Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

Awi Licensing Company

F Joseph Appleyard

Gary A Sigel

Clifford M Rosenau

Craig W Desantis

John R Eshbach, Jr

George E Bagley

John H Young

William L Mason

A surface covering has a base to which is laminated a rigid vinyl film. The film is precoated with an electron beam cured wearlayer. The preferred wearlayer composition is a polymerizable organic urethane-polyester wearlayer coating. The coated printed film is prepared by application of a polyester urethane acrylate composition to a printed sheet of rigid vinyl film and the coating is exposed to a low accelerating energy Electro-curtain to form an abrasion resistant topcoat with no apparent degradation of printed rigid vinyl film.

Surface covering having a precoated, E-beam cured wearlayer coated film and process of making the same

The invention is a method for manufacturing a surface covering product having a gloss controlled surface wearlayer coating and a curable composition used in that method. The preferred curable composition is a polymerizable coating which includes a di-isocyanate and/or isocyanurate structure, a polyester polyol, a hydroxy and acrylyl functional polyester, mono, di, or tri-functional acrylates, and a flatting agent and/or hard particulates. The preferred surface covering product is a floor covering product produced as a vinyl film that is precoated with preferably a wearlayer coating that is adhered to the vinyl film, and the surface of the film is preferably embossed. A gloss controlled surface coating is achieved by application of the preferred composition to the printed sheet of film, and the composition is then exposed to low intensity ultraviolet light followed by exposure to ionizing radiation from a low accelerating energy electron beam, which forms an abrasion resistant wearlayer with non-visible degradation of the printed film.

Method for controlling gloss level

Method for manufacturing a surface covering product having a controlled gloss surface coated wearlayer

Composition and method for manufacturing a surface covering product having a controlled gloss surface coated wearlayer

A large drum receives a heated sheet of vinyl mixture. While on the drum, the sheet has laminated thereto a rigid vinyl film and the surface of the sheet with the vinyl film is embossed. The film/sheet composite is cooled and removed from the drum.

Method of forming a floor tile on a drum

Growing community of inventors

East Petersburg, PA, United States of America

F Joseph Appleyard