Process and apparatus for the manufacture of floor or wall coverings incorporating pebbles, and the product obtained therefrom

• US 4,882,205 A
• Filed: 07/01/1987
• Issued: 11/21/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eurofloor SA
• Original Assignee: Eurofloor SA
• Inventors: Valenduc, Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Shrive
• Application Number:
  US07/069,369
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 427/203, 427/202, 427/204, 427/198, 428/144, 428/147, 428/67, 428/54.2, 428/68, 428/172, 428/143, 428/147
• US Class Current: 427/204
• CPC Class Codes: D06N 7/0055 Particulate material such as cork, rubber particles, reclaimed resin particles, magnetic particles, metal particles, glass beads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/22 Nonparticulate element embedded or inlaid in substrate and visible
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24405 Polymer or resin [e.g., natural or synthetic rubber, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24612 Composite web or sheet

Abstract

An apparatus and method for coating a substrate with plastisol and depositing pebbles into the ungelled coated plastisol is presented. A powder containing fusible particles compatible with the coated substrate and the pebbles is then deposited by at least one rotary silk-screen printing frame and thereafter a heat treatment is carried out in an oven or with infrared lamps at a temperature below the distortion temperature of the substrate in order to set the deposited materials.

Claims

1. Process for the manufacture of synthetic coverings including the steps of:

depositing a layer of plastisol onto a substrate;

depositing a plurality of discrete particles into said plastisol layer;

depositing a powder containing fusible particles compatible with said plastisol coated substrate and said discrete particles;

heat treating said deposited layers at a temperature below the distortion temperature of said substrate to thereby set said deposited materials; and

heating said powder to melt said fusible particles.

2. Process according to claim 1 including the step of:

compacting said discreet particles after the deposition of said powder layer.

3. Process according to claim 2 wherein:

said compacting step is carried out at a temperature such that adhesion is precluded and such that surface homogenization is sufficient.

4. Process according to claim 3 wherein:

said compacting step temperature is between about l20°

C. and about 170°

C .

5. Process according to claim 1 wherein:

said plastisol is deposited in a thickness adapted to the particle size of said discreet particles to be deposited.

6. Process according to claim 1 wherein:

said discreet particles are deposited in excess in the ungelled coated plastisol layer and wherein the excess is then removed.

7. Process according to claim 1 wherein:

said discreet particles comprise fragments of PVC.

8. Process according to claim 1 wherein:

said powder is deposited by means of a rotary silk screen printing frame without contact between said substrate and said deposits of material and said silk-screen printing frame.

9. Process according to claim 1 wherein said heat treatment comprises:

a setting operation at a temperature of between 160 and 20°

C.

10. Process according to claim 6 wherein:

said discreet particles comprise fragments of PVC.

11. Process according to claim 1 including the step of:

at least one surface treatment.

12. Process according to claim 11 wherein said surface treatment step comprises:

embossing said deposited layers.