Importance

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Abstract

Composites having one or more layers of the same or different firmness and comprising one or more similar or dissimilar layer materials are made by impregnating at least one of the originally soft layer materials separately, each with a similar or dissimilar resin containing optional additives (e.g., pigments, dyes, light reflective modifiers, smoke suppressants, fire retardants, acoustical modifiers, EMF barriers, antifoaming agents, etc.), and curable to a soft or hard polymer and, optionally, or when necessary to sufficiently inhibit formation of hard lumps in the soft layer materials by the hard resins, partitioning the resinated layer materials by hot melt films which may also act as adhesives and contacting the resinated layer materials in such a way that the resin of one layer will contact at least one different layer and compressing the contacted resinated layers, optionally along with decorative covering for one or both surfaces, to the desired planar or three-dimensional configuration and curing, optionally along with ornamentals and fasteners or other hardware to be attached, to the integral composite. These methods may be tailored to obtain flexible and rigid composites having opposing surfaces of approximately equal or considerably unequal firmness and which are normally covered with a decorative material.

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First Claim