Coextruded foil composite material and its use in card bodies

• US 9,676,133 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Giesecke + Devrient Mobile Security GmBH (Giesecke & Devrient GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
• Inventors: Regensburger, Cordula, Braun, Andreas, Riedl, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLLSCHLAGER, JEFFREY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US14/172,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20140166183A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/08 flexible, e.g. films
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/21 the layers being joined at their surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/307 specially adapted for bringing together components, e.g. melts within the die
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/003 PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0026 Flame proofing or flame retarding agents
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0032 Pigments, colouring agents or opacifiyng agents
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0044 Stabilisers, e.g. against oxydation, light or heat
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/005 Heat sensitisers or absorbers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/16 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0046 Elastic
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2007/008 Wide strips, e.g. films, webs
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2274/00 Thermoplastic elastomer material
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/41 Opaque
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/50 having particular mechanical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/536 Hardness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/54 Yield strength; Tensile strength
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/546 Flexural strength; Flexion stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/714 : Inert, i.e. inert to chemical degradation, corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/732 : Dimensional properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/734 : Dimensional stability
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/75 : Printability
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2425/00 : Cards, e.g. identity cards, credit cards
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2429/00 : Carriers for sound or information
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 : of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/18 : characterised by the use of special additives
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/285 : comprising polyethers
• 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 7/023 : Optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/10 : at least one layer having inter-reactive properties
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/30 : Plastic material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/00 : Information-bearing cards or sheet-like structures characterised by identification or security features; Manufacture thereof printing processes to produce identification or security features B41M3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/305 : Associated digital information record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/45 : Associating two or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 : Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 : Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]

Abstract

A composite film material usable in a data carrier card body includes a first outer plastic layer, an inner plastic layer and a second outer plastic layer, all the layers together forming a coextruded composite. The plastic material of the first outer layer is a polyethylene terephthalate glycol copolymer (PETG) or contains a PETG, the plastic material of the inner layer is a thermoplastic elastomer (TPC) or contains a TPC, and the plastic material of the second outer layer is a PETG or contains a PETG.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a foil composite material in the form of a coextrusion of a first outer layer plastic material, a second outer layer plastic material, and an inner layer plastic material, comprising:

merging all the plastic materials in a molten state, and extruding them through an extruder nozzle that extrudes a foil, to thereby obtain an extruded foil composite material, in which the inner plastic layer is formed between the first and the second outer plastic layer,

wherein the inner layer plastic material is a thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TPC) or contains a TPC, and

the first and the second outer layers each comprise an outermost partial layer of polyethylene terephthalate glycol copolymer (PETG) or containing a PETG, and an innermost partial layer comprising a mixture of PETG and TPC,

wherein the innermost partial layers each comprise 20% of a total layer thickness of the foil composite material, and

wherein the content of TPC is higher the further inward the plastic material is located and the content of PETG is higher the further outward the plastic material is located.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coextrusion is carried out at a nozzle temperature of 210 to 260°

C.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extruder flow rates are set such that a foil composite material is coextruded, and wherein the thickness of the inner layer constitutes 40 to 80% of the thickness of the foil composite material.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or the second outer plastic layer contains an antiblocking agent in the range of up to and including 4 wt. %.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the total layer thickness of the foil composite material lies in the range of 50 μ

m to 350 μ

m.

5. A method for manufacturing a foil composite material in the form of a coextrusion of a first outer layer plastic material, a second outer layer plastic material, and an inner layer plastic material, comprising:

merging all the plastic materials in a molten state, and extruding them through an extruder nozzle that extrudes a foil, to thereby obtain an extruded foil composite material, in which the inner plastic layer is formed between the first and the second outer plastic layer,

wherein the inner layer plastic material is a thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TPC) or contains a TPC, and

the first and the second outer layers each comprise at least one outermost partial layer of polyethylene terephthalate glycol copolymer (PETG) or containing a PETG, and at least one innermost partial layer comprising a mixture of PETG and TPC,

wherein the content of TPC is higher the further inward the plastic material is located and the content of PETG is higher the further outward the plastic material is located, and

wherein the first outer layer contains 96 wt. % or more PETG, and

wherein the inner layer is the thickest layer, and

wherein the thickness of the inner layer constitutes 60 to 80% of the thickness of the foil composite material.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the outermost partial layer of the first outer layer contains an antiblocking agent in the range of up to and including 4 wt. %.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein one or more of the first outer layer, the inner layer, and the second outer layer contains one or more additives selected from the group consisting of fillers, color pigments, oxidation stabilizers, UV stabilizers, laser additives, flame retardants, and optical brighteners.