DECORATION OF SURFACESThis invention is concerned with the decoration of the surfaces.
In, for example, in particular, it has been a common practice to construct doors and particularly interior fitting doors from an internal framework, for example, of wood and to then cover in the framework with facing panels.
These facing panels can be formed from natural woods commonly constituted by multiply panels fabricated from thinner sheets (plies) of natural woods. In this later case the outer appearance of the panel exhibits the natural look and surface feel of the particular wood used.
In an alternative construction the panels are formed from fibrous or like materials commonly referred to as hard board.
In the case of panels made from reconstituted materials it will be understood that the natural appearances and feel of natural woods are lost.
Various proposas have been made to provide a visual simulation of conventionally know wood grain formations on such panels to produce finish looking like wood.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of more realistically simulating natural appearance of woods upon panels, for example, of the man made kind involving the use of plastics. Broadly, according to the present invention there isprovided a method of producing a required pattern on sheet plastics material mcluding the step of processing the sheet material in such manner as to form a three dimensional pattern on the sheet surface.
Preferably, the required pattern is initially produced by printing upon a sheet of thermoplastic material and then moulding the printed sheet to produce embossing of the sheet in register with the printed image.
The moulding of the thus printed sheet material is thus such as to emboss of those parts of the printed image that are required to be raised above the general plane of the sheet so as, for example, to simulate/replicate the actual surface of a piece of wood and to thus simulate the feel of the grain pattern of a sheet of natural wood.
Conveniently, when the printed image simulates raised grain patterns of a natural wood the embossing is such that those parts of a natural grain involvmg a raismg relative to the remainder of the natural grain surface are correspondmgly raised.
In a particular embodiment a sheet of thermoplastic material such as acryanitrile butadiene styrene (A. B. S) which is intended to be used, for example, as a facing panel for an interior fitting door has pnnted thereupon an image that simulates or otherwise represents a replia of the appearance of the gram of a specific woodFor example, by effectively providing the surfaceof the plastics matenal with the successive series of interleaved generally Vee formations that are characteristic of oak grain when oak wood is cut lengthways of a bole thereof The printing involves the use of an ink that is ultra violet stable and is fully heat treatable without image degrading or the like. The printed sheet is then subjected to a moulding operation that involves producing in the sheet an embossing that corresponds to the pattern that has been printed on to the sheet material. In other words, the sheet is placed into a moulding apparatus that is capable of shaping the sheet as to produce in the sheet being treated the equivalent of the image printed upon the sheet.
It will be appreciated that during the moulding operation it is important to ensure that the printed image on the sheet registers with the embossing regions of the moulding apparatus.
Following the moulding of the printed sheet material the latter can be used for any desired purpose in which it is desirable for the outer facing surface of the sheet/panel should simulate wood grain.
As has been mentioned above one such use is as a facing panel for an interior fitting door.
In the latter case there is a practical advantage in arranging that an embossed region of the moulded sheet does not actually meet with the physical edge of the panel. This has the important merit in that in so far as the use of the moulded sheet as a door facing panel is concerned a continuous plane non embossed border is produced around the sheet thereby to avoid raised regions at the periphery of the door utilising the panel.
Since the inks used are preferably ultra violet stable doors involving the sheet material can be used in locations exposed to sunlight, i. e., as external doors.