GB2172848A

GB2172848A - Method of producing boards or panels faced with glass reinforced polyester

Info

Publication number: GB2172848A
Application number: GB08607453A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joel Harry Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-03-29
Filing date: 1986-03-26
Publication date: 1986-10-01
Also published as: GB8508308D0; GB8607453D0

Abstract

In order to simulate natural or painted wood having a grain pattern with a less expensive and more durable product for door panels, kitchen surfaces and the like, a moulded facing 16 of glass-reinforced polyester is affixed to the front surface of a board or panel 17. To produce the facing 16, a mould is first prepared which includes small ridges to give the appearance of wood grain and this is spread with a gel coat containing pigment and hardener upon which glass reinforced polyester fibres and a further hardening agent are then laid. Once hardened, this is removed from the mould and fixed to an appropriate backing board or panel. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of producing boards or panels faced with glass re-inforced polyester This invention relates to a method of producing boards or panels faced with glass re-inforced polyester.

Hitherto boards or panels as are used for full-size doors or for cupboard doors or domestic work surfaces have been made of solid wood, or veneerfaced wood, or melamine-faced or laminate (e.g.

formica) -faced chipboard. Of course, these are all quite satisfactory. It will be appreciated, however, that while wood is found to be aesthetically most desirable by most consumers it is the most expensive of these materials, is subject to shrinkage when dried out (by heat) and swelling when wet, and is the most susceptible of all these materials to cracking, splitting and other disfigurations when subjected to impact, sudden high temperatures (e.g. hot kitchen pans) or when substances such as fats and other food materials are split thereon.

Nowadays, interior doors and kitchen units of wood or of painted wood, which still retains the grained appearance of natural wood, are extremely fashionable and there is a need for a less expensive alternative which has the same appearance yet is less susceptible to damage from heat, moisture changes, spillages, or impact damage.

Glass fibre (or glass reinforced polyester) has in the past been used to replace wood and metal in situations where the latter materials were traditionally used but a less-expensive, lighter material with equal or better physical properties, such as strength and resistance to corrosion etc., was required. However, it has not previously been used for home furnishings where aesthetic appearance is of equal importance to physical properties for commercial success.

It is an object of the present invention to use glass reinforced polyester to produce boards and panels suitable for doors, kitchen units, kitchen work surfaces and the like, which have the appearance of natural or painted wood but which are far less expensive and more durable than similar boards or panels made entirely of wood.

Pursuant hereto, the present invention provides a method of producing a board or panel faced with glass reinforced polyester comprising the steps of preparing a mould for the desired configuration of panel facing including small ridges to give the appearance of wood grain, spreading a gel coat containing pigment and hardener over the mould interior, placing glass-reinforced polyester fibres onto the gel coat and applying a further hardening agent thereto, removing all the material from the mould in one piece as soon as it has hardened and affixing same to the front face of a board or panel, e.g. of chipboard or inexpensive wood.

The gel coat is preferably about 1.5 mm thick whilst the fibre and resin layer is preferably about 3 mm thick.

When released from the mould, the gel coat, which provides the front surface of the facing, has the grained appearance of wood, but it is also coloured by the pigment. Thus it has the highly desirable yet difficult to achieve appearance either of natural wood or of wood to which a special paint has been applied which does not fill in the wood grain.

The resultant board or panel has a pleasing appearance which exactly simulates natural wood or wood painted in the manner just mentioned, yet it is about half the price of such a wooden panel and is also much more durable as the glass-fibre does not shrink or swell as the moisture level varies and is not damaged by heat or by the sorts of chemical substances likely to be spilt in a kitchen. Furthermore the face is in one piece thereby obviating the possibility of seams of joints separating as is often the case with wood.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 to 5 are cross-sectional diagrams illustrating stages in the method of producing a moulded facing which is to be affixed to a board or panel in accordance with the invention; Figure 6 is a front perspective of one embodiment of a moulded facing for a board or panel produced by the method of the invention; Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional detail of region B in Figure 6 to a greatly enlarged scale, illusrating the grained pattern; Figures 8 and 9 are front views illustrating how the mouled facing of Figure 6 is mounted on a board panel to provide kitchen cupboard door; and Figure 10 is a cross-section, to an enlarged scale, along the line IX-IX of Figure 9.

In order to explain how the method of the invention is carried out, production of a moulded facing and its subsequent use to form a kitchen cupboard door panel will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. It will be understood, however, that moulded facings and panels of different configurations can be produced in a similar manner and can be used to produce different articles.

With reference to Figure 1, a former 10 is firstly produced, either of wood or of a plastics material which is embossed with a grain pattern simulating natural wood. The surface of the former 10 is fashioned to correspond to the desired facing configuration of the imitation panels that are to be made.

In this particular example, the former 10 is rectangular and it diminishes in thickness stepwise from a central rectangular portion. The former 10 is located in a casting box 11 and mould material in liquid or molten form is poured therearound. The mould material may be polyester, or silicon rubber for especially intricate designs, and once it has hardened the completed mould 12 is removed from the casting box 11. As shown in Figure 2, which is a detail of the area A in Figure 1, the surface of the mould 12 will be formed with a pattern of ridges corresponding to the grain pattern of the former 10.

A gel coat of polyester resin containing an appropriate pigment and containing a hardener/catalyst consisting, for example, of a methyl ethyl ketone peroxide with a cobalt-based accelerator is spread over the interior of the mould 12, e.g. by a brush 13, as indicated in Figure 3. Glass-reinforced polyester fibres 14, which in some cases may be woven into matt cloth, are then placed onto the gel coat, as shown in Figure 4, and further hardener is applied, as shown in Figure 5. The gel coat is about 1.5 mm thick whilst the combined thickness of the fibres 14 embedded in the gel coat is about 3 mm. Hardening takes place in approximately 2 hours and the moulded product, i.e. the facing 16 shown in Figure 6, is then removed from the mould 12.

The grain may be suitably coloured or darkened compared to the integral pigment by applying a cellulose "wash" which sinks into the grain with any excess being wiped away from the surface of the moulded facing.

The one piece moulded facing 16 is subsequently slotted into place on the front of a backing board or panel 17 of chipboard which has wooden edge strips 15 affixed to its front face around three sides. The fourth edge strip 18 is then fastened in place to secure the facing 16 so that it cannot be removed. Where necessary, the edge strips 15, 18 are stained or painted to match the colour of the facing 16. With this method of construction, the facing 16 may be sold separately so that a customer can himself/herself apply it to a door panel to give it the appearance of natural or painted wood.

Alternatively, the front of an underlying board may be gouged out roughly to correspond to the configuration of the moulded facing. The glass reinforced polyester facing can then be attached thereto with adhesive and edge strips, made in the same way of glass reinforced polyester or made of wood, can be applied.

Other variations in the method of facing production and in the method of construction of the final panel or boad are possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of producing a board or panel faced with glass reinforced polyester comprising the steps of preparing a mould for the desired configuration of panel facing including small ridges to give the appearance of wood grain, spreading a gel coat containing pigment and hardener over the mould interior, placing glass-reinforced polyester fibres onto the gel coat and applying a further hardening agent thereto, removing all the material from the mould in one piece as soon as it has hardened, and affixing same to the front face of a board or panel.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mould is made of polyester or silicon rubber,

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the gel coat is about 1.5 mm thick and the combined thickness of the fibres embedded in the gel coat is about 3 mm.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the gel coat comprises polyester resin.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the hardener comprises a methyl ethyl ketone peroxide with cobalt-based catalyst.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein hardening of the material in the mould takes approximately two hours.

7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the moulded facing is affixed to the front face of the board or panel by being slotted in between respective edge strips fastened around three edges thereof, whereafter the final edge strip is attached to hold the facing in place.

8. A board or panel faced with a glass reinforced polyester moulding as produced by the method claimed in any preceding claim.

9. A method of producing a board or panel faced with glass reinforced polyester substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A board or panel faced with a glass reinforced polyester moulding produced by the method substantially as hereinbefore described and substantially as illustrated in Figures 8 to 10 of the accompanying drawings.