DECORATED SURFACE-STRUCTURED WALL OR FLOOR PANEL BASED ON A FIBER CEMENT SHEET

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a decorated, surface-structured wall or floor panel and a method for manufacturing same. The decorated, surface-structured wall or floor panel of the disclosure comprises a substrate made of a fiber cement material, a primer coat on a surface of the substrate, a decorative coat on the primer coat, a coat of radiation curable varnish or hot melt on the decorative coat, a structured plastic film on the coat of radiation-curable varnish or hot melt, and a coat of finishing varnish on the structured plastic film.

Claims

1. A decorated wall or floor panel comprising: a carrier made of a fiber cement material; a primer layer disposed on a surface of the carrier; a decorative layer disposed on the primer layer; a layer of a radiation-curable varnish or a hot melt disposed on the decorative layer; a structured plastic film disposed on the layer of a radiation-curable varnish or hot melt; and a topcoat layer disposed on the structured plastic film.

2. the decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises a fiber cement material which includes inorganic, organic, metallic, synthetic fibers or mixtures thereof.

3. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the primer layer comprises a radiation-curing urethane and/or urethane acrylate.

4. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the decorative layer comprises at least one radiation-curing ink composition.

5. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the varnish applied onto the decorative layer in order to form a layer of a radiation-curable varnish comprises an acrylate, a diacrylate, a methacrylate, a urethane, urethane acrylate or mixtures thereof.

6. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the structured plastic film is made of a plastic selected from the group consisting of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), a polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), a copolymer or a block copolymer thereof.

7. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the structured plastic film has a thickness between >60 m and 500 m, preferably between 80 m and 350 m, in particular between 100 m and 300 m.

8. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the structured plastic film has an embossing depth between 60 m and 180 m.

9. The decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the varnish applied onto the structured plastic film for forming a topcoat layer comprises an acrylate, a diacrylate, a methacrylate, a urethane, urethane acrylate or mixtures thereof.

10. the decorated wall or floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the panel comprises complementary locking means at at least two opposite edges by means of which panels can be joined together in order to form a connected wall or floor covering.

11. A method for producing a decorated wall or floor panel, comprising the steps: a) providing a carrier made of a fiber cement material; b) applying a primer layer onto a surface of the provided carrier; c) applying a decorative layer onto the primer layer applied in step b) by means of a direct printing process; d) applying a layer of a radiation-curable varnish or a hot melt onto the decorative layer applied in step c); then either e1) applying a non-structured plastic film onto the not yet or not yet completely cured layer of the radiation-curable varnish or hot melt applied in step d); e2) curing the layer of a radiation-curable varnish or hot melt applied in step d) by the action of suitable electromagnetic radiation or cooling, wherein the plastic film applied in step e1) is bonded to the remaining layer structure; e3) structuring the non-structured plastic film applied in step e1) by an embossing means to form a structured plastic film; or e1) applying a structured plastic film onto the not yet or not yet fully cured layer of the radiation-curable varnish or hot melt applied in step d); e2) curing the layer of the radiation-curable varnish or hot melt applied in step d) by the action of suitable electromagnetic radiation or cooling, wherein the plastic film applied in step e1) is bonded to the remaining layer structure; subsequently f) applying at least one covering layer of a radiation-curable varnish onto the structured plastic film; and g) curing the at least one covering layer applied in step f).

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein as the embossing means in step e3) an embossing roller, an embossing plate or an embossing die with an embossing depth is used, which is less than the thickness of the plastic film applied in step e1).

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein step e3) is carried out under the action of heat and the heat action is controlled such that the plastic film is heated to a temperature in the range between 30% and 80%, preferably 40% and 70% of the melting temperature of the plastic film material.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the side of the plastic film facing the carrier is subjected to a corona treatment and/or a plasma treatment prior to the application onto the not yet or not yet fully cured layer of the radiation-curable varnish or hot melt applied in step d) and/or an adhesive primer is applied onto the side of the plastic film facing the carrier plate.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein a composition comprising a swelling agent and/or a solvent suitable for the plastic film material is applied as an adhesive primer.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0100] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0101] The disclosure is explained below with reference to the figures and an exemplary embodiment.

[0102] FIG. 1 shows schematically the structure of a decorated and surface-structured wall or floor panel according to the disclosure;

[0103] FIG. 2 shows schematically an intermediate product which can be obtained in the context of the method according to the disclosure;

[0104] FIG. 3 shows schematically a further intermediate product which can be obtained in the context of the method according to the disclosure; and

[0105] FIG. 4 shows schematically a decorated wall or floor panel with an unstructured plastic film.

[0106] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0108] FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a decorated and surface-structured wall and/or floor panel 100 according to the disclosure. The panel comprises a carrier 110 preferably made of a fiber cement material. On a surface of the carrier 110 a primer layer 120 is disposed which also can serve as a printing subsurface for the decorative layer 130 disposed thereon. The decorative layer 130 can be applied onto the primer layer 120 by means of a direct printing process such as flexographic printing, offset printing or screen printing processes, and in particular by means of digital printing techniques, such as inkjet processes or laser printing processes. On the decorative layer 130, in turn, a layer 140 of a radiation-curable varnish or a hot melt is disposed, by means of which the structured plastic film 150 disposed on the layer 140 is bonded to the layer composite. Above the structured plastic film 150, a topcoat layer 160 is disposed. It may be provided that the topcoat layer 160 comprises hard materials and/or solids and/or fibers for improving the wear resistance. In any case, the topcoat layer is designed such that it does not or not completely level out the surface structure caused by the structured plastic film, so that it is at least partially haptically perceptible at the surface of the wall or floor panel.

[0109] FIG. 2 shows schematically an intermediate product 101, as can be obtained in the context of the method according to the disclosure. Here, the layers 110, 120, 130 and 140 correspond to the layers known from FIG. 1. Instead of an already pre-structured plastic film the intermediate product shown in FIG. 2 comprises a not or not completely structured plastic film 151. In an optional temporally and/or spatially separated further processing step, the surface of the intermediate product 101 formed by the plastic film can be structured by means of suitable embossing means, in particular under the action of heat. In a further optional temporally and/or spatially separated further processing step then a topcoat layer can be applied.

[0110] FIG. 3 shows schematically an intermediate product 102, as can be obtained in the context of the method according to the disclosure. Here, the layers 110, 120, 130 and 140 correspond to the layers known from FIG. 1. The layer 152 represents a structured plastic film in the embodiment shown. It may either be an already pre-structured plastic film or a non-structured plastic film as shown in FIG. 2, which in an optional temporally and/or spatially separated further processing step has been structured by means of suitable embossing means, in particular under the action of heat. In a further optional temporally and/or spatially separated further processing step then a topcoat layer can be applied.

[0111] FIG. 4 shows schematically a decorated wall or floor panel 103, as can be obtained in the context of the method according to the disclosure. The layers 110, 120, 130 and 140 correspond to the layers known from FIG. 1. In an optional temporally and/or spatially separate further processing step then a topcoat layer 160 can be applied.

[0112] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.