FR2505257A1 - PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING DECORATIVE LAMINATE PRODUCTS SUCH AS TILES, PANELS OR PATCHES - Google Patents

Abstract

PROCESS FOR MAKING DECORATIVE LAMINATE PRODUCTS SUCH AS TILE, PANELS OR TABLECLOTHS. BY THE PROCESS ACCORDING TO THE PRESENT INVENTION, A CELLULOSIC MATERIAL IS REDUCED INTO GRANULES, PARTICULARLY CORK, THE PELLETS ARE MIXED WITH A FUSIBLE MATERIAL AND A MAT IS FORMED FROM THIS MIXTURE, A CELLULOSIC MATERIAL OF THE SAME TYPE IS CUT OR '' ANOTHER TYPE THAN THE CELLULOSIC MATERIAL MENTIONED FIRST THIN SLICES THAT ARE PLACED IN THE STATE OBTAINED, WITH THE THROUGH HOLES AND THE RECESSES THEREIN, ON THE MAT THUS REALIZED, WE APPLY A FILM OF MATERIAL FUSABLE PLASTIC ON THE THIN SLICES OF CELLULOSIC MATERIAL AND THE LAMINATE SO OBTAINED BY HEATING IS COMPRESSED TO FELT THE PLASTIC MATERIAL AND TO DRAW THE MAT MATERIAL INTO THE HOLES AND RECESSES OF THE SLICE, THEN THE COMPRESSED LAMINATE IS COOLED.

Description

Process for producing decorative laminate products such

  than tiles, panels or tablecloths.

  The present invention relates to a method for producing

  decorative laminates in the form of tiles, panels or tablecloths.

  The coating or decorative covering materials

  they are realized in the form of a large number of embodiments and may consist, for example, of

  synthetic or natural or in a combination of these

  These materials may have a wear-resistant, smooth or embossed surface. In most cases, this latter possibility is preferred both for practical reasons and for aesthetic reasons. The relief materials have a rich three-dimensional appearance. in contrast but to give this aspect, the drawing and the relief must be perfectly synchronized An embossing in ordinary relief to which one submits the surface of a plastic material and which does not coincide well with the printed design does not give the effect

mentioned above.

  In spite of all the deposits of plastics, excellent results have been obtained in recent years.

  imitations of cork with raised surface Like all materials

  pure imitations, such imitations can be used both to coat walls and to cover

  With regard to coating and covering materials,

  consisting of a combination of natural and synthetic

  ticks in the form of a sheet of plastic material

  The conditions are slightly different in that they cover the natural material, because these coating and covering materials only exist with a wear-resistant surface which is difficult to wear, since it is not possible to managed to develop a process for fixing a layer of thick plastic material and resistant to wear, for example on cork, without simultaneously neutralizing the effect

of relief.

  Such tiles or slabs of smooth tiles made of cork, which have been manufactured for a great number of years, are constituted by a layer of wear-resistant plastic material, a decorative layer, an elastic layer and a layer of base The wear-resistant layer consists, preferably, of plastisol, calendered or coated, of PVC (polyvinylchloride), softened and transparent, having a high resistance to wear and insensitive to stains. The elastic layer consists of a sheet which is obtained by uncoiling in the core or by cleaving of chipboard

  cork This leaf is, if necessary, sourced by strati-

  preloading with a thin decorative veneer

  The base layer serves as a mechanical means of lightening

  constraints and said layer or other layer

  of the wear-resistant layer counteracts the bom-

  tiles and delays the diffusion of moisture

  From the underlying soil For the last-mentioned layer, a softened PVC film is used which has the same strength modulus as the wear-resistant layer or a modulus higher than said layer. balance of forces in the soil structure

  completed and ensures the permanence of the flatness of the tiles.

  Cork is a material that suits perfectly and well for the purpose concerned but Good enormous porositiesatamurenalr

  raise problems when making tiles.

  Because it is a natural product, cork is further affected by many defects that appear as large or small holes and recesses that are inadmissible

  in the finished tiles A severe selection is then neces-

  and wasteful waste in production.

  Especially the thin veneer sheets made of weak cork

  compressed are usually dotted with holes that

  must be closed before strati-

with these leaves.

  The wear resistant layer is usually joined to the underlying layers by pressure bonding.

  also tried to make cork tablecloths by

  coating and roller sizing, but these

  tests did not have a great success.

  In summary, it can be said that natural materials combined with a plastic film forming a wear-resistant layer are only in the form of

  of cork tiles with a film coating of

smoothly smooth.

  The aim of the present invention is to make it possible, thanks to the use of a new manufacturing process, to produce tiles, panels and tablecloths of this type.

  type, smooth or raised, which are suitable for both

of

  wall and floor and which, taking into account the insignificant waste

  are cheaper than the products manufactured so far. The object of the present invention is achieved by

  granulating a cellulosic material, particularly

  cork, the granules are mixed with a fusible plastic and formed from this mixture a

  "mat", that is to say a bed or tablecloth, is cut into a

  Cellulosic material of the same type or of another type as the cellulosic material mentioned first thin slices that are placed in the state obtained, with the through holes and recesses that are present on the mat thus produced, is applied a film of fusible material on the thin slices of cellulosic material and the laminate thus obtained is compressed by heating it to melt the plastic material and push back the material of the mat in the holes and recesses of the trap, and then the compressed tile is cooled . The most distinctive feature of the process

  according to the present invention is the utillsatlon of a type

  a new base layer which consists of a ma-

  Cellulosic material in granules in a fusible plastic matrix If the cellulosic material is cork and the base layer is about 2 mm thick, the particle size should not exceed 2 mm and is

  preferably less than 1,5 mm Where, at the time of

  When the tile, the panel or the ply is ground, the thin decorative layer is placed on the base and the layers are subjected to a compression operation. The temperature is such that the plastic melts / vulcanizes, the mass of the plastic material with its load of cork "inflates" penetrates the $ into the holes and the recesses of the decorative layer and replenishes them, thanks to which we obtain a decorative layer with a smooth surface and a perfect appearance The load material can have any what nuance, for example a nuance that fits more or less to the predominant nuance of

  the decorative layer or contrast with this shade.

  The wear-resistant layer, which normally consists of a film of 0.5 mm PVC softened and previously coated, is placed on the decorative layer

  before said layer is joined to the base layer, that is

  that is to say that the three layers are united to one another during the same operation During the compression operation, the wear-resistant layer therefore also melts so

  It adheres well to the decorative layer.

  wear can also consist of a coating material

  other than a film, such as for example a plastisol, various kinds of lacquer, polyurethane, etc. After the product has been compressed for a predetermined time, it is transferred to a cold press in which it is cooled and simultaneously subjected to a higher pressure, appropriately a pressure

  about twice as high as hot press *.

  The tile, panel or web that is removed from the cold press has the advantageous appearance mentioned above as well as a wear-resistant, fully smooth surface, and

  may be used for wall and floor walling purposes.

  To obtain a tile, a panel or a sheet having a surface in relief, it is necessary to use a natural material having what is called an "elastic memory". Cork is a material of this type. thanks to its particular cellular system, compresses itself when it is subjected to a malal pressure, once one ceases to apply the pressure, it partially resumes its initial state after a certain delay As the pressure in

  the above case is not removed as long as the

  tick has not completely cooled down, the tension condition of the cork is blocked so that the tile, panel or

  ply has a smooth face consisting of a resistance layer

  However, if the tile, panel or sheet is subjected after cooling to a heating at

  the free state (that is, without the application of

  press or similar means) Up to a temperature of

  ture exceeds the softening temperature of the plastic material, the cork tension condition is relaxed and the cork

  resumes the shape he had before the pressing operation.

  If softened PVC is used, that is softened,

  70-150 'heating temperature is suitable after warming up

  In this way, the tile, panel or blank is allowed to cool, in the same way as in the free state. By means of this change of state, a raised surface constituted by a wear-resistant layer is obtained. a very advantageous aspect because the relief of the wear resistant layer is adjusted by the material of the decorative layer, whereby a perfect synchronization of the design and the relief is obtained. As stated in the preceding discussion,

  cork has proved extremely beneficial for the manufacture of

  a tile made of natural material having a raised face and in which the decorative appearance depends on the

  structure and composition of the thin layer or rev 8 te-

  This layer is obtained by splitting or cleaving a block of cork agglomerate into thin sheets which exhibit

  a range of different growth areas to orientate

  The relative size and compressibility vary.

  rents have variable elasticity and resilience so that the formation of the relief can vary from the simple gnarly character to the perfection of a work of art Although cork is the most

  currently suitable, we can also consider other

  cellulosic materials that present or can be given the "elastic memory" necessary for

relief.

  By applying the method according to the present invention

  the special advantage is that no cellulosic material

  This is, of course, greatly increasing the savings because it is not necessary to seal the porosities of the decorative layer and the waste of finished products are insignificant. A tile, panel, or web fabricated as described above and having a base layer of cellulosic material formed of granules in a fusible plastic matrix, a thin decorative layer formed on the base layer, and a tough layer to the wear formed by a film of fusible plastic material, the latter layer acquiring a smooth upper surface by a cold pressing operation after the hot pressing or a relief surface by reheating in a free state after the operation of hot pressing, is highly decorative and extremely advantageous to use because it is both resistant to wear and comfortable to walk because of its

  elasticity and its insulation capacity.

  We will now describe more fully

  the present invention with reference to an example.

  A cork coating with a thickness of i mm was placed on a 2 mm calendered base layer formed of

  Softened PVC and cork granules having a parcel size

  particles up to 1.5 mm, and then a flexible PVC film forming a wear-resistant layer of 0.5 mm thickness was placed on said cork coating. The material was placed in a press mold having spacing means and provided on both sides with paper coated with a release agent. The pressing operation was carried out in a heat press (180) under a progressively increasing pressure up to 2 kg / cm 2 for 5 minutes. We transferred

  then in the hot state the mold with the material that is con-

  held up to a cold press where the pressure was increased from 2 kg / cm 2 up to 5 lg / cm 2 for 5 minutes after which it was

  removed from the mold the cold product The product was then

  slightly flat, during further heating up to 130 ° C for 2 minutes, a relief pattern was formed on the surface, the appearance of which was determined by the structure used

for the cork coating.

Claims (4)

  Process for producing a decorative laminate product, such as, for example, tiles, panels or webs, characterized in that: cellulosic material, particularly cork, is granulated with plastics fuse and a mat is formed from this mixture, is cut in a cellulosic material of the same type or of another type as the cellulosic material first mentioned thin slices that are placed in the state obtained with the through holes and the recesses therein, on the mat thus made, applying a film of fusible plastic material to the thin slices of cellulosic material, and compressing the laminate thus obtained by heating it to melt the plastic material and to push back the material of the mat in the holes and recesses of the slice, when the product is cooled compressed laminate.   Process according to claim 1, characterized   in that the cooling of the product is carried out in a cold press in which the laminated product is subjected to a higher pressure than that used in the hot pressing operation.   The process of claim 1 or 2, wherein   by the fact that the laminated product is subjected after   cooling to free heating and that it is   coldness to obtain the formation of a relief with the film the plastic material.   Process according to any one of the claims   1 to 3, characterized by the fact that at least the thin section   natural material is cork.   Process according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least the material natural granules are wood.   Process according to any one of the claims   tions, characterized in that the plastics material   tick is PVC (polyvinyl chloride) softened.