An injection molded product is disclosed and includes a shingle resembling a cedar shingle tile formed from an amorphous or semi-crystalline thermoplastic and having a wood grain direction. The injection molded product also includes streaks in the shingle that are substantially parallel to the wood grain direction and the streaks extend through an interior of the shingle and appear as contrasting streaks on an exterior of the shingle to form a variegated wood grain appearance. The injection molded product further includes an injection molded vestige in the shingle. The injection molded vestige is located adjacent to a perimeter of the shingle and the injection molded vestige comprises a location at which material entered an injection mold through a gate.

A tile made of hard objects, such as stones, that are enclosed in epoxy and a method to fabricate such tiles are disclosed. The method includes placing a predetermined volume of sand of a predetermined coarseness into a mold of a predetermined size; leveling the sand in the mold; placing a first predetermined volume of stones of a first predetermined size range over the sand in the mold; placing a second predetermined volume of stones of a second predetermined size range over the sand in the mold; pouring a predetermined amount of self-leveling epoxy material over the stones and sand; and curing the epoxy material. A top coat is next applied to ensure that the bigger stones that sit proud of the epoxy are wetted to give the brilliant color of wet stones as seen at the lakeshore.

An injection molded product may include a corner shingle resembling a single course of tiles that differ in size. The corner shingle may be a semi-crystalline thermoplastic and having a wood grain direction. Streaks may be formed in the corner shingle that are substantially parallel to the wood grain direction. The streaks may extend through an interior of the corner shingle and appear as contrasting streaks on an exterior of the corner shingle to form a variegated wood grain appearance. In addition, an injection molded vestige may be formed in the corner shingle. The injection molded vestige may be located adjacent a perimeter of the corner shingle, and may comprise the location at which material entered an injection mold through a gate.

The invention relates to a floor or wall panel and to a method of producing such panel. The panel comprise at least one core layer comprising at least one composite material, said composite material comprising at least one mineral filler, and at least one thermoplastic binder, which are present in a preferred ratio and composition such that a relatively light weight and rigid panel is obtained.

Described herein are resilient floor coverings produced by using digitally printed UV-cured inks and exhibiting high adhesion properties between an ink layer and a wear layer. Also described herein are methods for manufacturing same. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

A large area patterned film includes a first patterned area; a second patterned area; and a seam joining the first patterned area and the second patterned area, wherein the seam has a width less than about 20 micrometers. A method for tiling patterned areas includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a curable material; contacting a first portion of the curable material with a mold; curing the first portion of the curable material; removing the mold from the cured first portion of the curable material; contacting a second portion of the curable material with the mold, such that the mold contacts a portion of the cured first portion of the curable material; curing the second portion of the curable material; and removing the mold to yield a seam between the cured first portion of the curable material and the cured second portion of the curable material, wherein the seam has a dimension less than about 20 micrometers.

A paving tile is made of a first rubber material and a second rubber material that is dissimilar from the first rubber material. The first rubber material may be a recycled rubber material, such as crumb rubber granules from scrap vehicle tires. The second rubber material may be a nitrile rubber material, such as nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). The crumb rubber material is disposed within a mold and leveled. A relatively thin layer of the NBR material is positioned onto the crumb rubber material and the crumb rubber material and the NBR material are chemically bonded without an adhesive using a compression molding process including at least one of a preselected pressure, a preselected temperature and a preselected period of time. The recycled rubber material may have a first color and the nitrile rubber material may have a second color that is different than the first color.

The present invention is related to the production method of the two-layer composite deck tile (1) which comprises the process steps of melting, first of all, the wood-plastic filling material which is used as the top layer (10) and filling the same into the prepared injection mold cavity; then melting the thermoplastic bottom layer (11) which allows the composite deck tile (1) to be high-positioned on the ground where it will be applied and filling the same into the injection mold cavity; allowing the two layers (10, 11) to cool down which are filled into the mold cavity; and removing thereof from the mold after cooling down, so as to be used in the outdoor areas or for floor coverings.

A method of shortening cycle time required to compression mold shingle or tile is provided, wherein carrier plates are comprised of a surface material and a base, and receive a thermoplastic material, thereon. The roofing material is applied to the carrier plate and the carrier plate is subjected to induction heating, by which its surface material has its temperature raised, without substantially raising the temperature of the carrier plate base, such that the thermoplastic material applied thereto is kept heated in the compression mold. Cooling of the thermoplastic material is by heat transfer from the carrier plate surface material to the carrier plate base, and with both materials having good heat conduction capability. The carrier plate surface material has a high receptivity to being heated by induction heating relative the carrier plate base. The carrier plates are serially delivered through the process, to the compression mold.

The invention relates to a floor or wall panel and to a method of producing such panel. The panel comprise at least one core layer comprising at least one composite material, said composite material comprising at least one mineral filler, and at least one thermoplastic binder, which are present in a preferred ratio and composition such that a relatively light weight and rigid panel is obtained.