GB2260929A

GB2260929A - Making textured decorative plastics sheet

Info

Publication number: GB2260929A
Application number: GB9123100A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Deekes
Original assignee: JR MARKETING
Current assignee: JR MARKETING
Priority date: 1991-10-31
Filing date: 1991-10-31
Publication date: 1993-05-05
Also published as: GB9123100D0

Abstract

A decorative plastics sheet simulating a textured surface such as brick, wood or leather is made by printing a 2 dimensional image of the material on a smooth surface of the sheet and appropriately texturing the printed sheet in register with the printed image.

Description

Decorative Plastics Sheet and Method of Production thereof This invention relates to a decorative plastics sheet, and to a method of producing such a sheet, and is particularly useful in the simulation of natural surfaces such as wood, leather or brick surfaces, for example in structural panels, furniture and wall coverings, or smaller items such as bookbindings.

It is of course well known to provide flat plastics veneers simulating wood grain, for reproduction furniture.

It is also known to produce polypropylene sheet on which an image of a natural surface such as leather or cork is printed by lithographic printing. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a decorative plastics sheet which simulates more closely the texture of a natural surface.

Accordingly, the invention provides a decorative plastics sheet moulded into a 3-dimensional texture corresponding in pattern to, and in register with, an image of a 3-dimensional object (such as the surface of a brick or a piece of wood or leather) applied on to its surface. This 3-dimensional texturing makes the plastics sheet resemble the 3-dimensional object, which may be a natural material such as wood, leather, cork or brick, much more closely.

The invention also provides a method of producing such a decorative plastics sheet, comprising applying a 2-dimensional image of a 3-dimensional object on to a smooth surface of a plastics sheet, and then moulding the printed sheet to the contours of the 3-dimensional object so that the contours are in register with the printed image.

The 3-dimensional object being reproduced by the plastics sheet may be any of a variety of natural or even synthetic surfaces, for example wood or bark surfaces, leather surfaces, cork surfaces, brick, stone or walled surfaces.

The 2-dimensional image applied is conveniently effected by use of a transfer, or by printing, preferably lithographic printing of a photographic or computer generated image: such lithographic printing is already well known using polypropylene sheet, indeed, polypropylene is the preferred plastics material for use in this process.

A mould of a suitable material, for example metal or wood, is preferably first prepared in a conventional manner from the 3-dimensional object. Where mould formation would normally be destructive, of course it would be necessary to first take the photographic image for the printing process. For example, a metal alloy casting could be made, and the original destructively removed from the casting. The printed sheet is preferably moulded by means of this mould by vacuum forming, using conventional vacuum forming equipment. The moulding of the printed sheet to the contours of the mould is facilitated by the pre-heating of the sheet in order to soften it: the sheet may be heated once it is in place adjacent the mould.

It is an important feature of the process of the invention that the mould should be in reasonably precise register with the printed image on the plastics sheet, to ensure that the texturing corresponds with the pattern of the 2-dimensional image. For example, a wood surface has an irregular pattern of indentations corresponding to the grain of the wood: the 2-dimensional image of this grain printed on the sheet should be in register with the 3-dimensional pattern of grain reproduced on the mould.

Following vacuum forming, the moulded, printed sheet is allowed to cool, and it retains its 3-dimensional texturing upon withdrawal from the moulding equipment. The same mould can of course be used many times to texture a succession of plastics sheets printed with the same image.

While it is important that the printed image and the 3-dimensional mould should be to the same scale, it will be appreciated that enlarging or reducing processes are available both for the 2-dimensional imaging and for the production of the 3-dimensional mould. Provided the same scale of reduction or enlargement is used for both processes, the scale of the simulated surface can be selected at will.

Whilst the invention has been illustrated by the use of polypropylene, other thermoplastics materials would be appropriate, or indeed any other plastics material capable of adopting permanently the shape of a mould or casting of the original object. Further, it will be appreciated that novel textures could be created without the need for any original object to be reproduced: a mould and a corresponding photographic image could be generated together without copying any existing object.

Claims

1. A decorative plastics sheet moulded into a 3-dimensional texture corresponding in pattern to, and in register with, an image of a 3-dimensional object (such as the surface of a brick or a piece of wood or leather) applied on to its surface.

2. A method of producing such decorative plastics sheet, comprising applying a 2-dimensional image of a 3-dimensional object on to a smooth surface of a plastics sheet, and then moulding the printed sheet to the contours of the 3-dimensional object so that the contours are in register with the printed image.

3. A sheet according to Claim 1, in which the 3-dimensional object has a natural surface such as wood or bark surfaces, leather surfaces, cork surfaces, brick, stone or walled surfaces.

4. A method according to Claim 2, in which the 3-dimensional object has a natural surface such as wood or bark surfaces, leather surfaces, cork surfaces, brick, stone or walled surfaces.

5. A method according to Claim 2 or 4, in which the 2-dimensional image applied is effected by use of a transfer.

6. A method according to Claim 2 or 4, in which the 2-dimensional image applied is effected by printing a photographic or computer generated image.

7. A method according to Claim 2, 4, 5 or 6, in which a mould of a suitable material, for example metal or wood, is first prepared in a conventional manner from the 3-dimensional object, and the printed sheet is moulded by means of this mould by vacuum forming.

8. A method according to Claim 7, in which the moulding of the printed sheet to the contours of the mould is facilitated by the pre-heating of the sheet in order to soften it.