Digital Ink Printing on Powder Surfaces for Wear-Resistant Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laminate flooring technologies face challenges in achieving high-definition, wear-resistant decorative surfaces with advanced designs while maintaining cost-effectiveness, as inkjet printing requires significant ink and struggles to produce deep prints exceeding 100 DPI due to ink floating along fibers.
Innovation Solution
The method involves applying a mix of fibers, binders, and wear-resistant particles as a powder on a core, followed by sequential printing and curing layers with heat and pressure, allowing for advanced decorative patterns and high wear resistance through digital ink printing and spraying of color substances, and incorporating embossing for enhanced design and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If inkjet printing is used to create decorative surfaces, then design flexibility and definition are improved, but ink consumption increases and printing depth is limited to about 100 DPI due to ink floating along fibers
Solution Approach 1:
The decorative surface is divided into multiple powder layers instead of using a single inkjet-printed layer. Each layer can be independently printed and cured, allowing the design to be segmented across multiple depths. This segmentation enables deeper printing (exceeding 100 DPI) by stacking multiple printed layers, while reducing ink consumption per layer compared to attempting to print the entire depth in a single pass.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from two-dimensional surface printing to three-dimensional layered printing. By applying inkjet printing in multiple sequential layers at different depths, the system achieves vertical dimensionality in the decorative pattern. This multi-layer approach allows designs to extend deeper into the surface (exceeding 100 DPI) while distributing ink consumption across multiple lighter applications rather than requiring excessive ink in a single layer.
2Reliability
If multiple layers are applied to achieve deep prints and high wear resistance, then durability and design depth are improved, but production complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional requirements (decorative printing, wear resistance, and depth) are merged into a single integrated powder layer system. The powder mix contains both decorative pigments and wear-resistant particles (such as aluminum oxide) that are applied together in one coating process. This merging eliminates the need for separate decorative and protective layers, reducing production complexity while achieving both high wear resistance and deep printed designs in a unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The powder layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the decorative pattern through pigments, delivers wear resistance through hard particles like aluminum oxide, and enables deep printing through its layered applicability. This multi-functional powder composition eliminates the need for separate functional layers, simplifying the production process while achieving superior durability and design depth in a single integrated system.
3Manufacturing precision
If high resolution printing (above 100 DPI) is attempted, then design quality is improved, but ink floats along fibers and printing depth is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The powder layer is applied and cured to create a stable, non-fibrous surface before subsequent printing operations. This preliminary preparation eliminates the fiber structure that causes ink to float and spread. By pre-establishing a solid powder-based substrate, high-resolution printing (above 100 DPI) can be achieved without the ink floating along fibers, and multiple layers can be stacked to achieve greater printing depth while maintaining sharp definition.
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
This approach enables the production of cost-effective, high-definition decorative surfaces with increased wear resistance and design flexibility, capable of mimicking wood or stone patterns with improved impact resistance and sound/moisture properties, while reducing ink usage and production steps.
Implementation Method 1
The ink is jetted from a digital inkjet device into the powder
Implementation Method 2
the ink to penetrate into the powder
Implementation Method 3
curing under heat and pressure to a 0.1-1.0 mm solid layer
Data Source
AI summary
Building panels and a method to produce such panels including a solid decorative surface having a decorative wear layer including fibres, binders, colour substance, wear resistant particles and a digital ink print.