Title of Invention

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING A MULTI-LAYER TUBE MATERIAL

Abstract

Process for manufacturing a multi-layer tube material with a barrier layer (12,24, 34,45, 53) preventing the passage of water vapour and gases arranged between plastic layers (10, 14; 20, 26; 30, 37; 40, 47; 50, 55) and a hologram produced in one of the layers (12, 23, 33, 43, 50d) of the tube material by microembossing (M), in which process the individual layers are joined together to form the multi-layer tube material, characterised in that the layer (12, 23, 33, 43, 50d) in the form of a film intended to receive the hologram is embossed and the film provided with the hologram is joined to the other layers to form the tube material.

Full Text

1 The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a multi-layer tube material having a barrier layer that hinders the passage of water vapour and gases, which is situated between plastic layers, and exhibiting a pattern in one of the layers of the tube material, produced by an optical effect as a result of micro-embossing, in which process the individual layers are combined to make up the multi-layer tube material. Also within the scope of the invention are multi-layer tube materials manufactured using that process. Known tubes for toothpaste and for cosmetics, pharmaceutics and other high grade products exhibit a tube body of a multi-layer material, so called tube laminate. In order to hinder the passage of water vapour and gases, the tube laminates are provided with a so-called barrier layer. Also known - with a view to producing a special design, but also to increase the security against counterfeit - it is known to provide an optical effect in the form of a hologram or a pattern having an appearance similar to a hologram by means of a pattern in the tube laminate created by micro-embossing. Up to now, tube laminates with an integral hologram have been produced by incorporating a hologram substrate film in the multi-layer tube laminate. A significant disadvantage of this process lies in the poor bonding of the hologram substrate lacquer to the bonding agent employed in the manufacture of the tube laminates. The poor bonding leads to delamination of the individual layers of the tube laminate after only a short time. The object of the invention is to provide a process for manufacturing a multilayer tube laminate of the kind described at the start, with which the delamination observed in conventional hologram substrate films can be eliminated. That objective is achieved by way of the invention in that one of the layers in the form of a film is embossed and bonded to the other layers to produce the tube laminate, whereby the micro-embossing is prefer-ably carried out in such a manner that the embossed pattern leads to an optical hologram-type effect. In a first version of the process according to the invention the film to be embossed is a metal foil, preferably an aluminium foil, serving as barrier layer. A second version of the process according to the invention is such that the film to be embossed is a plastic film with barrier layer, preferably a ceramic coating of SiOx on one side, whereby the film is embossed on the opposite side from the barrier layer, and a layer of metal, preferably of aluminium, is provided on the embossed pattern. In a third version of the process according to the invention the film to be embossed is a plastic film and a layer of metal, preferably an aluminium foil, is provided on the embossed pattern, whereby a metal foil, preferably a aluminium foil, is provided as barrier layer. A multi-layer tube material manufactured according to the first version of the process is characterised preferably by way of the following layer structure: - at least one single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer which is transparent at least in some areas, - a metal foil with micro-embossing on the side of the plastic layer, and - at least one functional layer of a single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer. A multi-layer tube material manufactured according to the second version of the process is characterised preferably by way of the following layer structure: at least one single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer which is transparent at least in some areas, a plastic film with micro-embossing and, on the embossed pattern, a layer of metal on the side of the plastic layer and with a barrier layer of SiOx on the side of the foil opposite that bearing the micro-embossing, and at least one functional layer of single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer Preferred is the plastic layer bordering on the metallic layer a lacquer laminate layer or a extrusion laminate layer. The barrier layer of SiOx is preferably provided with a bonding agent, preferably a chrome layer, and preferably an extrusion laminate layer is provided between the bonding agent and a functional layer. A multi-layer tube material manufactured according to the third version of the process is characterised by way of the following layer structure: - at least one single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer which is transparent at least in some areas, - a micro-embossed plastic film and a layer of metal on the embossed pattern on the side of the plastic layer - at least one functional layer of single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer and, - a metal foil, preferably an aluminium foil, as barrier layer, situated between the embossed pattern and the functional layer. The plastic layer bordering on the metallic layer is preferably a lacquer laminate layer or extrusion laminate layer. Likewise, a lacquer laminate layer or a extrusion laminate layer is preferably provided between the plastic film with the embossed pattern and the metal foil and between the metal foil and a functional layer. The plastic layer which is transparent at least in some areas forms the outer facing side of the tube body manufactured out of the tube material. Beams of light passing through the transparent areas strike the embossed pattern and produce the desired optical effect as a result of interference with the beams of light reflected from the metal layer bearing the embossed pattern. The plastic layer may be coloured or printed on. Suitable metal foils are e.g. iron, copper, silver, gold and aluminium foil, whereby the last mentioned of these is preferred. The thickness of the foil is about 6 to 40 m. The plastic films to be embossed are e.g. of polyamide, polyester, polyolefine, polyvinyl chloride or polycarbonate. The thickness of the plastic film is approx. between 7 and 100 μm. A metal layer deposited on the micro-embossed side of the plastic film as a reflecting or mirroring layer normally has a thickness of approx. 5 to 500 nm and may be created using known metallising procedures e.g. physical or chemical thin film deposition of iron, nickel, chromium, copper, silver, gold, aluminium, or another metal, deposited in vacuum e.g. by sputtering The micro-embossing on the metal foil or on the plastic film is transferred directly to the foil/film by means of a corresponding negative using an embossing roll. The plastic film acting as a substrate is coated with a ceramic layer of SiOx, where x represents a number between 0.9 and 2, preferably a number between 1.5 and 1.8 in order to achieve a good barrier action against water vapour and gases e.g. electro-beam coating with a 50 to 150 nm thick layer of SiOi.e- A bonding agent on the SiOx layer - in the form of a thin metal layer of e.g. chromium, aluminium, nickel, titanium, iron or molybdenum - is preferably a monatomic layer with a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.5 nm. The preferred coating using chrome is deposited e.g. using a sputtering cathode in an argon atmosphere. Suitable plastics for the single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer forming the outside of the tube made using the tube material and for the functional layers made from a single-layer or multi-layer plastic layer and forming the inner facing side of tube bodies are preferably thermoplastics, in particular polyolefines, preferably polyethylenes, polypropylenes and copolymers with ethylene or propylene as one of the monomer constituents. Lacquer laminate coatings and extrusion laminate coatings also contain polyolefines or are made of copolymers of ethylene or poly-propylene as one of the monomer constituents. Further advantages, features and details of the invention are revealed in the following description of preferred tube laminates in connection with the drawing which shows schematically in Fig. 1 to 5 the structure of the tube laminates characterised in greater detail in the examples given. The following abbreviations are used in the examples: PE polyethylene PET polyethylene-terephthalate LMDPE linear medium-density polyethylene (0.926 - 0.940 g/cm3) E ethylene as monomer constituent in copolymers AA acrylic acid as monomer constituent in copolymers Example 1 The tube laminate shown in cross-section in Fig. 1 exhibits the following structure from the outside of the tube to the inside of the tube: 10a,b,c PE film, coextruded, transparent, 110 μm thick 11a,b PE laminate extruded layer, coextruded, transparent, 45/10 μm thick 12/M aluminium foil, 20 μm thick, micro-embossed, as barrier layer 13 E.AA copolymer laminate extruded layer, 30 μm thick 14 LMDPE film, 60 μm thick Example 2 The tube laminate shown in cross-section in Fig. 2 exhibits the following structure from the outside of the tube to the inside of the tube: 20a,b,c PE film, coextruded, transparent, 170 μm thick 21 PE laminate lacquer layer, 3 g/m3 22 aluminium, 70nm thick, coated by vapour deposition on the micro-embossing on the PET film 23 23M micro-embossed PET film, 12 μm thick, 24 coating of SiO-i.e, 80 nm thick, deposited on he PET film 23 using electron-beam deposition 25 PE lacquer laminate coating , 3g/m3 26 LMDPE-film, 90μm thick Example 3 The tube laminate shown in cross-section in Fig. 3 exhibits the following structure from the outside of the tube to the inside of the tube: 30a,b,c coextruded PE film, , transparent, 110 μm thick 31a,b PE extruded laminate layer, coextruded, transparent, 45/10 μm thick 32 aluminium, 70nm thick, vapour deposited on to the micro- embossing M on PET film 33 33/M micro-embossed PET film, 12 μm thick, 34 barrier layer of SiOi,8, 80 nm thick, deposited on the PET film 33 by electron-beam vapour deposition 35 chrome layer as bonding agent, 0.5 nm thick, deposited by sputtering on to the barrier layer 34 36 E.AA copolymer, 30 μm thick extruded laminate layer, 37 LMDPE-Film, 60 μm thick. Example 4 The tube laminate shown in cross-section in figure 4 exhibits the following structure from the outside of the tube to the inside of the tube: 40a,b,c PE-film, co-extruded, transparent, 110 μm thick, 41a,b PE-extrusion laminated, co-extruded, transparent, 45/10 urn thick . 42 aluminium, 70nm thick, vapour-deposited on the micro-embossing M on the PET-film 43, 43/M micro-embossed PET-film, 12 |im thick, 44 E.AA-copolymer-Extrusion laminated, 30 μm thick, 45 aluminium foil, 20 \im thick, as barrier layer, 46 E.AA-copolymer-extrusion laminated, 30 μm thick, 47 LMDPE-film, 60 μm thick Example 5 The cross-section through a tube laminate shown in figure 5 exhibits the following structure from the outside of the tube to the inside of the tube; 50a,b,c,d coextruded PE-film, transparent, 110 μm thick, with partial layer 50d for the micro-embossing M, 51 aluminium, 70nm thick, vapour deposited on the embossing on the partial layer 50d of the PE-film, 52a,b PE-extrusion laminated, co-extruded, thickness 45/10 μm, 53/M aluminium foil, 20 μm thick, as barrier layer, 54 E.AA-copolymer, extrusion laminated, 30 μm thick, 55 LMDPE-film, 60 μm thick. WE CLAIM 1. Process for manufacturing a multi-layer tube material with a barrier layer (12, 24, 34,45, 53) preventing the passage of water vapour and gases arranged between plastic layers (10, 14; 20, 26; 30, 37; 40,47; 50, 55) and a hologram produced in one of the layers (12,23,33,43, 50d) of the tube material by microembossing (M), in which process the individual layers are joined together to form the multi-layer tube material, characterised in that the layer (12,23,33,43, 50d) in the form of a film intended to receive the hologram is embossed and the film provided with the hologram is joined to the other layers to form the tube material. 2. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film to be embossed is a metal foil (12), preferably an aluminium foil, serving as a barrier layer. 3. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film to be embossed is a plastic film (23, 33) with a barrier layer (24, 34), preferably a ceramic coating of SiOx, arranged on one side, the film (23, 33) being embossed on the side opposite the barrier layer (24, 34) and a layer of metal (22, 32), preferably aluminium, being arranged on the embossed pattern (M). 4. Process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film to be embossed is a plastic film (43,50d) and a layer of metal (42, 51), preferably aluminium, is arranged on the embossed pattern (M), a metal foil (45, 53), preferably an aluminium foil, being provided as a barrier layer.

Documents:

479-che-2003 abstract-duplicate.pdf

479-che-2003 claims-duplicate.pdf

479-che-2003 description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

479-che-2003-abstract.pdf

479-che-2003-claims.pdf

479-che-2003-correspondnece-others.pdf

479-che-2003-correspondnece-po.pdf

479-che-2003-description(complete).pdf

479-che-2003-drawings.pdf

479-che-2003-form 1.pdf

479-che-2003-form 26.pdf

479-che-2003-form 3.pdf

479-che-2003-form 5.pdf

479-che-2003-other documents.pdf

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