Abstract:
A decorative printed decorative laminate for forming an interior surface within a mobile platform or fixed structure. The printed decorative laminate is adapted to be formed through roll processing, and includes a first film layer. An ink layer disposed adjacent to the first film layer. A second film layer is disposed adjacent to the ink layer, and an adhesive layer is disposed on a surface of the second film layer. The adhesive layer secures the first film layer to the second film layer. The adhesive layer can be a pressure sensitive adhesive, a heat-activated adhesive, a thermoset adhesive or combinations thereof for adhering the film layers together during the roll-forming operation. The present invention thus improves the efficiency and reduces the cost of forming a decorative printed decorative laminate by avoiding the batch operations and use of various chemicals typically employed to form multi-layer decorative panels.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is related in general subject matter to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/656,090 filed Sep. 5, 2003, presently pending, assigned to The Boeing Company, and hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. The subject matter of the present application is also related to pending application U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/882,047 filed Jun. 30, 2004, the disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated by reference. Finally, the subject matter of the present application is related generally to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/688,414, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Forming a Laminate Panel with Improved Fire Worthiness,” presently pending, the disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated by reference into the present application. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to printed decorative laminates, and more particularly to a system and method for constructing printed decorative laminates through roll processing.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Certain mobile platforms, such as aircraft, trains and automobiles, may generally employ panel structures to form various interior surfaces. In many cases these panel structures are covered with printed decorative laminates to provide visually appealing surfaces to the objective viewer. Such printed decorative laminates generally have excellent wear, strength and fireworthy characteristics. For example, in a commercial aircraft, pluralities of lightweight composite sidewall panels are typically included along the port and starboard sides of the passenger cabin of the aircraft. These sidewall panels each generally include a printed decorative laminate disposed on the front of the sidewall panel to create a visually appealing interface for the customer. In addition, many other surfaces may be covered with printed decorative laminates to increase the visual appeal of the surface, such as stowage bin doors, ceiling panels and the like. Further, in some instances, printed decorative laminates may also be used to display information to potential viewers, such as safety hazards, emergency exit instructions or advertising/promotional messages.  
         [0004]     Currently, printed decorative laminates are formed through batch operations in order to consolidate various material layers and impart texture onto its outer surface (i.e., the surface visible to an individual). These batch operations tend to be labor intensive and time consuming. In addition, due to the nature of the batch process itself, large quantities of consumable materials must typically be employed, which may result in waste. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to create printed decorative laminates through the utilization of a pre-textured film layer and a more efficient consolidation technique. Such a process would significantly reduce the time and labor required to produce printed decorative laminates.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention is directed to a printed decorative laminate for a surface and a method for making the printed decorative laminate through roll-processing. The printed decorative laminate includes a pre-textured first film layer and an ink layer disposed adjacent to the first film layer. At least a portion of the first film layer is printed with ink. An adhesive layer is disposed on a surface of a second film layer. The adhesive layer secures the printed first film layer to the second film layer. The adhesive layer may be selected from the group comprising a pressure sensitive adhesive, heat activated adhesive, a thermoset adhesive or combinations thereof to facilitate consolidation of the layers. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]     The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a simplified perspective view of a portion of an interior area of a mobile platform illustrating a plurality of printed decorative laminates applied to selected surfaces, in this example overhead stowage bin doors, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of the interior area of the mobile platform showing printed decorative laminates applied to selected bin doors according to an alternative implementation of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of a printed decorative laminate taken in accordance with section line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1  showing the various layers comprising the printed decorative laminate;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a roller system used to implement a preferred method for forming the printed decorative laminate of  FIG. 2 , according to the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective, environmental view of a method for applying the printed decorative laminate of  FIG. 2  to a selected surface;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a side, cross sectional view of a printed decorative laminate having an alternative construction, taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a side view of a method of forming the printed decorative laminate of  FIG. 2  according to the principles of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     The following description of various embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. Although the following description is related generally to a roll processed printed decorative laminate construction for use as an interior decorative laminate in a mobile platform, such as an aircraft, train, ship, rotorcraft, or any other form of motor vehicle, it will be understood that the printed decorative laminate and method of forming described in the present application could just as easily be employed in fixed structures, such as conference rooms, or wherever the use of a decorative printed decorative laminate would be desirable. Therefore, it will be understood that the following discussion is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0015]     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 1   a  and  2 , a decorative printed decorative laminate  10  is shown. The printed decorative laminate  10 , in this example, forms an outer surface  12  of a stowage bin door  14  in a mobile platform  8 . The mobile platform, in this example, is a commercial aircraft having an interior cabin area  8   a , wall portions  8   b , seats  8   c , ceiling panels (not shown), bulk heads (not shown) and various other well known structural components. In this example, interior cabin area  8   a  represents a passenger cabin area within a fuselage of the mobile platform. The printed decorative laminate  10  may include a first film layer  16 . The first film layer  16  forms the outer layer of the printed decorative laminate  10 . The first film layer  16  may be a pre-textured film with a texture similar to printed decorative laminates which are formed through batch operations. The first film layer  16  may comprise a thin polyvinyl fluoride film such as a Tedlar® PVF film having a thickness of preferably about 1.7 millimeters. The use of a Tedlar® PVF film increases the fire worthiness of the printed decorative laminate  10  due to the chemical composition of the Tedlar® PVF. The first film layer  16  is also preferably a clear gloss or a semi-gloss layer, but in either event it is substantially translucent. In addition, the first film layer  16  may also include an ultra-violet (UV) light blocking additive to prevent discoloration of the printed decorative laminate  10  from UV rays.  
         [0016]     Adjacent to the first film layer  16  is an ink layer  18 . For example, the printed decorative laminate  10  may be utilized for a single image  19  comprised of multiple printed decorative laminates  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , or may comprise individual printed decorative laminates  10  each having a unique image or message  19 , as shown in  FIG. 1   a . The image(s)  19  may comprise a decorative mural, an advertisement, or warnings, instructions and other information useful to occupants of the mobile platform  8 . In this application, the ink layer  18  may comprise all or a portion of the image(s)  19  which may be printed by an ink jet printer on an inside surface  16   b  of the first film layer  16 . In addition, the inside surface  16   b  of the first film layer  16  may be treated to improve the bonding of the ink thereto. One surface of the first film layer  16  may be treated to improve bonding by utilizing vacuum or atmospheric plasma treatment, corona treatment, or by applying a functional coating using atmospheric or vacuum coating equipment. As the first film layer  16  forms a protective covering for the ink, the first film layer  16  eliminates the need to place a protective, separate layer over the ink layer  18 .  
         [0017]     In the construction of the printed decorative laminate  10  with the ink layer  18 , the ink layer  18  may be deposited by a suitable printer, and more preferably by a digital ink jet printer, on the first film layer  16 . The ink used to form ink layer  18 , which makes up the image(s)  19 , preferably comprises an UV curable and stable ink (black or colored) that is deposited on the inside surface  16   b  of the first film layer  16 . The ink  18  is cured virtually immediately after being deposited by the ink jet printer via a UV light operably associated with the digital ink jet printer that passes over the newly deposited ink as the ink is deposited. Companies making suitable ink jet printers or printing equipment are Vutek of Meredith, N.H. and Leggett &amp; Platt Inc. of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. Other suitable inks are available from 3M Corp. of Minneapolis, Minn., and Sunjet of Bath, England. The ability of the UV curable ink to be cured virtually immediately after being deposited on the first film layer  16  also simplifies and expedites the manufacturing of the printed decorative laminate  10 . In addition, UV curable inks allow ink loadings on the Tedlar® PVF in excess of 300% which is difficult, or impossible, to obtain using water or solvent based digital ink jet inks. Also, since the ink layer  18  is deposited on the inside surface  16   b , it will be appreciated that the image  19  will need to be transposed during the printing process so that it appears correct when being viewed from the opposite side (i.e., outer surface  16   a ) of first film layer  16 .  
         [0018]     Adjacent to the ink layer  18  may be an adhesive layer  20 . The adhesive layer  20  may be applied initially to a second film layer  22 , as will be discussed in greater detail below. The adhesive layer  20  may generally be a pressure sensitive adhesive, a heat activated adhesive, or a thermoset adhesive. The general characteristics of these adhesives are flexibility, UV stability, fire resistance, an opaque white or clear appearance, high bond strength, and a processing temperature range from 225 degrees F. to 280 degrees F. The type of adhesive used, whether pressure sensitive, heat activated or thermoset, will determine the type of roll processing steps employed, as will be discussed in greater detail below. The adhesive layer  20  is used to secure the second film layer  22  to the first film layer  16 .  
         [0019]     The second film layer  22  is preferably disposed against the adhesive layer  20 . The second film layer  22  also preferably comprises a polyvinyl fluoride film, such as Tedlar® PVF, which is preferably opaque or white in color to form a suitable background against which the colors of the ink layer  18  stand out. However, it will be appreciated that other background colors could be employed besides white or opaque, depending upon the desired color scheme.  
         [0020]     With continuing reference to  FIGS. 1, 1   a  and  2 , and additional reference to  FIG. 3 , in order to form the printed decorative laminate  10 , the first printed film layer  16  may be secured to the second film layer  22  by a roll or belt laminator  200  using heat and/or pressure, depending upon the material selected for the adhesive layer  20 . The term “laminator” is used to denote any equipment capable of applying sufficient heat and/or pressure simultaneously to the printed first film layer  16  and second film layer  22  to bond the film layers together to form the printed decorative laminate  10 . The laminator  200  may comprise a pair of rollers  202  that apply pressure “P” and/or heat “H” to the first film layer  16  and second film layer  22 . If the adhesive layer  20  is formed using either a thermoset or heat activated adhesive, the laminator  200  will simultaneously apply heat and pressure to bond the printed first film layer  16  to the second film layer  22 . If, however, the adhesive layer  20  is formed using the pressure sensitive adhesive, then the laminator  200  will only need to apply pressure to bond the printed first film layer  16  to the second film layer  22 . Once the printed first film layer  16  is bonded to the second film layer  22 , the printed decorative laminate  10  may then be secured to any desired substrate surface  12  though the application of, for example, a spray adhesive as shown in  FIG. 4 , and then the use of an infrared (IR) oven to vacuum form the laminate to the desired surface. Some trimming of excess material or edge wrapping of laminate  10  may be required to achieve maximum aesthetic appeal.  
         [0021]     With the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the printed decorative laminates  10  each form integral portions of the image  19 . The image  19  can be changed quickly and easily simply by removing the bin doors  14  that have the image  19  thereon and substituting a different set of bin doors  14  with different images (not specifically shown) formed of different printed decorative laminates  10 . In addition, each of the printed decorative laminates  10  may provide a complete image  19  individually, as shown in  FIG. 1   a . In this instance, a given image  19  can be changed by removing its associated bin door  14 .  
         [0022]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , there is shown an alternative preferred form of printed decorative laminate  100  that is strippable from an associated surface  102  of a given bin door  14 . With this embodiment the image  19  can be changed simply by removing the bin doors  14  that have the image  19  thereon, and then with the use of a heat gun, remove the decorative laminate  100  from their respective surfaces  102 , and then applying a new strippable printed decorative laminate  100  having a different image (not specifically shown).  
         [0023]     In  FIG. 5 , the printed decorative laminate  100  can be seen to be similar in construction to printed decorative laminate  10 . The printed decorative laminate  100  may include a first film layer  104 . The first film layer  104  is generally the outer layer of the printed decorative laminate  100 . The first film layer  104  may be a pre-textured film to facilitate roll forming, as will be described in greater detail below. The first film layer  104  may comprise a thin polyvinyl fluoride film such as a Tedlar® PVF film having a thickness of preferably about 1.7 millimeters. The first film layer  16  is also preferably a clear gloss or a semi-gloss layer, but in either event it is substantially translucent. In addition, the first film layer  16  may also include an ultra-violet (UV) light blocking additive to prevent discoloration of the printed decorative laminate  100  from UV rays.  
         [0024]     Adjacent to the first film layer  104  is an ink layer  106 . For example, the printed decorative laminate  100  may be utilized for an advertising mural or to provide warnings, instructions or other information to occupants, as illustrated previously in  FIGS. 1 and 1   a . In this application, the ink layer  106  may comprise all or a portion of the image  19  which may be printed by an ink jet printer on an inside surface  104   b  of the first film layer  104 . In addition, the inside surface  104   b  of the first film layer  104  may be treated to improve the bonding of the ink. Methods to improve ink bonding to surface  104   b  may be vacuum or atmospheric plasma treatment, corona treatment, or by applying a functional coating using atmospheric or vacuum coating equipment. As the first film layer  104  forms a protective covering for the ink, the first film layer  104  eliminates the need to place a protective, separate layer over the ink layer  106 .  
         [0025]     The printed decorative laminate  100  includes the ink layer  106 . Ink layer  106  may be deposited by a suitable printer, and more preferably by a digital ink jet printer. The ink used to form ink layer  106 , which makes up the image, preferably comprises an UV curable and stable ink (black or colored) that is deposited on the first film layer  104 , as discussed previously. The ability of the UV curable ink to be cured virtually immediately after being deposited on the first film layer  104  also simplifies and expedites the manufacturing of the printed decorative laminate  100 . Also, since the ink layer  106  is deposited on the inside surface  104   b , it will be appreciated that the image  19  will need to be transposed during the printing process so that it appears correct when being viewed from the opposite side (i.e., outer surface  104   a ) of first film layer  104 .  
         [0026]     Adjacent to the ink layer  106 , may be an adhesive layer  110 . The adhesive layer  110  may be applied initially to a second film layer  112 , as will be discussed in greater detail below. The adhesive layer  110  may generally be a white or clear, pressure sensitive adhesive, heat activated adhesive, or thermoset adhesive, as described herein. The type of adhesive used, whether pressure sensitive, heat activated or thermoset, will determine the type of roll processing steps employed, as will be discussed in greater detail below.  
         [0027]     The second film layer  112  is preferably disposed against the adhesive layer  110 . The second film layer  112  also preferably comprises a polyvinyl film, such as Tedlar® PVF, which is preferably opaque or white in color to form a suitable background against which the colors of the ink layer  106  stand out. Other colors could also be employed. As stated previously, the use of a Tedlar® PVF film increases the fire worthiness of the printed decorative laminate  100 .  
         [0028]     In the construction of the strippable printed decorative laminate  100 , a second adhesive layer  114  is disposed adjacent to the second film layer  112 . The second adhesive layer  114  is generally comprised of a thermoplastic adhesive. The adhesive preferably has general characteristics such as fire resistance, high strength, and a processing temperature range of about 180 F to 225 F. A thermoplastic adhesive with these characteristics enables the printed decorative laminate  100  to be bonded to the desired surface  102  at a later time, and then removed later from the surface  102 . The use of a thermoplastic adhesive also ensures that if the second adhesive layer  114  softens or liquefies during the formation of the printed decorative laminate  100 , the second adhesive layer  114  will solidify when cooled after the manufacture of the printed decorative laminate  100  to enable adhesion at a later time. The thermoplastic second adhesive layer  114  ensures that the printed decorative laminate  100  may be applied to the surface  102  of any given bin door  14  at a later time.  
         [0029]     The strippable printed decorative laminate  100  is formed similarly to the printed decorative laminate  10 . The printed first film layer  104  may be bonded to the second film layer  112  by the roll or belt laminator  200  using heat and/or pressure, depending upon the material selected for the adhesive layer  110 , as discussed previously. If the adhesive layer  110  is either a thermoset or heat activated adhesive, the rollers  202  of the laminator  200  will apply heat and pressure to bond the printed first film layer  104  to the second film layer  112 . If, however, the adhesive layer  110  is a pressure sensitive adhesive, then the rollers  202  of the laminator  200  may only need to apply pressure to bond the printed first film layer  104  to the second film layer  112 . Since the second adhesive layer  114  is a thermoplastic adhesive, if heat is used to bond the film layers  104  and  112 , the second adhesive layer  114  may soften or liquefy, but the second adhesive layer  114  will solidify when cooled to enable adhesion at a later time. Once the film layers  104  and  112  are bonded together, the printed decorative laminate  100  may then be secured to any desired surface  102  through the use of an infrared (IR) oven to vacuum form the laminate to the desired surface. Some trimming of excess material or edge wrapping of laminate  100  may be required to achieve maximum aesthetic appeal.  
         [0030]     Stripping an installed printed decorative laminate  100  from its associated surface  102  can be accomplished simply by heating the printed decorative laminate  100  with a heat gun or other like implement (not shown). Once heated sufficiently, the printed decorative laminate  100  can be peeled off of its associated surface  102 . Typically there will be little or no residue left behind on the surface  102 . Any residual adhesive that may be left can be easily and quickly cleaned with a mild cleaning detergent, or possibly soapy water. The surface  102  of the given bin door  14  is then ready to receive a new printed decorative laminate comprising a new image.  
         [0031]     The apparatus and method of the present invention thus enables printed decorative laminates  10 ,  100 , either with or without at least a portion of an image  19 , to be constructed using a roll or belt laminator, resulting in the elimination of the batch operations typically associated with the formation of printed decorative laminates  10 ,  100 . Hence, the present invention provides a more economical printed decorative laminate  10 ,  100  while creating printed decorative laminates  10 ,  100  which are substantially identical to those formed through batch operations due to the use of the pre-textured first film layer  16 ,  104  and adhesive layer  20 ,  110 . By eliminating the batch operations, the formation of printed decorative laminates  10 ,  100  is made significantly more efficient and cost effective. Also, the production of byproducts that typically result from conventional printed decorative laminate construction processes is avoided or reduced.  
         [0032]     While various preferred embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications or variations which might be made without departing from the inventive concept. The examples illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit it. Therefore, the description and claims should be interpreted liberally with only such limitation as is necessary in view of the pertinent prior art.