Process for producing a surface covering with an embossed printed surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10940637-B2
Application number	US-202016863296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2020
Priority date	Sep 29, 2014
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

A process for producing a surface covering with an embossed printed surface is described. A substrate (16) is continuously moved through a production line, and this substrate (16) is first provided, in a printing equipment (12), with a printed pattern and thereafter, in an embossing equipment (14), with an embossed pattern, which is registered with the printed pattern. The printing equipment (12) produces the printed pattern in-line with the production of the embossed pattern. During printing in the printing equipment (12), the printed pattern is stretched or compressed, dynamically responsive to indicators of misalignments between the printed pattern and the embossed pattern, so as to correct or prevent the misalignments. A production line for carrying out this process is also proposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A production line for producing a surface covering with an embossed printed surface, said production line comprising:
a printing equipment for applying a printed pattern onto a substrate as said substrate is moved in said production line;
an embossing equipment downstream of said printing equipment, for providing said substrate with an embossed pattern, which is registered with said printed pattern; and
control equipment configured to correct or prevent misalignments between said printed pattern and said embossed pattern, by stretching or compressing said printed pattern relative to the substrate on which the printed pattern is applied, dynamically responsive to real-time indicators of said misalignments.

2. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the substrate remains continuous at least up to the embossing equipment.

3. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a lamination equipment, the lamination equipment located on the production line between the printing equipment and the embossing equipment, the lamination equipment being configured to apply a transparent wear layer onto the printed pattern.

4. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said printing equipment is a digital printer.

5. The production line as claimed in claim 4 , wherein said control equipment controls said digital printer in such a way that said digital printer stretches or compresses said printed pattern.

6. The production line as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said control equipment controls said digital printer by up-scaling, respectively down-scaling, in real-time at least a part of a digitally recorded image of the printed pattern.

7. The production line as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said up-scaling and/or down-scaling is a unidirectional scaling, the scaling direction corresponding to a longitudinal direction of said printed pattern on said substrate.

8. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a carrier that carries said substrate through said printing equipment, wherein said control equipment controls said carrier so as to reduce or increase a velocity with which said substrate passes through said printing equipment and to thereby achieve stretching or compressing of said printed pattern relative to the substrate.

9. The production line as claimed in claim 8 , including an accumulation loop, which is arranged between said printing equipment and the embossing equipment, wherein the accumulation loop allows controlling a velocity of said substrate in said printing equipment independently from the velocity of said substrate in said embossing equipment, while maintaining tension in said moving substrate substantially constant.

10. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
an embossing cylinder for providing said embossed pattern in the surface covering, the embossing cylinder having an angular position that changes as the embossing cylinder rotates; and
an angular encoder for continuously measuring the angular position of said embossing cylinder.

11. The production line as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the control equipment is configured to receive an angular position signal and to use said angular position signal as a real-time process parameter for continuously determining the angular position of said embossed pattern relative to said substrate while said substrate is moving.

12. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control equipment is configured:
to compare a dimension of said printed pattern, which is measured in real-time on said substrate as said substrate is moving, with a reference value said dimension should have to match with a corresponding dimension in said embossed pattern; and,
during printing, to stretch or compress said printed pattern to reduce the difference between said measured dimension and said reference value.

13. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control equipment is configured:
to compare in real-time a detected position of said printed pattern on said substrate and a computed position of the embossed pattern on said substrate; and
to temporarily stretch or compress said printed pattern during printing, to reduce an offset between the detected position of said printed pattern and the computed position of the embossed pattern.

14. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control equipment is configured:
to predict, on the basis of measurements made on said substrate upstream of said embossing equipment, an offset between said embossed pattern and said printed pattern; and
during printing, to stretch or compress said printed pattern to reduce said offset.

15. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
optical sensors configured to measure, at at least one position between said printing equipment and the embossing equipment, passage times of reference marks printed on said substrate,
wherein said control equipment is configured to use the passage times to predict a misalignment between said printed pattern and said embossed pattern at said embossing equipment and to use the misalignment that is predicted to compute a required stretching or compression of said printed pattern.

16. The production line as claimed in claim 15 , wherein:
said optical sensors measure the passage times of the reference marks at several positions along a path of movement of said substrate between said printing equipment and said embossing equipment; and
wherein the control equipment uses the passage times to predict an evolution of the alignment of said printed pattern with said embossed pattern at said embossing equipment and computes a preventive stretching or compression of said printed pattern based on said predicted evolution of said alignment.

17. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
optical sensors configured to measure, at regular time intervals, at at least one position between said printing equipment and the embossing equipment, longitudinal offsets between detected positions of reference marks printed on said substrate and computed positions of said reference marks at said time intervals,
wherein said control equipment is configured to use the longitudinal offsets to predict a misalignment between said printed pattern and said embossed pattern at said embossing equipment and to use the misalignment that is predicted to compute a required stretching or compression of said printed pattern.

18. The production line as claimed in claim 17 , wherein:
said optical sensors measure the longitudinal offsets at several positions along a path of movement of said substrate between said printing equipment and said embossing equipment; and
wherein the control equipment uses the longitudinal offsets to predict an evolution of the alignment of said printed pattern with said embossed pattern at said embossing equipment and computes a preventive stretching or compression of said printed pattern based on said predicted evolution of said alignment.

19. The production line as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said printing equipment is an inkjet printer.

20. A production line for producing a heterogeneous resilient floor or wall covering with an embossed surface, said production line comprising:
one or more carrier belts for moving a substrate through said production line
a digital printer for applying a printed pattern onto said substrate as said substrate is moved;
an embossing equipment downstream of said digital printer, for pr

Assignees

• Tarkett Gdl Sa

Inventors

• Kackmann-Schneider Klaas
• Brankov Igor
• Simon Jean-Yves

Classifications

• B29C66/87

  Auxiliary operations or devices · CPC title

• B29C59/046

  for layered or coated substantially flat surfaces · CPC title

• B29C59/026 Primary

  of layered or coated substantially flat surfaces · CPC title

• B29C55/026 Primary

  of preformed plates or sheets coated with a solution, a dispersion or a melt of thermoplastic material · CPC title

• B32B38/06 Primary

  Embossing · CPC title