Printed Single-Ply Building Membrane for Shingle-Like Roofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The building industry faces challenges in producing cost-effective roofing and siding materials that mimic the appearance of expensive materials like slate or wood shingles, while conventional shingles require precise installation and are time-consuming to apply.
Innovation Solution
A modified bitumen or thermoset/thermoplastic membrane with a printed design and textured surface, composed of materials like PVC and reinforced with a scrim, which can be installed in a single-ply form to mimic the appearance of shingles, reducing installation complexity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional shingles are used to mimic expensive materials like slate or wood, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the installation complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane is divided into multiple layers including a base layer, a design layer with printed patterns, and a protective overlay. Each layer serves a specific function: the base layer provides structural support, the design layer creates the aesthetic appearance of expensive materials, and the overlay provides protection. This segmentation allows for simplified installation while maintaining visual complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane uses printed designs and textures to create visual copies of expensive materials like slate, wood, or brick patterns. Rather than using the actual expensive materials, the invention reproduces their appearance through printing techniques and surface texturing, achieving aesthetic similarity with simplified installation procedures.
2Shape
If multiple layers and complex designs are used to simulate natural materials, then the visual realism is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using multiple layers of expensive natural materials to achieve visual realism, the invention uses a single-ply membrane with printed designs that replicate the appearance of slate, wood, or brick. This copying approach maintains visual realism while dramatically reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of material composition from multiple expensive natural layers to a single synthetic membrane with printed surfaces. This parameter change allows achieving similar visual effects through more cost-effective manufacturing processes while maintaining the desired aesthetic appearance.
3Strength
If conventional shingles require precise alignment in regular patterns, then the structural integrity is improved, but the installation ease deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane incorporates built-in segmentation features such as tabs, recesses, and alignment guides that divide the installation process into simple sequential steps. These segmented features guide proper placement and alignment automatically, maintaining structural integrity through designed interlocking patterns while simplifying the installer's task to basic placement actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane design includes self-aligning features where the tabs, recesses, and pattern guidance automatically guide proper positioning during installation. The system serves itself by providing built-in alignment mechanisms that eliminate the need for precise manual measurement and alignment, allowing installers to simply place the membrane without complex positioning requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a single ply building membrane comprising a single ply membrane with a base and a cap layer and a top and bottom surface, having a predetermined printed design on the cap layer, and a predetermined texture on at least one surface of the membrane. The membrane may comprise compounds selected from the group consisting of thermoplastics and thermosets. The printed and textured designs may be of a laid roof or siding. The invention includes a method of installing a single ply building membrane on a building surface and a method of manufacturing such membrane.