DIGITAL COATING AND PRINTING
Building panels, especially floor panels and a method to produce such building panels that include a decorative surface and a transparent protective layer, which is applied by a digital coating. Also, a vision control system that may be used to adapt a digital print or a digital embossing to a specific panel surface.
1 . A method of coating a building panel having a decorative surface of wood, comprising the steps of:
applying a UV curable coating layer with a digital print head on a decorative surface of wood of a building panel; and
curing the UV curable coating layer with UV light, thereby forming a transparent protective surface layer, wherein said decorative surface is visible through said transparent protective surface layer.
2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the building panel is a floor panel.
3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the building panel is an individual panel having a size, which is essentially the same as the final building panel comprising machined edges.
4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the building panel comprises a mechanical locking system at two opposite edges.
5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the building panel comprises a bevel at an edge.
6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the UV curable coating layer is a liquid polyurethane substance.
7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the UV curable coating layer is water based UV curable polyurethane.
8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the decorative surface comprises a print.
9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital print head is a Piezo print head.
10 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the digital print head is designed to apply drops with a size of about 60-200 picolitres.
11 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the UV curable coating layer comprises wear and/or scratch resistant particles.
12 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the UV curable coating layer comprises a structured surface with cavities and protrusions.
13 . The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the structured surface is in register with the decorative surface.
14 . A floor panel having a core, a surface layer comprising a wood material surface, a print and transparent layers,
wherein a lower transparent layer is located below the print, and an upper transparent layer is located above the print, wherein the lower transparent layer comprises a UV curable polyurethane, and
wherein a part of the wood material surface and the print form a part of a visible surface and the print is at least partly synchronized with the visible design and/or structure of an individual floor panel.
15 . A floor panel as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the upper transparent layer comprises water based polyurethane.
16 . A floor panel as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the upper transparent layer is embossed.
17 . A floor panel as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the upper transparent layer is embossed in register with the print.
18 . A method of forming a decor on a building panel with a digital vision control system that provides digital input to a digital print head, comprising the steps of:
creating a digital image of a surface of a building panel by the digital vision control system;
using the digital vision control system to provide digital input to the digital print head based on said digital image;
digitally printing at least a part of said surface of the building panel with the digital print head and with a print that is at least partly adapted to the digital image of said surface of the building panel.
19 . The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the building panel is a floor panel.
20 . The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the print comprise colour pigments.
21 . The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the surface of the building panel comprises a transparent substance that is UV cured and that after curing forms an embossed structure.