Decorative Sheet Surface Texture for Low-Gloss Durability

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Decorative sheets face challenges in achieving low gloss, fingerprint resistance, scratch resistance, contamination resistance, and bending processability due to the use of high concentrations of gloss adjusters, which lead to decreased fingerprint resistance, scratch resistance, contamination resistance, and bending processability.

Innovation Solution

A decorative sheet with a surface protective layer featuring an irregular shape, including ridge-like parts formed by irradiating an ionizing radiation curable resin with specific wavelengths, followed by controlled curing, to achieve low gloss and enhance fingerprint resistance, scratch resistance, and processability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If a gloss adjuster is added at a high concentration to achieve low gloss, then the gloss level is reduced, but fingerprint resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegloss levelVSAvoidfingerprint resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the gloss adjuster from the surface protective layer composition entirely. Instead of using chemical additives to reduce gloss, the patent achieves low gloss through the physical micro-irregularities created by the dendritic structure formed during the curing process of the ionizing radiation curable resin. This elimination of the harmful substance (gloss adjuster) resolves the contradiction by maintaining fingerprint resistance while achieving the desired low gloss appearance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the approach from chemical parameter adjustment (adding gloss adjusters) to physical parameter control (controlling the dendritic structure morphology, size, and distribution). By adjusting irradiation conditions, resin composition, and curing parameters, the patent achieves gloss control through the physical microstructure rather than chemical additives, thereby maintaining both low gloss and fingerprint resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Illumination intensity

If a gloss adjuster is added at a high concentration to achieve low gloss, then the gloss level is reduced, but scratch resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegloss levelVSAvoidscratch resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the gloss adjuster from the system entirely, eliminating the source of the scratch resistance problem. The surface protective layer is formulated to cure into a dendritic structure that provides mechanical strength and scratch resistance without requiring high concentrations of gloss adjusters that would compromise the layer's integrity and resistance to scratching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses a composite formulation of ionizing radiation curable resin with specific components (acrylate monomers, oligomers, and photoinitiators) that work together to create a dendritic cured structure. This composite material system provides both the desired low gloss appearance and high scratch resistance through the interlocking dendritic network, replacing the need for high concentrations of gloss adjusters.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Illumination intensity

If a gloss adjuster is added at a high concentration to achieve low gloss, then the gloss level is reduced, but contamination resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegloss levelVSAvoidcontamination resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the gloss adjuster from the surface protective layer, removing the substance that causes contamination to adhere. The dendritic microstructure created during curing provides a surface that is resistant to contamination without requiring high concentrations of gloss adjusters that would compromise contamination resistance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Illumination intensity

If a gloss adjuster is added at a high concentration to achieve low gloss, then the gloss level is reduced, but bending processability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegloss levelVSAvoidbending processability
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the gloss adjuster from the formulation, eliminating the substance that causes whiting during bending. The surface protective layer is designed to maintain flexibility and bendability through the dendritic cured structure without requiring high concentrations of gloss adjusters that would compromise bending processability and cause whitening defects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

5Illumination intensity

If the surface is roughened to achieve low gloss, then the gloss level is reduced, but fingerprint resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegloss levelVSAvoidfingerprint resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention creates local micro-irregularities in the form of dendritic structures with specific size ranges (0.1-10 μm) distributed throughout the surface protective layer. These localized microstructures provide the low gloss appearance through light scattering while maintaining sufficient smoothness at the macro level to prevent fingerprint adhesion. The dendritic structure creates a controlled surface topology that achieves gloss reduction without the negative effects of excessive roughening.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The decorative sheet achieves low gloss, fingerprint resistance, scratch resistance, and improved bending processability while maintaining contamination resistance, without the drawbacks associated with high gloss adjuster concentrations.

Implementation Method 1

ridge-like parts formed by irradiating an ionizing radiation curable resin with specific wavelengths, followed by controlled curing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhotopolymerization: Photopolymerisation

Data Source

PatentEP4563369B1Decorative sheet
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 TOPPAN INC
  • EP4563369B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4563369B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4563369B1 patent drawingFigure 5A~5J

AI summary

There is provided a decorative sheet having excellent design properties, i.e., low gloss, and having fingerprint resistance, high durability (particularly scratch resistance or contamination resistance), and processability. A decorative sheet (1) according to this embodiment includes: a base material layer (2); a surface protective layer (5) provided on one surface of the base material layer (2); and a pattern layer (3) provided between the base material layer (2) and the surface protective layer (5), in which the surface protective layer (5) has ridge-like parts provided to project in a ridge-like shape and form an irregular shape on the surface, RSm/Ra of the irregular shape of the surface protective layer (5) is within the range of 10 or more and 300 or less, the surface protective layer (5) contains an ionizing radiation curable resin as a main material, the ionizing radiation curable resin contains, as a main component, a trifunctional acrylic resin containing a repeating structure, and the repeating structure is any one of the structures of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, and ε-caprolactone.