Surface covering having gloss-in-register

• US 20070077402A1
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AFI Licensing LLC (Armstrong World Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: AWI Licensing Company
• Inventors: Sigel, Gary, Kauffman, William, Barshinger, Donald
• Granted Patent: US 7,527,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/195.100
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/0209 Multistage baking
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/067 Curing or cross-linking the coating
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/068 using ionising radiations (gamma, X, electrons)
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/061 Special surface effect
• CPC Class Codes: B44D 5/00 Surface treatment to obtain special artistic surface effects or finishes pretreatment or after-treatment of surface coated by applying liquids B05D3/00; obtaining special surface effects by applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces B05D5/00; surface shaping of plastics, e.g. embossing, B29C59/00
• CPC Class Codes: B44F 1/02 produced by reflected light, e.g. matt surfaces, lustrous surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/00 Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, characterised by their physical nature or the effects produced electrically insulating plastics, resins or waxes H01B3/30; Filling pastes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/239 Complete cover or casing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24893 including particulate material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24901 including coloring matter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree

Abstract

Surface covering components that include a topcoat layer with different gloss levels in various regions on the top coat layer, and methods of manufacturing such surface covering components, are disclosed. The surface covering components include a coating layer that includes regions that have a relatively higher gloss, and regions with a relatively lower gloss. The differential gloss is provided by coating a substrate with a UV-curable coating composition, subjecting a first region of the surface coating to polymerization under a first set of conditions, and subjecting a second region of the surface coating to polymerization under a second set of conditions. The UV-curable coating compositions include UV-curable components and one or more flatting agents. The different polymerization conditions involve applying various photoinitiators, thermal initiators and/or cure altering agents to some regions of the coated substrate, and not applying these components to other regions of the substrate. The components are applied in the form of a pattern. Regions in contact with these components are cured at different rates in one step or in different steps, for example, sequential UV and EB irradiation or UV irradiation at different wavelengths and/or exposure times. The resulting surface coverings and surface covering substrates have differential gloss in register with the printed and/or sprayed patterns.

Claims

1. A surface covering or surface covering component comprising:

a) a substrate and,

b) a crosslinked top coat overlying the substrate, the crosslinked top coat being formed from a radiation curable composition and having an exposed surface, the crosslinked top coat comprising a portion adjacent the exposed surface that includes a first region with a first concentration of a first initiator and a second region with a second different concentration of the first initiator,

whereby the exposed surface of the crosslinked top coat adjacent the first region has a first gloss level and the exposed surface of the crosslinked top coat adjacent the second region has a second different gloss level.

5. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, wherein the crosslinked top coat is continuous and overlies the entire substrate.

7. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, wherein the first initiator is selected from the group consisting of a thermal initiator, photoinitiator and mixtures thereof

8. The surface covering or surface component of claim 1, wherein the first initiator is a first thermal initiator, and the topcoat composition comprises a second thermal initiator.

55. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, further comprising a patterned layer between the substrate and the crosslinked top coat, wherein the patterned layer includes a pattern of a thermal initiator.

56. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, wherein the second region comprises substantially no initiator.

57. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 55, wherein the regions of different gloss levels are in register with the pattern of the patterned layer.

58. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, wherein the surface covering or surface covering component further comprises a patterned layer between the substrate and the crosslinked top coat, the pattern layer comprising the initiator adjacent the first region.

59. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 58, wherein the crosslinked top coat comprises the same initiator in the first and second regions, the initiator in the first and second regions being the same as the initiator of the patterned layer.

60. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, wherein the crosslinked top coat comprises the first initiator in the first and second regions.

61. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, further comprising a patterned layer between the substrate and the crosslinked top coat, the pattern layer comprising the first initiator adjacent the first region, and wherein the crosslinked top coat comprises the first initiator in the first and second regions.

65. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 1, wherein a clear layer is interposed between the substrate and the crosslinked top coat.

66. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 65, wherein a printed pattern is interposed between the substrate and the clear layer.

67. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 65, wherein a print layer is interposed between the clear layer and the top coat, the print layer comprising the initiator.

2-4. -4. (canceled)

6. (canceled)

9-17. -17. (canceled)

23-54. -54. (canceled)

62. A surface covering or surface covering component comprising:

a) a substrate and

b) a top coat comprising a first region having a first gloss level and a second region having a second gloss level different from the first region, the top coat overlying the substrate,

wherein the top coat is formed from a UV-curable composition comprising a UV-curable component and a flatting agent of finely divided particles, and

wherein the first region comprises an initiator, the concentration of the initiator being different than the concentration of the initiator in the second region.

18. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, wherein the second region comprises a thermal initiator.

19. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, further comprising a patterned layer between the substrate and the top coat, the patterned layer comprising a photoinitiator adjacent the first region, and wherein the top coat in the second region is substantially free of photoinitiator.

20. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, wherein the top coat in the second region is substantially free of initiator.

21. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, further comprising a patterned layer between the substrate and the top coat, the patterned layer comprising a gloss controlling agent adjacent the first region, and wherein the the top coat in the first and second regions comprise a photoinitiator.

22. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, wherein the top coat in second region comprises (a) an initiator different than the initiator in the first region, or (b) the same initiator as the initiator in the first region, but the concentration of the initiator in the second region is different than the concentration of the initiator in the first region.

63. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, wherein the top coat is a crosslinked top coat.

64. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, wherein the concentration of the flatting agent in the first region adjacent the exposed surface of the crosslinked top coat is different than the concentration of the flatting agent in the first region opposite the exposed surface.

68. The surface covering or surface covering component of claim 62, wherein the first region comprises an initiator selected from the group consisting of photoinitiators, thermal initiators and combinations thereof.