METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A PATTERNED FLOOR COVERING AND PATTERNED FLOOR COVERING

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a patterned floor covering is disclosed. The method includes: providing a first component a second component and a third component, manufacturing an intermediate product by mixing the first component and the second component in a mixing device, further processing the intermediate product into a web-shaped floor covering, the second intermediate product being reshaped.

The present disclosure further relates to a patterned floor covering obtainable by the method.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a patterned floor covering, comprising the following steps: providing a first component and a second component, the first and second component being mixable and the first component having a first base color and the second component having a second base color; manufacturing an intermediate product by mixing the first component and the second component in a mixing device, the mixing taking place in such a way that the intermediate product comprises first regions having the first base color, second regions having the second base color and third regions having a first mixed color; further processing the intermediate product into a web-shaped floor covering.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the manufacture of the intermediate product, an amount A of the first component and an amount B of the second component are fed into the mixing device, amount A making up between 50 vol % and 150 vol % of amount B.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the intermediate product, the third regions having the first mixed color make up between 30 vol % and 50 vol %.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate product is granulated in a granulator after the mixing.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a third component is provided and that, during the further processing into a web-shaped floor covering, a second intermediate product is manufactured by mixing the intermediate product with the third component in a second mixing device, the second intermediate product comprising first regions having the first base color, second regions having the second base color, third regions having the first mixed color and fourth regions having a second mixed color.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the color distance dE between the first base color and the second mixed color as determined in accordance with DIN 6176 is between 1.0 and 5.0.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the third component has a third base color.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein during the manufacture of the second intermediate product, an amount C of the third component and an amount D of the intermediate product are added, amount C making up between 150 vol % and 250 vol % of amount D.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein in the second intermediate product, the fourth regions having the second mixed color make up between 30 vol % and 70 vol %.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein in the second intermediate product, the first regions having the first base color make up between 20 vol % and 40 vol %.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one further component having at least one further base color is provided, the further component being additionally fed to the mixing device or to the second mixing device during the manufacture of the intermediate product and/or during the manufacture of the second intermediate product.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mixing device and/or the second mixing device are extruders.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the further processing into a web-shaped floor covering comprises calendering in a calendering system.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calendering system (11) comprises a pair of calender rollers having a first and a second calender roller, the first calender roller being moved at a first circumferential speed V1 and the second calender roller being moved at a second circumferential speed V2, and in that the first circumferential speed V1 is more than 110% of the second circumferential speed V2.

15. A patterned floor covering obtainable by a method according to claim 1.

16. A patterned floor covering according to claim 15, wherein the floor covering has a marbled pattern on a visible surface.

Description

[0041] The drawings show:

[0042] FIG. 1: a schematic representation of the first part of a method for manufacturing a patterned floor covering;

[0043] FIG. 2 the second part of the method for manufacturing a patterned floor covering.

[0044] FIG. 1 schematically shows the first part of the sequence of a method for manufacturing a patterned floor covering. A first component 1 and a second component 2 are provided. A third component 3, used in the second part of the method described in FIG. 2, is moreover provided. It can moreover be seen from FIG. 1 that in the embodiments shown a further component 4 is provided. The first, second, third and further component 1-4 are intermixable materials. The first component 1 has a first base color and the second component 2 has a second base color. The third component 3 has a third base color which is equal to the first base color. According to the invention, it is preferred if the base color of the component 3 but also the rest of its composition is equal to the first component 1. The further component 4 has a further base color. The first, second and further base color are each different. The shown exemplary embodiment provides that the second base color is darker than the first base color, whilst the further base color is brighter than the first base color.

[0045] Since the components are intermixable, a mixed color can be obtained when the components are mixed.

[0046] The components each contain a cross-linkable elastomer. These are in particular elastomer compounds.

[0047] The exemplary embodiment provides that during the manufacture of the intermediate product, an amount A of the first component, an amount B of the second component and an amount E of the further component are added. In the exemplary embodiment shown, amount A makes up between 80 vol % and 120 vol % of amount B. In particular, it may be provided that amounts A, B and E are equally large and therefore the first, second and further component 1, 2, 4 are fed into the mixing device 5 in equal proportions.

[0048] The first, second and further component 1, 2, 4 are provided in the form of strips and supplied to the mixing device 5 in this form. In the mixing device 5, the components are mixed to form the intermediate product 6. The mixing takes place in such a way that, in the intermediate product 6, first regions having the first base color, second regions having the second base color, third regions having a first mixed color and fourth regions having the further base color are obtained. As a result of respective adjustment of the mixing device, it can be achieved that, in the intermediate product 6, the third regions having the first mixed color make up between 30 and 50 vol %. For example, the first mixed color may make up 40 vol % of the intermediate product 6. In the exemplary embodiment, the first region, the second region and the fourth region may each make up 20 vol % of the intermediate product 6.

[0049] The intermediate product 6 may for example be released from the mixing device 5 as a strip. The strip may be comminuted in a granulator 7. The granulator 7 may in particular comprise blades for comminuting the strips, and a sieve. By using a sieve, it is achieved that the diameter of the granulates thus produced is less than the mesh width of the sieve.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows the second part of the method for producing the patterned floor covering. This second part can be carried out immediately after the manufacture of the intermediate product. However, it is also possible to store the intermediate product and to proceed with manufacturing the second intermediate product at a later time.

[0051] It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the second mixing device 8 is loaded with the third component 3 and the intermediate product 6. During the manufacture of the second intermediate product, an amount C of the third component 3 is fed into the second mixing device 8 together with an amount D of the intermediate product. In the exemplary embodiment, amount C makes up between 150 vol % and 250 vol % of amount D. For example, amount C may make up 200% of amount D. Preferably, the third component 3 is fed into the second mixing device 8 as a strip and the intermediate product 6 is fed into as a granulate.

[0052] In the second mixing device 8, mixing takes place again so as to produce the second intermediate product 9. The second mixing device 8 is set up in such a way that the second intermediate product 9 has first regions having the first base color, second regions having the second base color, third regions having the first mixed color and fourth regions having the second mixed color. Moreover, in the exemplary embodiment shown, the second intermediate product also has fifth regions having the further base color. For example, in the second intermediate product, the regions having the second mixed color may make up between 30 vol % and 70 vol %, for example 50 vol %. In this case, in the second product, the first regions having the first base color may make up between 20 vol % and 40 vol %, for example 30 vol %. The remaining regions of the second intermediate product are divided up between the second base color, the further base color and the first mixed color. For example, the regions having the second and the further base color may each make up 5% and the region having the first mixed color may make up 10%.

[0053] By releasing the second intermediate product from the second mixing device 8 through, for example, a perforated disk and breaking up the emerging mass at short intervals, chips can be manufactured from the second intermediate product.

[0054] The second intermediate product 9 is subsequently further processed into a web-shaped floor covering 13. In this context, the second intermediate product 9 is reshaped. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the second intermediate product 9 is comminuted into chips in a comminution device 10. The comminution device 10 may for example comprise a cutting blade. The chips of the second intermediate product are subsequently reshaped by calendering in a calendering system 11. The calendering system 11 comprises a pair of calender rollers comprising a first calender roller 12 and a second calender roller 12. The calender rollers 12, 12 compress the second intermediate product 9 and shape it into a web 13. Optionally, for manufacturing the web, a plurality of calender rollers arranged in succession may be provided. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the second intermediate product 9 is processed in the calendering system 11 after the mixing. However, it is also possible to store the second intermediate product 9 temporarily and to process it further at a later time.

[0055] In the described exemplary embodiment, this results in a web which contains cross-linkable elastomer. By cross-linking the cross-linkable elastomer, a durable floor covering can be obtained. The cross-linking may for example take place in a vulcanization system (for example AUMA) whilst supplying heat and pressure.

[0056] In the shown exemplary embodiment, the first calender roller 12 is moved at a first circumferential speed V1 and the second calender roller 12 is moved in the opposite direction at a second circumferential speed V2. The circumferential speed V1 is higher than the circumferential speed V2. As a result of the different circumferential speeds of the rollers 12, 12, the material is deformed in the longitudinal direction. In this way, the regions of different colors contained in the second intermediate product 9 can be distorted in such a way that particularly finely gradated marbling occurs.

[0057] The mixing device and the second mixing device may each be formed as an extruder. In particular so-called pin extruders are suitable. By using pins, the degree of intermixing of the material when passing through the mixing devices in the form of extruders 5, 8 can be controlled. In this way, the desired visual appearance of the patterned floor covering can be obtained.