ~nd solidi~ies. ~uring such cool~ng proces~ the polycarbonate shrlnks~ The fil~l 18 ~.hat h~s 1~ been heated by Lhe molten polycarbonate also coo1s down and shrinks. ~ince the film 1~ and the polycarbonate formi~g the remaining p~.rt of the dish 10 are unlikely t.o ~e of the same d~lsity, ~oth co~ponents sh~ink at differen~ rates whi~ induces stresses ~t the zone of }unct~re film l~main ~ody 14. 'rO ~edu~e s~ch lnt~rn~l stresses, annealih~ is ~arried ~ut to re~ie~e stresses that developed during the ph~se tran~for~ticn of the two slmilar polycarhon~te ~terials of difEere~lt densiti~s.
Distortion and c~acking may result if ~hese stresse3 ~re not redu~ed, causing a poor weak bound betwe~n the film and the main ENV.P~: 9- 5-9B ; 6:3~PM i lOQODE~GAU~ ~l~ 510 BU~U~ V~;#15~23 21 84~51 ~dy. The ter~. annealing refers to a heat tre~tment in which a material is exposed ~o an elev~ted te~perature for an extended lengt;~ of t.ime an~ thereafter slowly cooled. ~enerally speaking, temperatures ~ould range between 80C to 150 C a~d the trea~me~t time betwe~n 0.5 hour tv 4 hours. Most preferably the di~h 1 n is treated a~ for ~ hours ~d then allo~d to slowly cool.

T~le above description~ of a preferred embodiment should not be interprete~ in any li~iting mallrler since varia~ions and refinements are Possible which are within the spirit and scope ~r the present inve~.tio~. The scope of ~e invention i.s defined in the apper.ded clai~s arld their eq~ivalents.

Claims (34)

1. A microwavable article for holding food products, said microwavable article comprising:
- a main body including a first synthetic material;
- a decorative indicia placed on a surface of said main body;
- a film including a second synthetic material overlaying said decorative indicia;
said film having a thickness and transparency selected to allow said decorative indicia to be visible to the human eye through the film;
said film being bonded to said body along an area of juncture whereby said decorative indicia is encapsulated between said main body and said film;
- said first and second materials being compatible with one another whereby said area of juncture is resistant to delamination when said article is subjected to electromagnetic radiation in a microwave oven; and - said first and second materials being selected to substantially prevent degradation and release of toxic vapours when subjected to electromagnetic radiation in a microwave oven.

2. A microwavable article as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second materials are substantially free of stresses at said area of juncture that are capable of inducing delamination of said film from said main body.

3. A microwavable article as defined in claim 2, wherein said first material includes polycarbonate.

4. A microwavable article as defined in claim 3, wherein said second materialincludes polycarbonate.

5. A microwavable article as defined in claim 4, wherein said film includes a inner layer made of polycarbonate and an outer protective layer.

6. A microwavable article as defined in claim 5, wherein said outer protective layer is scratch resistant.

7. A microwavable article as defined in claim 6, wherein said protective layer is transparent.

8. A microwavable article as defined in claim 7, wherein said protective layer includes Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene polymer.

9. A microwavable article as defined in claim 4 wherein said main body is substantially opaque.

10. A microwavable article as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second materials have different densities.

11. A microwavable article as defined in claim 4, wherein said decorative indicia is an ink impression.

12. A microwavable article for holding food products including a recessed food contacting surface, said article comprising:
- a main body made of polycarbonate;
- a decorative indicia applied on said main body at said food contacting surface;
- a film of substantially transparent polycarbonate material overlaying said decorative indicia, said film being bonded to said main body along an area of juncture to encapsulate said decorative indicia between said main body and said film and thus prevent contact between said decorative indicia and food products placed on saidfood contacting surface;
- said film and said main body are substantially free of stresses at said area of juncture that are capable of inducing delamination of said film from said main body.

13. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article of holding food products, said process comprising the steps of:
- placing in a mould a film carrying on an inner surface a decorative indicia, said film being substantially transparent and made of a first synthetic material, said inner surface facing a cavity of said old to contact material injected therein - injecting in said mould a second synthetic material, said second synthetic material being in a molten state to at least partially fill said old and bond with said film along a line of juncture that surrounds said decorative indicia, whereby said decorative indicia is encapsulated between said film and said second synthetic material when the second synthetic material solidifies;
- said first and second materials being compatible with one another whereby said area of juncture when the second synthetic material solidifies is resistant to delamination when said article is subjected to electromagnetic radiation in a microwave oven; and - said first and second materials being selected to substantially prevent degradation and release of toxic vapours when subjected to electromagnetic radiation in a microwave oven.

14. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 13, comprising the step of subjecting said article once said second synthetic material has solidified to a heat-treatment to at least partially release stresses developed at said area of juncture.

15. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 14, wherein said heat treatment includes a step of annealing said article.

16. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 14, comprising the step of releasably retaining said film to an inner surface of said mould while said second synthetic material is introduced in said mould.

17. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 16, comprising the step of electrostatically charging said film to releasably retain said film to an inner surface of said mould.

18. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 14, comprising the step of depositing an ink impression on said film to create said decorative indicia.

19. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 18, wherein said film includes a roughened surface on which said ink impression is applied.

20. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 19, wherein the surface of said film on which said ink impression is applied has a surface roughness in the range about 22 to 55 Dynes.

21. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 20, wherein the surface of said film on which said ink impression is applied has a surface roughness of 45 Dynes.

22. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 14, wherein said first synthetic material is polycarbonate.

23. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 22, wherein said second synthetic material is polycarbonate.

24. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 14, wherein said film has a thickness in the range from about 0.002 mm to about 0.010mm.

25. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 14, wherein said film has an outer protective layer that includes Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene polymer.

26. A process for manufacturing a microwavable article as defined in claim 23, wherein said first synthetic material and said second synthetic material when said second synthetic material is solidifies have different densities.

27. A microwavable article manufactured according to the process defined in claim 13.

28. A film for use in manufacturing a microwavable article for holding food products, said film being made of synthetic material and carrying on a main surface thereof a decorative indicia, said film having a thickness and transparency selected to allow said decorative indicia to be visible to the human eye through the film, said synthetic materials being selected to substantially prevent degradation and release of toxic vapours when exposed to electromagnetic radiation in a microwave oven.

29. A film for use in manufacturing microwavable article for holding food products as defined in claim 28, wherein said synthetic material is polycarbonate.

30. A film as defined in claim 29, wherein said decorative indicia is an ink impression.

31. A film as defined in claim 30, wherein said ink impression is applied on a surface of said film that is roughened.

32. A film as defined in claim 31, wherein the surface of said film on which said ink impression is applied has a surface roughness in the range from about 22 to about 55 Dynes.

33. A film as defined in claim 29, wherein said film has a thickness in the range from about 0.002 mm to about 0.010mm

34. A film as defined in claim 29 wherein said film has protective layer comprising Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene polymer.