METHODS OF BONDING POLYESTER SUBSTRATES

• US 20150047774A1
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Getschel, Joel A., Strobel, Mark A., Schmid, Matthew J., Kalish, Jeffrey P., Jonza, James M., Gunes, Ibrahim S., Fansler, Duane D.
• Application Number:
  US14/363,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20150047774A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/244.11
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/154 Coating solid articles, i.e. non-hollow articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/003 PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/04 cellular or porous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/256 Sheets, plates, blanks or films
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0053 bi-axially
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2037/0092 in which absence of adhesives is explicitly presented as an advantage
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2037/148 whereby layers material is selected in order to facilitate recycling of the laminate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2266/0264 Polyester
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2305/022 Foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/51 Elastic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/514 Oriented
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/518 bi-axially
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/54 Yield strength; Tensile strength
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/704 Crystalline
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/72 Density
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/105 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/04 using liquids, gas or steam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/0454 Hot air
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/08 by wave energy or particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2310/0806 : using electromagnetic radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 : Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/065 : of foam
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 : comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/04 : characterised by the partial melting of at least one layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/06 : characterised by the heating method
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/153 : at least one layer is extruded and immediately laminated while in semi-molten state
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/203 : One or more of the layers being plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/206 : Laminating a continuous layer between two continuous plastic layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/24 : with at least one layer not being coherent before laminating, e.g. made up from granular material sprinkled onto a substrate B32B37/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 : characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/32 : at least two layers being foamed and next to each other

Abstract

Methods of bonding polyester substrates together, comprising externally delivering thermal energy onto the bonding surfaces of the substrates and bringing the bonding surfaces into proximity with each other and bonding the substrates to each other.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

externally delivering thermal energy onto a first major bonding surface of a first moving polyester substrate so that the first major bonding surface of the first moving substrate is a heated surface;

externally delivering thermal energy onto a first major bonding surface of a second moving polyester substrate so that the first major bonding surface of the second moving substrate is a heated surface;

bringing the heated first major bonding surface of the first polyester substrate into proximity to the heated first major bonding surface of the second polyester substrate;

and,

self-bonding the first polyester substrate and the second polyester substrate to each other to form a polyester laminate.

2. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a first cellular substrate;

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a second cellular substrate;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a cellular laminate.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a first polyester film;

and,

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a second polyester film;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a film laminate.

4. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a cellular substrate or a cellular laminate;

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a film or a film laminate;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a cellular/film laminate.

5. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a cellular/film laminate,

with a first major bonding surface that is a major surface of a cellular layer of the cellular/film laminate;

and,

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a film or a film laminate;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a film/cellular/film laminate.

6. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a first cellular laminate;

and,

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a cellular substrate or a cellular laminate;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a cellular laminate that comprises more cellular layers than does the first cellular laminate.

7. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a first cellular/film laminate,

with a first major bonding surface that is a major surface of a cellular layer of the first cellular/film laminate;

and,

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a cellular substrate or a cellular laminate;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a cellular/film laminate that comprises more cellular layers than does the first cellular laminate.

8. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first moving polyester substrate comprises a first cellular/film laminate,

with a first major bonding surface that is a major surface of a cellular layer of the first cellular/film laminate;

and,

wherein the second moving polyester substrate comprises a second cellular/film laminate,

with a first major bonding surface that is a major surface of a cellular layer of the second cellular/film laminate;

and wherein the formed polyester laminate is a film/cellular/film laminate.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first polyester substrate and/or the second polyester substrate comprises a biaxially-oriented polyester film.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first polyester substrate and/or the second polyester substrate comprises a polyester foam.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the polyester foam is a thermoformable microcellular polyester foam.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises bringing the heated first major bonding surface of the first polyester substrate into contact with the heated first major bonding surface of the second polyester substrate, so that the first polyester substrate is directly melt-bonded to the second polyester substrate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the externally delivering of thermal energy onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate comprises impinging a flame onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the externally delivering of thermal energy onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate comprises impinging electromagnetic radiation onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the externally delivering of thermal energy onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate comprises impinging heated gaseous fluid onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the externally delivering of thermal energy onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate comprises impinging a first surface of a molten polyester extrudate onto the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate and a second surface of the molten polyester extrudate onto the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate is a quasi-amorphous, flashlamped surface.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the first major bonding surface of the second moving polyester substrate is a quasi-amorphous, flashlamped surface.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the formed polyester laminate is a thermoformable multilayer article comprising:

a thermoformable cellular polyester core layer;

a first biaxially oriented polyester skin layer on the first major side of the polyester core layer;

and,

a second biaxially oriented polyester skin layer on the second major side of the polyester core,

wherein the core layer and the first skin layer are self-bonded to each other and wherein the core layer and the second skin layer are self-bonded to each other.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of thermoforming the formed polyester laminate so that both the first polyester substrate and the second polyester substrate are thermoformed.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the entirety of each of the first and second moving polyester substrates are each polymers of like composition.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the method includes the step of flashlamping at least the first major bonding surface of the first moving polyester substrate, in-line with the self-bonding the first polyester substrate and the second polyester substrate to each other to form the polyester laminate.