EP1886778B1 - Method and device for producing laminate panels - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves dividing an endless plate into individual carrier plates. A decor paper is provided or manufactured in a pressing machine by pressing. The decor paper is pressed on the carrier plate in a laminate press, where the carrier plate exhibits a length of 2.070 millimeter longitudinal to a conveying direction. The carrier plate and or the decor paper are moved and/or rotated in front of the laminate press from the conveying direction in order to guide the carrier plate and the decor paper into a cover together into the laminate press. An independent claim is also included for a device for manufacturing laminate panels.

Description

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing laminate panels.

Laminate panels typically include a wood core and a decorative layer applied to an upper surface of the wood core. For the production of the wood core wood panel presses are used, which join wood chips or wood fibers with the addition of glue and / or resins by pressing, whereby, for example, medium-density fiber (MDF) or high-density (HDF) plates. Often the wood plate presses are designed as Konti presses, through which an endless plate is made. This endless plate is broken down into individual carrier plates, which are then fed for further processing.

The decorative layer usually comprises printed paper, which is impregnated with melamine resin and pressed together with an overlay or with a protective layer under heat and pressure on the support plate. The printing takes place in a printing machine, the paper roll goods is supplied. After printing, the decorative paper is impregnated in an impregnation with resin such as melamine resin, then placed as a decorative sheet with the overlay on the support plate and then pressed in a laminate press on the support plate, so that now a laminate plate is formed, from which cut the individual laminate panels can be.

A standard has been established on the market with regard to the laminate panels, according to which a laminate panel has a length of about 1.30 m and a width of about 20 cm or corresponding enlargements or reductions (for example 100x650 mm, 400x1300 mm, 400x650 mm etc.). According to this standard wood panel presses usually have an effective press width of about 2 m, so that support plates can be produced with a width of 2 m, from which then 10 laminate panels can be cut at a length of the support plate of about 1.30 m.

A similar picture results in the printing presses, which also have a printing width of about 2 m, so that sheet goods can be printed in a width of about 2 m. Corresponding to the width of the carrier plate and the width of the decorative paper running out of the printing press, the laminate presses usually have an effective press width of likewise approximately 2 m.

With a device for the production of laminate panels, in which the wood plate press, the printing press and the laminate press have an effective processing width (press or print width) of about 2 m each, a certain minimum production is required, so that the laminate panels can be produced economically. In addition, the minimum production requires a complex logistics to provide the required quantities of raw materials and supply the produced laminate panels to the consumer market. As a rule, this leads to the fact that a production of laminate panels with integrated wood panel production takes place only in comparatively large production facilities, which leads to long transport distances and thus high transport costs. Also, due to the large volume of production, the operation of such a production site is reserved only for a few who can rely on a correspondingly high demand. Small or medium-sized suppliers can therefore not rely on their own production of laminate panels with integrated wood board production.

The invention is therefore based on the object to provide a method and an apparatus for producing laminate panels, which is a cost-effective and decentralized production of laminate panels on a smaller scale allows.

The object underlying the invention is achieved by presenting a method according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention can be taken from the subclaims 2 to 6. A device according to the invention results from the feature combination according to claim 7. Preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention can be taken from the dependent claims 8 to 12.

The inventive method for the production of laminate panels is characterized in that the endless plate or the carrier plate transversely to a conveying direction of the endless plate or carrier plate from the wood plate press a width B _TP of about 1300 mm and the support plate along the conveying direction has a length L _TP of about 2,070 mm and that the decal sheet transversely to a conveying direction of the Dekorbogens from the printing press or from the impregnation (20) has a width B _DB of about 2,070 mm and along the conveying direction has a length L _DB of about 1,300 mm , Wherein support plate and / or decal sheet are moved in front of the laminate press from the respective conveying direction and / or rotated to lead carrier plate and decal sheet in register with each other in the laminate press. The invention is based on the idea to reduce the effective press width of the wood-block press, but in the manufacture of laminate panels continue to resort to printing machine widths of about 2 m (preferably 7 "= 2.07 m), which are currently used as standard.

According to the usual width of the endless plate of about 2070 mm is now set to about 1300 mm (preferably between 1224 and 1310 mm). The associated reduction in the press width of a wood-block press has positive effects. By reducing the size, a disproportionate cost saving can be achieved. Among other things, this is due to a simpler width control, a simpler thickness control and advantages in heat distribution, straightening accuracy and production reliability attributed to smaller wood plate press. Furthermore, less wood is needed and thus the wood processing can be made smaller, which reduces costs.

With the device according to the invention, laminate panels can be economically produced in substantially smaller quantities at one location, so that the necessary logistics and infrastructure can be made correspondingly leaner. Smaller, decentralized production sites are now possible that can optimally adapt to local conditions.

According to the invention, as already mentioned above, when the decorative paper is not provided as a finished product, a printing machine with an effective printing width of about 2 m is used. Accordingly, a printed image for ten adjacent laminate panels can be printed on the decor paper, each laminate panel can receive an individual printed image. Thus, the number of differently printed laminate panels is not reduced compared to the prior art printing. This means that due to the constant variance of the laminate panels with regard to a natural appearance of the laminate panels laid later, no loss of quality must be accepted.

It should be noted that the impregnation of the provided or produced in the printing machine decor paper can be done separately and spatially separated. Thus, the possibility is also covered by the invention that the decorative paper is provided in already impregnated form and then placed as a decorative sheet on the support plate and pressed in the laminate press on the support plate.

Support plate and decal sheet are supplied with different width of the laminate press. According to the invention, it is now provided to move and / or rotate at least the carrier plate or the decorative sheet out of the respective conveying direction in such a way that the carrier plate and the decorative sheet are brought into overlap with one another in order to supply them to the laminate press. Over cover of carrier plate and decal sheet is intended here to mean that the decal sheet the carrier plate substantially completely covers. In this case, the decal sheet with an edge whose length corresponds to the width B _BD of about 2,070 mm, on one edge of the support plate, whose length corresponds to the length L _TP of about 2,070 mm. In this case, this means that the endless plate running out of the wood-block press has to be separated at a distance of approx. 2,070 mm. If the press is supplied with paper sheets whose length is a multiple of the 1224 to 1310 raster, the decorative paper running from the printing press must be clipped onto a 1,224 to 1,310 raster in order to obtain a correspondingly large decal sheet, which is then printed Rotation and / or after the change of the conveying direction fits exactly on the carrier plate.

In a preferred embodiment, a conveying direction of the carrier plate and the decorative sheet in the laminate press corresponds to the conveying direction of the carrier plate from the wood-plate press. This means that the conveying direction of the carrier plate from the wood-plate press into the laminate press does not change. Thus, wood panel press and laminate press can be arranged in a line or on an axis, which simplifies the handling of the carrier plates in the manufacturing process.

As an alternative to the above embodiment, the conveying direction of the carrier plate and the decorative sheet into the laminate press may correspond to the conveying direction of the decorative sheet from the printing press or from the impregnation. In this case, the carrier plate must be moved from its conveying direction of the wood plate press or rotated by a certain angle, so that the support plate and decal sheet can be performed in overlap each other in the laminate press. Here now individual plates but also several plates can be pressed in one pressing process.

In a preferred embodiment, the conveying direction of the carrier plate from the wood plate press and the conveying direction of the decal sheet from the printing press or from the impregnation are parallel to each other, wherein the support plate and decal sheet are rotated relative to each other before the laminate press by 90 °. The relative rotation by 90 ° can be achieved by an absolute 90 ° rotation of the support plate, wherein the decal sheet is not rotated, by an absolute 90 ° rotation of the Dekorbogens, wherein the support plate is not rotated, or be implemented by a rotation of the support plate and Dekorbogen, in which case the rotations of support plate and Add decal sheet relative to 90 °.

Preferably, ten laminate panels having a length l of about 1300 mm and a width b of about 207 mm are cut from a laminate panel. Alternatively, 20 narrow panels or 5 wide panels (e.g., for tile decors in a grid of 400 x 400 mm) can be cut from the laminate panel.

The method according to the invention can also comprise the profiling of the laminate panels. Thus, the laminate panels can be equipped at their edges with a tongue and groove system or with a locking system to make the laying of the laminate panels easy and without glue.

The device according to the invention for the production of laminate panels is characterized in that an effective press width of the wood platen press corresponds to about 1300 mm, preferably 1224 mm to 1310 mm, and that a feed is provided, through which the decal sheet and / or the support plate from the respective conveying direction moved and / or can be rotated to lead decal sheet and carrier plate in register with each other in the laminate press. For example, the supply may cause a rotation of the Dekorbogens when the conveying direction of the support plate from the printing press and the conveying direction of the Dekorbogens from the printing press are parallel to each other. The necessary rotation to cover the decorative sheet and carrier plate is 90 °.

In a preferred embodiment, an effective press width of the laminate press corresponds to the effective press width of the wood panel press. This leads to a small laminate press with a press width of about 1,300 mm, which additionally reduces the investment costs for the device for producing laminate panels. Also, the handling of carrier plate and Decal sheet or the laminate plate, which arises during pressing in the laminate press, simplified because of the smaller size.

In order to increase the performance of the laminate press, a plurality of press units may be provided, which preferably each have a press width of about 1300 mm and can accommodate a support plate arranged thereon with the decorative sheet.

Another preferred way to increase the performance of the laminate press is to increase the effective pressing length of the laminate press to a multiple of the length L _{TP of} the support plate. Thus, several consecutively arranged carrier plates can be processed in the laminate press in a press cycle. As a result, the supply and discharge times based on the pressing of a laminate plate can be reduced.

In a preferred embodiment, the laminate press has at least one press plate with an embossing structure which extends transversely to the conveying direction of the carrier plate and the decal sheet in the laminate press. As a result, the embossing structure of the press plate has a same orientation as the individual laminate panels, which are supplied to the laminate press transversely.

The printing machine preferably has at least one printing cylinder with a length development of 1,224 to 1,310 mm. Thus, a decorative paper in the length of 1224 to 1310 mm can be printed by one revolution of the printing cylinder, which corresponds to the length of the laminate panels.

Figur 1

ein Laminatpaneel;

Figur 2

Querschnitt des Laminatpaneels der Figur 1;

Figur 3

eine schematische Darstellung einer ersten erfindungsgemäßen Vorrichtung; und

Figur 4

eine schematische Darstellung eines zweiten bevorzugten Ausführungsbeispieles.

Reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the invention is explained in detail. Show it:

FIG. 1

a laminate panel;

FIG. 2

Cross section of the laminate panel of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3

a schematic representation of a first device according to the invention; and

FIG. 4

a schematic representation of a second preferred embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a rectangular laminate panel 1 with a length 1 and a width b. The length I is approx. 1,300 mm, while the width b is about 204 mm. The laminate panel has edges 2, 3, which are provided with coupling means (not shown) to connect adjacent laminate panels 1 when laying. These coupling means may comprise, for example, tongue and groove.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section through the laminate panel 1 along the line 11-11 of FIG. 1 , Again FIG. 2 can be seen, the laminate panel 1 consists of a wood core 4, which may be made for example of a middle density fiber plate (MDF board) or a high density fiber plate (HDF board). A usual thickness of the wood core 4 is 6 to 8 mm.

On top of the wood core 4, a decorative layer 5 is applied, which comprises at least one printable paper web, which is impregnated with melamine resin. Over the decorative layer 5, a protective layer 6 is formed, which is also commonly referred to as an overlay and may include light, transparent paper webs, which are wetted in an impregnating bath with liquid melamine resin. By appropriate mineral components, the wear resistance of the protective layer 6 and thus of the laminate panel 1 can be adjusted.

On an underside of the wood core 4, a counteracting layer 7 is provided which is intended to protect the wood core 4 from moisture and contributes to the shape stabilization of the laminate panel 1. It is understood that the laminate panel 1 may have further layers.

FIG. 3 shows schematically a device for the production of laminate panels according to FIG. 1 respectively. FIG. 2 , The device for producing the Laminate panels are designated 8 in their entirety. The apparatus 8 comprises a wood platen press 9, a printing press 10, a laminate press 11 and an impregnation 20. It should be noted that this is only a schematic representation in which aspects that are not essential to the invention are disregarded. For example, the illustration is omitted, as the protective layer 6 are applied to the decorative layer 6 or the Gegenzugschicht 7 on the underside of the support plate 14.

The wood-block press 9 supplies an endless plate 12, which is cut in a separating station 13 in carrier plates 14. In the FIG. 3 a plurality of carrier plates 14a to 14d arranged in series are shown, which have been produced one after the other. The endless plate 12 and the carrier plates 14a to 14d have a width B _TP . The width B _TP corresponds to approximately 1,300 mm and thus the length I of the floor panel 1. A length L _{TP of} the support plate 14 corresponds to approx. 2,070 mm (preferably 2,050 to 2,070 mm), so that ten floor panels 1 can be made from a carrier plate.

The printing machine 10 produces a decorative paper 15, which is preferably printed from roll to roll. It can alternatively be delivered as a finished product. Thereafter, the decorative paper 15 is fed to an impregnation 20, which may comprise an impregnation channel with subsequent drying. The impregnated decorative paper 15 'is cut in a separation station 16 to a decorative sheet 17. Here too, a plurality of decal sheets 17a to 17d are shown, which run successively from the printing press 10. The individual decal sheets have a width B _DB of about 2,070 mm and a length L _DB of about 1,300 mm. How is the FIG. 3 can be removed, the decorative sheet 17a is rotated by the printing press 10 and the separation station 16 by 90 ° to completely cover a carrier plate 14 before the laminate press 11. In the presentation of the FIG. 3 For example, the decal sheet 17d located immediately in front of the laminate press 11 has a small offset to the support plate 14d. This offset serves only to illustrate that the decal sheet 17d rests on the support plate 14d. In reality, the carrier plate 14d and the decorative sheet 17d are exactly coincided before being fed to the laminate press 11. As a rule, the decal sheet is all oversized to cover everything.

In the laminate press 11, the heat and pressure of the decorative sheet 17 with overlay and return firmly connected to the support plate 14. The laminate press 11 ejects a laminate plate 18, which is fed to a sawing station 19. In this sawing station 19, the laminate plate 18 is sawn into ten individual laminate panels 1. The individual laminate panels can then be supplied to a profiling (not shown) in order, for example, to attach tongue and groove to the edges of the laminate panel 1. Here, today's standard profiling can be used.

FIG. 3 shows a conveying direction R _{DB of} the decal sheet 17a from the printing press 10 or from the impregnation 20. It can be seen that the linear movement of the decal sheet 17 along the conveying direction R _{DB is} superposed with a direction of rotation of 90 °. In contrast, the carrier plate 14 keeps its linear movement along a conveying direction R _TP to the laminate press 11, without being rotated. Accordingly, the conveying direction R _{TP of} the support plate 14 from the wood plate press 9 corresponds to a conveying direction R _LP of support plate and Dekorbogen in the laminate press 11. The conveying directions R _DB and R _TP are in the embodiment of FIG. 3 parallel to each other, so that a rotation of the decal sheet 17 by 90 ° is necessary.

Another embodiment of a device 8 shows FIG. 4 , The essential difference from the embodiment according to FIG. 3 is that the conveying directions R _{TP of} the support plate 14 from the wood plate press 9 and the conveying direction R _{DB of} the decorative sheet 17 from the impregnation 20 are now at right angles to each other. To bring now support plate 14 and the decorative sheet 17 in register, is a rotation, as in the embodiment of FIG. 3 is explained, not necessary here. However, the decorative sheet 17 is moved out of the impregnation 20 along the direction R _DB , then deposited on the support plate 14b, and then guided together with the support plate 14b along the direction R _LP in the laminate press 11, wherein the conveying direction R _DB and the conveying direction R _{LP are} at right angles to each other.

Thus, the conveying direction of the decal sheet is abandoned from the printing press or from the impregnation for supplying carrier plate and decal sheet.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Laminate

2

edge

3

edge

4

wood core

5

decorative layer

6

protective layer

7

counteracting

8th

contraption

9

Wood panel Press

10

press

11

laminate press

12

endless panel

13

separating station

14

support plate

15

decorative paper

16

separating station

17

Dekorbogen

18

laminated board

19

sawing station

20

impregnation

1

Length of the laminate panel 1

b

Width of the laminate panel 1

B _TP

Width of the support plate 14th

L _TP

Length of the carrier plate 14

B _DB

Width of the decal sheet 17

L _DB

Length of decal sheet 17

R _TP

Conveying direction of the carrier plate from the wood plate press 9

R _DB

Conveying direction of the decal sheet from the printing press 10

R _LP

Direction of conveyance of the carrier plate and the decal sheet into the laminate press 11

Claims (12)

1. Method for producing laminate panels (1), which comprise a wood core (4) and a décor layer (5), an endless plate (12) preferably being produced in a wood plate press and being divided into individual carrier plates (14), and a décor paper (15) being provided or produced in a printing machine (10) by printing, which paper, after running through an impregnation system (20), is placed as a decor sheet (17) on the carrier plate (14) and is pressed in a laminate press (11) onto the carrier plate (14), characterised in that the endless plate (12) or the carrier plate (14), transversely to a conveying direction (R_TP) of the endless plate (12) or carrier plate (14) from the wood plate press (9), has a width (B_TP) of about 1,300 mm and the carrier plate (14) has a length (L_TP) longitudinally to the conveying direction (R_TP) of about 2,070 mm and in that the decor sheet (17), transversely to a conveying direction (R_DB) of the decor sheet (17) from the printing machine (10) or from the impregnation system (20), has a width (R_DB) of about 2,070 mm and a length (L_DB) of about 1,300 mm longitudinally to the conveying direction (R_DB), the carrier plate (14) and/or decor sheet (17) being moved and/or rotated before the laminate press (11) from the respective conveying direction (R_TP, R_DB) in order to guide the carrier plate (14) and decor sheet (17) covering one another into the laminate press (11).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that a conveying direction (R_LP) of the carrier plate (14) and décor sheet (17) into the laminate press (11) corresponds to the conveying direction (R_TP) of the carrier plate (14) from the wood plate press (9).
3. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the conveying direction (R_LP) of the carrier plate (14) and decor sheet (17) into the laminate press (11) corresponds to the conveying direction (R_DB) of the decor sheet (17) from the printing machine (10) or from the impregnation system (20).
4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the conveying direction (R_TP) of the carrier plate (14) from the wood plate press (9) and the conveying direction (R_DB) of the decor sheet (17) from the printing machine (10) or from the impregnation system (20) are parallel to one another, the carrier plate (14) and decor sheet (17) being rotated through 90° relative to one another before the laminate press (11).
5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the laminate press (11) produces a laminate plate (18), from which ten laminate panels (1) with a length (I) of about 1,300 mm and a width (b) of about 200 mm are cut.
6. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the laminate panels (1) are profiled.
7. Device (8) for producing laminate panels, which have a wood core (4) and a décor layer (5), with a wood plate press (9), by means of which a carrier plate (14) with a width of about 1,300 mm transversely to a conveying direction (R_TP) of the carrier plate (14) from the wood plate press (9) and with a length (L_TP) of about 2,070 mm longitudinally with respect to the conveying direction (R_TP) can be produced, and with a printing machine (10) and with an impregnation system (20), by means of which a printed decor sheet (17) with a width of about 2,070 mm transversely to a conveying direction (R_DB) of the decor sheet (17) from the printing machine (10) and with a length (L_DB) of about 1,300 mm longitudinally to the conveying direction (R_DB) can be produced, and with a laminate press (11), by means of which the décor sheet (17) can be pressed onto the carrier plate (14) to produce a laminate plate (18), characterised in that an effective pressing width of the wood plate press corresponds to about 1,300 mm and in that a feed is provided by means of which the decor sheet (17) and/or the carrier plate (14) can be moved and/or rotated from the respective conveying direction (R_DB, R_TP) in order to guide the decor sheet (17) and carrier plate (14), covering one another, into the laminate press (11).
8. Device (8) according to claim 7, characterised in that an effective pressing width of the laminate press (11) corresponds to the effective pressing width of the wood plate press (9).
9. Device (8) according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the laminate press (11) comprises a plurality of pressing units.
10. Device (8) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that an effective pressing length of the laminate press (18) corresponds to a multiple of the length (L_TP) of the carrier plate (14).
11. Device (8) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterised in that the laminate press has at least one pressing plate with an embossing structure, which extends transversely to the conveying direction (R_LP) of the carrier plate and laminate sheet into the laminate press (11).
12. Device (8) according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterised in that the printing machine (10) has at least one printing cylinder with an unwinding length of 1,224 to 1,310 mm.

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