Methods, apparatus and system for decorating plastic articles having an uneven surface or hollow structure are disclosed. An assembly comprising a transfer pad and a flexible heat transfer die comprising a thermal interface material (TIM) replace the hard rubber die in a hot-stamping process to fuse indicia into the surface. The assembly modifies ordinary pad printing into a hot-stamping process that transfers indicia onto uneven surfaces. A pad printing machine or other robotics is used to move the assembly from a position of heating to a position of compressing the ink transfer to the surface of the article.

Provided is a decorative building material and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a decorative building material which is manufactured by a simple process and has a print layer excellent in sharpness, realism, and stereoscopic effect as well as having a functional layer such as an impact absorbing property and a manufacturing method thereof. The method of manufacturing a decorative material includes the steps of: (S1) preparing a transfer film on which a pattern is printed; (S2) preparing a substrate comprising polyvinyl chloride resin, a white film comprising polyvinyl chloride resin, and a transparent film comprising polyvinyl chloride resin; (S3) laminating the white film, the transparent film, and the transfer film on the substrate in order and at the same time performing a heat treatment under pressure; and (S4) peeling off the transfer film.

A sublimated polymer composition with improved weatherability having a coating applied to a substrate by a sublimation process. The substrate includes about 60-90% by weight of polymer selected from the group consisting of polyamides, polyester, polyether and combinations thereof; UV absorber; UV inhibitor; pigment, and antioxidant.

Various of the disclosed embodiments concern printing systems configured to deposit flexible dye sublimation inks onto flexible transfer materials. Together, the flexible ink and transfer material allow images to be transferred onto complex-shaped, i.e. non-planar, surfaces of a substrate. The flexible ink may be, for example, a thermoformable UV dye sublimation ink or a superflexible UV dye sublimation ink. In order to transfer an image onto the substrate, the transfer material is pressed onto the surface of the substrate. The substrate, transfer material, or both are heated to a temperature sufficient to cause the ink to sublimate. During the sublimation process, dye is able to permeate the substrate and form a transferred image. The flexible ink formulation may also include a soluble or solvent-sensitive component. In such embodiments, a solvent can be jetted onto the substrate and/or transfer material to remove residual ink.

A system for transferring graphical representations on an object by sublimation is provided. The system has a first loading device configured to load on a work plane, a support having a graphical representation to be transferred, a second loading device configured to load, the object over the support on the work plane. The system further includes a sublimation apparatus having a catenary, and a plurality of pendulum components hooked to the catenary, each component having ends and jaws configured to cooperate with the work plane so that, by suction, the support wraps the object, is made to adhere to the object and is moved together with the object by way of the catenary in an oven arranged for transferring the support graphical representation from the support to the object. The invention relates also to a method for transferring graphical representations on an object by sublimation.

Methods, apparatus and system for decorating plastic articles having an uneven surface or hollow structure are disclosed. An assembly comprising a transfer pad and a flexible heat transfer die comprising a thermal interface material (TIM) replace the hard rubber die in a hot-stamping process to fuse indicia into the surface. The assembly modifies ordinary pad printing into a hot-stamping process that transfers indicia onto uneven surfaces. A pad printing machine or other robotics is used to move the assembly from a position of heating to a position of compressing the ink transfer to the surface of the article.

A method for texturing a thermoplastic substrate, while forming a dye sublimation image in the thermoplastic substrate is provided. A stack comprising a thermoplastic substrate and a plurality of processing layers is provided, wherein the plurality of processing layers comprise a dye carrier having a dye image and an elastomeric membrane and wherein at least one of the processing layers of the stack is textured. A vacuum pressure is provided on the stack through an elastomeric membrane, wherein the stack is clamped together. The stack is heated to at least a sublimation temperature of the stack, wherein texture from at least one of the process layers is transferred to the thermoplastic substrate. The thermoplastic substrate is cooled to a release temperature. The vacuum pressure is removed. The thermoplastic substrate is removed from the stack.

Aspects are directed to printing a garment and include a method having steps of providing a fabric panel containing polyester, applying an ink layer to a first area of the fabric panel, curing the ink layer, and applying a sublimation dye to the first area and a different second area of the fabric panel. Application of the sublimation dye causes the first area and the second area to have different color saturations. Other aspects include a garment with a fabric panel containing polyester that has a first surface with a first area and a different second area. The garment also includes an ink layer on the first surface and located at the first area and a sublimation dye absorbed by a portion of the fabric panel at the second area and on a surface of the ink layer at the first area.

Methods, apparatus and system for decorating plastic articles having an uneven surface or hollow structure are disclosed. An assembly comprising a transfer pad and a flexible heat transfer die comprising a thermal interface material (TIM) replace the hard rubber die in a hot-stamping process to fuse indicia into the surface. The assembly modifies ordinary pad printing into a hot-stamping process that transfers indicia onto uneven surfaces. A pad printing machine or other robotics is used to move the assembly from a position of heating to a position of compressing the ink transfer to the surface of the article.

A sublimation transfer sheet assembly including a first layer and an dye or ink layer positioned on a first side of the first layer. The first layer and the dye or ink layer being positioned such that when the sublimation transfer sheet assembly is wrapped about an object with the dye or ink layer facing the object, a first edge portion of the sublimation transfer sheet assembly is overlapped by a second edge portion of the sublimation transfer sheet assembly, and the first edge portion is interposed between the second edge portion and the object.