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WO2009066081A1 - Flooring material - Google Patents

Flooring material Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2009066081A1
WO2009066081A1 PCT/GB2008/003905 GB2008003905W WO2009066081A1 WO 2009066081 A1 WO2009066081 A1 WO 2009066081A1 GB 2008003905 W GB2008003905 W GB 2008003905W WO 2009066081 A1 WO2009066081 A1 WO 2009066081A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
layer
flooring material
image
ink receptive
printed
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/GB2008/003905
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Kristian Holt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of WO2009066081A1 publication Critical patent/WO2009066081A1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E04—BUILDING
    • E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
    • E04F15/00—Flooring
    • E04F15/02—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements
    • E04F15/10—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements of other materials, e.g. fibrous or chipped materials, organic plastics, magnesite tiles, hardboard, or with a top layer of other materials
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M5/00—Duplicating or marking methods; Sheet materials for use therein
    • B41M5/0041—Digital printing on surfaces other than ordinary paper
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41M—PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING
    • B41M3/00—Printing processes to produce particular kinds of printed work, e.g. patterns

Definitions

  • This invention concerns flooring material and, in particular, concerns so-called cushion flooring.
  • Cushion flooring and like products are provided with a decorative image by inclusion of a printed layer.
  • the decorative image is generally a repeated pattern and is applied to the flooring substrate by engraved printing rollers.
  • the continuous nature of the process actually wastes significant amounts of material at the start and finish of a production run. To bring the process up to speed usually wastes around 50m of material and about 50m of material is wasted as the process is slowed down at the end of a production. Thus, around 100m of unusable flooring material is wasted with every production run.
  • An object of the invention is to provide an improved method of producing flooring material.
  • a further object of the invention is to provide an improved flooring material.
  • the invention further provides flooring material having a decorative image incorporated therein by digital printing.
  • a typical flooring material according to the invention will comprise a base layer, an ink receptive layer, a print layer and a protective top layer.
  • the base layer can be of any suitable material to provide a comfortable feel to the flooring material.
  • Typical base layers are calendered and include rubber layers and foam rubber layers.
  • the ink receptive layer is typically a glass fibre fleece having an ink receptive coating therein.
  • the ink receptive coating will need to be receptive to ink printed thereon by a digital printer.
  • the protective top layer is preferably to provide wear resistance and the thickness thereof will depend on the level of guarantee to be provided.
  • the protective layer is a layer of clear plastics material, such as polyvinylchloride.
  • An anti-slip layer may be applied as a top layer of the flooring material.
  • the anti-slip layer preferably has a textured intended top surface.
  • the anti-slip layer may be of plastics material, such as polyvinylchloride.
  • the first step in the process of the present invention is to design artwork to be printed.
  • This step preferably uses photographic software and selecting from digital files.
  • the digital files may contain images from any suitable source, such as from a digital camera or images designed using design software.
  • the desired image may be printed on the ink receptive layer using any suitable digital printer and preferably a wide format printer.
  • the inks used may be standard inks used in digital printers. Suitable inks include solvent based inks, dyes, water based inks and UV inks.
  • a preferred process for producing flooring according to the invention after preparation of the artwork is then to print the image onto the ink receptive layer followed by application of the wear resistant layer and, if desired, the anti-slip layer and finally to bond the printed layer onto the base layer.
  • Figure 1 shows schematically cushion flooring according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the steps in the manufacture of the cushion flooring of Figure 1.
  • cushion flooring 10 is composed of various superimposed layers. Firstly, there is a calendered backing or base coat 12 made of rubber or foamed rubber. The next layer is a glass fibre fleece 14. On the glass fibre fleece is an ink receptive coating 16.
  • a desired image layer 18 is printed onto the ink receptive coating 16.
  • a wear resistant layer 20 and an anti-slip layer 22 finish the cushion floor.
  • the wear resistant layer may be a layer of clear polyvinylchloride, the thickness thereof being chosen according to the guaranteed life of the flooring.
  • the anti-slip layer may be a textured layer of polyvinylchloride.
  • the cushion floor of Figure 1 may be manufactured in the following manner.
  • the first step is to design the artwork to be applied as the decorative image for the cushion floor.
  • the artwork is designed digitally using photographic software from digital files. This means that virtually any decorative image can be provided for the cushion floor subject to it being available in digital format.
  • the glass fibre fleece 14 is provided with the ink receptive coating 16 and then the prepared image is digitally printed onto the ink receptive coating, using any suitable ink and an appropriate digital printer, which may be a wide format printer.
  • suitable inks include solvent based inks, dyes, water based inks and UV inks.
  • the printed image is then covered with the wear resistant layer 20, and the anti- slip layer 22.
  • the cushion flooring can then be trimmed with an edge trimmer to tidy up the edges, after which the cushion flooring is ready for packaging and shipping.
  • digital printing of images according to the invention may be used for flooring materials other than cushion flooring.
  • the invention therefore, includes the use of digital printing in producing other types of flooring, which require a decorative image.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Floor Finish (AREA)

Abstract

A method of providing a decorative image for flooring material comprises digitally printing the image during production of the flooring material.

Description

TITLE: Flooring material
DESCRIPTION
This invention concerns flooring material and, in particular, concerns so-called cushion flooring.
Cushion flooring and like products are provided with a decorative image by inclusion of a printed layer. The decorative image is generally a repeated pattern and is applied to the flooring substrate by engraved printing rollers. The continuous nature of the process actually wastes significant amounts of material at the start and finish of a production run. To bring the process up to speed usually wastes around 50m of material and about 50m of material is wasted as the process is slowed down at the end of a production. Thus, around 100m of unusable flooring material is wasted with every production run.
It would be advantageous to be able to reduce the amount of wastage in producing flooring materials.
An object of the invention is to provide an improved method of producing flooring material.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved flooring material.
According to the present invention it is proposed that decorative images for flooring materials, such as so-called cushion flooring, be digitally printed in production of the flooring material.
The invention further provides flooring material having a decorative image incorporated therein by digital printing.
By using a digital printing process it is envisaged that very little waste will be produced at the start and end of production runs. This means that shorter production runs including one-off production runs, can be carried out without expensive wastage.
This has the further advantage that single images can be applied instead of repeated pattern images.
A typical flooring material according to the invention will comprise a base layer, an ink receptive layer, a print layer and a protective top layer.
The base layer can be of any suitable material to provide a comfortable feel to the flooring material. Typical base layers are calendered and include rubber layers and foam rubber layers.
The ink receptive layer is typically a glass fibre fleece having an ink receptive coating therein. The ink receptive coating will need to be receptive to ink printed thereon by a digital printer.
The protective top layer is preferably to provide wear resistance and the thickness thereof will depend on the level of guarantee to be provided. Typically the protective layer is a layer of clear plastics material, such as polyvinylchloride.
An anti-slip layer may be applied as a top layer of the flooring material. The anti-slip layer preferably has a textured intended top surface. The anti-slip layer may be of plastics material, such as polyvinylchloride.
The first step in the process of the present invention is to design artwork to be printed. This step preferably uses photographic software and selecting from digital files. The digital files may contain images from any suitable source, such as from a digital camera or images designed using design software.
The desired image may be printed on the ink receptive layer using any suitable digital printer and preferably a wide format printer. The inks used may be standard inks used in digital printers. Suitable inks include solvent based inks, dyes, water based inks and UV inks. A preferred process for producing flooring according to the invention after preparation of the artwork is then to print the image onto the ink receptive layer followed by application of the wear resistant layer and, if desired, the anti-slip layer and finally to bond the printed layer onto the base layer.
It may be necessary subsequently to trim the edges of the flooring material if the printed image is narrower than the width of the ink receptive layer, which will often be the case.
This invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows schematically cushion flooring according to the invention, and
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the steps in the manufacture of the cushion flooring of Figure 1.
Referring to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, cushion flooring 10 is composed of various superimposed layers. Firstly, there is a calendered backing or base coat 12 made of rubber or foamed rubber. The next layer is a glass fibre fleece 14. On the glass fibre fleece is an ink receptive coating 16.
A desired image layer 18 is printed onto the ink receptive coating 16. A wear resistant layer 20 and an anti-slip layer 22 finish the cushion floor. The wear resistant layer may be a layer of clear polyvinylchloride, the thickness thereof being chosen according to the guaranteed life of the flooring. The anti-slip layer may be a textured layer of polyvinylchloride.
Referring to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings the cushion floor of Figure 1 may be manufactured in the following manner. The first step is to design the artwork to be applied as the decorative image for the cushion floor. The artwork is designed digitally using photographic software from digital files. This means that virtually any decorative image can be provided for the cushion floor subject to it being available in digital format.
The glass fibre fleece 14 is provided with the ink receptive coating 16 and then the prepared image is digitally printed onto the ink receptive coating, using any suitable ink and an appropriate digital printer, which may be a wide format printer. Suitable inks include solvent based inks, dyes, water based inks and UV inks.
The printed image is then covered with the wear resistant layer 20, and the anti- slip layer 22.
These layers are then applied to the calendered backing or cushion base coat 12 to form the cushion flooring. The cushion flooring can then be trimmed with an edge trimmer to tidy up the edges, after which the cushion flooring is ready for packaging and shipping.
It will be appreciated that digital printing of images according to the invention may be used for flooring materials other than cushion flooring. The invention, therefore, includes the use of digital printing in producing other types of flooring, which require a decorative image.

Claims

Claims:
1. A method of providing a decorative image for flooring material comprises digitally printing the image during production of the flooring material.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising the step of designing artwork for the image to be printed.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the step of designing the artwork uses photographic software and selecting from digital files.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , 2 or 3, wherein the desired image is printed on an ink receptive layer using a digital printer.
5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein after preparation of the artwork the image is printed onto the ink receptive layer followed by application of a wear resistant layer and, if desired, an anti-slip layer and finally bonding of the printed layer onto a base layer.
6. A method as claimed in claim 5 further including the step of trim edges of the flooring material if the printed image is narrower than the width of the ink receptive layer.
7. A flooring material having a decorative image incorporated therein by digital printing.
8. A flooring material as claimed in claim 7 comprising a base layer, an ink receptive layer, a print layer and a protective top layer.
9. A flooring material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the base layer is calendared.
10. A flooring material as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the base layer is of rubber or foamed rubber.
11. A flooring material as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the ink receptive layer is a glass fibre fleece having an ink receptive coating therein.
12. A flooring material as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 11 , wherein the protective top layer is a layer of clear plastics material.
13. A flooring material as claimed in claim 12, wherein the protective layer is of polyvinylchloride.
14. A flooring material as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein an anti-slip layer is applied as a top layer of the flooring material.
15;, A flooring material as claimed in claim 14, wherein the anti-slip layer has a textured intended top surface.
16. A flooring material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the anti-slip layer is of plastics material.
17. A flooring material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the anti-slip layer is of polyvinylchloride.
18. A method of making flooring material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
19. A flooring material substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
PCT/GB2008/003905 2007-11-23 2008-11-21 Flooring material Ceased WO2009066081A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0722958.6 2007-11-23
GBGB0722958.6A GB0722958D0 (en) 2007-11-23 2007-11-23 Flooring material

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2009066081A1 true WO2009066081A1 (en) 2009-05-28

Family

ID=38925917

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2008/003905 Ceased WO2009066081A1 (en) 2007-11-23 2008-11-21 Flooring material

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB0722958D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2009066081A1 (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015140682A1 (en) 2014-03-19 2015-09-24 Unilin, Bvba Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
WO2017046309A1 (en) * 2015-09-17 2017-03-23 Beaulieu International Group Nv Custom-made covering panels by digital printing of base panels
US11203224B2 (en) 2018-08-30 2021-12-21 Interface, Inc. Digital printing for flooring and decorative structures

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2001048333A1 (en) * 1999-12-23 2001-07-05 Perstorp Flooring Ab A process for the manufacturing of surface elements
US20040045240A1 (en) * 2002-09-10 2004-03-11 Mcilvaine Bruce L. Laminate flooring with custom images
WO2004042168A1 (en) * 2002-11-01 2004-05-21 Mannington Mills, Inc. A surface covering panel with printed pattern
WO2005123380A1 (en) * 2004-06-22 2005-12-29 Lg Chem. Ltd. Flooring having surface layer of synthetic resin and wood-based board

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2001048333A1 (en) * 1999-12-23 2001-07-05 Perstorp Flooring Ab A process for the manufacturing of surface elements
US20040045240A1 (en) * 2002-09-10 2004-03-11 Mcilvaine Bruce L. Laminate flooring with custom images
WO2004042168A1 (en) * 2002-11-01 2004-05-21 Mannington Mills, Inc. A surface covering panel with printed pattern
WO2005123380A1 (en) * 2004-06-22 2005-12-29 Lg Chem. Ltd. Flooring having surface layer of synthetic resin and wood-based board

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11401719B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2022-08-02 Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
US12460426B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2025-11-04 Unilin, Bv Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
US9885188B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2018-02-06 Unilin, Bvba Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
WO2015140682A1 (en) 2014-03-19 2015-09-24 Unilin, Bvba Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
US10465391B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2019-11-05 Unilin, Bvba Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
EP4556650A2 (en) 2014-03-19 2025-05-21 Unilin, BV Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
US12129664B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2024-10-29 Unillin, BV Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
US10941579B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2021-03-09 Unilin Bv Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
US11781325B2 (en) 2014-03-19 2023-10-10 Flooring Industries Limited, Sarl Floor panel for forming a floor covering and method for manufacturing such floor panels
JP2018532913A (en) * 2015-09-17 2018-11-08 ボーリュー インターナショナル グループ エンフェー Custom-made exterior panel by digital printing of base panel
RU2729571C2 (en) * 2015-09-17 2020-08-07 Больё Интернешнл Груп Нв Facing panels custom-made by digital printing on the base panel
US10526798B2 (en) 2015-09-17 2020-01-07 Beaulieu International Group Nv Custom-made covering panels by digital printing of base panels
WO2017046309A1 (en) * 2015-09-17 2017-03-23 Beaulieu International Group Nv Custom-made covering panels by digital printing of base panels
US11697303B2 (en) 2018-08-30 2023-07-11 Interface, Inc. Digital printing for flooring and decorative structures
US11203224B2 (en) 2018-08-30 2021-12-21 Interface, Inc. Digital printing for flooring and decorative structures

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0722958D0 (en) 2008-01-02

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