Thermal reactive ink transfer system
View Patent ↗An ink transfer system including an ink transfer decal that is transferable to a final substrate, such as a bare metal or pre-painted autobody part, without use of a separate adhesive. The transferred ink decal is capable of withstanding temperature elevations common during automotive paint baking without significant thermal degradation, discoloration, shrinkage or pealing.
1. A coating transfer system comprising:
a flexible backing sheet having a surface adapted to releaseably receive polymer resins,
an ink transfer coating printed upon a portion of said sheet and forming a film, said ink transfer coating comprising a thermoplastic polymer resin, a UV stabilizer to inhibit photo degradation of polymers formed from said resin, and an antioxidant to inhibit oxidative degradation of polymers formed from said resin, said ink transfer coating being releaseably received on sheet,
a removable transfer medium coating deposited upon said ink transfer coating to form a film that will not strongly adhere to said ink transfer coating and is releaseable from said ink transfer coating,
said system being constructed without a separately applied adhesive.
2. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said transfer medium film extends outward from the margins of said ink transfer coating.
3. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said resin comprises aliphatic polyurethane.
4. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said resin comprises polyester-based polyurethane.
5. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said resin comprises the reaction product of at least one diisocyanate and a polyol.
6. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said resin comprises a diphenylmethane diisocyanate.
7. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said resin comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of 4,4′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 4,2′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate and 2,2′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate.
8. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a UV absorbing compound.
9. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine.
10. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl substituted benzophenones and hydroxyl substituted benzotriazoles.
11. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyphenyl-benzotriazoles, hydroxyphenyl-triazines, hydroxy-benzophenones and oxalic anilides.
12. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine light stabilizer derived from 2,2,6,6-tetraalkyl piperidine.
13. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine light stabilizer derived from a substituted piperizinedione.
14. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine light stabilizer derived from decanedioic acid.
15. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said antioxidant comprises a sterically hindered phenolic compound.
16. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said ink transfer coating softens and adheres to a receiving substrate when said ink transfer coating is heated above ambient temperature.
17. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said ink transfer coating softens and adheres to a receiving substrate when said ink transfer coating is heated to 185° F. or above.
18. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said ink transfer coating softens and adheres to a receiving substrate when said ink transfer coating is heated to a temperature between 185° F. and 375° F.
19. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said transfer medium comprises at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of nitrocellulose, polyvinyl acetate, and acrylic methacrylate.
20. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said transfer medium comprises a plasticizer.
21. The coating transfer system of claim 1 wherein said transfer medium comprises a release agent.
22. The coating transfer system of claim 1 further comprising a release layer deposited upon said ink transfer coating.
23. The coating transfer system of claim 1 , said ink transfer coating further comprising free isocyanate compounds.
24. The coating transfer system of claim 1 , said flexible backing sheet being water slide decal paper.
25. The coating transfer system of claim 1 , said ink transfer coating comprising one or more separately applied liquid ink layers, each of said one or more ink layers being formed by printing a solvent-containing ink onto said sheet, said ink being capable of drying by solvent evaporation at ambient conditions within one hour of application to said sheet.
26. The coating transfer system of claim 25 , said ink transfer coating further comprising a transparent base coat in addition to said one or more ink layers.
27. The coating transfer system of claim 1 , wherein said ink transfer film may be stretched to elongate greater than 400%.
28. The coating transfer system of claim 1 , wherein after removal of said backing sheet and said ink transfer coating is placed in contact with a pre-painted substrate and heated to a temperature of 185° F. or above, polymers formed from said resin migrate into said substrate thereby permanently bonding said ink transfer coating with said pre-painted substrate without a separately applied adhesive.
29. A coating transfer system comprising:
a flexible backing sheet having a surface adapted to releaseably receive polymer resins,
an ink transfer coating printed upon a portion of said sheet and forming a film, said ink transfer coating comprising a thermoplastic polymer resin, a UV stabilizer to inhibit photo degradation of polymers formed from said resin, and an antioxidant to inhibit oxidative degradation of polymers formed from said resin, said ink transfer coating being releaseably received on sheet,
a removable transfer medium coating deposited upon said ink transfer coating to form a film that will not strongly adhere to said ink transfer coating and is releaseable from said ink transfer coating, wherein said transfer medium comprises at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of nitrocellulose and acrylic methacrylate,
said system being constructed without a separately applied adhesive.
30. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said transfer medium film extends outward from the margins of said ink transfer coating.
31. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said transfer medium film exhibits high flexibility and elongation characteristics after curing.
32. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said resin comprises aliphatic polyurethane.
33. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said resin comprises polyester-based polyurethane.
34. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said resin comprises the reaction product of at least one diisocyanate and a polyol.
35. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said resin comprises a diphenylmethane diisocyanate.
36. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said resin comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of 4,4′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 4,2′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate and 2,2′ diphenylmethane diisocyanate.
37. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a UV absorbing compound.
38. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine.
39. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl substituted benzophenones and hydroxyl substituted benzotriazoles.
40. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyphenyl-benzotriazoles, hydroxyphenyl-triazines, hydroxy-benzophenones and oxalic anilides.
41. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine light stabilizer derived from 2,2,6,6-tetraalkyl piperidine.
42. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine light stabilizer derived from a substituted piperizinedione.
43. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said UV stabilizer comprises a hindered amine light stabilizer derived from decanedioic acid.
44. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said antioxidant comprises a sterically hindered phenolic compound.
45. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said ink transfer coating softens and adheres to a receiving substrate when said ink transfer coating is heated above ambient temperature.
46. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said ink transfer coating softens and adheres to a receiving substrate when said ink transfer coating is heated to 185° F. or above.
47. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said ink transfer coating softens and adheres to a receiving substrate when said ink transfer coating is heated to a temperature between 185° F. and 375° F.
48. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said transfer medium comprises a plasticizer.
49. The coating transfer system of claim 29 wherein said transfer medium comprises a release agent.
50. The coating transfer system of claim 29 further comprising a release layer deposited upon said ink transfer coating.
51. The coating transfer system of claim 29 , said ink transfer coating further comprising free isocyanate compounds.
52. The coating transfer system of claim 29 , said flexible backing sheet being water slide decal paper.