Patent ID: 6296732
Filing Date: 2001-10-02
Classification: B29K,B32B,Y10T

Abstract:
In a process for making plastic panels having an embossed low gloss decorative coating transfer-laminated to an extruded plastic sheet in which the decorative coating includes a protective outer layer made from a blended fluoropolymer and acrylic resinous material which provides the low gloss surface characteristics of the finished panel, the improvement comprising:providing a matte release layer on a flexible, heat resistant polymeric carrier sheet in which the matte release layer contains a resinous material hardened at an elevated temperature to form a continuous heat resistant resinous film permanently bonded to the carrier sheet and having a micro-roughness on the release coated outer surface thereof;continuously passing the carrier sheet in close proximity to an extrusion die of an extruder containing an extrudable material comprising a blended fluoropolymer and acrylic resinous material, and extrusion coating the resinous material from said extruder die to form a solid weatherable thermoplastic and thermoformable polymeric decorative coating as a continuous film on the micro-roughened release coated outer surface of the carrier sheet to thereby form a thin flexible transfer laminate, in which the starting material for the extrusion step is made by first blending an acrylic resin component with a UV stabilizer material in a first extrusion step followed by blending a fluoropolymer material with the extruded acrylic/UV stabilizer material in a second step;immediately passing the decorative coating of the transfer laminate into continuous pressure contact with a cooling surface while the decorative coating is supported by the carrier sheet for cooling the decorative coating to harden it on the carrier-supported matte release layer;extruding a plastic sheet at an elevated temperature through an extruder die opening, the extruded sheet having a heat of extrusion adjacent the extruder die opening;overlaying the transfer laminate on the extruded sheet with the decorative coating thereof facing toward the extruded sheet;applying pressure to the transfer laminate and to the extruded sheet from an embossing roll on the side of the transfer laminate opposite from the extruded sheet, and embossing directly through the matte release coated carrier sheet and toward the extruded sheet while the temperature of the extruded sheet is maintained near its heat of extrusion for thereby transferring heat to the decorative coating while the matte release layer remains in its heat resistant condition under the heat of extrusion to provide a continuous heat transfer barrier between the carrier sheet and the extruded sheet to thereby continuously transfer the decorative coating from the carrier-supported matte release layer and bond the decorative coating to the extruded sheet under the applied pressure, the transferred decorative coating being maintained in a pliable condition under the heat transfer thereto while the micro-roughness of the hardened matte release layer transfers a low gloss outer surface to the decorative coating, the embossing roll continuously embossing three dimensional impressions through the matte release coated carrier sheet and into the outer surface of the pliable decorative coating; andthereafter releasing the carrier sheet and its matte release layer from the embossed low gloss decorative coating after the embossed impressions have set permanently through a temperature reduction to thereby form a panel having said embossed low gloss surface.