US 4,226,658 A · Method of making retroreflective laminate

Abstract

The laminate includes a partially cured flexible acrylic face sheet having a primer layer on one surface thereof bonded to a binder layer having a layer of reflective glass beads embedded therein and protruding therefrom. The laminate being completed with the spacer layer bonded to a bead embedded binder layer. A reflective mirror-like thin metal coating is provided on the outer surface thereof. The improvement resides in using a supported spacer layer so that no stretching of the spacer layer occurs during lamination, thus resulting in lessening of visual defects such as wrinkles and the like and crossbanding in the reflectant characteristics. The process further eliminates the use of a seal coat as well as combining bead coating and lamination into one step rather than two as in the prior art.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A method for forming a retroreflective laminate comprising a top coat layer, a binder layer, spaced optical beads in and protruding from the binder layer, a spacer layer, and a metal film adhered to one face of the spacer layer which is characterized by

(a) forming the spacer layer on a fibrous paper carrier with a release layer thereon, said carrier having uniform compressibility over its entire surface and having more but shorter fibers than average papers, said carrier being clay coated on one face and said release layer being in contact with said one face,
(b) laminating the spacer layer together with the paper carrier to the binder layer with the protruding beads engaging said spacer layer, the fibrous paper carrir supporting the spacer layer to prevent stretching thereof during laminating,
(c) removing the paper carrier, and
(d) applying a metal film to the spacer layer.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of making retroreflective laminate

Life of this patent

Method of making retroreflective laminate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims4