Composite systems for in-mold decoration

• US 20040258924A1
• Filed: 06/15/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG (Covestro AG)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG (Covestro AG)
• Inventors: Winkler, Jurgen, Nickel, Jorg, Post, Bernd, Berger, Armin
• Application Number:
  US10/868,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20040258924A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/423.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14237 the inserts being deformed or preformed outside the mould or mould cavity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/14737 decorations printed on the insert by a digital imaging technique
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14688 Coating articles provided with a decoration
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14811 Multilayered articles B29C45/14827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2715/006 Glues or adhesives, e.g. hot melts or thermofusible adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0026 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/402 Coloured
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/365 comprising polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/40 comprising polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31551 Of polyamidoester [polyurethane, polyisocyanate, polycarbamate, etc.]

Abstract

A composite systems (film laminates) useful for the in-mould decoration (IMD) process is disclosed. The composite comprise a first thermoplastic translucent plastics film having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μm, a primer layer having a layer thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μm, a colored layer containing pigments and a plastics binder, and optional a second primer layer having a layer thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μm, which may be different from B), a layer of a thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore A hardness of from 55 to 95, and a thermoplastic plastics film having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μm, which may be different from the first plastic film.

Claims

1. Composite system comprising in sequence

A) a thermoplastic translucent plastics film having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μ

m,

B) a primer layer having a layer thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μ

m,

C) a colored layer with a low melting point containing pigments and a plastics binder having a softening point below the softening point of the plastics film (A),

D) optionally a second primer layer having a layer thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μ

m, which may be different from B),

E) a layer of a thermoplastic polyurethane having a Shore A hardness of from 55 to 95 and an ultimate tensile strength greater than 15 MPa (ISO

     37), which is a reaction product of an organic diisocyanate (a), at least one Zerewitinoff-active polymeric diol having on average a minimum of 1.8 to a maximum of 2.5 Zerewitinoff-active hydrogen atoms and having a number average molecular weight of from 600 to 5000 g/mol (b) and at least one Zerewitinoff-active diol having on average a minimum of 1.8 to a maximum of 2.5 Zerewitinoff-active hydrogen atoms and having a number average molecular weight of from 60 to 500 g/mol as a chain extender (c), wherein the molar ratio of the NCO groups of the diisocyanate (a) to the Zerewitinoff-active hydrogen atoms from (b) and (c) is from 0.9 to 1.2, preferably 0.95 to 1.1,

F) a thermoplastic plastics film having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μ

m, which may be different from (A).

2. The composite system according to claim 1, wherein the sequence is A), E), D), C), B) and F).

3. A molding comprising

I) the composite system according to claim 1 and

II) a back-filled thermoplastic material.

4. A process for the production of the composite system according to claim 1, comprising

(a) applying the primer layer (B) having a thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μ

m to a translucent thermoplastic plastics film (A) having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μ

m,

(b) applying to the surface of (B) by means of an electrostatic printing process a colored layer (C) in the form of liquid dyes or inks based on pigments and plastics binders having a softening point below the softening point of the plastics film (A) the layer having a thickness of from 0.5 to 80 μ

m,

(c) optionally applying to the surface of (C) a second primer layer (D) having a thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μ

m, said (D) being the same as or different from (B) to obtain a layer system comprising (A), (B), and (C), and the optional (D), and

(d) coating a thermoplastic plastics film (F) having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μ

m, with thermoplastic polyurethane (E) and

(e) laminating the coated (F) to the layer system consisting of (A), (B), (C) and the optional (D).

5. A process for the production of the composite system according to claim 2, comprising

a) applying a primer layer (B) having a thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μ

m to a thermoplastic plastics film (F) having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μ

m,

b) applying to the surface of (B) by means of an electrostatic printing process a colored layer (C) having a thickness of from 0.5 to 80 μ

m, said (C) containing at least one liquid dye or ink based on pigments and at least one plastics binder having a softening point below the softening point of the plastics film (A) and

c) optionally applying a second primer layer (D) having a thickness of from 0.5 to 20 μ

m to the surface of (C), said (D) being the same as of different from said layer (B), to form a layer system comprising (F), (B), (C) and optionally (D),

d) coating a thermoplastic translucent plastics film (A) having a thickness of from 20 to 1000 μ

m, with thermoplastic polyurethane (E) and

e) laminating to the layer system that comprise (F), (B), (C) and optionally (D), the coated plastics film (A).

6. A process for the production of the molding comprising

(i) obtaining and optionally forming the composite system according to claim 1,

(ii) positioning the composite system in a mold cavity and

(iii) back-filling the cavity with molten thermoplastic material.

7. A molded article comprising the composite system of claim 1.

8. A molded article comprising the composite system of claim 2.