Inkjet printing methods for decorative laminate panels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12138953-B2
Application number	US-201916965362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 15, 2019
Priority date	Jan 31, 2018
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

An inkjet printing method for manufacturing a decorative surface comprising staggered decorative laminate panels including the steps of: i) digitally dividing a first master image ( 15, 30 ) into decorative laminate panel images ( 16 ); ii) digitally staggering neighbouring decorative laminate panel images ( 18 ) over a selected staggering distance ( 17 ) having a value between L/2 and L/20 with L representing the length of a decorative laminate panel; iii) digitally composing a second master image ( 19, 33 ) from the neighbouring staggered decorative laminate panel images ( 18 ); iv) printing the second master image ( 19, 33 ) with one or more inkjet inks on a substrate, wherein the substrate is a paper substrate and the one or more inkjet inks are aqueous pigmented inkjet inks printed on the substrate before or after impregnation with a thermosetting resin; or wherein the one or more inkjet inks are UV curable inkjet inks and the substrate is a thermoplastic substrate based on a material selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and combinations thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing decorative laminate panels from a decorative surface comprising staggered decorative laminate panel images, the method comprising the steps of:
i) digitally dividing a first master image ( 15 , 30 ) into decorative laminate panel images ( 16 );
ii) digitally staggering neighboring decorative laminate panel images ( 18 ) over a selected staggering distance ( 17 ) having a value between L/2 and L/20 with L representing a length of a decorative laminate panel;
iii) digitally composing a second master image ( 19 , 33 ) from the neighboring staggered decorative laminate panel images ( 18 ); and
iv) inkjet printing the second master image ( 19 , 33 ) with one or more inkjet inks on a substrate;
wherein the second master image ( 19 , 33 ) shows vertical cutting lines ( 20 , 34 ) and horizontal cutting lines ( 21 , 35 ) which may be inkjet printed or not;
wherein a decorative board or laminate including the substrate printed with the second master image ( 19 , 33 ) is cut into the decorative laminate panels ( 40 , 50 ) following the vertical lines ( 20 , 34 ) and the horizontal lines ( 21 , 35 ); and
wherein (a) a personalized image ( 10 ) and a background image ( 14 ) are combined to the first master image ( 15 ) or (b) a personalized image is taken as the first master image ( 30 ) and modified to an image ( 31 ) containing staggered decorative panel images, whereafter the image ( 31 ) is combined with a background image ( 32 ) to compose the second master image ( 33 ).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a paper substrate and the one or more inkjet inks are aqueous pigmented inkjet inks printed on the substrate before or after impregnation with a thermosetting resin; or
wherein the one or more inkjet inks are UV curable inkjet inks and the substrate is a thermoplastic substrate based on a material selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate is a paper substrate having one or more ink-receiving layers and the one or more inkjet inks are aqueous pigmented inkjet inks printed on the one or more ink-receiving layers before the paper substrate is impregnated by a thermosetting resin.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one ink-receiving layer comprises a polyvinylalcohol polymer and an inorganic pigment.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more inkjet inks include a red inkjet ink comprising a red pigment selected from the group consisting of C.I. Pigment Red 254, C.I. Pigment Red 176 and C.I. Pigment Red 122 and mixed crystals thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two sides of a decorative laminate panel image ( 60 ) include an extension zone ( 61 ) to be cut away from providing a tongue.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the extension zone ( 61 ) comprises image data retrieved from a neighboring area of two neighboring staggered decorative laminate panel images ( 18 ).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the background image ( 14 , 32 ) is a wood grain image or a stone image.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
heat pressing a sheet of a thermosetting resin paper substrate inkjet printed with the second master image ( 19 , 33 ) as a decorative layer ( 44 ) between a core layer ( 41 ) and a protective layer ( 45 ) onto a decorative board; and
cutting the decorative board into decorative laminate panels ( 40 ).

10. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
heat pressing the thermoplastic substrate inkjet printed with the second master image with a protective layer ( 53 ) onto a decorative laminate; and
cutting the decorative laminate into decorative laminate panels ( 50 ).

Assignees

• Agfa Nv

Inventors

• Lamproye Rudi
• Frings Peter

Classifications

• B41M3/06 Primary

  Veined printings; Fluorescent printings; Stereoscopic images; Imitated patterns, e.g. tissues, textiles · CPC title

• B41M7/0027

  using protective coatings or layers by lamination or by fusion of the coatings or layers · CPC title

• B41M5/0088

  by ink-jet printing · CPC title

• B41M5/0064

  on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers · CPC title

• B41M5/0047

  by ink-jet printing · CPC title