US 11,440,232 B2Granted

Method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material system

AssigneeSunrise Spc Technology, LLC

InventorJohn B. Troendle

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Abstract

A method of producing a glueless dustless composite flooring material system providing PVC-based flooring having waterproof layers providing different qualities of hardness, wear-resistance, sound deadening, and decorative patterns, avoiding the use of moisture-susceptible compressed cellulose-based filler, with layers fused together, avoiding the manufacturing complexity and delamination risks of using glue or adhesive, with a quickly-cured, UV-cured top coating providing long-lasting high performance and shortening and simplifying the manufacturing, which can be done in a sheet-form, essentially continuous-run manner, with an ability to quickly and simply change the optional design printing and texturing produced, and having an optional underlayment layer.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of producing composite flooring material segments, comprising the steps:

(i) forming a flooring base layer by:
(a) providing a mixture of PVC resin and calcium carbonate, wherein said mixture is free of glue;
(b) extruding the mixture at elevated temperature and pressure;
(c) mold forming the extruded mixture into a sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(d) cooling the sheet of said flooring base layer;
(ii) forming a waterproof flooring face layer, by:
(a) providing a PVC decorative polymer film and a PVC wear-resistant polymer film;
and
(b) adding the PVC wear-resistant polymer film to a top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(iii) hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, yielding a sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(iv) conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(v) coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly with a UV-curing plastic resin, thereby forming a waterproof flooring coating layer;
(vi) UV curing said coating of UV-curing plastic resin by exposure to UV light, yielding a finished-large-sheet assembly;
(vii) profile processing said finished-large-sheet assembly, yielding multiple composite flooring material segments of desired size and shape;
and
(viii) packing said composite-flooring-material segments;
where forming of said flooring face layer and forming of said flooring base layer are performed simultaneously, yielding a supply of both for the step of hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer;
where said step of hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer accommodates an essentially continuous supply of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, and produces a pace of an essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said step of conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly is performed without slowing or stopping the pace of the essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said step of coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly is performed at the pace of the essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
and
where said step of UV curing said coating is performed at the pace of the essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly.

20 more elements

A method of producing composite flooring material segments, comprising the steps:

(i) forming a flooring base layer by:
(a) providing a mixture of PVC resin and calcium carbonate, wherein said mixture is free of glue and free of compressed cellulose material;
(b) extruding the mixture at elevated temperature and pressure;
(c) mold forming the extruded mixture into a sheet of said flooring base layer;
and
(d) cooling the sheet of said flooring base layer;
(ii) forming a waterproof flooring face layer, by:
(a) providing a PVC decorative polymer film and a PVC wear-resistant polymer film;
and
(b) adding the PVC wear-resistant polymer film to a top face of said PVC decorative polymer film;
(iii) hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, yielding a sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(iv) conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
(v) coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly with a UV-curing plastic resin, thereby forming a waterproof flooring coating layer;
(vi) UV curing said coating of UV-curing plastic resin by exposure to UV light, yielding a finished-large-sheet assembly;
(vii) profile processing said finished-large-sheet assembly, yielding multiple composite flooring material segments of desired size and shape;
and
(viii) packing said composite-flooring-material segments;
where forming of said flooring face layer and forming of said flooring base layer are performed simultaneously, yielding a supply of both for the step of hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer;
where said step of hot-melt overlaying of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer accommodates an essentially continuous supply of said flooring face layer and said flooring base layer, and produces a pace of an essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said step of conditioning said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly is performed without slowing or stopping the pace of the essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
where said step of coating said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly is performed at the pace of the essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly;
and
where said step of UV curing said coating is performed at the pace of the essentially continuous supply of said sheet-form base-and-face subassembly.

20 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/146,087Filed 11 Jan 2021 · continuation
Priority: 28 Jun 2016
Published: US 2021/0129407 A16 May 2021
Granted: 13 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

B29C 48/022
Extrusion moulding, i.e. expressing the moulding material through a die or nozzle which imparts the desired form; Apparatus therefor:…
B32B 27/08
As the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material: of synthetic resin
B32B 27/304
Comprising vinyl polymers; comprising acrylic polymers: comprising vinyl halide polymers, e.g. PVC, PVDC, PVF, PVDF
B32B 37/06
Methods or apparatus for laminating, e.g. by curing or by ultrasonic bonding: characterised by the heating method

Family

Application15/194,891Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Jun 2016
Application16/432,106Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Jun 2019
US 2021/0129407 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 May 2021
US 10,889,040 B2Parent of this continuation
US 10,343,381 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
Application16/432,106Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2017/0368760 A1Published application
US 2019/0283302 A1Published application
US 11,440,232 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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