METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORATING ARTICLES

Abstract: A method of decorating a pre-formed plastics article (A) which comprises feeding the article (A) through a painting station (6) for application of at least one coating layer and subsequently, while the or each layer is still wet, passing the coated article through a decorating station (10) comprising a roller (16) which is placed in temporary contact with a moving band of reelable sheet material (18). In one arrangement, the roller (16) is provided with raised surfaces for ornamenting the article (A) through the sheet material (18). Alternatively or additionally, the sheet material is crumpled before introduction to the plain or decorated roller (16) to provide various surface decorations to the article. An apparatus for decorating a pre-formed article by the method is also disclosed. An article having a pleasing hand finished appearance is produced. The articles to be decorated may be plain or ornamented pre-formed articles made by any convenient technique.

Description: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORATING ARTICLES The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for decorating preformed articles and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned ΛΛ'ith the decoration of lengths of extruded plastics material such as polystyrene and PVC The l 'ention is applicable to the manufacture of extruded lengths of plain or ornamented articles suitable for use in the picture frame manufacturing industry Use of the invention in the manufacture of furniture mouldings building components and the like is also em isaged There is a continuing demand for lengths of material, for example, for picture frames, of differing ornamental and/or decoram e appeal and also for the provision of means to apply decoratn e finish to other household items such as furniture In recent years, there has been a resurgence m the popularity of decoratrve finishes on furniture walls, objets d'art and picture frames Considerably artistic skill is demonstrated by craftsmen using modern paints and lacquers, such as water based emulsion and crackle lacquers, to obtain exciting results using such techniques as rag rolling, stippling and marbling All these techniques are earned out by hand They are time consuming and require considerable manual dexterity Consequently, they are expensive Automated decoration usually produces a finish lacking in character and Λvhich does not possess the aesthetic appeal of a hand-finished article The articles suitable for decoration in accordance Λvith the following invention may be formed by any conventional technique using conventional materials or may comprise articles made in accordance with one of Applicants' co-pending UK Patent Application Nos 98 23881 and 97 23009 or granted UK Patent No 2 276 318 The present invention, in contrast, provides an automated, relatively inexpensive method of applying decorative finishes to articles such as picture frames The invention further provides an apparatus capable of applying decoration having a hand-finished quality According to the present l ention a method of decorating pre-foπned articles comprises feeding an article through one or more stations, applying at least one coating to the article and passing the coated article before the or each coating has dried through a decorating station having a decorating element for bringing a moving band of sheet material into contact with the article Preferably, a coating is applied over a previous coating before it has dried so that each coating remains wet during passage through the decorating station Convenienth the decorating element comprises a pressure roller beneath which the moving band of sheet material passes so that the material is brought into at least selective contact with the coated surface of the article being decorated The pressure roller includes surface ornamentation for transmitting through the moving band of sheet material so as to impress a corresponding surface decoration on the article Preferably, the roller comprises an engraved material Optionally, the roller includes a removable sleeve carrying surface ornamentation thereon, the sleeve comprising a flexible mouldable material Alternatively the decorating element comprises a brush The sheet material which is advantageously reelable is selected from plastics materials such as cling film or polyester, paper materials such as crepe paper or blotting paper fabric materials, foils or any other similar material Further, the sheet material may be crumpled before being passed beneath the decorating element for contact with the article The material is advantageouslv crumpled by being fed through a tube of diameter considerably smaller than the width of the sheet It will be seen that the sheet material is fed from a reel and is drawn beneath the decorating element for contact the article and is subsequenth accumulated on a waste reel The or each coating maΛ be selected from paints lacquers varnishes or specialist finishing mediums including foi example crackle \ arnishes water-based emulsions to which colour concentrates have been added and non-standard emulsions The coating has a dried finish resulting in a matt gloss antiqued or metallised surface appearance The present invention further provides an apparatus for decorating a pre-formed article the apparatus comprising an article securing station having conveying means for feeding the article into a painting station Λvhere at least one coating is applied to the article a decorating station having a decorating element for bringing a moving band of sheet material into contact with the coated article before the or each coating has dried and a drying station for drying the resultant decorated surface of the article Preferably, the article is feed through at least the painting and decorating stations by means of a chain conveyor, the chain conveyor including article engaging barbs for securing the article thereto This facilitates decoration of the majority of the article, for example three sides of an article of rectangular cross-section The painting station has a plurality of paint spray guns for applying different coatings to the article The spray guns may be set at an angle to the articles so that pairs of guns operate to give full painting coverage or different sides of the article are subjected to different colours or thicknesses of paint The decorating station comprises a base along which the conveying means feeds the article, a material reel for feeding the sheet material under the decorating element, which forces the material into direct contact with the article and a waste reel for collecting material which has been in contact Λvith the article The material is kept in contact with the article by a retaining element spaced a predetermined distance downline of the decorating element The pre-determined distance is such to provide a calculated contact time determined bv the rate at which the article is fed throu g h the decoratinα station The invention further provides a decorated article comprising a pre-formed article having at least one coating applied thereto the or each coating being modified b\ the application of a force through an intermediate medium The intermediate medium comprises a sheet material adapted to alter the concentration or thickness of the or each coating and to remo\ e excess coating material for example paint or lacquer from the surface of the article Where two or more coatings are applied to the article the coatings are blended and/or select elv removed to obtain an aesthetically appealing surface decoration having a hand-finished charactei The article being decorated is preferabh a pre-formed plastics article for example an extruded foamed polystyrene or polvvim l chloride article which has been formed so as to e a rigid outer skin and is of sufficient strength to form members such as picture frames or ornamented building components such as cornices or dado rails eι it will be appreciated that the present invention is also applicable to articles of natural material such as Λvood and other materials such as plaster or fibre glass While the article may be intended for forming part of a picture frame the invention is also applicable to the formation of components for furniture which may include features such as ornamental beading The invention will now be described more particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings which show bv wav of example two arrangements of apparatus according to the ιm ention In the drawings Figure 1 is a schematic overview of an article decorating apparatus Figure 2 is a top plan view of the decorating station according to a first arrangement of the apparatus Figure 3 is a side elevation of the decorating station of Figure 2 and Figure 4 is a side elevation of the decorating station according to a second arrangement of the apparatus Referring now to the drawings, and initially to Figure 1. the apparatus for decorating a pre-formed article comprises a series of stations to facilitate a single pass method of decorating an elongate article, such as an extruded plastics member The article A to be decorated is mounted on a chain conveyor lJn an article securing station 2 The chain conveyor 1 is provided with a series of barbs or spikes 4 which penetrate a surface of the article A Λvhich is not to be decorated, for example, a wall facing side of a dado rail or a picture frame The spiked chain conveyor 1 thus allows all other surfaces to be decorated or. at least, coated The secured article A is feed through a painting station 6 where a number of coatings are successively applied to the article A Spray guns 8 are positioned in the painting station 6 in such a way as to ensure the coatings are applied as required The coating materials usually comprise paints but can also be lacquers, varnishes or specialist finishing materials including, for example, crackle varnishes. Λvater- based emulsions to which colour concentrates are added and non-standard emulsions The coating materials are selected to yield a desired matt, gloss, antiqued or metallised surface appearance. In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1 , the spray guns 8 are angled to allow the major surfaces of the article (not shown) to be coated. For flat-faced articles (where the flat face is disposed upwardly), the spray guns can each coat the available surface and may each be provided with different coating materials to provide, in this case, six different coatings to the article. For articles having complex profiles or deep ornamentation, the guns 8 are operated in pairs to provide maximum coating coverage An article A to be decorated will have a base colour on which a first coating is sprayed. While that coating is still wet, a second coating is applied (wet-on-wet application). Each subsequent coating is applied onto the previous wet one and the article is fed whilst the coatings are still in the wet state to the decorating station 10 where they are contacted with sheet material as will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 2,3 and 4 After decoration on the wet coatings the article is transferred from the station 10 to a drying oven 12 and, when all the applied layers are dry. the decorated article is transferred from the chain conveyor 1 to a take-off conveyor 14 With reference to Figures 2 and 3. a first arrangement of decorating station 10 comprises a rubber pressure roller 16 Λvhich is positioned so that the article A passes under the roller 16 from the painting station 6 with the applied coatings still in the wet state Sheet material 18. is fed from an elevated reel 19. under the roller 16. and into contact with the article A As the material 18 is fed downwardly, it passes through a control tube 21 which gathers the material to compress it laterally The tube 21 has a diameter considerably less than the Λvidth of the sheet material 18 The material which is now in a crumpled form is fed to the nip between the pressure roller 16 and the article A being decorated The crumpled sheet material is maintained in contact with the article by a further roller 24 and is then reeled onto a waste roller 25 The decorated article is then passed to the drying oven 12 Figure 4 illustrates a second arrangement of decorating station 10 similar to that shown in Figure 3 in that it comprises a pressure roller 16 which is positioned so that the article A passes under the roller 16 and sheet material 18 is fed from a reel 19 under the roller 16 and into contact with the article before being reeled onto a waste roller 25 In this arrangement however, the sheet material is fed directly to the pressure roller 16 without constriction of the material 18 Surface ornamentation 16a is provided on the curved surface of the roller 16 and it is the design of this ornamentation which is transferred through the material 18 λvhich is brought into selecth'e contact with the coated article A It will be understood by the skilled reader that an ornamented roller as used in the second arrangement illustrated in Figure 4, can equally be used in the arrangement shown in Figure 3 to provide a combined crumpled material and applied design finish to the coated article The plain or ornamented roller may be formed of metal or, more conveniently, comprises a plastics material roller A silicone roller is preferred as it most easily accommodates ornamented articles, is easily engraved or pattern cut and is easily replaceable Optionally, a plain metal roller may be adapted by fitting a removable, ornamented sleeve manufactured from a mouldable material To provide a further range of decorative effect, the roller 16 may be replaced by a static or rotating brush of various grades of bristle hardness A wire brush having tines that penetrate the sheet material and score through the article coatings provides a unique finish A brushed effect used in combination w ith a pressure roller as described in the arrangements above with reference to Figures 2 3 and 4 alloΛvs combined effects to be achieved In use a length of a pre-formed profile or moulding is selected for decoration The article mav be formed using am conventional technique for example moulding or extruding using conventional materials for example wood plaster medium density fibre board (MDF) fibre glass or a plastics material such as polystyrene or polvvinyl chloride (PVC) Decoration can be applied to plain lightly ornamented or hea\ ιl\ ornamented profiles and the apparatus and method are advantageously used \\ ith articles made using techniques de\ eloped by the present Applicant Exemplan of such articles are a) an extrusion having a solvent based wood paste which is moulded or otherwise shaped and allowed to dr \ to form a solid surface ornamentation b) a plastics article formed by firstly extruding plastics material and then remoulding it in a hot stamp press and c) a plastics article which is ornamented by feeding the article through an embossing station ha\ ιng an embossing wheel/roller maintained at an elevated temperature and arranged to provide an ornamental embossed pattern cut into the article with formation of raised headings around the embossed portions The article to be decorated is introduced to the apparatus at the article securing station 2 where it is mounted on the chain conveyor 1 by pushing the article onto spikes or barbs 4 upstanding from the chain convevor 1 To more accurateh position an article on the chain conveyor introducer rollers (not shown) position the article and a pressure roller or wheel (not shown) forces the article downwardly onto the spikes 4 In this way the article A is supported on the chain conveyor allowing all surfaces except the spiked surface to be accessible for coating The chain conveyoi 1 carries the article into the painting station 6 where the coatings are applied by the spray guns 8 Bv wa\ of illustration a preformed article including surface ornamentation having a dn > sih ei base coat is conveyed into the painting station Λvheie four coatings are to be applied The first coating is a gold colour to which is added a daik cherrv (red) coating whrle the gold coating is still Λ\ et (wet-on-wet application) A black and finalh a second gold coating aie applied over the still wet previous coatings It will be noted that the number of coatings is limited only by practical considerations of the number of spray guns pro\ ided in the painting station the rate of feed of the article and the propensιt\ of excessive amounts of paint to drip Yielding an uniehable finish Between three and six coatings is considered to give an adequate range of results The wet and multi-coated article A is then fed into the decoration station 10 where it passes under the pressure rollei 16 Sheet material 18 is fed fiom the reel 19 under the roller 16 and is forced into contact with the coated surfaces of the article A As the article A is fed undei the roller the roller displaces and blends the paint in a manner determined bv the following factors a) the ornamentation of the article b) surface ornamentation on the roller and c) irregularities folds or crumpled areas in the sheet material A change in am one of these factors will effect the decoratn e result Additionalh the pressure with Λvhich the roller is applied to the article will determine the amount of paint displaced and the degree of blending between the superimposed coatings Excess paint is retained on the sheet material 18 Λvhich is accumulated on a w aste reel 25 Having passed through the decorating station a certain amount of reflow of the paint coatings softens the decorative effect achieved in the decorating station Further, the imprint of surface ornamentation 16a on the roller 16 through the sheet material 18 gn es an imperfect imprint of that ornamentation on the article A Λvhich results in a hand-finished appearance For the example en abo e the final appearance is of that normally associated with antique gold leaf ornamented picture frames where the crests of the ornamentation ha\ e a burnished or worn gold appearance which fades to a dark colour mixed with hints of sold in the trouεhs of the ornamentation This effect can be randomised applying a pattern cut to the roller or bv substituting the roller with a brush (not shoΛvn) As discussed in 1 elation to Figures 2 and 3 the sheet material 18 is optionally fed through the control tube 21 to generate random patterning in the sheet material 18 This is advantageously used with a plain pressure roller 16 but mav also be used with an ornamented rollei It will be understood bv a person skilled in the art that the roller and sheet technique may be applied to selectn e parts of the width of the article for example an ornamented section of a profile to yield results in which a final antiqued finish is achieved Λvhere accumulated grime appears to have accumulated in the ornamented Λvidth and a crinkle \ arnish finish is left unaffected on a flat portion of a profiled article After decoration the article is fed on the chain conveyor through the drung oven 12 to dr\ the decorated coatings and fix the desired finishes thereto Finally, as the chain conveyor is returned towards the mounting area the article is removed from the barbs 4 and is fed to a take off conveyor 14 for stacking and/or packaging It will be seen that the process can be operated in an automated fashion at considerable speed for example 30-40 metres per minute and up to 50 metres per minute One can move from an extruded article to a complex coated and ornamented product in a single pass process Λ wide vaπetv of ornamental finishes can be obtained making full use of the \ ast array of coatings Λvhich are now available to the decorator and the vaπetv of reelable sheet materials that can be used for contact with the articles It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details described herein which are given bv way of example and that various modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the appended claims

Claims: J O- CLAIMS 1 A method of decorating pre-formed articles comprises feeding an article (A) through one or more stations (2 6, 10 12, 14), applying at least one coating to the article and passing the coated article, before the or each coating has dried thiough a decorating station ( 10) having a decorating element ( 16) for bringing a moving band of sheet material (18) into contact with the article (A) 2 A method according to claim 1 in which a coating is applied over a previous coating before it has dried so that each coating remains wet during passage through the decorating station ( 10) 3 A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the decorating element (16) compπses a pressure roller beneath which the moving band of sheet material (18) passes so that the material is brought into at least selectn e contact Λvith the coated surface of the article (A) being decorated 4 A method according to claim 3 in which the pressure roller (16) includes surface ornamentation ( 16a) for transmitting through the moving band of sheet material (18) so as to impress a corresponding surface decoration on the article (A) 5 A method according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the roller (16) comprises an engraved material 6 A method according to claim 4 or claim 5, in Λvhich the roller includes a removable sleeve carrying surface ornamentation thereon 7 A method according to claim 6 in which the removable sleeve compπses a flexible mouldable material 8 A method accoiding to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the decorating element (16) comprises a brush 9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the sheet material (18) is a reelable material is selected from plastics materials, such as cling film or polyester, paper materials such as crepe paper or blotting paper, fabric materials, foils or any other similar material 10 A method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the sheet material (18) is crumpled before being passed beneath the decorating element for contact with the article (A). 1 1. A method as claimed in claim 10, in which the material is crumpled by being fed through a tube (21 ) of diameter considerably smaller than the width of the sheet (18) 12. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 1 1 , in which the sheet material ( 18) is fed from a reel (19), is draΛvn beneath the decorating element (16) for contact with the article (A) and is subsequently accumulated on a waste reel (25). 13. An apparatus for decorating a pre-formed article, the apparatus comprising an article securing station (2) having a conveying means (1 ) for feeding an article (A) into a painting station (6) where at least one coating is applied to the article, a decorating station (10) having a decorating element (16) for bringing a moving band of material ( 18) into contact with the coated article before the or each coating has dried and a drying station ( 12) for drying the resultant decorated surface of the article (A) 14. An apparatus according to claim 13, in which the article (A) is feed through at least the painting (6) and decorating (10) stations by means of a chain conveyor (1 ). the chain conveyor (1 ) including article engaging barbs (4) for securing the article (A) thereto. 15. An apparatus according to claim 15 or claim 16, in which the painting station (6) has a plurality of paint spray guns (8) for applying different coatings to the article (A).

Inventors: DETENON ROBERT, DETENON, ROBERT
Applicants: DETENON ROBERT, ROBOBOND LTD, DETENON, ROBERT, ROBOBOND LIMITED
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B29C59
IPC codes: B05D5, B29C43, B29C59, B44C1, B44D5