Decorated injection moulded product, and a method for producing the same

Abstract

A method for producing an injected moulded product includes producing a first injection moulded layer having an external and an internal surface, of which the external surface is directed towards a front face of the injection moulded product. A foil is attached to the first injection moulded layer. The foil has first and second sides, and there is at least one pattern on the foil. The foil is placed against the internal surface of the first injection moulded layer. The injection moulded product may include a second injection moulded layer so that the first injection moulded layer, the foil and said second injection moulded layer constitute, in this order, an integral layered structure. The first side of the foil is next to the internal surface of the first injection moulded layer and said second injection moulded layer is next to the second side of the foil.

Description

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD [0001] The invention concerns generally the technology of producing injection moulded products. Especially the invention concerns the technology of producing such products that have certain features that originate from an in-mould decorating process. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Injection moulding refers to the procedure of manufacturing products by injecting molten plastic material into a carefully designed mould that defines a cavity having the form of the desired end product. In-mould decorating may be generally understood to denote any technology, which applies text, pattern or image to a moulding as a part of the moulding process. In a more limited sense, which is also used in this patent application, in-mould decorating refers to a process where a decorative insert is placed into a mould before injecting molten plastic material into the mould. The word “decorative” should be understood widely, because in addition to purely aesthetic purposes the inser...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The solution enhances the mechanical wear resistance and durability of decorated injection moulded products while maintaining ease of manufacturing and allowing for high-yield mass production, with the option to incorporate transparent or opaque layers for specific visual and functional effects.

Problems solved by technology

The disadvantage of having the printed patterns fully exposed on the outmost surface of the product is that the resistance of such a product against mechanical wear is poor.

This way the mechanical stability of the patterned surface can be remarkably enhanced, but the development comes at the cost of adding a stage to the manufacturing process.

Many protective lacquers comprise easily evaporated solvents that are potential sources for fire and environment hazards in the manufacturing plant, which makes their use unattractive.

The use of a separate coating layer makes the manufacturing process also more vulnerable to dust and other impurities in air.

This approach involves also certain difficulties that are mainly related to the patterns' poor resistance against the erosion caused by the hot, molten polymer resin that flows into the mould and along the printed surface of the foil.

Using two parallel foils and laminating them together has, however, proven to be somewhat problematic because the foil structure tends in some cases to become visible on the surface of the completed product.

Additionally the process becomes rather complex and involves a relatively large number of processing steps.

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