Exterior Building Material Having a Hollow Thin Wall Profile and an Embossed Low Gloss Surface

Abstract

A building product which includes a hollow extrudate, unitary reinforcing ribs resisting collapse of the hollow extrudate and, in an embodiment, an exterior surface comprises a low gloss, textured pattern having a gloss level of less than about 50 on a 60° glossmeter, in which the textured pattern extends for about 2-20 feet. Methods and an apparatus for manufacturing such products are also provided by this invention.

1 . A method of making a building product, comprising:
 extruding a unitary extrudate;   forming unitary reinforcing ribs on the unitary extrudate;   embossing a continuous length pattern of surface topography features in exterior sides of the unitary extrudate; and   supporting the sides to resist collapse thereof while heat and forces are applied during embossing.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 supporting the interior of the extrudate by mandrels during embossing to resist collapse thereof.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the unitary extrudate as a polymeric thin wall member with a unitary capstock layer and with streaker material in the unitary extrudate.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , comprising:
 vacuum embossing an exterior of the thin wall member to form a low gloss textured pattern having a gloss level of less than about 50 on a 60° glossmeter;   calibrating a profile of the thin wall member;   cooling said profile after calibrating the profile; and   cutting said thin wall member to a length of about 2 feet to about 20 feet.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the unitary extrudate as a substrate and a weather resistant capstock layer coextruded with the substrate, wherein the capstock layer retains its thickness beneath the low gloss textured pattern to maximize a weather resistant thickness of the capstock layer.   
   
   
       6 . Apparatus for making a hollow polymeric building product, comprising:
 an extruder for extruding a unitary polymeric extrudate with or without a capstock layer;   a vacuum embosser for embossing surface texture in exterior surfaces of the extrudate while supporting interior surfaces of the extrudate; and   a forming die for forming the extrudate into the polymeric building product.   
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , comprising:
 mandrels supporting the interior surfaces of the extrudate while embossing the surface texture, or a mold belt supporting the interior surfaces of the extrudate while embossing the surface texture, or a mold chamber supporting the interior surfaces of the extrudate while embossing the surface texture.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 shaping the extrudate by calibrating thereof after embossing.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 supporting the extrudate with mandrels in spaces between the ribs during embossing to resist collapse of the exterior sides.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 embossing the exterior sides with the surface topography features duplicating surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 embossing the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the exterior sides with a substrate layer and a unitary capstock layer on the substrate layer; and   embossing the exterior sides with the surface topography features duplicating surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the exterior sides with a substrate layer and a unitary capstock layer on the substrate layer; and   embossing the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the exterior sides with color streaker material forming color streaks in the exterior sides.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the exterior sides with color streaker material forming color streaks in the exterior sides; and   embossing the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the exterior sides with a substrate layer, a unitary capstock layer on the substrate layer and color streaker material forming color streaks in the exterior sides; and   embossing the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 extruding the extrudate with the continuous exterior sides joining a unitary hinge about which the continuous unitary sides are pivoted by folding the continuous unitary sides; and   folding the continuous unitary sides to provide a hollow extrudate before calibrating the extrudate by sizing or shaping thereof.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1 , comprising:
 embossing the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous low gloss pattern of the surface topography features having a gloss level of less than about 50 on a 60° glossmeter.   
   
   
       20 . Apparatus for making a hollow polymeric building product, comprising:
 an extruder for extruding an extrudate having continuous exterior sides and unitary reinforcing ribs;   an embosser for embossing the exterior sides to form surface topography features on the exterior sides;   a support for supporting the extrudate during embossing to resist collapse of the exterior sides; and   a calibrator calibrating the extrudate by sizing or shaping thereof.   
   
   
       21 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the support comprises mandrels in spaces between the ribs during embossing to resist collapse of the exterior sides. 
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 20  further comprising:
 the embosser having a continuous pattern of the surface topography features duplicating surface topography features of a material occurring in nature.   
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the embosser comprises a mold belt for vacuum embossing the exterior sides with the mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature. 
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the extruder extrudes the exterior sides with a substrate layer and a unitary capstock layer on the substrate layer, and the embosser embosses the exterior sides with the surface topography features duplicating surface topography features of a material occurring in nature. 
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the extruder extrudes the exterior sides with a substrate layer and a unitary capstock layer on the substrate layer, and the embosser embosses the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature. 
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the extruder extrudes the exterior sides with color streaker material forming color streaks in the exterior sides. 
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the extruder extrudes the exterior sides with color streaker material forming color streaks in the exterior sides, and the embosser embosses the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature. 
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the extruder extrudes the exterior sides with a substrate layer, a unitary capstock layer on the substrate layer and color streaker material forming color streaks in the exterior sides, and the embosser embosses the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous pattern of the surface topography features, wherein the continuous pattern of surface topography features duplicate surface topography features of a material occurring in nature. 
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the extruder extrudes the extrudate with the continuous exterior sides joining a unitary hinge about which the continuous unitary sides are pivoted by folding the continuous unitary sides to provide a hollow extrudate. 
   
   
       30 . The apparatus of  claim 20  wherein the embosser embosses the exterior sides by vacuum embossing the exterior sides with a mold belt, the mold belt providing a continuous low gloss pattern of the surface topography features having a gloss level of less than about 50 on a 60° glossmeter.