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US 7,351,368 B2Granted
Flocked articles and methods of making same
AssigneeHigh Voltage Graphics, Inc.
InventorLouis Brown Abrams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a molded article using lamination of a flocked surface onto a backing film is provided. Also provided is a flocked article comprising an antimicrobial agent.
Claims27
A method, comprising:
- providing a flocked transfer sheet, a pre-formed, self-supporting, and thermosetting adhesive film, and a thermoplastic backing film;
- thereafter laminating the flocked transfer sheet, the thermosetting adhesive film, and the backing film together to form a mold insert;
- and
- forming the mold insert into a three-dimensional shape that substantially corresponds to a surface of at least a portion of a mold;
- positioning the formed mold insert in the mold;
- while the formed mold insert is positioned in the mold, introducing a resin into the mold to form a molded article comprising resin and the formed mold insert, wherein the
- thermosetting adhesive film is thermoset before the introducing step, wherein the formed mold insert retains the three-dimensional shape after the forming step and before positioning in the mold, and wherein a first orientation of the flock fibers before the introducing step is substantially the same as a second orientation of the flock fibers after the introducing step.
4 more elements
A method, comprising:
- forming a plurality of adhesive-containing areas and at least one area free of adhesive on a first surface of a backing film;
- applying flock to the adhesive-containing areas of the backing film but not to the at least one area of the backing film that is free of adhesive, wherein, in the adhesive-containing areas, a thermosetting adhesive is positioned between the flock and backing film;
- forming the backing film into a three-dimensional mold insert for placement in a mold;
- positioning the formed mold insert in the mold;
- while the formed mold insert is positioned in the mold, introducing a resin into the mold to form a molded article comprising resin and the mold insert, wherein the thermosetting adhesive film is substantially fully thermoset before the introducing step, wherein the formed mold insert retains the three-dimensional shape after the forming step and before positioning in the mold, and wherein a first orientation of the flock fibers before the introducing step is substantially the same as a second orientation of the flock fibers after the introducing step.
2 more elements
A method, comprising:
- (a) providing a flocked transfer sheet, a pre-formed, self-supporting, and thermosetting adhesive film, and a thermoplastic backing film;
- (b) thereafter laminating the flocked transfer sheet, the thermosetting adhesive film, and the backing film together to form a mold insert, wherein the laminating step comprises the substeps:
- (B1) heat applying the thermosetting adhesive to the flocked release sheet to form an intermediate transfer, wherein the thermosetting adhesive is in the thermoplastic state after the heat applying step;
- (B2) cutting the intermediate transfer into wanted and unwanted portions, the wanted portion having a final desired shape;
- (B3) removing the unwanted portions leaving the wanted portion of the intermediate transfer;
- and
- (B4) laminating the wanted portion to the backing film to form the mold insert;
- and
- (c) forming the mold insert into a three-dimensional shape that substantially corresponds to a surface of at least a portion of a mold;
- (d) positioning the formed mold insert in the mold;
- (e) while the formed mold insert is positioned in the mold, introducing a resin into the mold to form a molded article comprising resin and the formed mold insert, wherein the thermosetting adhesive film is thermoset before the introducing step (e), wherein a release sheet is affixed to a first surface defined by the flock fibers and the thermosettable adhesive layer to an opposing second surface defined by the flock fibers, and wherein the three-dimensional shape of the backing film prevents dislodgment of the mold insert from a desired position in the mold during the introducing step (e).
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.