WO2015107497A1

WO2015107497A1 - Decorative element and method for the production thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2015107497A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/050350
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mario Moiz MIZRAHI AKSIOTE
Original assignee: Mizrahi Aksiote Mario Moiz
Priority date: 2014-01-16
Filing date: 2015-01-16
Publication date: 2015-07-23
Also published as: WO2015108404A1; MX2016009269A

Abstract

The invention relates to a decorative element and to a method for producing said decorative element. The decorative element comprises a flexible metal substrate, a flexible polyester film, and a layer of adhesive disposed between the flexible metal substrate and the flexible polyester film. The polyester film is laminated to the metal substrate and comprises a pattern that has been transferred from a sheet for transferring sublimation inks. The surface of the flexible polyester film has been polished after the transferral of the pattern from the sheet for transferring sublimation inks. The dimensions of the decorative element can be smaller than the dimensions of the flexible polyester layer and/or of the flexible metal substrate, permitting the continuous production of multiple decorative elements and/or the subsequent cutting of the elements comprising the decorative element in accordance with application requirements. The decorative element can be assembled as part of an electronic device or household appliance, or as part of an architectural, artistic or advertising panel.

Description

DECORATIVE ELEMENT AND PROCESS FOR ITS MANUFACTURE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a decorative element and a process for manufacturing said decorative element. This decorative element finds its application in the construction industry, the manufacture of household appliances or electronics, and in any other economic sector where it is required to "dress" or provide a certain finish to a construction using architectural panels or a product using images of high quality and high definition, this includes products such as advertising or artistic panels, notice boards, floors and the paper, automotive, furniture, decoration and coatings industries in general.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It has been detected the need to decorate, beautify and give unique personality to a space or product by placing an image that makes it stand out and communicate emotions with a luminosity without parallels.

In US Pat. No. 7,504,361 Bl a process consisting of sheets of glass with a complete image formed on its surface is disclosed. More particularly with a glass sheet on which a multicolor image has been printed and the process for manufacturing said glass sheet. The purpose of this glass sheet is to have a sufficient dimension to understand an entire image, with the quality of having stability and integrity in its colors. From previous art, the use of sublimation inks is known to achieve placing images on a substrate, however, due to the nature of previous art production processes, to achieve high quality images, low manufacturing speeds are obtained, high production costs and production capacity for small volumes.

US Pat. No. 4,692,198 A discloses a method of printing a design on a receptive surface for sublimation ink, in which: a) the rear part of a backing sheet provided with sublimation ink is adhesively contacted by an auxiliary support by means of an adhesive of greater adhesiveness to the auxiliary support than to the support sheet, b) the design to be transferred is cut or perforated in a reflected way on the support sheet but without cutting through the auxiliary support, the excess of the support sheet is released from the auxiliary support, and d) the auxiliary support with the cut or perforated, positive or negative, is put in adhesive contact with the surface and is pressed and heated. The sublimation film consists of a paper or plastic carrier film, the front of which is provided with a layer of sublimation ink and the rear part of which is provided with an auxiliary support, by means of a greater adhesiveness to the auxiliary support. Said method allows a simplified assembly of composite designs in such a way that they directly provide the space and positioning of characters.

The transfer of images or patterns using sublimation inks has additionally been applied to fields that are not related to the present invention, for example the application WO 2006/036535 Al discloses a process that involves the transfer of a pattern using sublimation inks to a mat composed of polymer fibers.

The application WO 2002/079566 Al discloses a variety of techniques for pattern transfer using sublimation and vacuum inks, some of which techniques comprise laminating a polymeric film to a supporting substrate and transferring a pattern to said film.

US 6 249 297 Bl discloses a process that involves laminating a plastic film to a support strip using an adhesive, transferring a pattern to the plastic strip by means of sublimation inks and cooling the plastic film to remove the support strip.

The patent ES 8400296 Al describes a process for the printing of a metal sheet coated with a synthetic material, the metal sheet is coated using "coil-coating" and the printing stage is carried out by the transfer of sublimable dyes using a calender

The patent US 5 149 389 A describes a process for the manufacture of beverage cans. Said process involves laminating biaxially oriented polyester films to a metal sheet by raising the temperature of the metal sheet above the melting point of the polyester films. Subsequently the laminate is deformed to form a rigid can body and a pattern is transferred to the can using sublimation inks. US Patent 5,985,416 A describes a process for printing patterns on metal sheets. Said process consists of coating a metallic substrate with a base varnish and a coating varnish, forming a coated metal sheet. The printing step consists of transferring sublimation inks from a sheet of transfer paper to the coated metal sheet using a plate. To distribute the pressure evenly, a layer of silicone with a layer of felt on it is used on the lower plate of the iron, and simultaneously a layer of Teflon or another plastic is placed under the upper plate of the plate.

Application CN 1358630 A describes a process for manufacturing custom metal sheets. Said process consists in providing a PET film that has been laminated to a rigid metal sheet, printing a pattern on a sheet for transfer of sublimation inks, placing the sheet for transfer against the PET film, and heating at 200 ° C applying pressure to transfer the pattern to the PET film.

However, despite these advances in technology, the transfer of high quality images or patterns using processes that can be scaled to industrial quantities remains problematic. Another additional problem is the low resistance of the known products and processes when they are applied to form elements that are going to be out in the open and exposed to the general public, this due to the aggressiveness of the environment to which they will be exposed.

On the other hand, applying the processes of the state of the art can not carry out the printing of patterns on very large surfaces or continuous without sacrificing the quality of them. Similarly, the production speed of the processes of the state of the art is low and the production costs thereof are high, which makes their industrialization difficult.

On the other hand, there is also a need for the printed patterns to be clearly distinguishable despite the existence of unfavorable lighting conditions.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to the manufacture of decorative elements of high quality with optical characteristics that allow the printed patterns to be clearly distinguishable despite the existence of unfavorable lighting conditions, and with characteristics that allow them to have a large size and resistance to the aggression of the elements of the environment, also, the invention is directed to provide a manufacturing process for said decorative elements that is not complicated and that allows the rapid manufacture thereof while keeping costs relatively low.

All of these additional objectives and advantages will become apparent upon reading the present description in combination with the drawings which, for illustrative purposes, but not limitation, form an integral part thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a decorative element and a process that allows the manufacture of such a decorative element.

In general, the process consists of the following series of steps:

A) Cold or hot lamination;

B) Print on sublimable paper (a sheet for transfer of sublimation inks) the image or pattern using sublimable inks.

C) Transfer the image formed with sublimable inks to the aforementioned laminate.

D) Finish the decorative element to adapt it to specific uses.

The cold or hot rolling step involves the application of a polyester film with adhesive to a substrate, for example, using a laminating machine and the substrate being an aluminum sheet. The aluminum can be of different calibers, with caliber 36 (thickness of approximately 0.102 mm) being preferred, it is also possible to use other metals, such as galvanized steel sheet of different calibers, with caliber 25 being preferred in this case (thickness of approximately 0.5 mm) to achieve the required flexibility characteristics. Aluminum, like steel, can be natural or colored and have some finish, such as anodizing, brushing, polishing or galvanizing. The polyester film can have a chosen thickness of between 1.7, 5 or 10 thousandths of an inch (0.043, 0.127 or 0.254 mm), and can have a glossy, semi-matte, matte or textured finish. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of the process of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates the decorative element of the present invention, specifically, its laminated structure, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

These figures form an integral part of the present description and are appended for illustrative purposes, but not limiting and are intended to provide a better understanding of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Among the objectives of the present invention is to allow the printing or printing of images or patterns on substrates where printing or printing is normally not possible. Techniques are already known to broadly achieve the above, however these techniques do not allow stamping or printing on large continuous substrates, since the above techniques are performed in batches, that is, each piece is stamped individually ( which makes production more expensive), existing techniques being expensive or of lower quality compared to the process of the present invention.

In contrast to prior art techniques, the present invention is suitable for printing high quality images on large substrates, which may have larger dimensions than the decorative element final . In this way it is possible to print or transfer patterns in continuous, that is, transfer them to a large substrate that is subsequently cut to form one or more decorative elements. In this way, the cutting after the rolling step of the elements comprising the decorative element (metal substrates, polymer films, etc.) is allowed according to application requirements. All this simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the costs of it. The cutting step involves cutting the elements so that the decorative element has a rectangular or irregular shape.

In more detail, the process of the present invention comprises the following series of steps:

A. Cold or hot lamination, comprising applying a polyester film to a flexible metal substrate by means of an adhesive, for example using a roller laminating machine which allows the passage of the substrate and the film under a certain pressure. In one of the embodiments of the present invention the lamination is carried out on a substrate that is subsequently laminated to a final substrate, the latter being a rigid support substrate. For example, the polyester film can be laminated to a thin sheet of aluminum, so that before or after the stamping or transfer of the figure or pattern, this laminate is further laminated to the final substrate. The polyester film can have a thickness of 1.7, 5 or 10 thousandths of an inch (0.043, 0.127 or 0.254 mm).

In one of the embodiments, patterning or pattern transfer is carried out before laminating the intermediate flexible metal substrate to the final rigid support substrate, but it is also possible to emboss after laminating the final substrate or intermediate substrate.

B. In parallel or consecutively, the printing of a sheet or paper for sublimation inks is carried out, in which the image or pattern is printed using sublimation inks, for example, using a plotter or printer or by means of techniques such as offset, screen printing, pad printing or rotogravure. In the case of offset, the color separation technique is applied to print four different sheets with the primary and black colors. The image can be created or prepared using software to achieve the final result.

C. Once the lamination of the final or intermediate substrate is obtained with the polyester film and the paper for sublimation inks with the printed image, the image is transferred to the laminate using process parameters such as time, pressure and temperature. determined, either by means of a thermal plate, vacuum press or a calender, depending on the format, design and quantity and purpose required. The process parameters for carrying out the stamping of the laminated polyester film consist, for example, of a temperature of 196 to 200 ° C, for 30 seconds and at a pressure of not less than 4 psi (27.579 kPa) and room temperature of 20. -25 ° C. Depending on the substrate, it may be necessary to introduce an element such as compressed cardboard, felt (a non-woven fabric) 0.5 cm thick or a flexible smooth steel sheet to control the shrinkage uniformly depending on the substrate. of the polyester film and achieve the proper transfer of the inks and thus achieve the desired finish. East element is placed on the sheet for transfer of sublimation inks.

D. Finishing, which depending on the use of the decorative element must comply with the standards of the industry to which it is directed. This step comprises polishing the surface of the decorative element to remove excess ink and give it the desired finish. Additionally it is possible to laminate or assemble the decorative element obtained from the previous steps on another rigid support substrate (such as a composite aluminum panel, wood, glass, acrylic, ceramic or laminated gypsum plates etc.). Likewise, it is possible to apply to the decorative element a coating or a film with characteristics of protection against UV rays, graffiti, humidity, scratches, changes in temperature, dirt and / or fingerprints, etc. The protective coating can also modify the reflectivity of the decorative element. In the same way, the protective coating can be flexible or non-flexible.

It should be noted that it is feasible to carry out the stamping of the polyester film by means of the sublimation paper, before or after the lamination depending on the substrate, and once the stamped polyester film is obtained, it can be laminated with the intermediate flexible metallic substrate or the rigid substrate of final support, using, for example, adhesives suitable for this. Likewise, if the decorative element is to be protected from harmful environmental and human factors, a final coating or laminate with the desired protection characteristics can be placed on top of the printed image. With reference to the modality illustrated in figure 1, in step I one can appreciate the preparation of an image such as a photo or a drawing by means of a computer. Step II consists of the printing of the image on paper for sublimation inks, which can be carried out by techniques such as plotter printing, screen printing, offset, pad printing or rotogravure.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, step III consists of cold or hot rolling of the flexible metal substrate with the polyester film by means of an adhesive. This laminate can be made using a laminating machine where the temperature and pressure conditions required for the rolling process are applied. In step IV, the transfer of the image on the paper to the polyester film is carried out, which can be carried out continuously or piece by piece, for example, using a calender for the case of large continuous laminates, or using plates for smaller pieces, it is also possible to use a vacuum press. The transfer is carried out by applying a temperature of 196 to 200 ° C, for 30 seconds and at a pressure of not less than 4 psi (27,579 kPa).

In step V, adhesive lamination of the intermediate flexible metal substrate (pre-laminated to the stamped film) with the rigid final support substrate is carried out. In another embodiment, the stamped polyester film is laminated without using an intermediate substrate, i.e., only the flexible metal substrate, which is in this case the final substrate. In step VI, polishing is carried out for the removal of excess ink. This polishing can be carried out using manual or automated processes, using for example cotton fabric or fibers and a mixture of alcohol and water, preferably in a 1: 1 ratio. It should be mentioned that it is possible to use other liquids and elements for polishing without deviating from the scope of the invention.

In step VII, a final or additional lamination step is illustrated to achieve a desired finish, i.e. an anti-graffiti finish, with UV filter, a finish that withstands temperature changes in the environment, scratch-resistant, dirt, moisture and / or fingerprints, etc., or a textured finish. For this a coating with these characteristics is laminated. It is worth mentioning that this coating can be applied by laminating an additional film or by applying a varnish to the decorative element. It is also possible to apply a removable protective layer to the decorative element, which is used to protect it during transport.

In FIG. 2, the layers forming the decorative element are illustrated, regardless of whether the image of the sublimable paper was transferred to the polyester film before or after the lamination. TO

In the embodiment of Figure 2 the polyester film was laminated directly to the final flexible metal substrate 1. The polished laminate comprises, from top to bottom, a final flexible metal substrate 1, a layer of adhesive, a polyester film that It comprises a pattern and a coating film that was laminated as a final finish for give the product certain qualities of resistance, for example to UV radiation or anti-graffiti among others.

In another embodiment of the present invention it is possible to modify the surface of the decorative element in such a way that it has a rough texture on its surface that provides a visual effect. The surface of the decorative element can be modified by placing, at least temporarily, a textured element on the surface of the decorative plate, which can be done before or after the transfer steps of the pattern or lamination. Additionally it is possible to confer a texture on the decorative element by applying a film or a coating that provides this effect on its surface.

In another embodiment, it is possible to make one or more perforations in the decorative element, which can be made in all or in some of the layers that compose it, and / or only in certain regions of the same or in all of its surfaces. Said perforations can be used to mount the decorative element, allow the passage of light through it, allow ventilation, etc.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES

In order to illustrate the advantages achieved by the present invention and its modalities, the following comparative tables are provided. In said tables, examples 1 and 2 correspond to prior art techniques while examples 3-7 correspond to embodiments of the present invention. Example 1 comprises applying a varnish to a metal substrate rigid and then transfer a pattern to the varnish layer using sublimation inks. The disadvantages of example 1 with respect to the present invention include that the reflectivity of the decorative element is very high (which causes the pattern to become almost imperceptible in relation to the reflections), the total absence of flexibility in the decorative element (given that the varnish is released when flexing the substrate), the lack of environmental resistance and that it is not possible to manufacture it continuously, that is to say of several elements from large continuous substrates, which considerably increases the cost of implementing an example 1 in industrial quantities.

On the other hand, Example 2 comprises laminating a polyester film to a metal substrate and subsequently transferring a pattern to the polyester film using sublimation inks.

Table 1 The disadvantages of Example 2 with respect to the present invention include that the finish of the decorative element lacks the color saturation necessary to make it attractive (which is achieved in the present invention at least in part due to the polishing step), a low or no flexibility (which limits its fields of application), lack of environmental resistance, a perceptible shrinkage of the polyester film and the occurrence of wrinkles and delamination after the pattern transfer stage. All this resulting in that only 30% of the decorative elements present acceptable characteristics for their commercialization, which considerably increases the cost of implementing example 2 in industrial quantities.

Table 2 On the other hand, the different embodiments of the present invention present a variety of technical advantages over the prior art, these advantages being evident from the comparative tables, and enabling the use of the decorative elements in a novel and inventive way in different fields of application. A further advantage of the present invention is that it achieves images with a remarkable depth, being possible to distinguish that the image is in a different plane from the metallic substrate.

Table 3 The present invention has been sufficiently described by preferred embodiments thereof, however, it should be understood that a person of ordinary skill in the art can make variations and modifications to the invention without such modifications and / or variations departing from the spirit of the invention. the present invention. Therefore, such modifications and / or variations fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed in the following claims.

Claims

A process for manufacturing a decorative element, comprising: providing a flexible metal substrate;

provide a flexible polyester film;

laminating the flexible polyester film to the flexible metal substrate, wherein a layer of adhesive is disposed between the flexible metal substrate and the flexible polyester film;

transferring a pattern to the flexible polyester film from a sheet for sublimation ink transfer, wherein the step of transferring a pattern is performed before or after the lamination step; characterized in that it additionally comprises:

polishing the surface of the polyester film after transferring the pattern from the sheet for transfer of sublimation inks; wherein the flexible metal substrate and / or the flexible polyester film have dimensions that may be greater than the final dimensions of the decorative element.

2. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises modifying the surface of the decorative element in such a way that it has a rough texture on its surface that provides a visual effect.

The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises applying to the decorative element a flexible or non-flexible protective coating, wherein the protective coating is resistant to graffiti, UV light, humidity, scratches, temperature changes, dirt and / or fingerprints, and / or where the protective coating modifies the reflectivity of the decorative element.

4. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that during the step of transferring the pattern to the flexible polyester film from the sheet for transfer of sublimation inks a sheet of steel, compressed cardboard and / or felt is placed on the sheet for transfer of sublimation inks to allow a uniform transfer of the ink and control the shrinkage of the polyester film.

5. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the flexible polyester sheet is glossy, semi-matt, matt or has a texture.

The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that it additionally comprises laminating the decorative element to a rigid support substrate.

The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that it additionally comprises laminating the flexible polyester film to the cold or hot flexible metal substrate.

8. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the transfer of the pattern from the sheet for transfer of sublimation inks is performed using a thermal plate, a calender or a vacuum press.

9. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the flexible metal substrate comprises brushed metal, polished metal, anodized metal or galvanized metal.

10. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that the decorative element is assembled as part of an electronic appliance or household appliance, or as part of an architectural, artistic or advertising panel.

The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises making one or more perforations in the decorative element.

12. The process according to claim 1, further characterized in that to transfer the pattern to the flexible polyester film from the sublimation ink transfer sheet, a pressure higher than 27.579 kPa is applied for 30 seconds at a temperature of 196 °. C at 200 ° C.

13. A decorative element, characterized in that it comprises:

a flexible metal substrate;

a flexible polyester film; Y

an adhesive layer disposed between the flexible metal substrate and the flexible polyester film; wherein the flexible polyester film is laminated to the flexible metal substrate;

wherein the flexible polyester film further comprises a pattern that has been transferred from a sheet for transfer of sublimation inks;

wherein the surface of the flexible polyester film has been polished after the transfer of the pattern from the sheet for transfer of sublimation inks; Y wherein the dimensions of the decorative element may be less than the dimensions of the flexible polyester layer and / or the flexible metal substrate.

14. The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that it has a rough texture on its surface that provides a visual effect.

15. The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that it additionally comprises a flexible or non-flexible protective coating, wherein the protective coating is resistant to graffiti, UV light, moisture, scratches, temperature changes, dirt and / or fingerprints, and / or where the protective coating modifies the reflectivity of the decorative element.

16. The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that the flexible polyester film is glossy, semi-matt, matt or has a texture.

The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that it additionally comprises a rigid support substrate laminated to the flexible metal substrate that provides rigidity to the decorative element.

The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that the flexible metal substrate comprises brushed metal, polished metal or anodized metal.

19. The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that it is adapted to be part of an apparatus electronic or of an appliance, or part of an architectural, artistic or advertising panel.

20. The decorative element according to claim 13, further characterized in that it comprises one or more perforations.