GB2260929A - Making textured decorative plastics sheet - Google Patents

Making textured decorative plastics sheet Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2260929A
GB2260929A GB9123100A GB9123100A GB2260929A GB 2260929 A GB2260929 A GB 2260929A GB 9123100 A GB9123100 A GB 9123100A GB 9123100 A GB9123100 A GB 9123100A GB 2260929 A GB2260929 A GB 2260929A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
sheet
dimensional
image
wood
dimensional object
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9123100A
Other versions
GB9123100D0 (en
Inventor
Michael Deekes
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
JR MARKETING
Original Assignee
JR MARKETING
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by JR MARKETING filed Critical JR MARKETING
Priority to GB9123100A priority Critical patent/GB2260929A/en
Publication of GB9123100D0 publication Critical patent/GB9123100D0/en
Publication of GB2260929A publication Critical patent/GB2260929A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
    • G09B23/00—Models for scientific, medical, or mathematical purposes, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C59/00—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C59/02—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor by mechanical means, e.g. pressing
    • B29C59/022—Surface shaping of articles, e.g. embossing; Apparatus therefor by mechanical means, e.g. pressing characterised by the disposition or the configuration, e.g. dimensions, of the embossments or the shaping tools therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
    • B44F—SPECIAL DESIGNS OR PICTURES
    • B44F9/00—Designs imitating natural patterns
    • B44F9/02—Designs imitating natural patterns wood grain effects
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
    • B44F—SPECIAL DESIGNS OR PICTURES
    • B44F9/00—Designs imitating natural patterns
    • B44F9/04—Designs imitating natural patterns of stone surfaces, e.g. marble
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C51/00—Shaping by thermoforming, i.e. shaping sheets or sheet like preforms after heating, e.g. shaping sheets in matched moulds or by deep-drawing; Apparatus therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
    • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
    • B29L2031/10—Building elements, e.g. bricks, blocks, tiles, panels, posts, beams
    • B29L2031/102—Bricks
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
    • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
    • B29L2031/722—Decorative or ornamental articles

Abstract

A decorative plastics sheet simulating a textured surface such as brick, wood or leather is made by printing a 2 dimensional image of the material on a smooth surface of the sheet and appropriately texturing the printed sheet in register with the printed image.

Description

Decorative Plastics Sheet and Method of Production thereof This invention relates to a decorative plastics sheet, and to a method of producing such a sheet, and is particularly useful in the simulation of natural surfaces such as wood, leather or brick surfaces, for example in structural panels, furniture and wall coverings, or smaller items such as bookbindings.
It is of course well known to provide flat plastics veneers simulating wood grain, for reproduction furniture.
It is also known to produce polypropylene sheet on which an image of a natural surface such as leather or cork is printed by lithographic printing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a decorative plastics sheet which simulates more closely the texture of a natural surface.
Accordingly, the invention provides a decorative plastics sheet moulded into a 3-dimensional texture corresponding in pattern to, and in register with, an image of a 3-dimensional object (such as the surface of a brick or a piece of wood or leather) applied on to its surface. This 3-dimensional texturing makes the plastics sheet resemble the 3-dimensional object, which may be a natural material such as wood, leather, cork or brick, much more closely.
The invention also provides a method of producing such a decorative plastics sheet, comprising applying a 2-dimensional image of a 3-dimensional object on to a smooth surface of a plastics sheet, and then moulding the printed sheet to the contours of the 3-dimensional object so that the contours are in register with the printed image.
The 3-dimensional object being reproduced by the plastics sheet may be any of a variety of natural or even synthetic surfaces, for example wood or bark surfaces, leather surfaces, cork surfaces, brick, stone or walled surfaces.
The 2-dimensional image applied is conveniently effected by use of a transfer, or by printing, preferably lithographic printing of a photographic or computer generated image: such lithographic printing is already well known using polypropylene sheet, indeed, polypropylene is the preferred plastics material for use in this process.
A mould of a suitable material, for example metal or wood, is preferably first prepared in a conventional manner from the 3-dimensional object. Where mould formation would normally be destructive, of course it would be necessary to first take the photographic image for the printing process. For example, a metal alloy casting could be made, and the original destructively removed from the casting. The printed sheet is preferably moulded by means of this mould by vacuum forming, using conventional vacuum forming equipment. The moulding of the printed sheet to the contours of the mould is facilitated by the pre-heating of the sheet in order to soften it: the sheet may be heated once it is in place adjacent the mould.
It is an important feature of the process of the invention that the mould should be in reasonably precise register with the printed image on the plastics sheet, to ensure that the texturing corresponds with the pattern of the 2-dimensional image. For example, a wood surface has an irregular pattern of indentations corresponding to the grain of the wood: the 2-dimensional image of this grain printed on the sheet should be in register with the 3-dimensional pattern of grain reproduced on the mould.
Following vacuum forming, the moulded, printed sheet is allowed to cool, and it retains its 3-dimensional texturing upon withdrawal from the moulding equipment. The same mould can of course be used many times to texture a succession of plastics sheets printed with the same image.
While it is important that the printed image and the 3-dimensional mould should be to the same scale, it will be appreciated that enlarging or reducing processes are available both for the 2-dimensional imaging and for the production of the 3-dimensional mould. Provided the same scale of reduction or enlargement is used for both processes, the scale of the simulated surface can be selected at will.
Whilst the invention has been illustrated by the use of polypropylene, other thermoplastics materials would be appropriate, or indeed any other plastics material capable of adopting permanently the shape of a mould or casting of the original object. Further, it will be appreciated that novel textures could be created without the need for any original object to be reproduced: a mould and a corresponding photographic image could be generated together without copying any existing object.

Claims (8)

1. A decorative plastics sheet moulded into a 3-dimensional texture corresponding in pattern to, and in register with, an image of a 3-dimensional object (such as the surface of a brick or a piece of wood or leather) applied on to its surface.
2. A method of producing such decorative plastics sheet, comprising applying a 2-dimensional image of a 3-dimensional object on to a smooth surface of a plastics sheet, and then moulding the printed sheet to the contours of the 3-dimensional object so that the contours are in register with the printed image.
3. A sheet according to Claim 1, in which the 3-dimensional object has a natural surface such as wood or bark surfaces, leather surfaces, cork surfaces, brick, stone or walled surfaces.
4. A method according to Claim 2, in which the 3-dimensional object has a natural surface such as wood or bark surfaces, leather surfaces, cork surfaces, brick, stone or walled surfaces.
5. A method according to Claim 2 or 4, in which the 2-dimensional image applied is effected by use of a transfer.
6. A method according to Claim 2 or 4, in which the 2-dimensional image applied is effected by printing a photographic or computer generated image.
7. A method according to Claim 2, 4, 5 or 6, in which a mould of a suitable material, for example metal or wood, is first prepared in a conventional manner from the 3-dimensional object, and the printed sheet is moulded by means of this mould by vacuum forming.
8. A method according to Claim 7, in which the moulding of the printed sheet to the contours of the mould is facilitated by the pre-heating of the sheet in order to soften it.
GB9123100A 1991-10-31 1991-10-31 Making textured decorative plastics sheet Withdrawn GB2260929A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9123100A GB2260929A (en) 1991-10-31 1991-10-31 Making textured decorative plastics sheet

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9123100A GB2260929A (en) 1991-10-31 1991-10-31 Making textured decorative plastics sheet

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9123100D0 GB9123100D0 (en) 1991-12-18
GB2260929A true GB2260929A (en) 1993-05-05

Family

ID=10703827

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9123100A Withdrawn GB2260929A (en) 1991-10-31 1991-10-31 Making textured decorative plastics sheet

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2260929A (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2269558A (en) * 1992-08-11 1994-02-16 Door Panels Plc Covering panels

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB382824A (en) * 1931-02-19 1932-11-03 Arthur Eichengrun Process for producing ornamental markings or decorative effects on materials of celluloid-like character
GB566474A (en) * 1942-09-17 1945-01-01 Briggs Mfg Co Improvements in and relating to the manufacture of articles from plastic sheets
GB656259A (en) * 1940-09-06 1951-08-15 Oxvar Ltd Improvements in the manufacture of decorated articles
GB742937A (en) * 1953-02-02 1956-01-04 Thomas John Jones Improved educational device for demonstrating geographical contours
GB862533A (en) * 1958-04-12 1961-03-15 Rico N C Soc Improvements in the making of relief maps
GB1340901A (en) * 1970-03-31 1973-12-19 Hallmark Cards Three-dimensional cast resin article with coloured surface and method of producing same
GB1524680A (en) * 1975-08-20 1978-09-13 Acme Signs & Displays Ltd Manufacture of display or advertising signs
GB2225276A (en) * 1988-10-31 1990-05-30 Tomy Co Ltd Moulding a decorated resin plate into a decorated toy body

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB382824A (en) * 1931-02-19 1932-11-03 Arthur Eichengrun Process for producing ornamental markings or decorative effects on materials of celluloid-like character
GB656259A (en) * 1940-09-06 1951-08-15 Oxvar Ltd Improvements in the manufacture of decorated articles
GB566474A (en) * 1942-09-17 1945-01-01 Briggs Mfg Co Improvements in and relating to the manufacture of articles from plastic sheets
GB742937A (en) * 1953-02-02 1956-01-04 Thomas John Jones Improved educational device for demonstrating geographical contours
GB862533A (en) * 1958-04-12 1961-03-15 Rico N C Soc Improvements in the making of relief maps
GB1340901A (en) * 1970-03-31 1973-12-19 Hallmark Cards Three-dimensional cast resin article with coloured surface and method of producing same
GB1524680A (en) * 1975-08-20 1978-09-13 Acme Signs & Displays Ltd Manufacture of display or advertising signs
GB2225276A (en) * 1988-10-31 1990-05-30 Tomy Co Ltd Moulding a decorated resin plate into a decorated toy body

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2269558A (en) * 1992-08-11 1994-02-16 Door Panels Plc Covering panels

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9123100D0 (en) 1991-12-18

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)