AU2004100741A4 - Method of providing panel - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (INNOVATION PATENT) Invention Title: Method of providing panel The invention is described in the following statement: 2 FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method of providing a panel, and in particular to a method of providing a printed panel to a purchaser.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION It is known to produce panels for various purposes, including, for example, advertising, signage and construction, where the panels include substrate layers and face layers laminated to each other, with images printed on the face layers. Examples of the images that may be provided are informational, decorative, or ornamental, images.

The face layers have traditionally been joined to the substrate layers by glue which is slow-drying. Consequently, the time periods for producing such panels have tended to be lengthy. In addition, the slow-drying nature of such glue has necessitated the clamping of the layers to maintain them superposed in their correct positions relative to one another while the glue has dried.

Such clamping is disadvantageous due to the requirement for the necessary clamping equipment, and due to the time required for the clamping operation which further contributes to the time-consuming nature of such existing manufacturing methods.

A further contributor to the time taken to produce such panels is the drying time of the ink used to provide the images on the face layers. In addition, the panels need to be supported suitably during drying of the ink so as to avoid inadvertent contact with surfaces that may damage the images, and this involves labour time and effort.

It is an object of the invention to have a method of providing panels which ameliorates one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to have an alternative to known methods of providing panels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided a method of providing a printed panel to a purchaser, the method including the steps of: offering a service of providing a printed panel, the service including the lamination of layers of the panel and the providing of an image on one of the layers; receiving an order from the purchaser, the order including first parameters of a base portion of the panel and second parameters of an image to be presented on the base portion; providing a plurality of panel layers for forming the base portion; applying a dry heat actuatable glue to at least one of the layers; actuating the glue to enable the bonding together of the panel layers; laminating the panel layers to form the base portion in accordance with said first parameters including superposing the panel layers on one another with the glue between each pair of adjacent panel layers; applying an image in accordance with said second parameters to a first one of the panel layers using ultra-violet light curable ink; and providing the panel, which is constituted by the superposed bonded panel layers with the image applied to said first layer, to the purchaser.

Preferably, the method includes the step of providing apparatus for effecting said steps of applying a dry heat actuatable glue, actuating the glue, laminating the panel layers, and applying an image.

In one preferred embodiment, the step of applying an image precedes the step of laminating the plurality of panel layers. In another preferred embodiment, the step of laminating the plurality of panel layers precedes the step of applying an image.

Preferably, in the step of offering a service, the offer includes providing an option as to whether the step of applying an image precedes or succeeds the step of laminating the plurality of panel layers.

In this invention, as will become apparent below, the printed panel to be formed, and the layers of which it is formed, may be of a substantially rigid nature or of a flexible nature depending on the materials used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of laminating apparatus for use in performing the method of the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a printing apparatus for use in performing the method of the invention; and Figure 3 is a schematic side view of an alternative form of printing apparatus to that shown in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a method of providing a printed panel to a purchaser, that is, a panel on which one or more printed images are applied. Such panels may be required by purchasers for many reasons, such as for advertising, signage, construction purposes, artistic installations, architecture, and design. The types of images printed on the panels may be of different natures depending on the use to which the panels will be put. For example, the images may be for informational, decorative, or ornamental, purposes.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the invention is carried our by an enterprise, which is preferably a printed-panel manufacturer or manufacturing business, in relation to specifications provided by a purchaser about the panel to be manufactured.

The enterprise offers, to potential panel purchasers, in exchange for suitable payments, a service of providing printed panels. As will be addressed in more detail below, the offer of the service involves the option of providing the required image on a layer of a panel before the various layers of the panel are laminated, or providing the image on the panel after the layers are laminated.

The purchaser, being a customer of the enterprise, places an order for the panel with the enterprise. The order indicates the required nature of the panel, including the nature of a substrate layer of the panel, and the nature of a face layer of the panel on which an image is to be printed.

The customer may also stipulate the nature of the image. In one preferred embodiment, this is achieved by the customer providing a sample of the image, preferably in electronic form, to the enterprise. According to this example, the image may be stored on a suitable medium such as a floppy disc or compact disc (CD).

In another embodiment, the enterprise has its own facilities and resources for preparing the image. For example, this may include a scanner so that the customer may provide a representation of the desired image which can then be scanned using the scanner to provide the image in the requisite form for applying to the panel. Alternatively, the enterprise may have available the services of an artist, graphic designer or the like, and this person may prepare the image according to the customer's requirements, or may work together with the customer to prepare the image. In this event, the customer may, for example, provide a printed image, sketch or hand-drawn representation of the desired image which can then be appropriately prepared by the artist or graphic designer, and such preparation may, depending on the requirements, include the use of digital enhancement of the image. It will be appreciated that in each of these situations, the image that is selected, even if designed by an artist, graphic designer or the like, will be according to the customer's requirements, and the customer may thus be regarded as providing the required parameters of the image.

It is an important feature of the invention, at least in preferred embodiments, that the enterprise carries out the lamination steps for producing the base portion of the panel that portion of the printed panel to which the image is applied) and the printing of the image. Accordingly, the enterprise has apparatus which it can provide for carrying out the lamination as described below with reference to Figure 1, as well as apparatus which it can provide for printing the image as described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the steps constituting the method of the invention are carried out at a single location. In another preferred embodiment, the steps are carried out at more than one location. For example, according to this latter embodiment, the enterprise may have two branches at different locations. Accordingly, for a particular printed panel, one of the branches may carry out the steps involving the laminating of the layers to form the base portion, and the other branch may carry out the steps involving the printing of the image.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a laminating apparatus 10 for laminating panel layers according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The apparatus 10 includes a lower platform 12 having side support members 14 (only one of which is shown) and rollers 16 supported rotatably on the side support members.

The apparatus 10 also includes a pinch-roller area 18 which includes a housing 20 and a pair of pinch rollers 22 rotatably supported within the housing. The housing 20 defines an opening 24 through which the lower platform 12 extends.

The apparatus 10 further has two infra-red (IR) heat banks 17 (or three banks in another preferred embodiment (not shown)), located adjacent to the pinchroller area 18.

An upper platform 26 is provided, and is supported over part of the lower platform 12. The upper platform 26 includes a horizontal portion 28 and an angled portion 30 which slopes downwards towards the opening 24 in the housing 20 of the pinch-roller area 18.

The apparatus 10 also includes a glue application zone generally designated 31 (and shown in phantom lines) in which is located a hub 32 for supporting a sheet 34 of dry heat-actuatable glue which has been formed into a roll 36. A guide bar 38 is provided for guiding the sheet 34 as described in more detail below.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 in which there is shown a printing apparatus 50. The printing apparatus 50 includes a platform 52 having side support members 54 (only one of which is shown) and rollers 56 supported rotatably on the side support members.

The printing apparatus 50 also includes a printing head assembly 58 which is disposed above the platform 52. The printing head assembly 58 is supported on a body 60 so as to be slidable relative to the body.

Feeding means (not shown) are provided on the printing apparatus for feeding a panel through an opening 64 defined in the body 60, along the rollers 56.

In Figure 3, there is shown an alternative form of printing apparatus 50.1.

The apparatus 50.1 has certain features corresponding to features of the apparatus 50. These corresponding features are designated by the same reference numerals as in Figure 2, but with the added suffix Instead of the rollers 56, the apparatus 50.1 has a conveyor belt 66 supported on the platform 52.1. In addition, the apparatus 50.1 is provided with a guide roller 68 and a collection roller 70, as well as a rolled-stock roller 100 and another guide roller 102. In an alternative embodiment, instead of the conveyor belt 66, the apparatus 50.1 is provided with a set of symmetrical motorised rollers (not shown).

Once an order has been placed with the enterprise by a customer as described above, the enterprise proceeds to produce the ordered panel. This involves providing a suitable substrate layer 72 (see Figure 1) and placing it on the platform 12 of the laminating apparatus 10 so that the substrate layer is supported on the rollers 16.

Many different types of material may be used as the substrate layer depending on the requirements of the customer for the finished printed panel.

For example, the substrate may be of particle board, MDF, plywood, lauan, honeycomb core, fibre board, flakeboard, hardwoods, fibreglass, synthetic material or even suitable foam-like materials such as foam rubber. However, other suitable materials may also be used.

The sheet 34 of dry glue is pulled from the roll 36 so as to extend over the upper surface of the substrate layer 72 as shown in Figure 1, and is placed on that upper surface. The guide bar 38 assists in retaining the sheet 34 close to the upper surface thereby facilitating the correct positioning of the glue sheet 34 on the substrate layer 72.

A suitable face layer 74 is placed on the upper platform 26 as shown in Figure 1. The upper platform 26 is configured to support a number of face layer sheets (such as 50 sheets) at a time. The upper platform 26 includes rollers 75 on which the face layer sheets are supported. If the sheets are of a size such that they are not evenly supported by the rollers 75, or such that they may fall between the rollers, a carrier sheet (not shown), which is large enough to be evenly supported by the rollers, may be placed on the rollers for supporting the face layer sheets thereon. If a particular sheet of face layer 74 is sufficiently small, then a jig may be used to guide this sheet on the upper platform 26.

As in the case of the substrate layer 72, many different types of material may be used as the face layer 74, depending on the customer's requirements for the finished printed panel. These materials include, but are not limited to, rolled stock, papers and wallpapers, melamine, high pressure laminate, fabrics, canvas, decorative wall coverings, cabinet liner, backed veneers, hardboard, lauan, linoleum, metals which may include aluminium, synthetic materials, plexiglass, fibreglass, polyester, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), glass, cardboard, perforated plates, mesh, foamboard, corrugated iron, leather, cork, carpet tiles, and game table fabric.

Suitable respective feed means (not shown) feed the substrate layer 72 and the face layer 74 towards the opening 24 in the pinch-roller area 18. The substrate layer 72 is supported on the rollers 16. As the face layer 74 moves from the horizontal portion 28 to the angled portion 30, it bends so as to move downwards towards the substrate layer 72.

As the substrate 72 moves over the heat banks 17, the heat from the heat banks flash-activates the glue. The area of the laminating apparatus 10 in which the heat banks 17 are located thus constitutes a glue activation area.

The face layer 74, by being disposed on the upper platform 26, is spaced from the heat banks 17 and is therefore not exposed to heat, or at least excessive heat, from the heat banks.

As the substrate layer 72 and face layer 74 move through the opening 24, they are brought together by the pinch rollers 22 so that the glue, which has been activated by the heat banks 17, is between the layers. The pinch rollers 22 urge the face layer 74 onto the substrate layer 72 so that the substrate layer and face layer are bonded together, thereby to form a base portion 76 of the desired printed panel. As the bonded substrate layer 72 and face layer 74 emerge from the opening 24 due to the action of the feed means, the increasing distance from the heat banks 17 allows the glue to cool and, due to its nature as a dry heat-actuatable glue, to cure within a few seconds.

Once the base portion 76 has fully emerged from the opening 24, the glue is sufficiently cured to allow the base portion to be moved from the laminating apparatus 10 to the printing apparatus The base portion 76 is fed though the opening 64 of the printing apparatus by suitable feed means (not shown) so that the base portion passes beneath the printing head assembly 58 while being supported on the rollers 56. In addition, while the base portion 76 is being fed, the printing head assembly 58 slides relative to the body 60 so as to move over the upper surface of the base portion, while printing an image in accordance with the customer's requirements, on the face layer 74.

The ink that is used by the printing head assembly 58 to produce the image is ultra-violet-light-curable ink (UV curable ink). To effect curing of the ink, the printing apparatus 50 is provided with ultra-violet lamps (not shown) mounted on the printing head assembly 58. As this ink is cured virtually immediately by the ultra-violet light, it is cured moments after the image is printed. Thus, at this point, the process of producing a printed panel, designated 80 in Figure 2, is complete, and the printed panel is ready to be provided to the customer.

In an alternative embodiment, instead of printing the image only after the laminated base portion 76 is produced as described above, the image is applied to the face layer 74 before this layer is placed on the apparatus 10. In this case, the face layer 74 alone is placed on the printing apparatus 50, and the image is printed on this layer in the same manner as that described above. Thereafter, the face layer 74, with the image already printed, is placed on the laminating apparatus 10 so that, after the lamination of the base portion 76 is completed as described above, the image is already in place so that the panel constitutes the completed, printed panel The last-mentioned embodiment, which involves printing the image on the face layer 74 prior to lamination, is suitable when the face layer is in the form of a substantially rigid sheet. However, if the face layer 74 to be used is of particularly flexible material, such as fabric, then feeding the face layer through the opening 64 and along the rollers 56 of the apparatus 50 would be difficult to achieve effectively. To this end, the apparatus 50.1 may be used.

The collection roller 70 of this apparatus is configured to pull the face layer 74 from a roll or stock (not shown) on the rolled-stock roller 100, through the opening 64.1, with the feeding and supporting of the face layer being facilitated by the conveyor belt 66 (or the above-mentioned symmetrical motorised rollers).

The guide rollers 102 and 68 guide the face layer 74 to assist in the process of rolling the face layer into a roll 82 on the collection roller 70, from rolledstock the roller 100.

The roll 82 may then be suitably placed on the laminating apparatus 10 to allow lamination of the face layer 74 to the substrate layer 72 to take place, to form the finished printed panel One option for doing so is to provide the apparatus 10 with a further roller 84 (shown in phantom lines in Figure 1) adjacent to the pinch-roller area 18. The roll 82 of the face layer 74 can thus be supported on the roller 84, and suitably extended onto the pinch-roller area 18. Thus, while the substrate layer 72 is being fed through the opening 24, the face layer 74 is laminated to the substrate layer, with the sheet 34 of glue between them. This may be achieved by the roller 22 or by any other suitable roller.

It will be appreciated that the invention offers numerous advantages. The offering of the service as described above enables the purchaser to place the order with a single enterprise which will carry out both the lamination and printing processes for producing the printed panel. The fact that the one enterprise carries out both of these steps means that the enterprise need not engage the services of another enterprise for carrying out any of the steps, such as the lamination process, or the printing process.

In addition, the use of dry heat-actuatable glue for laminating the layers of the printed panel, and the use of UV curable ink for printing the image, results in a significant time saving over traditional methods which may have omitted one or both of these features. The almost immediate curing of the glue and drying of the ink allows the printed panel to be produced substantially in a single, continuous operation, at a single location, without significant pauses between steps which might have been required for curing or drying of glue or ink in traditional methods.

As individual panels can thus each be made one at a time, in their entirety, there is essentially no need, in the interests of unbroken production runs, to begin producing a particular printed panel while a previous panel is being stored to allow for curing or drying of glue and/or ink. This has the advantage of not requiring storage- or floor-space for such partly-completed panels, and of not requiring the labour that would be involved in moving such partlycompleted panels to and from the places where they will be stored.

There is also no requirement for clamping the layers of the panel together to keep them correctly positioned relative to each other during curing of the glue.

Thus, the need for clamping equipment, and the time and effort of carrying out such clamping, can be avoided.

Due to the possibility of completing one full panel essentially in a single operation, or an operation involving essentially contiguous steps, the need for managing the storage of a potentially large number of partly-completed panels can be avoided, as can the need for managing subsequent production operations on such partly-completed panels. This also makes it simpler to allow for individual customised production runs rather than requiring larger production runs akin to mass production. This, in turn, has further advantages of reduced wastage of material, reduced requirements for cleaning operations between production runs, and less time and effort required in preparing production runs.

The possibility of producing a printed panel in a relatively short time is also advantageous from a customer's point of view as the customer can receive the ordered panel relatively soon after placing the order.

The ability of the enterprise to offer an option of printing the required image on a layer of a panel before the various layers of the panel are laminated, or providing the image on the panel after the layers are laminated, may also assist in the saving of time. This is because, while a particular panel production job is underway in which the lamination steps are being carried out first using the lamination apparatus 10, another panel production job may also be underway in which the printing steps are being carried out first using the printing apparatus 50 or 50.1. Once the lamination steps of the firstmentioned job are complete, the laminated base portion can be moved to the printing apparatus 50 to allow printing of the image to take place, while the printed face layer 74 of the other job can be moved to the laminating apparatus 10 to allow that face layer to be laminated to its respective substrate layer 72. Thus, the two jobs can "overlap" with each other so as to save time.

In addition, the ability to offer the option also provides the capability of providing for two different panel-manufacturing scenarios.

One of these scenarios is where the face layer 74 is of a material that is so thin that effecting printing of the image on that layer using the printing apparatus 50 or 50.1 becomes impracticable. In this scenario, the face layer 74 would have to be laminated to the substrate layer 72 to provide the necessary rigidity to the face layer to allow it to be placed on the printing apparatus 50 to have the image printed.

The other scenario is where the customer provides the customer's own, already-made base portion, and all that is required of the enterprise is to carry out the printing of the image on the base portion using the printing apparatus In this scenario, the enterprise would need to be able to carry out the printing without carrying out any lamination steps.

This latter scenario does not itself form part of the present invention.

However, the feature of the relevant embodiment of the invention which allows for the option as to the order of carrying out the lamination and printing steps is beneficial to the enterprise as it enables the enterprise to provide for both of the above scenarios and hence to provide a broader range of services.

Although the invention is described above in relation to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that it is not limited to those embodiments, but may be embodied in many other forms. For example, although the method is described above in relation to a panel having only two laminated layers, it may have more such layers.

In addition, although the image is described as being provided on only one surface, images may be provided on other surfaces as well. Thus, for example, the finished printed panel may be provided with images on both sides of the panel. Indeed, with regard to the option mentioned above of providing the required image on a layer of a panel before the various layers are laminated, or providing the image on the panel after the layers are laminated, where an image is provided on more than one surface of the panel, both options may be used. For instance, one of the images may be provided on a layer of the panel before lamination takes place, and the other image after lamination takes place.

Claims (4)

1. A method of providing a printed panel to a purchaser, the method including the steps of: offering a service of providing a printed panel, the service including the lamination of layers of the panel and the providing of an image on one of the layers; receiving an order from the purchaser, the order including first parameters of a base portion of the panel and second parameters of an image to be presented on the base portion; providing a plurality of panel layers for forming the base portion; applying a dry heat actuatable glue to at least one of the layers; actuating the glue to enable the bonding together of the panel layers; laminating the panel layers to form the base portion in accordance with said first parameters including superposing the panel layers on one another with the glue between each pair of adjacent panel layers; applying an image in accordance with said second parameters to a first one of the panel layers using ultra-violet light curable ink; and providing the panel, which is constituted by the superposed bonded panel layers with the image applied to said first layer, to the purchaser.

2. A method according to claim 1 including the step of providing apparatus for effecting said steps of applying a dry heat actuatable glue, actuating the glue, laminating the panel layers, and applying an image.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the step of applying an image precedes the step of laminating the plurality of panel layers.

4. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the step of laminating the plurality of panel layers precedes the step of applying an image. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein, in the step of offering a service, the offer includes providing an option as to whether 16 the step of applying an image precedes or succeeds the step of laminating the plurality of panel layers. Dated this 3 rd day of September 2004 Applicants: Paula Hamilton and Corrado Cencioni Applicant's Patent Attorneys: Griffin Vincent Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys