Method of manufacturing a dried, thermoformable, paint-coated sheet material having gloss and smoothness

A method of manufacturing a dried, thermoformable, paint-coated sheet material having gloss and smoothness comprising a dried layer of an aqueous paint on a web of a stretchable, permanent carrier film of thermoplastic polymer composition (a), which comprises

• continuously extruding a molten layer of said thermoplastic polymer composition (a) onto a continuously moving web of a temporary carrier film of composition (b), which has a heat deformation temperature higher than the Tg of composition (a)
• pressing the extruded molten polymer composition (a) into bonding contact with the moving web and cooling the extruded layer to form a solid laminate of releasably bonded films of compositions (a) and (b),
• continuously drawing the resulting laminate through a coating zone in contact with a laminar flow of said aqueous paint to coat a uniform liquid layer of paint on the film of polymer composition (a), said paint containing a polyurethane resin, an organic solvent and water
• continuously drawing the paint-coated laminate through a series of drying stages of successively higher temperatures, including initial drying stages and a final drying stage,
• introducing a flow of air to each stage to cause evaporation of water and organic solvent from the paint layer,
• in the final drying stage providing air at a temperature above the Tg of polymer composition (a) but below the heat deformation temperature of composition (b),
• cooling the laminate to a temperature below the Tg of polymer composition (a), and thereafter peeling the temporary carrier film away from the paint-coated permanent carrier film.