Continuous method for making decorative sheet materials

Claim 1

A continuous method for making a protective and decorative sheet material which comprises: (A) forming a highly reflective, specular, continuous metal layer on a continuously moving web of a stretchable, thermoformable, polymeric carrier film; and (B) cracking the metal layer biaxially at a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the carrier film by continuously bending and drawing the web around a first cracking member having a linear cracking edge to create a first series of substantially linear and parallel microscopic cracks in the metal layer, continuously bending and drawing the web around a second cracking member having a linear cracking edge which is non-parallel to the first cracking member edge to create a second series of substantially linear and parallel microscopic cracks in the metal layer, said first series of cracks being non-parallel to the second series, and thereby forming in the metal layer a substantially regular, microscopic parallelogram crack pattern, the so cracked metal layer (a) having a 20-degree gloss of at least 100; and (b) being capable, when the sheet material is stretched above the glass transition temperature of the carrier film, of exhibiting a brushed metal appearance having a 20-degree gloss of less than 100.