Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO91/00177 PCT/AU90/002~5
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12 LAMINATED PRODUCT
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14 The present invention relates to laminated products,
particularly for use as promotional or entertainment
16 devices, and finds particular application in low cost
17 headgear.
18 It is known to produce advertisiny and publicity
19 products out of card, including promotional headgear. The
card is printed with relevant publicity or advertising
21 material on a surface which will be exposed in use. An
22 example of such products is a simple hat constructed from a
23 flat piece of card having a central aperture through which
24 the top of a user's head projects. The hat sits on the
user's head in the manner of a hat brim, without a crown.
- 26 This form of headgear may also be provided with a logo
27 carrier which projects into the central aperture when the
28 hat is out of use but which is bent to stand upright when
29 the hat is in use, by the user's head as it projects through
the central aperture, so as to attract attention.
31 This type of product suffers from the disadvantage that
32 it is relatively delicate and easily destroyed. The logo
33 carrier does not therefore perform its function for a
34 substantial length of time.
It has been recognised in making the present invention
36 that by substituting a foam of polymeric type for card in
37 the manufacture of articles of the type described, a
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1 significantly longer lasting article can be produced.
2 However, a problem arises in that it is not a simple matter
3 to decorate the surface of a suitable foam product with
4 promotional material such as advertising logos, or other
decoration. The type of foam product suitable for use in
6 applications such as the manufacture of fun hats as
7 described abovè relies on the use of an open celled foam.
8 It is not possible to print directly on to an open celled
9 foam in a manner that is sufficiently clear, detailed or
long-lasting to be acceptable.
ll It is an object of the present invention to provide a
12 laminated product, embodiments of which can be used as a low
13 cost promotional or entertainment device, particularly for
14 instance promotional or entertainment headgear, and a method
for producing such a laminated product, wherein the product
16 remains attractive and/or suitable for use over a
17 significant period of time.
18 Embodiments of the present invention have the advantage
19 that they can be manufactured in large numbers, without
, 20 excessive cost, and can present a pleasing appearance while
21 being sufficiently robust to withstand considerably rougher
22 and/or longer lasting treatment by a user than has hitherto
23 been possible with a comparable cost product.
24 According to the present invention, there is provided
a laminated object, such as a promotional or entertainment
26 device, comprising a foam product having a body of foam and
- 27 a printed film which is adhered to a surface thereof.
28 The foam may comprise a known polymeric foam.
29 Preferably, it comprises an open cell foam.
The printed film may comprise a plastics material such
31 as polyethylene or polypropylene.
32 There are substantial difficulties involved in making a
33 low budget, shaped and decorated item out of foam, and in
34 particular out of open cell foam, including the fact that it
tends to move during printing or cutting. However, it has
36 now been found possible to apply a printed film to the foam,
; 37 even to open cell foam, and in doing so to overcome a number
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l of problems. In more detail, relevant problems and possible
2 solutions are as follows.
3 As mentioned above, foam and particularly open cell
4 foam has a mobile structure which makes direct printing very
difficult, as well as cutting out of exact predetermined
6 shapes.
7 A feature of the present invention is that the use of
8 an adhered film not only provides a carrier for the printing
9 but also stabilises the foam for cutting out.
It is not however a simple matter to adhere a suitable
ll film to the surface of an open cell foam. Glues tend not to
12 stick to the film, which can present a very flat surface,
13 and it has not therefore been found satisfactory to simply
14 apply a glue treated film to the foam.
To improve the adherence of glue to the film, the
16 surface of the film can be modified, for instance by flame
17 or corona discharge treatment. -
18 Another problem lies in achieving satisfactory
l9 lamination of a film onto the surface of an open cell foam.
There is a tendency for the film to wrinkle, or for the
21 relative tensions of film and foam to vary so that the
22 laminated product is warped.
23 A significant factor in achieving satisfactory
24 lamination has been found to be the thickness of the film
being adhered. This is further discussed below.
26 A further problem has been encountered in that printing
27 inks used in producing printed film were found to react with
28 the film so as to make it brittle. This leads to the
29 problem that with continued use, the film and/or the pattern
printed thereon can become damaged and unsightly. Further,
31 a lot of inks and printing processes are too costly for use
32 in a low price item, or the inks themselves are inflexible
33 or will not adhere to the film surface.
34 These problems have been overcome primarily by the use
of flexographic inks, and flexographic or gravure printing,
36 in combination with a polyethylene film which has been
37 surface treated for instance by a flame or corona discharge
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1 treatment, as mentioned above, to avoid ink being pulled off
2 the film during the production process.
3 The open cell foam to which the printed film is
4 laminated may comprise one of several materials including
polyethylene, polyurethane, and polyester, polyethylene
6 foams having been found preferable in terms of cost.
7 The production process comprises in general the surface
8 treatment of polymeric film, particularly polyethylene film,
9 by for instance flame or corona discharge treatment, the
application of printing to the film, followed by laminating
11 of the printed film on to a roll of open cell foam in
12 laminating equipment, according generally to a known
13 laminating process. In the laminating process, adhesive is
14 applied either to the foam or to the film, any solvent-based
adhesive being found suitable, and the film is then applied
16 to the surface of the foam.
17 Where the printed, laminated foam is to be used to make
18 fun hats it has been found that a thickness of about 7 mm is
19 suitable. This produces a hat which is sufficiently stiff
that a portion will stand up so as to be clearly visible
21 when the hat is worn, while the amount of materials used is
22 kept relatively low, thus avoiding extra cost and volume. A
23 foam thickness in the range 5 to 10 mm is preferable, 7 mm
24 having been found to be optimal.
As mentioned above, the thickness of the film has been
26 found to have a significant effect on the success or
27 otherwise of the laminating process. Although a thin film,
28 of a thickness in the range from 25 to 45 microns has been
29 found satisfactory, it may be found mechanically easier to
deal with film a little thicker, for instance up to 100
31 microns, or more particularly 60 to 70 microns, in the
32 laminating process. This makes it easier to achieve correct
33 alignment between film and foam, and relative tension of the
34 two.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be
36 described, by way of example only, with reference to the
37 accompanying drawings, in which:
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WO91/00177 PCTtAU90/00285
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1 Figure 1 shows a plan view of a fun hat made according
2 to an embo~iment of the present invention;
3 Figure 2 shows a fun hat as shown in Figure 1, in use;
4 Figure 3 shows schematically a laminating process for
laminating a printed film onto a strip of open cell foam;
6 Figure 4 shows a cross section on the line A-A of
7 Figure 1, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;
8 and
9 Figure 5 shows part of a laminated sheet prior to
cutting into fun hats.
11 Referring to Figures l, 2 and 4, a fun hat made
12 according to an embodiment of the present invention
13 comprises a flat panel 1 of open celled foam 6 having a
14 printed film 5 on its upper surface. The composite panel
has an aperture 2 therein with a scalloped edge. The
16 aperture 2 has a "cut-out" 3 which extends from an edge
17 thereof into the centre of the aperture. When the hat is
18 placed on a user's head, the cut-out 3 is pushed upwards to
19 stand upright in a clearly visible position.
The scalloped edge of the aperture 2 is merely to
21 provide grip on the wearer's head, and could be replaced by
22 a smooth-edged aperture or by some other shape such as a
23 toothed profile.
24 Referring to Figure 2, it can clearly be seen that the
panel 1 of foam must have a certain thickness such that the
26 cut-out 3 will be self-supporting, in use. In embodiments
27 shown, the open cell foam panel 1 has a thickness of 7 mm.
28 Referring to Figure 3, the fun hat is produced usin~ a
29 laminating machine. A roll 4 of open cell foam is fed to a
pair 31, 32 of laminating rollers where it meets, and is
31 laminated to, the printed film 33. The printed film 33 is
32 supplied from a roll 30, being fed to the laminating rollers
33 31, 32 via a tensioning roller 34 and an adhesive applying
34 roller 35. At the laminating rollers 31, 32, the adhesive
covered surface of the printed film is applied to the open
36 cell foam, whereafter the adhesive is cured and the
37 laminated product 38 stamped or cut into multiple fun hats.
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1 Laminating processes of this general type are known and
2 elements of the equipment are therefore known. For
3 instance, the adhesive applying roller 35 is of known type,
4 having a bath 36 applying adhesive to the surface of the
roller 35 and thence to a face of the printed film 33.
6 Conveniently, the adhesive applying roller 35 can be moved
7 away from the printed film 33, for instance, for
8 maintenance, loading and starting up operations.
9 The relative tension between the film 33 and the foam
37 is important. If it is incorrect, the film can tend to
11 wrinkle when applied, or to warp the finished product if it
12 is significantly tighter than the foam in the laminating
13 process. The tension can be adjusted to correct such
14 defects by means of the tensioning roller 34 which is
adjustable in the tension it applies. Preferably a "banana"
16 roller is used, such rollers having a slightly convex outer
17 surface in cross section, this having the effect of
18 spreading the film 33 outwards towards the edges of the
19 surface of the roller 34 and therefore keeping it flat.
The application of adhesive for attaching a film to a
21 foam product is a known technique, for instance in the
22 manufacture of carpet underlay and any solvent based
23 adhesive is suitable for use in embodiments of the present
24 invention. However, the use of a printed film which can
subsequently be laminated onto an open cell foam material
26 presents certain problems. In addition to the type of ink
27 being used, which should not destroy the flexible and
28 lasting properties of the film to be laminated, it is
29 necessary to treat the film so that it accepts both the ink
and the adhesive. Unless the film is treated, films such as
31 polyethylene film tend not to accept adhesive or printing
32 ink well, these either not adhering to the film or being too
33 easily removed. The film is therefore subjected to a
34 surface treatment to improve adherence, such as corona
discharge treatment.
36 Corona discharge treatment has the effect of slightly
37 oxidising the surface of the film, so as to increase the
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WO91/00l77 PCT/AU90/00285
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1 plurality of the surface molecules by forming for instance
2 methyl groups. Such surface modification permits the ink or
3 adhesive to spread more evenly on the surface during a
4 subsequent printing or adhesive application step and also
promotes the formation of strong chemical bonds. Both
6 factors give increased adhesion. In one form of the
7 technique, the film is passed through a high energy
8 electrical corona discharge formed between an electrode and
9 an earthed roller which may or may not be provided with a
dielectric cover. Suitable equipment is commercially
11 available and operates from normal mains voltage to generate
12 sufficient power at high frequency to produce a corona
13 discharge. The film surface is subjected to a high energy
14 electrical and ionic bombardment, the intensity of which is
usually controlled by adjustment of the electrical flux
16 applied at the electrode. Corona discharge treatment is
17 described and discussed in the following publications:
18 "Electrode Developments for Treating Advancing" by F
19 Echkart Prinz and Karl-Heinz Meyer, published in PAPER, FILM
AND FOIL CONVER~ER, September 1988;
21 "Alkathene Polyethylene", Technical Service Note A105,
22 2nd Edition, by the Polyolefines Group of ICI Plastics
23 Division in a Series entitled "Printing of Polyethylene
- 24 Film".
After corona discharge treatment, the polyethylene film
26 is printed for instance by a known technique such as
27 flexography or gravure to produce an image of a selected
28 decoration on one side of the film, and can then be stored
29 in a roll. Subsequently, glue is spread on the non-printed
side of the film, which is then adhered to the open cell
31 foam in the laminating process described above.
32 After laminating, the composite sheet 38 produced must
; 33 be cut in register with the printed fun hats 50. In order
34 to achieve accurate cutting, sets of four fun hats 50 are
printed in respective panels 52, each panel 52 being
36 provided with a marker 51. The cutting machine (not shown)
37 detects the marker 51 for each panel 52, each marker 51
38
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91/00177 PCT/AU90/00285
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1 being accurately and consistently located with respect to
2 the printed hats 50 o~ that panel 52. The cutting machine
3 is thus able to align itself in order to cut the fun hat
4 outlines in register with the printing thereof.
Althou~h different types of film could be used, and
6 different thicknesses, polyethylene film at a thickness in
7 the range 25 to 45 microns has been found suitable, giving
8 the open cell foam sufficient strength for the decorative
9 cut-out to stand up. However, as mentioned above, in order
to make the tension adjustment between film and foam easier,
11 film having a thickness in the range 60 to 70 microns is
12 preferable.
13 By using the combination of flexographic ink and the
14 polyethylene film, about six different colours can be
printed and photographic images can be reproduced thereby.
16 Either high or low density polyethylene films can be used
17 but low density films are preferred. These films can be
18 either clear and transparent, or coloured.
19 An advantageous alternative material for use as the
printed film is polypropylene. Although more expensive than
21 polyethylene, it tends to stretch less and is therefore more
22 easy physically to manipulate, for instance during the
23 laminating process.
24 The film used can be printed on either side with
respect to the surface to be adhered to the foam. Either it
26 can be reverse printed on the surface to be glued, or it can
27 be positively printed on the surface which will be exposed
28 in the finished product. If it is reverse printed, only one
29 side of the film must be corona discharge treated since one
side of the film only receives both ink and adhesive. This
31 makes the printed but unglued film slightly easier to store
32 on a roll since the untreated side of the film does not
33 significantly lift the ink from the printed side. However,
34 if positive printing is used, the number of colour print
runs can be reduced for instance where a background colour
36 is to be applied. In reverse printing, the background must
37 be printed on but in positive printing, the film can itself
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1 be coloured.
2 A suitable type of ink which does not interfere
3 significantly with the printed film, or the adhesive, and
g which does not tend to lift off significantly when the
printed film is stored in a roll, comprises a solvent-
6 resistant, wax-free laminating ink. Such an ink is
7 obtainable under the trade mark "POLARIS" from the Company
8 COLLIE COOK CONSOLIDATED.
9 Products according to embodiments of the present
invention are relatively cheap to manufacture, convenient to
ll produce in large quantities, for instance in the order of
12 lO,000 a batch, and are long-lasting while remaining
13 brightly coloured and therefore good promotional material.
14 The above-described arrangements and methods have been
advanced merely by way of explanation and many modifications
16 may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and
17 scope of the invention which includes every novel feature
18 and combination of novel features herein disclosed.
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