WO2008152137A2

WO2008152137A2 - A decorative coating for substrates and a related decoration method

Info

Publication number: WO2008152137A2
Application number: PCT/EP2008/057505
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giorgio Macor
Original assignee: Kuei S.R.L.
Priority date: 2007-06-15
Filing date: 2008-06-13
Publication date: 2008-12-18
Also published as: WO2008152137A3; ITMI20071212A1; ITMI20080688A1

Abstract

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a decorative coating comprising a thermoplastic adhesive film including a decorative element, said film being applicable to a substrate to be decorated by heating, the decorative element being printed directly on said thermoplastic adhesive film. In another aspect the present invention relates also to a method for decorating a substrate using a printed adhesive thermoplastic film.

Description

A DECORATIVE COATING FOR SUBSTRATES AND A RELATED DECORATION METHOD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a coating for substrates and a related decorating method.

The present invention origins in the technical field of material production and methods for protecting and/or decorating surfaces of manufactured articles, substrates, supports of various materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The current market trends in the design field are more and more oriented to defining methods allowing easy decoration of articles to merchandize, personalization of such articles, and decoration of a limited number of pieces at low costs.

The decoration of a substrate surface is obtained by adding a decorative element thereto. The decorative element can be a figurative element of any kind, including a figure or an image (e.g. writings, drawings, colored backgrounds, etc.). The most common from the prior art decoration methods is direct printing of a decorative element onto the substrate to be decorated. The direct printing consists in obtaining the decorative element by applying one or more inks onto the surface to be decorated, according to a drawing and/or a preferred chromatic combination. From among the direct printing techniques in industry, the most common ones include digital printing (inkjet or toner), rotogravure printing, flexographic printing, offset printing, silk-screen printing and roller coating, spray painting, curtain coating.

The digital printing, performed by industrial inkjet plotters and printers, allows decoration of surfaces of normally flat substrates. The digital printing can be obtained on materials such as glass, metals, wood, plastic, paper, cardboard, etc.

This decoration method is rather fast and can be applied at a low cost, also for decoration of a limited number of pieces, however it has some disadvantages.

For example, the printing is limited to almost flat substrate surfaces and the printing machine must be set in a particular way, in accordance with the characteristics of the surfaces of the materials to print (type, thickness, etc.).

Moreover, in case of more demanding applications, the adhesion of the inks to the substrate is not sufficient. The photo-cross-linkable ink jet direct printing can be applied as a decoration method for surfaces of various materials, such as glass, metal, wood and plastic. However, the production rate that can be achieved with this decoration method is not high and, with fussy materials, such as wood, glass and metals, it is often necessary to use primers to ensure decoration adherence.

The rotogravure, offset and flexographic printing are normally used for decorating flexible substrates, such as plastic films, paper, cardboard, while they are non suitable for decorating surfaces of rigid substrates. As an alternative to the decoration methods based on the direct printing of the decorative element onto the surfaces to be decorated, it is possible to decorate objects by using decoration indirect methods. Generally, in the indirect methods, a printed substrate, normally flexible and usually made of paper or plastic material, is applied to the surface of the object to be decorated by using glues of various nature. For example, an indirect decoration method is the one widely used in the field of production of ennobled wood panels, where laminated coatings with various decorations (e.g. false wood) are applied to chipboards and/or MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), by means of suitable glues, under pressure or by heating.

The indirect decoration methods are advantageously used also for the decoration of non rigid surfaces (transfer printing). In this kind of use, the decorative coating (called also transfer) is obtained by printing directly a decorative element on the surface of a support, usually made of laminated material of polymeric type. Afterwards, a layer of thermosensitive glue is applied to the back of said support. Then, the transfer is applied onto the surface to be decorated by pressure and heat. Due to the heat effect, the thermosensitive glue becomes adhesive, thus allowing the transfer to adhere to the fabric to be decorated, by performing a suitable pressure. This technology is commonly used in the textile industry for decorating clothes.

However, the transfer printing has other disadvantages. Actually, joining materials of different composition (transfer, glue and support) can generate tensions there between, which damage the decoration, causing for example appearance of cracks on the ink layer of the decorative element. Moreover, the possible use of this method on materials characterized by aesthetic look, which is valuable in itself, for example a wood surface, inevitably results in a worsening of the natural aesthetic look of the decorated surface, giving a typical look of a less valuable material.

Thus, at present it is desired to define new methods for decoration of the object surfaces, which are fast and can be applied to surfaces of different materials, both flat and irregular, and which have reasonable costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the objects of the present invention is to define a decorative coating, that can be applied for decorating objects and that overcomes the disadvantages pointed out in the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to define a new method for decorating and/or protecting substrates or supports.

A further object of the present invention resides in the use of an adhesive film for the design of aesthetical ornaments in furniture.

According to an aspect, the present invention provides for the use of a thermoplastic adhesive film as a coating or as a paint applicable under heating onto at least a portion of a surface of a substrate or article.

In accordance with an embodiment the thermoplastic adhesive film is applied on at least a portion of a surface of a substrate or article in order to protect, decorate or/and dyeing, coloring said surface.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a decorative coating in the form of an adhesive thermoplastic film including a decorative element, said adhesive thermoplastic film being applicable to a substrate to be decorated typically by heating, wherein said decorative element is printed directly on the adhesive thermoplastic film.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for decorating a substrate including application under heating of a thermoplastic adhesive film comprising a decoration or a decorative element onto a surface of a substrate to be decorated.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a method for decorating and joining two substrates is provided, said method including the following steps:

a) application of a transparent coating to a decorative coating comprising a thermoplastic adhesive film including a decorative element printed on said thermoplastic adhesive film, and obtaining two overlaying coatings;

b) application of two substrates respectively to the opposite sides of said overlaying coatings, at least one of said substrates being transparent, to obtain two joined substrates;

c) heating said joined substrates to a temperature at which said coatings become adhesive.

It has surprisingly been found by the Applicant that a decorative coating can be obtained by using a thermoplastic adhesive film (also referred to as "adhesive film" or "heat seal adhesive" or "heat sealable film"), on which a decorative element is directly printed. In one embodimeny, the decorative coating according to an aspect of the invention, includes at least one adhesive thermoplastic film and preferably one decorative element printed thereon. Typically, the decorative coating becomes sticky under heating and can be easily applied to a surface of a substrate or article in order to obtain a decorated surface which remains firmly attached to the target surface of a substrate or article.

Typical substrates which can be decorated and/or protected and/or painted with a thermoplastic adhesive film according to one aspect of the present invention includes, wood, plastic materials, metals, ceramic, glass, textiles, fabrics and mixtures thereof.

With the term thermoplastic adhesive films are designed adhesive products in form of plastic films, optionally transparent or pigmented, which at a given temperature have adhesive characteristics, allowing them to adhere to the substrate, to which they are applied. Examples of suitable thermoplastic adhesive films are commercialized by Collano AG (Switzerland) and Bemis (USA).

These thermoplastic adhesive films are commonly used and marketed as glues as an alternative to the traditional liquid glues or glues of "hot-melt" kind for coupling different materials, such as laminates and wood multilayers, aluminum honeycombs, sport articles, etc.

The thermoplastic adhesive films useful for the purposes of the present invention are of different nature and may include thermoplastic adhesive films including polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes and mixtures thereof. The chemical nature of the adhesive film determines its characteristics, such as adherence temperature, adherence force, weathering resistance and abrasion resistance.

The thickness of the adhesive film useful for the preparation of a decorative coating according to an aspect of the present invention is variable. According to an embodiment the thickness is from 5 to 500 μm, preferably from 20 to 100 μm, depending on the kind of material, on which it is to be applied or on the type of materials that constitute the objects to be joined, as well as on the desired performance.

Typically, the decorative element present on the surface of the adhesive film can be a figurative element of any kind, for example images, drawings, writings or a full background of different color saturation, etc., and specifically, can be made of ink and/or inks applied to on the film.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the decorative element can be printed on the adhesive film by different direct printing techniques. Independently from the used technique, after having been subjected to heating (e.g. during the application to the support to be decorated), the printed decorative element and the adhesive film form a coating layer. That is, the inks used for obtaining the decorative element penetrate into the thermoplastic adhesive film without forming a overlaying layer (joined to the adhesive film).

Moreover, due to the heating effect, also the superficial imperfections, typical for the thermoplastic adhesive films (e.g. blisters, haziness, etc.), are reduced, thus determining decorated surfaces (of the decorative coating) of excellent quality. Thanks to all these characteristics, the decorative coating according to an aspect of the invention, has very limited cracks or other irregularities, unlike the common decorations obtained with the prior art coatings and methods.

Moreover, the decoration obtained by the application of the decorative coating according to an aspect of the invention is and remains stable with time.

Considering the flexibility characteristics typical for the thermoplastic adhesive films, the decorative coating according to an aspect of the present invention is suitable for both flat and irregular surfaces, such as relief surfaces and in general for the surfaces of the three-dimensional objects.

Typically, the direct printing techniques for obtaining decorative elements on the adhesive films useful for the purposes of the present invention are those normally used for printing plastic films and, in particular, the rotogravure printing, flexographic printing, silk-screen printing, offset printing and digital printing. Besides the cited techniques, it is possible to print decorative elements on the adhesive films also using normal painting techniques (e.g. roller coating, curtain coating, spray painting).

According to an embodiment single decorative coatings or decorative coatings of a reduced number of substrates are produced preferably by using digital printing. According to this embodiment the decorative element is not realized on the film by production of a printing plate, but rather by an electronic processor which permits to save materials and work time.

Typically, the digital printing can be toner, ink-jet or offset (HP Indigo) type. Typically, the inks for obtaining decorative elements of the coating according to an aspect of the present invention are those commonly used in printing of plastic films, in particular water-based inks, solvent based inks, oil inks (offset) and photo-cross-linkable inks, that is inks that are fixed to the substrate, to which they are applied by exposition to a source of light, preferably UV.

According to a preferred embodiment photo-cross-linkable inks are used, since they have good thermal resistance, and stability, as well as excellent chemical- physical characteristics, that allow a good adherence to the plastic films.

According to one embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive film can be supported with a heat-resistant material, such as, for example, paper or another heat-resistant plastic film, in order to protect it from the heat. Typical examples, in which it can be necessary to use a heat-resistant support, are hot drying of the water-based or solvent based inks or during the photo- polymerization.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the thermoplastic adhesive film can be colored using pigments/dyes commonly used in the production of plastic films. Typically, the colored heat sealable film can be used as it is for the decoration of substrates, articles, manufactured articles, or it can be printed or painted before the application.

According to a further embodiment, decorative elements, such as, for example, threads, powders can be placed on the adhesive thermoplastic film. In case other materials or decorative elements are placed on the thermoplastic adhesive film, the latter can be applied as it is for the decoration of objects or substrates or it can be printed/painted before the application. According to another aspect of the present invention a method for decorating and/or protecting the surface of a substrate is provided, said method including the application of a coating comprising a thermoplastic adhesive film, for example of the above described type, onto the surface of an article or substrate.

According to an embodiment, the substrate surface is decorated applying a decorative coating to the surface by heating the thermoplastic adhesive film having a decorative element printed thereon up to a temperature at which it becomes sticky and/or adhesive, preferably set in the range of from 70 to 200⁰C. The heated thermoplastic adhesive film is put into contact with the surface to be coated or decorated and adheres to it. According to an embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive film is pressed onto the surface to which it adheres in order to improve the adhesion.

According to another embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive film can be heated after it has been put into contact with the surface to be decorated and/or protected.

According to an embodiment, the decorative coating can be applied also by any available techniques for the application of coating films for the ennobling, such as for example with presses, diaphragm presses, double belt presses, vacuum presses and rotary presses. According to an embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive film to be applied can be heated with hot air, heated liquids or by the use of radio frequency or laser systems.

In a preferred embodiment, the thermoplastic adhesive film is applied on the surface of the substrate/article to be decorated and subsequently, it is fixed (stacked) by heating, for example using a hairdryer or by means of a heated plate such as an iron.

The decoration method according to the present invention is easy to put into practice, also using known apparatuses. Moreover, in accordance with an embodiment, the decoration method can be performed in a continuous way.

In one embodiment, the decorative coating, after having been applied, can be subjected to subsequent superficial treatments. For instance, it can be subjected to surface antiquing, polishing and brushing treatments, so as to obtain a wide of aesthetic effects.

Typically, the surface of the decorative coating obtained by printing of the decorative element on the adhesive thermoplastic film can be easily modified also during the application of the decorative coating to the surface to be decorated, so as to obtain, for example, glossy, matt, embossed surfaces, etc.

Typically, these superficial modifications can be obtained during the step of application of the decorative coating for example by siliconized, embossed papers, if necessary covered with specific releasing agents, that are placed over the film to be applied and that are subjected to a pressure, suitable to modify the decorative coating surface. In this way, it is possible to obtain different aesthetic effects, such as glossy or matt surfaces.

The decorative coating can be modified also after its application, for example by rubbing the coating surface with a roller, having a pattern engraved on its surface or by pressing suitably an engraved plate, that is placed on the applied coating. In this way, for example, it is possible to produce aesthetic effects of different kinds such as typical wood veins. The method for decorating the substrates according to the present invention can also be carried out in different ways.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the decorative coating is applied to the surface of a substrate to be decorated. The decorative coating is made to adhere to the substrate by heating the thermoplastic adhesive film, before or after having been set in contact with the surface of the substrate, and, if necessary, by pressing uniformly the surface of the adhesive film against the substrate to be decorated. When the decorative coating is applied under pressure, for example by a heating plate, it is preferred to place a layer of abherent material, for example siliconized paper, a layer of silicone or fluorinated polymers, etc., between the surface of the decorative coating and the surface that presses and/or heats the film, so as to prevent the decorative coating from adhering to the plate. In the alternative, the same plate surface can be made of materials that are abherent with respect to the thermoplastic adhesive films.

In another embodiment, the anti-adherent surface of the layer of the abherent material or of the plate is provided with embossings or microstructures, for example reproducing wood grains, to impart particular relief decorations or to change the glossiness and/or the brightness of the decorative coating.

The surfaces decorated with the decorative coating as described above can also be protected by the application of a layer of protective paint thereon using common painting techniques.

According to another embodiment a protective coating is applied to the decorative coating applied to the surface of the substrate to be decorated, said protective coating being a transparent adhesive thermoplastic film, aimed at protecting the decorative element from abrasion, from staining agents, etc.

The transparent adhesive film useful as protective coating can be chemically identical with or different from the one of the decorative coating. The protective coating can be applied to the substrate to be decorated either after or concurrently with the decorative coating. In the latter case, the protective coating is applied to the decorative coating and then, both coating films are applied to the substrate to be decorated. In this way, with only one application operation, a decorated and protected surface is obtained at the same time.

In another embodiment of the invention, the protection of the decorative coating applied to the surface of the substrate to be decorated is obtained by applying a protective paint of the type commonly used in the superficial finishes directly on the decorated layer of the adhesive thermoplastic film. The paint can be applied by common techniques (e.g. roller, spray, curtain).

In this way, after the application, the surface of the material to be decorated is decorated and protected in one single step.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a reverse printed adhesive film is applied to a non printed adhesive film, for example using the same coating techniques used in the food packaging field. A non decorated adhesive thermoplastic film is applied to the substrate to be decorated as a protective coating. Afterwards, a decorative coating according to an aspect of the present invention is applied to the protective coating, by setting the printed side of the decorative coating in touch with the protective coating. Subsequent heating, under pressure, if necessary, of the two applied coatings, brings them to a temperature that makes them adhesive (e.i. 70-200⁰C). Also in this case, the decorative coating is protected by an adhesive protective film.

In a still further embodiment, two adhesive films, one of which printed, with the printed part between the films, can be used to stick two substrates of different material (metal foils, wood insert, textiles), at least one of which being transparent, for example two coupled substrates of glass or polycarbonate and metal. In this way, a transparent adhesive thermoplastic film is applied over the printed side of the decorative coating; after that, two substrates of different materials, at least one of which is transparent, are applied to the two overlaying films, i.e. one to each side. Finally, the two films are heated, so as to obtain the adherence of the two films to the two surfaces. In this way, fixing and decoration of the materials is obtained at the same time.

According to another embodiment, a hydrophilic coating is also applied to the decorative coating, when water inks are used to obtain the decorative elements of the coating of one aspect of the invention.

According to a further embodiment, the materials used for the decoration/painting can be hybrid, that is they can be activated with two different mechanisms. For example, the paint can be photo-cross-linkable, but it can include free hydroxyls and blocked isocyanates, that can be activated at a given temperature. In this way, during the application of the heat sealable film, the paint is flexible enough for example to follow profiles and curves and, in the same way, heat supplied during the application further reticulates the paint, increasing its mechanical performance, such as scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, etc. In a still further aspect of the invention, additional decorative elements can be applied to the surface of the thermoplastic adhesive film or between two thermoplastic adhesive films, such as metal foils, wood inserts, textiles, etc.

The thermoplastic adhesive film with the additional decorative elements can be subsequently printed or coated thus increasing the variety of aesthetic effects that can be obtained.

The articles/substrates that can be decorated with the decorative coating and the method according to an aspect of the present invention are all those, to which it is possible to fix an adhesive thermoplastic film.

The decorative/protective coating according to one aspect of the present invention can be applied to a range of substrates such as wood, glass, plastic materials, metals, natural stones and ceramics.

In particular, the present invention can be advantageously applied in the field of furniture of design, for example for the decoration of elements of furniture, walls, manufactured articles and floors. Due to its flexibility and application easiness, the decorative coating can be used without problems in production of furniture and panels for covering walls and floors, but also in manual decoration of small substrates/articles.

It has been surprisingly found that, when the substrate to be decorated is a metal, it can be bent and processed after the decoration, without damaging.

According to one embodiment, the decorated thermoplastic adhesive film can be applied onto a substrate of wood or onto cut out portion thereof, commonly used for production of curved articles and subsequently curved in a multi- frequency press. In this way, it has been surprisingly found that the thermoplastic adhesive film maintains its integrity and that the curved article does not need any further protective/painting coatings.

According to an embodiment, after being decorated/painted, the heat sealable film is joined, with its decorated/painted side, with a self-adhesive film. Joining with an adhesive film has a double function, it provides a support for the thin heat sealable film during the application, preventing creases and cracks from being formed, and, after the application, it facilitates detaching of exceeding parts, protruding from the substrate/object to be decorated. Optionally, the self- adhesive film can be left on the surface of the decorated/painted substrate/object as protection during subsequent processing (e.g. cutting, bending, punching).

According to an embodiment, it is possible to incorporate, between two heat sealable films, an additional material that can be decorated or that has aesthetic functions such as a fabric, a network, etc. In this case, the lower heat sealable film will act as adhesive layer, while the upper one provides a printable layer that can be decorated.

It has been found that when the thermoplastic adhesive film is applied on a substrate made of truncated wood or veneer, not only act as a decorative and protective layer but also it improves the flexibility of the treated substrate.

For example, when a thermoplastic adhesive layer is applied onto the surface of a veneer, the latter can be formed even with acute angles without substantially disrupting or damaging the wood fibers. In another embodiment the method of the invention can be used for decorating or protecting the edge or rim of veneer for the coating of furniture and doors.

Another typical application of the present invention is the decoration of plastic surfaces of sport articles, such as skis, snowboards, surf and kite boards and the like.

In another embodiment the method of the invention is used for the decoration of clothes and fabrics in general.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention a substrate or article is provided comprising a decorative or protective coating obtained by the application under heating of a thermoplastic adhesive film as described hereinbefore onto at least a portion of the surface of said article/substrate.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a furniture element is provided comprising a protective or decorative film onto at least a portion of its surface wherein said protective or decorative coating is obtainable by application under heating of a thermoplastic adhesive film onto said portion of surface. Advantageously, said thermoplastic adhesive film comprises a decorative element printed directly onto said film.

Typically, the aforementioned element of furniture is selected from a chair, a wardrobe, a table.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention a chair is provided having a decorative coating on at least a portion of its surface wherein said decorative coating is obtained by application under heating of a thermoplastic adhesive film bearing a decorative element which is directly printed thereon. The advantages of the present invention with respect to the prior art are multiple.

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides for the use of a thermoplastic adhesive film as a protective or decorative coating or as a paint by application under heating of said thermoplastic adhesive film on at least a portion of a surface of a substrate or article.

In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides for a substrate or article comprising a protective and/or decorative coating applied onto at least a superficial portion thereof wherein the coating is obtained by application under heating of a thermoplastic adhesive film onto at least a portion of said substrate or article which preferably is a furniture such as a table, chair, wardrobe or a curved element.

A first advantage is the easiness, with which the decorative coating is obtained, as it can be produced by printing the decorative element directly on the thermoplastic adhesive film.

The decoration method according to an aspect of the present invention allows to avoid the use of additional adhesives for transferring the decorative element to the substrate/article to be decorated.

A second advantage of the decorative coating according to an aspect of the present invention derives from the possibility to obtain better quality of the decorated surfaces. The treated surfaces do not show defects and irregularities and the decorative coating is stable in time. Moreover, the decorated surfaces can be also protected with additional coatings. A third advantage is connected to the possibility of decorating surfaces made of materials of various nature, both flat and irregular.

Then, a further advantage derives from the variety of application ways of the decorative coating and decoration method.

Still a further advantage derives from the reduced application time, that allows a considerable increase of the production rate. For example, a PVC leaf used for ennobling wood conventionally requires 45 to 90 seconds for the application, while an analogous decoration performed according to an embodiment of the method of the invention, requires only 5 to 10 seconds.

Moreover, the decoration method according to an aspect of the invention can be used as an alternative to the traditional painting. This is because, the painting technologies, for example for metals or wood, normally include the use of a primer/background and subsequently the application of colored or uncolored finishes. Such painting cycles generally cannot be performed in line and consequently a painted substrate is unlikely to be finished within one day. Another problem of the traditional techniques is the contamination, mainly from the wood processing dust, that can generate out of rules products due to the presence of particles on the decorated surface. Advantageously, with the method according to an aspect of the invention, the thermoplastic adhesive film can be decorated/painted by the machines commonly used for printing plastic films and thus without dusts, at high speed, with decorative flexibility and fast color/subject change. Then, the thermoplastic adhesive film is applied to a substrate rapidly and without need to use primers or anything else. Moreover, the color/subject change is very rapid and does not require the use of solvents for machine cleaning.

In the alternative, it is possible to use also machines commonly used in the industrial painting, such as curtain coaters, roller painters, spray painters, etc.

Another advantage of a method according to an aspect of the invention is the absence of the solvents, since the decoration/painting is preferably performed with photo-cross-linking products (also known as energy curable products), which do not present significant emissions and likewise, during the application of the heat sealable film no solvents or others are released. In this way, environment contamination is appreciably reduced. The following examples of realization are given as a mere illustration of the present invention and should not be taken as limiting the protection scope defined by the appended claims.

Example 1

Various types of adhesive films (Collano AG - Switzerland) have been printed by the digital and flexographic printing techniques with inks, which are photo- cross-linkable by UV. The digital print has been performed by a printer RHO350 (Durst), while the flexographic print has been performed by a stack type machine ATENA (GIDUE).

The so obtained decorative coatings have been applied to surfaces of substrates made of different materials, using diaphragm presses or hot plates presses.

Some coatings have been protected with adhesive film or protective paints.

Legend

¹: product commercial code Collano AG.

²: type of applied protection (adhesive thermoplastic film or paint).

After the application, the adhesive film is firmly fixed to the substrate, which is decorated in effective way. The decorations protected by an additional adhesive film (4 and 6) or by painting present a higher scratch resistance and abrasion resistance.

Example 2

An adhesive thermoplastic film Collano 20.500 has been printed by UV inkjet and applied to decorate a white, non decorated surface of a snowboard made of TPU/ABS material (ATX - LAES S.p.A.) by a vacuum press at 90⁰C. The adhesive film is firmly fixed to the snowboard surface. The subsequent painting allows obtaining a snowboard that can be compared with a traditional board. Example 3

An adhesive thermoplastic film Collano 44.400 is applied onto the surface of a wood made panel by a calender heated at a temperature of 180⁰C at the speed of 1 m/min.

The thermoplastic adhesive film is firmly adherent to the surface of the panel and after cooling retain its mechanical features of resistance to abrasion and scratch.

Example 4

An adhesive thermoplastic film Collano 44.400 is printed with digital UV ink and applied onto a truncated article of beech by a rolling press heated at a temperature of 180⁰C at the speed of 1 m/min.

After that the decorated truncated article is used as the first layer of a multilayered structure used for the production of curved articles. The article is curved in a mould of a multi-frequency press for 3'. The molded article is the body of a chair having the surface decorated and curved without any damages or ruptures.

Example 5

An adhesive thermoplastic film Collano 44.400 is applied onto the surface of a truncated article made of a tanganika walnut supported by a layer of TNT. This material is commonly used for the manufacture of edges or rims. The truncated articles is painted and cut for producing an edge. The produced edge is used for covering the rim of a door by adaptation to the curved profile of the same without showing ruptures, cracks or fissures. Example 6

An adhesive thermoplastic film Collano 44.400 is digitally printed with a solid color and then is applied onto a MDF board by means of a rolling press heated at a temperature of 160⁰C at the speed of 1 m/min. The coated surface is then tested following the UNI 1 1216. Results are reported as follows:

Claims

1. A decorative coating in form of an thermoplastic adhesive film comprising a decorative element, said thermoplastic adhesive film being applicable to a substrate to be decorated by means of heating, wherein said decorative element is printed directly on the thermoplastic adhesive film.

2. A decorative coating as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic adhesive film is a polymeric film including a polymer selected from the group comprising polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, and mixtures thereof.

3. A decorative coating as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said thermoplastic adhesive film is applicable to a substrate to be decorated by means of heating at a temperature of 70 to 200⁰C.

4. A decorative coating as claimed in anyone of claims 1-3, wherein said film has a thickness variable in the range of 10 to 500 μm.

5. A decorative coating as claimed in anyone of claims 1-4, wherein said decorative element is printed directly on the thermoplastic adhesive film by means of printing or coating technique selected from the group comprising digital printing technique, flexographic technique, silk-screen printing, rotogravure printing, offset printing, spray coating, roller coating, curtain coating, vacuum coating.

6. A decorative coating as claimed in anyone of claims 1-5, wherein said decorative element is printed directly on the film by means of a painting technique.

7. Decorative coating as claimed in anyone of claims 1-6, wherein said decorative element is printed directly on the film using an ink or coating selected from the group comprising photocurable inks, solventbased inks, waterbased inks, solventless inks or fat inks (offset), photocurable cotings, waterbased coatings, solventbased coatings, solventless coatings, preferably using a photocurable ink or coating.

8. A method for decorating a substrate comprising application under heating of a decorative coating in accordance with any one of the claims 1 to 7 on a substrate to be decorated.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an application of at least one protective coating over the decorative coating.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said protective coating is a thermoplastic adhesive film, which can be applied to the substrate to be decorated by means of heating.

1 1. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said protective coating is a film of protective paint applied over the decorative coating.

12. A method according to any claim 8, 10 or 1 1 , wherein said film on the substrate to be decorated is heated under pressure.

13. A method for decorating and joining two substrates, including the steps of:

a) applying a transparent coating to a decorative coating in accordance to claim 1 , to obtain two overlaying coatings;

b) applying two substrates respectively to the opposite sides of said overlaying coatings, at least one of said substrates being transparent, to obtain two joined substrates;

c) heating said joined substrates to a temperature suitable for making said coatings adhesive.

14. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 8 to 12 comprising the application of least one additional decorative element to the surface of the thermoplastic adhesive film or between two thermoplastic adhesive films.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the thermoplastic adhesive film with the additional decorative element are subsequently printed or coated to increase the variety of aesthetic effects.

16. Use of a thermoplastic adhesive film as a protective or decorative coating or as a paint by application under heating of said thermoplastic adhesive film on at least a portion of a surface of a substrate or article.

17. Use according to claim 16 wherein the thermoplastic adhesive film is pigmented or colored for decorating the portion of the surface of the substrate or article.

18. Use according to claim 16 or 17 wherein the thermoplastic adhesive film is made of a polymer selected from the group comprising polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, polyurethanes, and mixtures thereof.

19. Use according to anyone of claims 16 to 18 wherein said thermoplastic adhesive comprises a decorative element printed thereon by means of i) a printing technique selected from the group comprising digital printing technique, flexographic technique, silk-screen printing, rotogravure printing, offset printing, spray coating, roller coating, curtain coating, vacuum coating and by using an ink or coating selected from the group comprising photocurable inks, solvent inks, water inks, fat inks (offset), photocurable or ii) a coating technique selected from the group comprising water based coatings, solvent based coatings, solvent less coatings.

20. Use according to anyone of claims 16 to 19 wherein said thermoplastic adhesive film is applied on a planar surface of a substrate which after coating is curved without substantial damages of the applied thermoplastic adhesive film.

21. Use according to anyone of claims 16 to 20 wherein said substrate is a furniture, preferably made of wood.

22. Use according to anyone of claims 16 to 21 wherein after being decorated/painted, the heat sealable film is joined, with its decorated/painted side, with a self-adhesive film, which is protecting the heat sealable film during the application and during subsequent working steps of the substrate.

23. Substrate or article comprising a protective and/or decorative coating applied onto at least a superficial portion thereof wherein the coating is obtained by application under heating of a thermoplastic adhesive film onto at least a portion of said substrate or article.

24. Substrate or article according to claim 23 comprising a further protective or decorative coating applied onto the protective and/or decorative coating.

25. Substrate or article according to claim 24 wherein said further protective coating is a film of protective paint applied onto the thermoplastic adhesive film.

26. Substrate or article according to anyone of claims 23 - 25 which is a furniture preferably selected from the group comprising chairs, wardrobe, table, curved designed elements.

27. Use of a thermoplastic adhesive film to make flexible a substrate of wood or a veneer.