Encapsulated plastic panel and method of making the same

• US 9,139,242 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Exatec, LLC (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Exatec, LLC (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Weiss, Keith D., Gasworth, Steven M., Grandhee, Sunitha K., Hedderich, Wilfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruthkosky, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): POLLEY, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US14/467,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20140367028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2795/00 Printing on articles made from plastics or substances in a plastic state
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14336 Coating a portion of the article, e.g. the edge of the article B29C45/14573 and B29C45/14598 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14434 Coating brittle material, e.g. glass B29C45/14377, B29C45/14418 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14811 Multilayered articles B29C45/14827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/763 the edges being disposed in a substantial flat plane
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/002 Coloured
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0025 Opaque
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0087 Wear resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/30 Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof vanes or blades B29L2031/08, air bags B29L2022/027
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/778 Windows profiled elements for making window frames B29L2031/005, windscreens B29L2031/3052
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/10 on synthetic resin layer or on natural or synthetic rubber layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/20 Inorganic coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/26 Polymeric coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/28 Multiple coating on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2305/72 Cured, e.g. vulcanised, cross-linked
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/41 Opaque
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/584 Scratch resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/712 Weather resistant
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2605/006 Transparent parts other than made from inorganic glass, e.g. polycarbonate glazings
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/304 : comprising vinyl halide (co)polymers, e.g. PVC, PVDC, PVF, PVDF
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/365 : comprising polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/00 : Ancillary operations in connection with laminating processes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/145 : Printing
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 1/00 : Windows; Windscreens; Accessories therefor B60J10/00 takes precedence; air curtains instead of windows B60J9/04 ; sealing strips for windshields B60J10/70; sealing sash guides for sliding window panes B60J10/74; glass partitions inside vehicles to protect occupants against personal attack B60R21/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/00 : Non-fixed roofs; Roofs with movable panels , e.g. rotary sunroofsB60J10/00 takes precedence; window aspects B60J1/00; fixed roofs B62D25/06; mechanisms for operating wings E05F11/00, E05F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 65/06 : the sub-units or components being doors, windows, openable roofs, lids, bonnets, or weather strips or seals therefor assembling sealing arrangements with vehicle parts, e.g. doors, windows B60J10/45
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/101 : Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/104 : Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/239 : Complete cover or casing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24777 : Edge feature

Abstract

An economical method of manufacturing a plastic glazing panel having an encapsulation to enhance the sealing of the glazing panel to the vehicle is presented. This economical method includes the steps of forming a plastic panel having an A-side and B-side; printing an opaque border from an ink with the border being in contact with the B-side of the panel and substantially encircling the perimeter of the panel; curing the ink of the opaque border; applying a weatherable layer on the printed border and the plastic panel; curing the weatherable layer; depositing an abrasion resistant layer on the weatherable layer; placing the plastic panel into a mold having a soft gasket; injecting an elastomeric material to form an encapsulation that substantially encircles the perimeter of the plastic panel and encompasses the A-side; B-side and edge of the plastic panel; and removing the plastic panel from the mold.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a plastic glazing panel for use as an automotive window or sunroof, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a plastic panel having an A-side and B-side;

printing an opaque border from an ink with the border being in contact with the B-side of the plastic panel and substantially encircling the perimeter of the plastic panel;

curing the ink of the opaque border;

applying a weatherable layer on the opaque border and the plastic panel;

curing the weatherable layer;

depositing an abrasion resistant layer on the weatherable layer;

placing the plastic panel into a mold having a soft gasket;

injecting an elastomeric material to form an encapsulation that substantially encircles the perimeter of the plastic panel; and

removing the plastic panel from the mold.

2. The method of manufacturing a plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the step of injecting an elastomeric material forms an encapsulation that encompasses the A-side, B-side, and an edge of the plastic panel.

3. The method of manufacturing a plastic glazing panel of claim 1, further comprising the step of applying an adhesion promoter on top of the abrasion resistant layer encircling the B-side perimeter of the plastic panel prior to placing the plastic panel into the mold to form the encapsulation.

4. The method of manufacturing a plastic glazing panel of claim 3, further comprising the step of heating the plastic panel on the A-side and B-side of the plastic panel in close temporal proximity to activate the adhesion promoter without substantially distorting the shape of the window.

5. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the plastic includes a forming method selected from injection molding, blow molding, compression molding, thermal forming, vacuum forming, and cold forming.

6. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the ink printing step includes a printing method selected from screen printing, pad printing, or ink jet printing.

7. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the ink curing step uses a curing method selected as one of air drying, UV absorption, thermal absorption, condensation addition, thermally driven entanglement, cross-linking induced by cationic or anionic species, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the step of applying the weatherable layer uses an application method selected as one of flow coating, spray coating, curtain coating, dip coating, or spin coating.

9. The method of manufacturing a plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the step of curing the weatherable layer includes a mechanism selected as one of air drying, UV absorption, thermal absorption, condensation addition, thermally driven entanglement, cross-linking induced by cationic or anionic species, and a combination thereof.

10. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing an abrasion resistant layer uses a vacuum deposition technique.

11. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 10, wherein the step of depositing an abrasion resistant layer uses a vacuum deposition technique selected from plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), expanding thermal plasma PECVD, plasma polymerization, photochemical vapor deposition, ion beam deposition, ion plating deposition, cathodic arc deposition, sputtering, evaporation, hollow-cathode activated deposition, magnetron activated deposition, activated reactive evaporation, thermal chemical vapor deposition, and any known sol-gel coating process.

12. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation is one selected from the group of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic elastomers, urethanes, and thermoplastic olefins.

13. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the abrasion resistant layer is one selected from aluminum oxide, barium fluoride, boron nitride, hafnium oxide, lanthanum fluoride, magnesium fluoride, magnesium oxide, scandium oxide, silicon monoxide, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxy-nitride, silicon oxy-carbide, hydrogenated silicon oxy-carbide, silicon carbide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, tin oxide, indium tin oxide, yttrium oxide, zinc oxide, zinc selenide, zinc sulfide, zirconium oxide, zirconium titanate, and a mixture or blend thereof.

14. The method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel of claim 1, wherein the abrasion resistant layer is a composition ranging from SiO_x to SiO_xC_yH_z.

15. A method of manufacturing the plastic glazing panel for use as an automotive window or sunroof, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a plastic panel having an A-side and B-side;

printing an opaque border from an ink on to a plastic film;

curing the ink on the plastic film; and

forming and adhering the opaque border and the plastic film to the B-side of the plastic panel so that the opaque border substantially encircles the perimeter of the plastic panel;

applying a weatherable layer on the printed border and the plastic panel;

curing the weatherable layer;

depositing an abrasion resistant layer on the weatherable layer;

placing the plastic panel into a mold having a soft gasket;

injecting an elastomeric material to form an encapsulation that substantially encircles the perimeter of the plastic panel; and

removing the plastic panel from the mold.