EP1908608A1

EP1908608A1 - Method of and apparatus for manufacturing a panel and produced panel

Info

Publication number: EP1908608A1
Application number: EP06121829A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Paul Louis Vermeulen
Original assignee: Spanolux NV SA
Current assignee: Spanolux NV SA
Priority date: 2006-10-05
Filing date: 2006-10-05
Publication date: 2008-04-09
Also published as: CN101605664A; UA99715C2; DK1925461T3

Abstract

The invention provides a method of manufacturing a large surface panel (1), which has a decoration layer with a repetitive decoration layer pattern (5), and a repetitive surface structure pattern (4), wherein the frequencies of the repetitive patterns of the surface structure and the decoration layer are different. The invention also provides a set of individual panels (3). The individual panels (3) are cut out from the large surface panel (1) and can be collected and wrapped into a package. The package comprises at least a plurality of individual panels (3) having identical decoration layer patterns (5), but different surface structure patterns (4). The invention provides large surface panels and individual panels (3) which present a very good imitation of panels made of a natural material.

Description

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a large surface panel, including the steps of providing a large surface panel having at least one side to be decorated, applying a decoration layer on the side in a repetitive decoration layer pattern in at least a machining direction along the large surface panel, and applying a repetitive surface structure pattern on the side in at least the same machining direction.
Such a method is well-known, for example for manufacturing a large surface laminate panel which is cut into a plurality of individual panels in a next manufacturing step. The individual panels are known in various embodiments, for example in the form of laminate floor panels. The repetitive patterns on the side of a large surface panel is generally applied to achieve an efficient manufacturing process. Such panels are made on a wood basis and have a decoration layer to imitate natural materials such as wood or other natural materials. Furthermore, they have a surface structure pattern to improve the natural appearance further.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a large surface panel which imitates natural materials still better.
In order to achieve this object the decoration layer and the repetitive surface structure are applied such that the frequencies of the repetitive patterns of the surface structure and the decoration layer are different.
Due to this feature of the invention a large surface panel can be manufactured which has at least a decorated side having a repetitive decoration layer pattern with a frequency which differs from that of its surface structure pattern. The variation of surface structure pattern in addition to a variation of decoration layer surface structure pattern increases the number of apparently different individual panels which improves the natural appearance of an assembly of the individual panels, such as a floor covering.
The frequency of the surface structure pattern can be lower than that of the decoration layer pattern. Particularly, this is advantageous in the case when the large surface panel is cut into a plurality of individual panels which have the same length as one cycle of the repetitive decoration layer pattern, as it provides the opportunity to manufacture an adjacent individual panel having the same length and same decoration layer pattern, but with an entirely different surface structure pattern. Furthermore, the ratio between the frequencies may be a whole number.
The surface structure pattern may be applied after applying the decoration layer. It is, for example, possible to apply a protective layer onto the decoration layer and then applying a surface treatment of the protective layer. The surface treatment may comprise a step of embossing the protective layer. These steps are relatively simply to implement in the manufacturing method such as in the prior art.
Preferably, an embossing roller is applied for embossing the side, since this provides the possibility of a continuous manufacturing method.
The embossing roller may have a circumferential surface which is treated by chemical embossing or mechanical embossing to obtain at least an embossed region on the surface. This is a relatively simple method to achieve any embossed region.
The surface structure pattern preferably has a realistic texture, imitating natural materials. Therefore, the surface structure pattern can be derived from a natural material by preparing an outer surface of a piece of the material by etching, scanning an image thereof, loading the image in a control programme of a surface structuring machine, and the surface structure pattern is applied by the machine.
The large surface panel may be cut into individual panels in at least the machining direction. Preferably, the individual panels are cut out at such lengths that each adjacent individual panel has an identical decoration layer pattern. This is beneficial for obtaining an efficient repetitive character of the manufacturing process. It is, however, also possible to vary the lengths of the individual panels.
The invention also relates to a large surface panel comprising at least an upper surface which is provided with a decoration layer having a repetitive decoration layer pattern in at least one direction along the surface, and a repetitive surface structure pattern in at least the same direction, wherein the frequencies of the repetitive patterns of the surface structure and the decoration layer are different.
The invention also relates to a set of individual panels, wherein each thereof has at least a side provided with a decoration layer having a decoration layer pattern, and a surface structure pattern, wherein the set at least comprises two individual panels including identical decoration layer patterns, but different surface structure patterns. The set can be wrapped into at least a package. This means that the package comprises individual panels which have identical decoration layer patterns, but different surface structure patterns. For example, if the individual panels are applied for making a floor covering, the covering will provide a great natural appearance due to the large extent of variations in decoration layer patterns and surface structure patterns.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a large surface panel such as described hereinbefore.
The invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to the very schematic accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a very schematic plan view of a large surface panel such as known in the art.
Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a large surface panel according to the invention, which is partly provided with a surface structure pattern.
Fig. 3 is a very schematic perspective view of an embossing roller.
Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a rectangular large surface panel 1 which is manufactured according to a method known in the art. It has at least one side, which is in this case an upper surface 2 which is provided with a decoration layer which imitates a natural material, such as wood. This decoration layer may include a laminate of paper layers impregnated with resin and a protective top layer. The core of the large surface panel 1 may comprise one or more layers of MDF, HDF, HTSP, PVC, composites or the like, and possibly a balancing layer may be provided on the lower surface of the large surface panel 1.
In a next manufacturing step the large surface panel 1 may be cut into rectangular individual panels 3 which are machined further, for example for providing each thereof with coupling means (not shown) to be able to couple the individual panels 3 to each other in order to make a floor covering.
The large surface panel 1 shown in Fig. 1 comprises four individual panels 3 in X direction and ten individual panels 3 in Y direction. The borders between the individual panels 3 in X direction are indicated by dashed lines. The large surface panel has a repetitive decoration layer pattern 4 and a repetitive surface structure pattern 5 in a machining direction which is defined as the X direction. The decoration layer pattern is represented by straight lines in Fig. 1. The decoration layer pattern 4 imitates two or more parallel planks of wood within each individual panel 3. Of course, many variations in pattern shape are conceivable. The surface structure pattern 5 varies in terms of its texture within each of the rectangular individual panels 3 which is represented by curved lines in Fig. 1. The texture may have a (three dimensional) shape and size such as that of real planks of wood, such that the texture follows the pattern in the decoration layer (embossing in register).
In the large surface panel 1 of Fig. 1 four out of forty panels are identical, because of the repetitive character of both the decoration layer pattern 4 and the surface structure pattern 5 in X direction.
Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a large surface panel 1 which is manufactured according to the method of the invention. This embodiment also shows that it has a repetitive decoration layer pattern 4 in X direction, but the surface structure pattern 5 does not have a repetitive character after each individual panel 3 in X direction. In this case the frequency of the surface structure pattern 5 is four times lower than that of the decoration layer pattern 4. This means that the decoration layer pattern 4 repeats after each individual panel 3, whereas the surface structure pattern 5 repeats after four individual panels 3 in X direction. This results in 40 different individual panels 3 which can be cut out from the single large surface panel 1. Note, that in Fig. 2 only a part of the surface structure pattern 5 is shown. In practice, the entire large surface panel 1 may be provided with a surface structure pattern 5.
Furthermore, according to the invention the surface structure 5 can also be adapted by the gloss of the upper surface. This is illustrated in Fig. 2 by regions 6 which are hatched in various manners.
In practice, after manufacturing the individual panels 3 are collected and form a set comprising a plurality of individual panels 3. A set includes at least two individual panels 3 having identical decoration layer patterns 4, but different surface structure patterns 5. The set can be wrapped into one or more packages.
According to the invention the embodiment of a large surface panel 1 such as shown in Fig. 2 is manufactured by the steps of:

providing a large surface panel 1 having at least one side to be decorated, which is in this case the upper surface 2,
applying a decoration layer on the side in a repetitive decoration layer pattern 4 in at least a machining direction (X direction) along the large surface panel 1,
applying a repetitive surface structure pattern 5 on the side in at least the same machining direction (X direction), wherein the decoration layer and the repetitive surface structure are applied such that the frequencies of the repetitive patterns of the surface structure and the decoration layer 4, 5 are different.

Regarding large surface panel 1 as shown in Fig. 2 the surface structure pattern 5 is applied on the protective layer (not shown) after applying the decoration layer on the large surface panel 1. In that case the surface structure is applied by a surface treatment of the protective layer. The treatment comprises a step of embossing the protective layer. The protective layer is normally applied on a panel by pressurizing it thereon at elevated temperature. The embossing operation can be done by a press plate (not shown).
The embossing operation can also be done by using a rotatable embossing roller 7, such as shown in Fig. 3. The roller 7 comprises a circumferential surface 8 which is treated by chemical embossing or mechanical embossing (for example by laser engraving) to obtain embossed regions 9 on the surface 8. The embossed regions 9 can be embossed such that both texture and gloss of the protective layer are adapted. During the manufacturing process the embossing roller 7 presses the protective layer onto the panel under hot circumstances to form the panel 1 as a laminate panel, in this case including embossed regions on the upper surface 2 of the large surface panel 1. It is possible that during the embossing treatment of the protective layer, the decoration layer and/or the core which are below the protective layer, may be embossed, as well.
The roller 7 as shown in Fig. 3 includes four embossed regions 9 in circumferential direction thereof (they are not all visible in Fig. 3). This is to illustrate that during operation of the roller 7, when it rotates and presses the protective layer against the large surface panel 1, four subsequently passing units of the decoration layer pattern 4 will receive a surface structure pattern 5 which varies over those four units. Of course, the ratio between the frequency of both patterns 4, 5 may be varied. In a next rotation step of the roller 7 a next large surface panel 1 will be provided with the same surface structure pattern 5. This means that the surface structure pattern 5 has a repetitive character for large surface panels 1 being manufactured one-by-one (i.e. each large surface panel 1 has similar surface structure patterns 5), but the pattern 5 is not repetitive or less repetitive within each large surface panel 1.
In the case of using a press plate instead of a roller 7, the press plate may provide the large surface panel 1 with a non repetitive surface structure pattern 5, whereas the decoration layer pattern 4 may have a repetitive character, such as shown in Fig. 2.
In order to imitate a natural appearance the surface structure pattern 5 can be derived from a natural material (not shown) by preparing an outer surface of a piece of the natural material by etching, and then scanning an image thereof. The image can be loaded in a control program of a machine for applying the surface structure pattern onto the embossing roller 7, for example. While applying a different surface structure pattern on the same decoration pattern it is still possible to use embossing in register.
From the foregoing it will be clear that the invention provides a method of manufacturing a large surface panel which presents a very good imitation of a panel of a natural material. It may be clear that due to the variation of the surface structure pattern (both in texture and gloss) an assembly of individual panels in a covering will provide a natural appearance, as well.
The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments, which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims. For instance, the embossing roller could be replaced by an embossing plate, combined with embossing release papers between a plurality of panels to be manufactured, for example. In addition to a floor covering the individual panels may be used for wall or ceiling covering, as well, for example.

Claims

Method of manufacturing a large surface panel (1), including the steps of:
- providing a large surface panel (1) having at least one side (2) to be decorated,

- applying a decoration layer on the side (2) in a repetitive decoration layer pattern (4) in at least a machining direction (X) along the large surface panel (1),

- applying a repetitive surface structure pattern (4) on the side (2) in at least the same machining direction (X), characterized in that the decoration layer and the repetitive surface structure are applied such that the frequencies of the repetitive patterns of the surface structure and the decoration layer (4, 5) are different.
Method according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the surface structure pattern (4) is lower than that of the decoration layer pattern (5).
Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ratio between the frequencies is a whole number.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface structure pattern (5) is applied after applying the decoration layer.
Method according to claim 4, wherein the surface structure pattern (5) is applied by applying a protective layer onto the decoration layer and then applying a surface treatment of the protective layer to adapt the texture and/or the gloss of the surface structure.
Method according to claim 5, wherein the surface treatment comprises a step of embossing the protective layer.
Method according to claim 6, wherein an embossing roller (7) is applied for embossing the side (2) of the large surface panel (1).
Method according to claim 7, wherein the embossing roller (7) has a circumferential surface (8) which is treated by chemical embossing or mechanical embossing to obtain at least an embossed region (9) on the surface (8).
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface structure pattern is derived from a natural material by preparing an outer surface of a piece of the material by etching, scanning an image thereof, loading the image in a control programme of a surface structuring machine, and the surface structure pattern is applied by the machine.
Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the large surface panel (1) is cut into individual panels (3) in at least the machining direction (X).
Method according to claim 10, wherein the individual panels (3) are cut out at such lengths that each adjacent individual panel (3) has an identical decoration layer pattern (4).
Large surface panel (1) comprising at least an upper surface (2) provided with a decoration layer having a repetitive decoration layer pattern (4) in at least one direction (X) along the surface (2), and a repetitive surface structure pattern (5) in at least the same direction (X), wherein the frequencies of the repetitive patterns of the surface structure and the decoration layer (4, 5) are different.
A set of individual panels (3), wherein each individual panel (3) has at least a side (2) provided with a decoration layer having a decoration layer pattern (4), and a surface structure pattern (5), wherein the set at least comprises two individual panels (3) including identical decoration layer patterns, but different surface structure patterns (4, 5).
A set of individual panels (3) according to claim 13, wherein the set is wrapped into at least a package.
Apparatus for manufacturing a large surface panel (1) according to the method such as defined in one of the claims 1-9.