Avery Dennison Corporation

John E Roys

Howard H Enlow

Keith Lawson Truog

Frederick Young

John J Markey

Russell J McCready

Paul J Martus

Charles E Wehmeier

L Scott Coons

A multi-layer laminate having a textured surface comprises a thin, flexible, thermoformable polymeric base layer, and a layer of spaced part segments of an ink material screen printed in a pattern on a surface of the polymeric base material. The ink material comprises a UV curable screen printing ink which contains a resinous binder, a hardener, and a fine particulate filler. The ink is pressed through a screen having an emulsion with a thickness from about 40 to 50 microns. The ink segments are dried on the base layer by UV curing to a height and a hardness sufficient to form a heat stable textured surface adhered to the base layer. In one embodiment, the printed ink layer has a print height from about 25 to about 50 microns and resists deformation from subsequent thermoforming and/or injection molding. The ink segments meet automotive hardness and abrasion specification requirements.

Textured screen-printed laminates

A process for making a protective and decorative surfacing film comprises extrusion coating a solventless polymeric material from an extruder die to form an optically clear first layer on a polyester carrier sheet traveling past the extruder die opening. The extrusion coated first layer is immediately cooled on the carrier sheet to harden it, followed by applying a pigmented second layer to the first layer. The composite paint coat is transferred to a reinforcing backing sheet, after which the carrier sheet is separated from the paint coat to expose the outer surface of the first layer as a high gloss surface with a high distinctness-of-image, providing a transparent protective outer coat for the pigmented second layer. The pigmented second layer can be solvent cast and dried or extruded and hardened as a separate coating on the first layer. The composite paint coat can be bonded to a coextruded size coat and semi-rigid plastic substrate panel to form a thermoformable laminate. Techniques are disclosed for producing extruded clear films of exceedingly high optical clarity using a closed air flow transport and HEPA filtration system that removes airborne particles from the resin handling and extrusion process, thereby preventing micron-sized contaminants naturally present from many sources from entering the process and degrading ultimate film quality.

Extruded polymeric high transparency films

A process for making a protective and decorative surfacing film comprises extrusion coating a solid polymeric material to form an optically clear first layer ( ) on a smooth surface of a carrier sheet ( ). The extrusion coated first layer is immediately cooled, followed by applying a pigmented second material ( ) in thin film form. The composite paint coat is then transferred to a supportive backing, after which the carrier sheet is removed to expose the high gloss outer surface of the first layer. The second layer may be solvent cast, extrusion coated, or coextruded with the first layer.

Extrusion coating process for making protective and decorative films

An exterior automotive quality paint coat is laminated to the surface of a plastic car body member of panel. A dry paint transfer film is first laminated to a relatively thin semi-rigid thermoformable resinous backing sheet. The backing sheet side of the resulting laminate is then laminated to a relatively thick thermoformable substrate sheet comprising the same or a compatible polymeric material. The two sheets are joined by extruding the thick substrate sheet and using the heat of extrusion to then laminate the thin backing sheet to the thicker extruded substrate sheet. The resulting thick sheet laminate is then thermoformed, preferably by first heating the laminate to a forming temperature, followed by vacuum forming the laminate to a three-dimensional shape of the finished automotive part, such as a facia, ready to put on a vehicle.

Thick sheet lamination product for use in exterior automotive body panels

Extrusion coating process for making high transparency protective and decorative films

A process for making a protective and decorative surfacing film comprises extrusion coating a solid polymeric material from an extruder die to form an optically clear first layer of uniform film thickness on a smooth surface of a carrier sheet traveling continuously past the extruder die opening. The extrusion coated first layer is immediately cooled on the carrier sheet to harden it, followed by applying a pigmented second layer in thin film form to the first layer to form a composite paint coat in which the first and second layers are bonded to each other. The composite paint coat is then transferred to a supportive backing sheet or substrate panel, after which the carrier sheet is separated from the paint coat, to expose the outer surface of the first layer as a high gloss surface with a high distinctness-of-image, providing a transparent protective outer coat for the underlying pigmented second layer. The pigmented second layer can be solvent cast and dried or extruded and hardened as a separate coating on the extrusion coated first layer. Alternatively, the second layer can be formed with the first layer as a coextrusion which is extrusion coated onto the smooth surface of the release coated carrier sheet that travels past the extruder die.

Extrusion process for protective coatings for outdoor siding panels and the like

An exterior automotive quality paint coat is laminated to the surface of a plastic car body member of panel. A dry paint transfer film is first laminated to a relatively thin semi-rigid thermoformable resinous backing sheet. The backing sheet side of the resulting laminate is then laminated to a relatively thick thermoformable substrate sheet of the same or a compatible polymeric material. The two sheets are joined by extruding the thick substrate sheet and using the heat of extrusion to then laminate the thin backing sheet to the thicker extruded substrate sheet. The resulting thick sheet laminate is then thermoformed, preferably by first heating the laminate to a forming temperature, followed by vacuum forming the laminate to a three-dimensional shape of the finished automotive part, such as a fascia, ready to put on a vehicle.

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Lowell, IN, United States of America

John E Roys