Patent ID: 6349754
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: B29K,B32B,B60R,Y10T

Abstract:
A process for manufacturing a low gloss decorative and structural plastic skin component comprising forming on a heat-resistant carrier a thermoplastically formable dry paint transfer sheet having a protective outer clear coat layer comprising a polymeric material and an underlying base coat layer comprising a polymeric material containing a dispersed pigment; transfer-laminating the dry paint transfer film from the carrier to a self-supporting thermoplastically formable resinous backing sheet adhered to the dry paint transfer sheet on the side thereof opposite from the outer clear coat, the outer surface of the clear coat layer having a surface micro-roughness transferred from the carrier to reduce the surface gloss of the clear coat layer; and thermoforming the composite of the dry paint transfer sheet and the backing sheet to thermoplastically elongate and thereby produce thereon a three-dimensionally shaped contoured outer surface, the clear coat layer containing uniformly dispersed filler particles in an amount below about 10 parts by weight per 100 parts of the total resinous binder solids contained in the outer clear coat, the combination of said transferred surface micro-roughness and said dispersed filler particles producing on the outer surface of the thermoformed clear coat layer a substantially uniformly dispersed micro-roughness forming a low gloss having a measured 60 degree gloss level of less than about 15 gloss units.