GB2263884A

GB2263884A - Method of decorating a molding made of wood or similar material by means of engraving

Info

Publication number: GB2263884A
Application number: GB9302188A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mauro Orsi
Original assignee: SAGITTARIO Srl
Current assignee: SAGITTARIO Srl
Priority date: 1992-02-07
Filing date: 1993-02-04
Publication date: 1993-08-11
Also published as: GB9302188D0; ITFI920033A1; ITFI920033A0; IT1258173B

Abstract

A molding or molded section (P) made of wood or similar material is defined by the fact that a metal foil (L) is attached to the surface (S) of the molding to be decorated, and that the molding together with the foil attached thereon is pressed by an engraved press means bearing, on its active surface, the pattern to be reproduced on the molding, the pressing operation simultaneously bringing about the engraving of the foil and of the underlying surface of the molded section. <IMAGE>

Description

METHOD OF DECORATING A MOLDING MADE OF WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL BY MEANS OF ENGRAVING The invention relates to a method of decorating a molding or molded section made of wood or similar material, to obtain a molding having an engraved and metalized surface.

At present, in order to engrave and metalize a molding for the production of picture frames or similar products, a method is employed in which the molding is molded, the surface to be decorated is hot-engraved by means of an engraved press roller, the engraves surface is smoothed, the pores of the wood are sealed and the engraved surface is worked so as to allow an infinitesimally thin silver, gold, or imitation silver or gold foil to be attached, and finally the very thin metal leaf having a thickness of the order of one ten thousandth of a millimeter is attached manually with the aid of pads or other specialized tools. The gilding operation is extremely time-consuming and needs to be entrusted to highly specialized craftsmen.

This traditional-type method is very timeconsuming and expensive because so much of the work needs to be carried out by specialized craftsmen who are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

The subject of the invention is a new method of decorating moldings made of wood or the like, which produces similar results to those obtained using the engraving and gilding methods briefly described above, at very low cost, rapidly, and by using methods which allow a high degree of mechanization and hence mass production, with limited use of skilled craftsmen.

Basically, the method according to the invention is defined by the fact that a metal foil is attached to the surface of the molding to be decorated and that the molding together with the foil attached thereon is pressed by an engraved press means bearing, on its active surface, the pattern to be reproduced on the molding, the pressing operation simultaneously bringing about the engraving of the foil and of the underlying surface of the molding.

The metal foil can be attached directly onto the smooth surface of the molding, without the need for specific treatments, such as sealing the pores, which are required when attaching gold leaf using traditional techniques. This constitutes a first major advantage in terms of time and labor. Secondly, a foil of considerably greater thickness is attached to the surface to be decorated, as compared with the thin gold leaf usually used in the prior art, and the engraving process is performed directly on the assembly formed by the molding and the foil attached thereon, without the metal having to be attached by specialized craftsmen. The operations whereby the wood is engraved and then the very thin metal foil attached thereon by craftsmen are thus avoided.

Advantageously, the pressing operation is carried out by an engraved rotating roller which can be suitably heated, for example using a heat lance, to produce socalled hot-engraving. In order to facilitate the process and ensure that the metal foil adheres securely to the wood surface, it is expedient for the foil to be adhesively bonded to the surface of the molding beforehand. A hot-melt adhesive may be used for this purpose, or - more advantageously - a thermosetting adhesive, which will not be affected by the heat produced during the subsequent hot-engraving process.

Advantageously, the thickness of the metal foil used may be between 0.01 and 0.05 mm, and preferably between 0.02 and 0.04 mm. Therefore, the foil used is considerably thicker than that commonly used in gilding, which has a thickness of the order of 0.0001 mm.

Another subject of the invention is the molding or molded section made of wood or similar material obtained with the method described above, and in particular a molding having a surface decorated by means of engraving, wherein a metal foil is joined to said decorated surface and engraved together with the underlying surface of the molding.

Further advantageous features of the molding according to the invention are given in the appended subclaims.

A clearer understanding of the invention may be obtained by following the description and the attached drawing which shows a nonlimiting example of said invention. In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows very diagrammatically a machine for attaching the metal foil onto the molding; Fig. 2 shows, in diagrammatic section, the machine which performs the hot-pressing of the molding together with the foil attached thereon; Fig. 3 shows a front view of a length of molding obtained using the method according to the invention; and Fig. 4 shows a transverse section along IV-IV in Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows the main parts of a machine, known per se, for facing moldings, which can be used to adhesively bond the metal foil onto the molding to be engraved. Fig. 1 only shows the main parts of- the machine. 1 denotes the support for a reel B of metal foil L. The reel may be replaced by a device for loading lengths of foil material. 3 denotes as a whole a unit for spreading adhesive onto the back of the foil L; 5 denotes a bed supporting rollers 7 for advancing the molding P to be worked. 9 denotes a support for a drive roller 11 which acts to pull the foil L thereby unwinding it from the reel B, so as to attach it onto the molding P, advancing on the roller 7.Downstream of the support 9 and of the roller 11 are located a series of supports 13 for contact cylinders 15 which roll on the surface of the molding P to be decorated, so as to attach the foil L. The cylinders 15 are advantageously faced with an elastic material such as rubber or the like. The tilt of the support brackets for the-cylinders 15 can be adjusted so that, with a series of cylinders 15 oriented at various angles, it is possible to apply a contact force over the entire surface of the molding P to be decorated, i.e. over the entire surface to which the foil L is to be made to adhere.

The machine diagrammatically illustrated in Fig.

1 is supplemented by a set of auxiliary units of a type known per se and therefore not illustrated, such as for example a cutter for cutting the foil L once it has been attached to each individual molding P, a molding feed unit, an assembly for drying the adhesive applied by the unit 3, and other auxiliary units.

The molding P to which the metal foil L has been attached by means of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 is conveyed to a device shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2, and of a type known per se, which is commonly employed in the hot-engraving of wood moldings. Very briefly, the device comprises a table 21 to which a guide 23 for the molding P is attached. There is an opening in the middle of the table 21, beneath which is located an idle counter roller 25. Above the roller 25 and coaxial to it, is located a press roller 27 carrying a disk-shaped portion 29 which is engraved around its circumference 29A with a pa-ttern corresponding (in the negative) to that which is to be hot-engraved on the molding P and on the metal foil L which has been adhesively bonded or attached to said molding beforehand.

The roller 27 is a drive roller, rotating in the direction of the arrow shown in the drawing, so as to advance the molding P as it engraves it. The molding is additionally guided by an idle wheel 31 carried on a bracket 37 fixed to a crosspiece 39. Also fixed to the crosspiece 39 is a heat lance 41 which heats the circumferential surface of the disk 29.

Once the metal foil has been attached to the molding P, it is made to pass between the rollers 25 and 27, in order for the metal foil L and the surface S of the molding P to which said foil has been attached to be hot-engraved by means of the disk 29.

The product resulti.ng from this process may be seen in Figs. 3 and 4. As may be seen in particular in Fig. 4, the finished product has an engraved surface S, to which a foil L is attached, which foil is considerably thicker than the traditional gilding provided on frames worked according to the prior art. In particular the foil L can have a typical thickness of between 0.01 and 0.05 mm and in particular of between 0.02 and 0.04 mm.

Aluminum and alloys thereof have proved suitable for use as foil materials.

The foil L can also be embossed beforehand with a geometric or other design, in order to impart a specific pattern to the engraved surface.

Claims

1. A method of decorating a molding or molded section made of wood or similar material is defined by the fact that a metal foil is attached to the surface of the molding to be decorated, and that the molding together with the foil attached thereon is pressed by an engraved press means bearing, on its active surface, the pattern to be reproduced on the molding, the pressing operation simultaneously bringing about the engraving of the foil and of the underlying surface of the molding.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressing operation is carried out by means of an engraved rotating roller.

3. The method according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the metal foil is adhesively bonded to the surface of the molding prior to the pressing operation.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metal foil is adhesively bonded using a thermosetting adhesive.

5. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the pressing operation is a hot-pressng.

6. The method as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the metal foil has a thickness of between 0.01 and 0.10 mm and preferably of between 0.02 and 0.04 mm.

7. A molding or molded section made of wood or similar material, having a surface decorated by means of engraving, wherein a metal foil is joined to said decorated surface and engraved simultaneously with the underlying surface of the wood molding.

8. The molding as claimed in claim 7, wherein said metal foil has a thickness of between 0.01 and 0.10 mm, and preferably of between 0.02 and 0.04 mm.

9. The molding as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein said metal foil is made of aluminum, aluminum alloy or other light metal.

10. The molding as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein said metal foil is embossed.

11. The molding as claimed in one or more of claims 7 through 10, wherein said metal foil is adhesively bonded to the underlying surface.

.

12. A method of decorating a molding or molded section substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A molding or molded section substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.