Process for preparing decorative surface appearance in acrylic material employing anisotropic particles
A decorative surface appearance in an acrylic material is obtained by applying a flowable crosslinkable acrylic material containing anisotropic particles having an aspect ratio of 3 to a shrinkable support followed by crosslinking to form a solid article.
1. A process for preparing a decorative surface appearance in a decorative acrylic material comprising the steps of
(a) forming a liquid composition containing a crosslinkable acrylic material and anisotropic particles with a majority of the anisotropic particles having an aspect ratio of at least three,
(b) applying the liquid composition to a shrinkable support,
(c) solidifying the liquid composition by crosslinking while allowing the support to shrink, to form a solid article wherein the difference between the shrinkage of the support compared to the shrinkage of liquid composition is at least 0.1%.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the support consists of a polymer film selected from the group of polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polyvinyl fluoride, and polyethylene terephthalate.
3. The process of claim 2 wherein the anisotropic particles are metal flake.
4. The process of claim 3 wherein the liquid composition further comprises chips of polymers used as aesthetic filler.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein the difference between the shrinkage of the support compared to the shrinkage of liquid composition is in a range from 5 to 15%.