In-line lamination of heavy-gauge polymer sheet with a pre-formed polymer film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10065404-B2
Application number	US-201113194220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2011
Priority date	Jul 29, 2011
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A process for in-line laminating a heavy-gauge transparent polymer sheet with a pre-pre-formed polymer film to produce a laminated polymer sheet. The pre-formed polymer film can impart one or more aesthetic or functional elements to the heavy-gauge polymer sheet. The resulting laminate can have equivalent, or enhanced, properties as compared to conventionally-prepared laminates and can be formed into a variety of articles with multiple end uses.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process for producing a laminated sheet, said process comprising:
(a) extruding a first polymeric material through a die head to thereby form a transparent, single layer heavy-gauge polymer sheet having an average thickness of at least 40 mils;
(b) cooling said heavy-gauge polymer sheet exiting said die head via contact with a cooling roller stack that defines at least one cooling stack nip; and
(c) co-feeding said heavy-gauge polymer sheet and a pre-formed polymer film formed from a second polymeric material to said cooling stack nip to thereby laminate said pre-formed polymer film onto said heavy-gauge polymer sheet and provide a laminated polymer sheet,
wherein said pre-formed polymer film has a thickness of not more than 40 mils,
wherein the heavy-gauge polymer sheet and the pre-formed polymer film are formed from the same polymeric material,
wherein said pre-formed polymer film has been formed and rolled prior to said co-feeding, and wherein said first and second polymeric materials are both copolyesters.

2. A process for producing a laminated sheet, said process comprising:
(a) extruding a first polymeric material through a die head to thereby form a single layer heavy-gauge polymer sheet having an average thickness of at least 40 mils,
wherein said first polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of styrene-acrylic copolymers, styrene-butadiene copolymers and block copolymers, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymers, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymers, polystyrene, high-impact polystyrene, transparent acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers, copolyesters, polycarbonates, and acrylics;
(b) maintaining a contact surface of said heavy-gauge polymer sheet at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of said first polymeric material between said die head and a lamination nip defined between a first cooling roller and a second cooling roller; and
(c) in-line laminating a pre-formed single layer polymer film made from a second polymeric material onto said heavy-gauge polymer sheet at said lamination nip to thereby provide a laminated polymer sheet,
wherein said pre-formed polymer film has a thickness of not more than 40 mils,
wherein said second polymeric materials are copolyester materials,
wherein said in-line laminating includes co-feeding said pre-formed polymer film into said lamination nip simultaneously with said heavy-gauge polymer sheet,
wherein said in-line laminating causes said pre-formed polymer film to adhere to said contact surface of said heavy-gauge polymer sheet, and
wherein steps (a) through (c) are carried out at locations along a common extrusion line.

3. A process for producing a laminated polymer sheet, said process comprising:
(a) extruding a first polymeric material from a die located in an extrusion line to form a transparent single layer heavy-gauge polymer sheet having an average thickness of at least 40 mils and a light transmission of at least 80 percent;
(b) passing said heavy-gauge polymer sheet through a nip defined between a first cooling roller and a second cooling roller positioned at another location along said extrusion line; and
(c) co-feeding a pre-formed polymer film formed of a second polymeric material to said nip,
wherein said pre-formed polymer film has a thickness of not more than 40 mils,
wherein said first and/or second polymeric material is a copolyester,
wherein the ratio of said average thickness of said heavy-gauge polymer sheet to the average thickness of said pre-formed polymer film is at least 2:1,
wherein said co-feeding includes contacting a contact surface of said pre-formed polymer film with a contact surface of said heavy-gauge polymer sheet to thereby form a laminated polymer sheet, and
wherein one of said first and second rollers directly contacts said heavy-gauge sheet at said nip.

4. A process for producing a laminated sheet, said process comprising:
(a) extruding a first polymeric material through a die head to thereby form a transparent, single layer heavy-gauge polymer sheet having an average thickness of at least 40 mils;
(b) cooling said heavy-gauge polymer sheet exiting said die head via contact with a cooling roller stack that defines at least one cooling stack nip; and
(c) co-feeding said heavy-gauge polymer sheet and a pre-formed polymer film formed from a second polymeric material to said cooling stack nip to thereby laminate said pre-formed polymer film onto said heavy-gauge polymer sheet and provide a laminated polymer sheet,
wherein said co-feeding of step (c) includes maintaining a tension on said pre-formed polymer film of at least 7 lb f and not more than 14 lb f
wherein said heavy-gauge polymer sheet exhibits a haze of less than 15 percent,
wherein said pre-formed polymer film has been formed and rolled prior to said co-feeding,
wherein said pre-formed polymer film has a thickness of not more than 40 mils,
wherein said first and/or second polymeric materials are copolyester materials, and
wherein said laminated polymer sheet has an average adhesion strength of at least 10 Ib f /in.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein said co-feeding comprises contacting a film contact surface of said pre-formed polymer film with a sheet contact surface of said heavy-gauge polymer sheet at a lamination location, wherein the temperature of said sheet contact surface at said lamination location is at or above the glass transition temperature of said first polymeric material and/or the temperature of said film contact surface at said lamination location is at or above the glass transition temperature of said second polymeric material.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein said first and said second polymeric materials have Hansen Solubility Parameter values within 5 MPa 0.5 of each other.

7. The process of claim 6 , wherein the temperature of said sheet contact surface at said lamination location is at or above the glass transition temperature of said first polymeric material and the temperature of said film contact surface at said lamination location is at or above the glass transition temperature of said second polymeric material.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein said co-feeding comprises contacting a film contact surface of said pre-formed polymer film with a sheet contact surface of said heavy-gauge polymer sheet at a lamination location at said cooling stack nip, wherein said sheet contact surface and said film contact surface each have a temperature at said lamination location of at least 275° F. and not more than 675° F., wherein said co-feeding comprises applying a compressive lamination force of at least 2 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) at said laminating location, wherein said lamination force is applied for a lamination time period of not more than 30 seconds.

9. The process of claim 5 , wherein at least a portion of said compressive lamination force is applied by two rollers of said cooling roller stack that define said cooling stack nip.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising, during said co-feeding, maintaining a tension on said pre-formed polymer film of at least 7 pounds-force (lb f ) and not more than 14 lb f .

11. The process of claim 1 , further comprising heating a contact surface of said pre-formed polymer film from about ambient temperature to a temperature at or above the glass transition temperature of said second polymeric material.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein said cooling roller stack defines at least a first nip and a second nip, wherein said co-feeding comprises co-feeding said heavy-gauge polymer sheet and said pre-formed polymer film into said second nip, and further comprising, subsequ

Assignees

• Neill Ryan Thomas
• Barton Patsy Jeanine
• Cline Jill Ellen
• David James Hubert
• Salyer David Gayle
• Eastman Chem Co

Inventors

• Neill Ryan Thomas
• Barton Patsy Jeanine
• Cline Jill Ellen
• David James Hubert
• Salyer David Gayle

Classifications

• B29C48/0021

  combined with joining, lining or laminating · CPC title

• B32B2309/105

  Thickness · CPC title

• B32B2307/412

  Transparent · CPC title

• B32B2309/02

  Temperature · CPC title

• B32B2309/12

  Pressure · CPC title