Patent Publication Number: US-2021170659-A1

Title: Method for marking a decorative article

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a method for in-line marking of a synthetic material substrate directly obtained from an extrusion die. 
     TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 
     To mark plastics, several methods are known and used. Mention can be made of embossing, laser engraving or else traditional printing methods. 
     Laser engraving is the most widely described method for marking plastics. It has several advantages such as durability and flexibility of the pattern to be engraved. In contrast, the equipment is very expensive and most importantly most plastics cannot be marked effectively without the use of laser-sensitive additives. The selection of additives and the type of laser is not easy and requires a significant number of tests for each plastic formulation. 
     The inkjet and digital printing methods are compatible with an in-line profile customisation and allow the printing of various patterns. On the other hand, the marking wears out over time and is therefore not permanent. 
     Embossing involves passing the molten material between heated rollers to manufacture a flat film, the latter then passes between rollers engraved with a pattern. This method described, for example, in document U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,936 thus only allows obtaining marked films having a constant thickness. It is not adapted for marking complex shaped profiles with variable thicknesses such as in the case of watch wristlets. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, the present invention provides a new marking method which allows to engrave both simple-shaped substrates and complex-shaped substrates, which allows to carry out permanent marking while being inexpensive. This method can be advantageously used to decorate, customise or else carry out an anti-counterfeiting marking on a profile made of synthetic material. 
     More specifically, the method according to the invention is an in-line method for marking a substrate made of extruded synthetic material, comprising the steps of:
         Extruding the synthetic material through an extrusion die to form the substrate,   Marking said substrate by scrolling the substrate obtained from the extrusion die between two rotatably mounted and temperature-controlled rollers with an upper roller and a lower roller, one of said rollers having an impression forming the negative of a decoration or a texture to be marked on one face of the substrate, this same roller or the other of said rollers including at least one notch allowing to guide the substrate as it passes through the extrusion die and between the two rollers.       

     Preferably, the notch is intended to receive the substrate over its entire width. 
     According to one variant, the notch is intended to receive a portion of the width of the substrate. For example, this portion may consist of a relief present at the end of the extrusion method and intended to be housed in the notch of complementary shape. 
     Advantageously, the method according to the invention includes a forced cooling step between the extrusion step and the marking step so as to fix the profile of the extruded substrate while maintaining a certain deformability of the material so as to allow its marking. 
     After marking, the substrate is sized using a mechanical stamping tool, by water jet, laser or ultrasound cutting to obtain the desired decorative article. 
     This marking method has the advantage of being in line with the extrusion method, which allows to mask the marking time and therefore to reduce the cost. 
     The general profile of the substrate is not modified during marking, which allows the dimensions of the profile resulting from the extrusion to be preserved and any type of profile to be marked. 
     An infinite number of patterns and textures are achievable via this method, including micrometric textures to avoid counterfeiting. Furthermore, the marking obtained thanks to this method does not deteriorate over time. It is moreover very fine and precise. 
     Compared to an injection method, this method combining extrusion and marking has several advantages:
         It is an in-line method, that is to say a method which allows high productivity compared to a batch method such as that of injection.   The customisation of the pattern or the texture is done at a lower cost because the investment for a pair of rollers is significantly less than for an injection mould.       

     The present invention also relates to the installation comprising in line the extrusion die and the marking device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FICIURES 
       The invention will be described in more detail below using the appended drawings, given as non-limiting examples, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  schematically shows the continuous line for manufacturing decorative articles including the extrusion die and the marking device separated by cooling means. 
         FIG. 2 a    shows in a three-dimensional view the marking device provided with an embossing roller and a backing roller including a notch according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2 b    shows a partial sectional view along the plane A-A. 
         FIG. 3  shows a partial sectional view along the same plane A-A of a variant of the marking device. 
         FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of two strips at the end of the extrusion with respectively at one or each side end of the strip a hollow tubular structure. 
         FIG. 5  shows a partial sectional view along the same plane A-A of another variant of the marking device. 
         FIG. 6  shows a wristlet strand extruded and marked according to the method of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a method for marking a substrate resulting from an extrusion method. The marking method according to the invention allows to engrave synthetic profiles in-line in order to obtain various patterns and/or surface texturing. The method is more specifically described for the marking of a watch or jewellery external part and in particular for the marking of a wristlet of a watch or a piece of jewellery. It can however be applied to the marking of any extruded substrate in order to produce a decorative article. 
     According to the present invention, the marking is carried out on a synthetic substrate  1  using a marking device  2  which is in line with an extrusion die  3  as schematised in  FIG. 1 . Preferably, the installation includes between the output of the extrusion die  3  and the marking device  2 , cooling means  4  such as a water tank or a tunnel provided with an air jet which allow the substrate to be slightly cooled after extrusion so as to freeze the profile. The installation also includes after the marking device cutting means (not shown): water jet, ultrasound, laser or else a mechanical stamping tool to lead to the final object. 
     The marking device  2  includes two rotatably mounted and temperature-controlled rollers  2   a ,  2   b.  According to the invention, one of the rollers, the upper roller  2   a  in the example illustrated in  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   , includes a raised and/or recessed impression  5  representing a pattern (letters, numbers, drawings, etc.) or a texture intended to produce the marking  8  on one face of the substrate  1 . According to the invention, this same roller  2   a  or the other roller  2   b  includes at least one notch  6  extending over the entire circumference of the roller. This notch allows to guide the substrate during extrusion and marking. Different configurations for the positioning and the size of the notches are possible. 
     According to the preferred variant shown in  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   , the roller  2   b  opposite to that  2   a  including the impression  5  includes a notch  6  which has the width of the extruded strip  1 . This notch has a depth less than or equal to the maximum thickness of the extruded strip. It is also considerable that its depth is greater than the thickness of the strip if the impression on the opposite roller is raised. 
     According to another variant, one of the rollers includes one or more notches of a width less than that of the strip. Such examples are illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 5 . In  FIG. 3 , one of the rollers, the upper roller  2   a  with the impression  5  in the illustrated example, includes two notches  6  respectively on either side of the impression  5 . During marking, the deformable material is positioned in the notches  6  and ensures maintaining the substrate  1 . This material in the notches forms either lost material intended to be cut, or a raised area which is maintained on the final object. Thus,  FIG. 5  shows a configuration with a single notch  6  disposed opposite the impression  5  on the same roller  2   a.  The material filling the notch forms a relief which is maintained on the final object. It is also possible to position the notch opposite the impression on the other roller. It is also considerable that one or both notches has a shape corresponding to a relief of the substrate resulting from the extrusion. Thus, in the case of a wristlet, the strip resulting from the extrusion can have a width corresponding to the length of one strand or both strands of the wristlet. Reference is made to the EP application for this embodiment. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the extruded strip  1  includes at one or each of its side ends a protruding hollow tubular structure  7 . The hollow tubular structures form through holes intended to receive respectively a bar allowing to hook the horns of a watch case or a buckle. 
     In addition to the notch/notches having a shape complementary to the reliefs present on the extruded strip, the roller(s) may have a profile adapted to variations in thickness of the strip obtained from the extrusion die so as to maintain the profile at the output of the marking device. 
     According to the invention, the synthetic materials used during the extrusion are mixtures comprising at least one thermoplastic polymer. Preferably, the mixture comprises at least one thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) selected from the following list: 
     TPE-O—Thermoplastic olefins
 
TPE-S—SBS, SEBS or SEPS styrene compound
 
TPE-V—Vulcanised PP/EPDM compound
 
TPE-E—Copolyester compound
 
TPE-U—Thermoplastic polyurethane
 
TPE-A—Thermoplastic polyamide.
 
     The method proceeds as follows. The strip is extruded through the extrusion die. Then it passes through the cooling means so as to freeze the dimensions of the profile while maintaining a deformable material capable of being marked and, where appropriate, capable of filling the notch/notches. At the output of the cooling means, the material typically has a temperature of the order of 50-80° C. As an example, for a TPE-S strip, the material has a temperature of 180° C. at the output of the extrusion die and a temperature of 70° C. at the output of the cooling means. The extruded strip which is still hot then passes between the two rollers of the marking device. The pattern or texture of one of the rollers is then transferred to the strip. The marking depth is controlled by the pressure imposed between the two rollers and the engraving of the roller. The marked substrate is then sized using a mechanical stamping tool, by water jet, laser or ultrasound cutting to obtain the decorative article. As an example, a wristlet strand extruded and marked with the method according to the invention is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     Legend 
     ( 1 ) Substrate or extruded strip 
     ( 2 ) Marking device
         a. Upper roller   b. Lower roller       

     ( 3 ) Extrusion die 
     ( 4 ) Cooling means 
     ( 5 ) Impression 
     ( 6 ) Notch 
     ( 7 ) Protruding hollow tubular structure 
     ( 8 ) Marking