Search

US-12617195-B2 - Method and installation for manufacturing a floor covering product and floor covering product obtained hereby

US12617195B2US 12617195 B2US12617195 B2US 12617195B2US-12617195-B2

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a floor covering product comprises at least a first step of forming a single- or multi-layered substrate by consolidating synthetic material-based starting material. The method comprises a second step after the first step, which is performed in line with the first step. The at least one continuous film is laminated onto the substrate, and the laminating is performed by means of a belt press.

Inventors

  • Christophe Naeyaert

Assignees

  • UNILIN, BV

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20210204

Claims (13)

  1. 1 . A method for manufacturing a floor covering product, said method comprising: a step of forming a single-or multilayered substrate by consolidating a starting material comprising synthetic material; wherein said forming of the substrate being performed by extrusion, wherein the starting material is extruded into an extruded layer-shaped starting material; a step of performing a levelling treatment on a side of the substrate, said step of performing a levelling treatment being performed subsequent to and in addition to the step of forming; and subsequently a step of applying a print directly on the substrate in the absence of any films being applied on said substrate, said print forming a decor; a step of applying a transparent lacquer layer; a step of providing impressions on a surface of the floor covering product before or after applying said transparent lacquer layer; a step of providing mechanical coupling parts in said extruded layer-shaped starting material by a milling treatment with rotating milling tools, wherein said coupling parts allow that two of such floor panels are arranged to be coupled to each other so that a locking is obtained in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of the coupled panels, and in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled edge and in the plane of the panels; wherein the coupling parts are realized substantially in the extruded layer-shaped starting material.
  2. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the synthetic material is any of the following materials: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyurethane (PUR).
  3. 3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein said impressions are provided by using a roller being provided with a relief on its surface.
  4. 4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the impressions are in register with the decor.
  5. 5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a multilayered substrate.
  6. 6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent lacquer layer is a UV-or electron beam hardening lacquer layer.
  7. 7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said substrate, starting from its manufacture up to the forming of a final floor covering product, is handled in a flat state, or, during bending, is subjected exclusively to bending having a radius of more than 40 cm.
  8. 8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said print is applied by a digital printer.
  9. 9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said decor forms a representation of a wood motif.
  10. 10 . A method for manufacturing a floor covering product, said method comprising: a step of forming a single-or multilayered substrate by consolidating a starting material comprising synthetic material and filler material; said forming of the substrate being performed by extrusion, wherein the starting material is extruded into an extruded a layer-shaped starting material; wherein the synthetic material is any of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP). polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET); a step of performing a levelling treatment on a side of the substrate, said step of performing a levelling treatment being performed subsequent to and in addition to said step of forming; and subsequently a step of applying a print directly on the substrate in the absence of any films being applied on said substrate; said print forming a decor; wherein said print is applied by a digital printer; a step of applying a transparent lacquer layer; said transparent lacquer layer being a UV-or electron beam hardening lacquer layer; a step of providing impressions on a surface of the floor covering product before or after applying said transparent lacquer layer, said impressions being in register with the decor; a step of providing mechanical coupling parts in said extruded layer-shaped starting material by a milling treatment with rotating milling tools, wherein said coupling parts allow that two of such floor panels are arranged to be coupled to each other so that a locking is obtained in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of the coupled panels, as well as in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the coupled edge and in the plane of the panels; wherein the coupling parts are realized substantially in the extruded layer-shaped starting material.
  11. 11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein said decor forms a representation of a wood motif.
  12. 12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein said substrate, starting from its manufacture up to the forming of a final floor covering product, is handled in a flat state, or, during bending, is subjected exclusively to bending having a radius of more than 40 cm.
  13. 13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the starting material further comprises filler material.

Description

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/329,510 filed Jan. 26, 2017, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to the U.S. provisional application No. 62/031,554 filed on Jul. 31, 2014. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method and installation for manufacturing a floor covering product and to a floor covering product obtained thereby. More particularly, the invention relates to the manufacture of floor covering products with a synthetic material-based substrate upon which at least one film is laminated. The film laminated thereon may be of any kind. In the first place, however, a printed film is meant, more particularly a decor film. However, this may also relate to another film, such as a film functioning as a wear layer. Also, a plurality of films may be laminated thereon, for example, the decor film with thereabove a film functioning as a wear layer. In particular, however, not restrictive, the invention aims at the manufacture of floor covering products, the substrate of which is formed of thermoplastic synthetic material. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE More particularly, the invention relates to the production of synthetic material-based floor panels which can be provided as a floor covering on a supporting underlying floor. Generally, such floor panels are known as vinyl tiles, also called LVT (Luxurious Vinyl Tiles), as up to now they mostly are realized on the basis of vinyl. Although the invention in the first place also aims to vinyl tiles, it is clear that it does not restrict itself to this synthetic material, however, is also applicable to tiles, more particularly floor panels of which at least the substrate is realized on the basis of other synthetic materials, for example, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or polyurethane (PUR). Preferably, this relates to semi-rigid or soft synthetic materials, which to this aim may be provided, for example, with plasticizers. Said film, films, respectively, laminated on the substrate, may consist of any suitable synthetic material, however, preferably a PVC film is applied. Other examples are PU, PP and PE films. In the case of a PP film, this may relate, for example, to an oriented polypropylene film. In the case of a PVC film, this preferably relates to a hard PVC film, namely, a film on the basis of PVC without plasticizer or with an amount of plasticizer of less than 5 percent by weight. Such hard PVC film can be printed with a higher precision, certainly in the case of a print performed with water-based inks. In such case, a drying operation by means of heat supply is desirable in the printing process, however, by choosing hard PVC the possible expansion of the film is restricted. The wear layer preferably also comprises a thermoplastic material, such as soft or hard PVC, PU, PP or PE. Preferably, the transparent thermoplastic wear layer is free from solid additives, such as ceramic particles for promoting wear resistance, although this kind of particles is not excluded. However, the inventor has found that they may be omitted in view of obtaining a good transparency, whereas still an acceptable wear resistance is kept. According to an alternative, it is not excluded that the printed decor or the print may be provided on the underside of the wear layer, wherein then no separate film will be necessary for applying the decor. If indeed specifically a film is applied for the decor, the print can be provided either on the upper side only, or on the lower side only, or both on the upper side and the lower side. Such tiles actually relate to floor panels which either may be square, or rectangularly oblong, or may have any other shape. Herein, the possibly provided decor may form a representation of a wood motif or stone motif, or any other motif, such as a fancy pattern. On the surface of such products, for example, said vinyl tiles, a structure may be provided, formed by impressions, such as a wood or stone structure, respectively. Other impressions may be applied as well, for example, in order to imitate deeper-located joints or the like. Further, it is also known that such structure can be performed in correspondence with the printed motif, which in English is called “registered embossed”. By such “correspondence”, as is known, has to be understood that the structure is performed according to a motif which is adapted to the printed motif and that consequently the impressions cannot be provided randomly in respect to the printed motif. The invention aims at a method with which such and other floor covering products can be realized in a particularly smooth manner, such by successively linking very specific production steps, wherein at the same time a good, thus, high-quality lamination of a film on a substrate in such production process is striven for. To this aim, the invention, according to a first aspect, relates to a method for manufacturing a floor covering product, wherein th