Methods and systems for decorating bevel and other surfaces of laminated floorings
View Patent ↗Methods and systems for decorating at least one bevel surface or other surface of a laminated flooring are described. The bevel surface can be decorated by non-transfer printing such as digital printing. The digital printer can be an ink jet printer such as a piezoelectric drop-on-demand (DOD) printer that allows a color and pattern to be placed on the bevel surface that matches the print design (décor pattern or face design) of the laminated flooring. Other devices are provided such as a device that takes a picture of or scans an image of the print design, and modifies the taken picture or the scanned image so that the edge pattern thereof matches with an edge pattern of the print design.
1. A laminated flooring panel comprising:
a) a core having a top surface;
b) one or more recessed surfaces;
c) a layer with a pre-printed décor pattern or face design on said top surface on said core, except on the one or more recessed surfaces;
d) a non-transfer printed decorative pattern printed directly on the one or more recessed surfaces or a layer on said recessed surfaces, and
e) a tongue profile or a groove profile on one or more sides of the laminated flooring panel, wherein a surface of said tongue profile or groove profile has a non-transfer printed decorative pattern on said surface.
2. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , wherein said one or more recessed surfaces are one or more bevel surfaces.
3. The laminated flooring panel of claim 2 , wherein the pre-printed décor pattern or face design has an edge pattern, the decorative pattern has an edge pattern, and the edge pattern of the pre-printed décor pattern or face design matches and/or lines up with the edge pattern of the non-transfer printed decorative pattern.
4. The laminated flooring panel of claim 2 , wherein the laminated flooring panel has a layered construction comprising one or more layers.
5. The laminated flooring panel of claim 4 , wherein the one or more layers comprises a print layer on paper.
6. The laminated flooring panel of claim 2 , further comprising at least one coating located between said bevel surfaces and said non-transfer decorative pattern.
7. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , wherein the pre-printed décor pattern or face design has a pattern adjacent said recessed areas, the decorative pattern has a pattern, and the pattern of the pre-printed décor pattern or face design matches and/or lines up with the pattern of the non-transfer printed decorative pattern.
8. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , wherein the non-transfer printed decorative pattern is a digital printed design.
9. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , wherein the non-transfer printed decorative pattern is an ink jet printed pattern.
10. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , wherein the non-transfer printed decorative pattern has an image resolution of at least 300 dpi.
11. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , wherein the laminated flooring panel has a layered construction comprises one or more layers.
12. The laminated flooring panel of claim 11 , wherein the one or more layers comprises a print layer on paper.
13. The laminated flooring panel of claim 1 , further comprising at least one coating located between said recessed surfaces and said non-transfer decorative pattern.
14. A method of making a laminated flooring panel of claim 1 having at least one recessed surface, comprising non-transfer printing an ink onto the recessed surface to form a decorative pattern.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said recessed surface is at least one bevel surface.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said non-transfer printing occurs at a print speed of at least 100 feet per minute, wherein said printing is upward and at an angle.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said laminated flooring panel has a pre-printed décor pattern or face design on a top surface of said laminated flooring panel except on said bevel surface and the decorative pattern matches and lines up with the said pre-printed design of the laminated flooring.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said laminated flooring panel has a print design on a top surface except on said bevel surface, and said method further comprising obtaining a digital picture of or scanned image of said print design, and modifying the digital picture or scanned image to have dimensions of said bevel surface.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein said recessed surface simulates mortar, grout, or a border.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said recessed surface is located away from an edge of said laminated flooring panel.
21. The method of claim 14 , wherein the non-transfer printing is digital printing.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the digital printing comprises ink jet printing.
23. The method of claim 14 , wherein said non-transfer printing comprises printing with a printing system comprising at least four printheads aligned in a straight line and mounted with said printheads facing upward to said recessed surface, which is facing upside down.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein said printheads are mounted on a single master plate controlled by a servo motor, wherein said printheads are capable of being moved together simultaneously and said printheads are capable of rotating downward to face downward to purge ink.
25. The method of claim 24 , wherein ink reservoirs for each printhead is located on said single master plate.
26. The method of claim 23 , wherein said printheads have an ink throw distance of from 0.1 to 10 mm.
27. The method of claim 23 , wherein said printheads have an ink throw distance of from 1-3 mm.
28. The method of claim 14 , wherein said ink is a radiation curable ink, and said method further comprises curing said ink.
29. The method of claim 28 , wherein said ink printing from said printheads has a meniscus pressure of −5.2 mbar to −0.1 mbar and has a meniscus tolerance of +/−2.0 mbar to +/−0.5 mbar.
30. The method of claim 14 , wherein said laminated flooring panel has a pre-printed décor pattern or face design on a top surface of said laminated flooring panel except on said recessed surface and the decorative pattern matches and lines up with the said pre-printed design of the laminated flooring.
31. The method of claim 14 , wherein the decorative pattern simulates parquet, ceramic, stone, brick, marble, a natural surface, or any combination thereof.
32. The method of claim 14 , wherein the decorative pattern is a wood grain pattern.
33. The method of claim 14 , wherein the recessed surface comprises high density fiberboard or medium density fiberboard.
34. The method of claim 14 , wherein said ink is an ultraviolet light-curable ink.
35. The method of claim 14 , wherein said ink is an electron beam-curable ink.
36. The method of claim 14 , wherein the decorative pattern that is printed on the recessed surface has an image resolution of at least 300 dpi.
37. The method of claim 14 , wherein the printing comprises at least four color process images.
38. The method of claim 14 , wherein said laminated flooring panel has a print design on a top surface except on said recessed surface, and said method further comprising obtaining a digital picture of or a scanned image of said print design, and modifying the digital picture or scanned image to have dimensions of said recessed surface.
39. The method of claim 14 , further comprising surface treating said recessed surface prior to said non-transfer printing.
40. The method of claim 39 , wherein said surface treating comprises applying at least one coating on said recessed surface prior to said non-transfer printing said ink, wherein said non-transfer printing is on said at least one coating.