GB2295413A - A process for producing doors - Google Patents

Abstract

A number of timber door pieces are prepared and assembled to form a door at an assembly station (12). At a trimming station (30) the door is delivered on its side between a pair of spaced-apart cutters to trim the door to a desired width. A profiled edge is formed on the door at a moulding machine (42). The door is delivered to a hinge mounting station (46) for fitting hinges to a side of the door. Downstream of the hinge mounting station (46) at a drilling station (60) the door is rigidly held in a horizontal position on a support frame and drills are advanced on the frame to drill openings for mounting a lock and handle assembly on the door. Then a mortice for reception of a lock is formed in a side of the door at a mortice cutting station (80), the door being clamped on a frame on which a carriage carrying a mortice cutter is movable to engage and cut a desired mortice in the door. At a lock fitting station (92) a lock assembly is mounted on the door. The door may then optionally be mounted in an associated doorframe. <IMAGE>

Description

"A process for producing doors" The invention relates to a process for producing doors and door assemblies comprising a door hung on an associated doorframe.

The invention is particularly concerned with producing doors and door assemblies in relatively small independent batches comprising one or more doors or door assemblies.

Different batches will typically be in a range of different sizes. There is therefore a need for flexibility in the production process while at the same time maintaining a good overall production throughput.

According to the invention there is provided a process for producing wooden doors comprising the steps: machining raw timber pieces to form a number of door pieces of a preset desirable size and shape; delivering a set of door pieces to an assembly station and gluing and assembling the door pieces together to form a door by supporting a door side piece in a horizontal position on a support beam, clamping the door side piece on the beam with an inside face of the piece uppermost, mounting two or more door cross pieces on the door side upstanding on the side piece, mounting a second side piece on the free ends of the cross pieces, roughly squaring an end cross piece relative to the side piece by engaging the end cross piece against an end stop above the beam, releasing the clamps and delivering the door from the assembly station to a squaring machine in which the door pieces are correctly aligned and then pinned together in alignment; delivering the door to a door trimming station, at the door trimming station mounting the door on its side on a conveyor and delivering the door on the conveyor between a pair of vertically spacedapart cutter blades which trim the door to a preselected width; passing the door through a moulding machine downstream of the trimming station for moulding the sides of the door to a preset desirable shape; delivering the door to a hinge mounting station, at the hinge mounting station supporting the door horizontally on a bed mounted on a base frame, aligning the door on the bed by engaging an end of the door against an end stop and a side of the door against a back stop, clamping the door on the bed in the aligned position, advancing two or more spaced-apart drills on the base frame to engage and drill hinge mounting holes in a side of the door adjacent the back stop, retracting the drills, releasing the clamps and removing the door from the bed, fitting hinges to the side of the door; delivering the door to a drilling station, at the drilling station supporting the door and then drilling holes in a side of the door for reception of a lock and handle assembly; delivering the door to a mortice forming station downstream of the drilling station, holding the door on the mortice forming station and advancing a mortice cutter to cut a mortice for reception of a lock in a side element of the door; delivering the door to a lock fitting station and fitting a lock and handle assembly on the door.

In one embodiment of the invention at the drilling station the door is mounted on a horizontal support bed on a ground-engaging base frame, aligning the door on the bed by locating one end of the door against an end stop adjacent one end of the bed with a side of the door abutting against a backstop on the bed, overhead ram operated clamps being operated to clamp the door against the bed in the aligned position, advancing drills mounted on the base frame to engage and drill holes in the door.

In another embodiment the mortice forming station has a bed on which the door is clamped, a mortice cutter being mounted on a carriage adjacent the bed and being advanced between a retracted disengaged position and an extended door cutting position for engaging and cutting a mortice in the door side, the carriage being movable along the base frame in the engaged position for cutting an elongate mortice in the door side with the mortice cutter.

In a further embodiment downstream of the lock fitting station, the door is hung on an associated door frame at a door hanging station, the door hanging station having an upright support frame with a pair of horizontal, vertically spaced-apart rails interconnected by end uprights, fixed frame holding jaws being mounted spacedapart on the end upright for engaging a stile member of a doorframe, an upright sliding beam being slidably mounted between the tracks and having a pair of ram operated movable frame holding jaws, brake means for locking the beam on the tracks, with the beam retracted positioning a door frame in engagement with the fixed jaws and resting on a flat platform above the lower track, sliding the beam to a position adjacent the frame, locking the beam on the tracks, operating the rams for engaging the movable jaws with the frame, clamping the frame between the fixed jaws and movable jaws in a squared position on the support frame, then hanging the door on the support frame.

In another embodiment the process further includes the manufacture of a doorframe assembly according to the steps : - preparing frame elements of a desired shape and size from raw timber material; delivering the frame elements to a profiling station and shaping the frame elements by cutting a preset desired profile in the frame elements; sanding the frame elements; delivering a frame stile element to a hinge mounting station, aligning and clamping the stile element on a support bed, advancing drills to engage and drill hinge mounting holes in the stile, releasing the stile and mounting hinges on the stile; gluing and assembling a set of frame elements to form a doorframe; mounting a strip of draft proofing material on an inner face of a door receiving ope in the doorframe;; fitting a lock receiver on the doorframe and delivering the frame to the door hanging station, and mounting a door on the doorframe.

Preferably the door assembly is delivered to a spraying station downstream of the door hanging station, each door assembly being mounted on a turntable at the spraying station, then rotating the turntable whilst spraying a preservative liquid onto the door assembly.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a door production process according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an exploded elevational view of a door formed according to the process; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a door assembly station used in the process; Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the door assembly station; Fig. 5 is a detail front elevational view showing part of the door assembly station; Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of a door trimming station used in the process; Fig. 7 is a side, partially sectioned, elevational view of the door trimming station; Fig. 8 is a front perspective view of a drilling station used in the process;; Fig. 9 is a front perspective view of a mortice forming station used in the process; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the mortice forming station; Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view showing portion of a door partially formed according to the process; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a doorframe drilling station; Fig. 13a is a rear perspective view of the doorframe drilling station shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 13b is a detail rear perspective view of portion of the doorframe drilling station shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a detail perspective view showing portion of a doorframe which passes through the drilling station; Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a door hanging station used in the process; and Fig. 16 is a front elevational view of the door hanging station.

Referring to the drawings, a process and apparatus for forming doors and door assemblies comprising a door mounted in an associated doorframe will be described.

Referring initially to Figs. 1 to 11, the door manufacturing process will be described. Raw timber pieces are machined to form a number a door pieces of a preset desirable size and shape. These door pieces are delivered to an assembly station 12 at which a set of door pieces is glued and assembled to form a door. The assembly station 12 is shown in Fig. 3 and comprises a frame forming a rack 14. A horizontal support beam 15 is mounted in front of the rack 14 on end uprights 16, 17.

A pair of spaced-apart stops 18 are provided at a front edge of the beam 15. Pneumatic rams 19 are provided on the rack 14 and upright 16 opposite the stops 18 for clamping a door side piece on the beam 15. A pair of spaced-apart ram operated end stops 20 are provided on the upright 16 above the beam 15. Fig. 2 shows a set of door pieces comprising a pair of side pieces 23 and three cross pieces 24 for interengaging the side pieces 23. Panels may be mounted in the opening formed between the side pieces 23 and cross pieces 24 and may be wooden panels or, as is the case with the door construction shown, glazing panels which are fitted later.

As shown in Fig. 5, one side piece 23 is laid in a horizontal position on the beam 15 and is clamped by means of the clamp 19 on the beam 15 with an inside face of the door side piece 23 uppermost. The three cross pieces 24 are then mounted upstanding on the side piece 23 and the second side piece 23 is then mounted on the free upper end of the cross pieces 24. The door pieces 23, 24 can be hammered together using a wooden mallet or the like to securely interlock the door pieces 23, 24. One of the cross pieces 24 is roughly squared against the end stop 20 before doing this. Upon release of the clamps 19 and retraction of the end stops 20, the door is then removed from the assembly station 12 and mounted in a squaring machine in which the door pieces are correctly aligned and then pinned together in alignment.

The door is then delivered to a trimming station 30. The trimming station 30 has a ground engaging base frame 31 with a conveyor formed by a number of spaced-apart rollers 32 upon which a side of a door 33 rests and travels. The door 33 is held against inclined back rollers 34 on the base frame 31. A pair of vertically spaced-apart cutters 36, 37 are mounted on the base frame 31, the lower cutter 36 being fixed and an upper cutter 37 being slidably mounted on the base frame 31 for adjusting the spacing between cutter blades 38, 39 of the cutters 36, 37. Feed rollers 40 at each cutter 36, 37 engage and hold the door 33 against the back rollers 34 and feed the door 33 past the cutter blades 38, 39.

Downstream of the trimming station 30, the door is passed through a moulding machine 42 for moulding the sides of the door to a preset desirable shape. Prior to delivery of the door to the moulding machine 42, it may be delivered to a router 44 or routing out a letterbox opening in the door.

The door is then delivered to a hinge mounting station 46.

At the hinge mounting station, the door is supported horizontally on a bed mounted on a base frame. The door is aligned on the bed by engaging an end of the door against an end stop and a side of the door against a back stop. In the aligned position, the door is clamped on the bed by means of ram operated clamps. Two or more spacedapart drills on the base frame are advanced to engage and drill hinge mounting holes in a side of the door adjacent the back stop. After retraction of the drills and release of the clamps, the door is removed from the bed and hinges are fitted to the side of the door.

Downstream of the hinge fitting station 46, the door is delivered to a drilling station 60. The drilling station is shown in Fig. 8 and has a bed 62 formed by an open rectangular frame with a pair of outwardly extending spaced-apart extension pieces 63. Mounted on the base frame 61 above the bed are a number of spaced-apart ramoperated clamps 65 for clamping a door on the bed 62. A drill set 67 is mounted on the frame 61 above the bed 62 for drilling through a side frame element of the door for reception of a lock and handle assembly. Also, behind the bed 62, a bank of drills 69 is provided for drilling mounting holes in a side face of the door for mounting a three point locking mechanism on the door.The height of the bed 62 can be altered by flaps 70 hingedly mounted adjacent the bed 62 and operable by means of rams 72 for movement between an engaged position in which they overly the bed 62 and a disengaged position below the bed 62.

Thus, advantageously, the height of the bed 62 relative to the drills 69 can be readily easily and quickly changed to accommodate providing locks on either a left-hand side or a right-hand side of a door. A door is mounted on the bed 62 and clamped by means of the clamps and then the drills 67 advance downwardly to cut the holes through the side element of the door and where appropriate, the drills 69 simultaneously advance to cut the lock mounting holes in the side face of the door. Upon retraction of the drills 67, 69 and release of the clamp 65, the door is removed and delivered to a mortice cutting station 80.

The mortice cutting station 80 has a base frame 81 with an open-framework bed 82 with outwardly extending spacedapart support posts 83. Backstops 84 are provided at an inner end of the bed 82 and a pair of end stops 85 are provided adjacent each end of the bed 82 and are ram operated for movement between a retracted stored position beneath the bed 82 and an extended operating position projecting above the bed 82, a door being located against the back stops 84 and one of the end stops 85. A mortice cutter 86 is mounted on a carriage 87 on the base frame 81. The carriage is movable on the frame 81 to advance the cutter for engaging and cutting a mortice in a side of a door mounted on the bed 82. The carriage is also movable along the base frame 81 in the engaged position for cutting an elongate mortice in the door side with the mortice cutter.Overhead ram operated clamps 89 are mounted on the base frame 81 above the bed 82 to firmly clamp a door against the base frame 82 prior to cutting a mortice in the side of the door.

After cutting the mortice in the door, the door is delivered to a lock fitting station 92 for fitting a lock and handle assembly on the door.

Generally also, a draft proofing seal is mounted on the door and a weatherboard is fitted at a lower end of the door prior to delivering the door to a door hanging station. At the door hanging station, the door is hung on an associated doorframe as will be described later.

Door frames are produced by initially preparing frame elements from raw timber material, squaring the frame element sides and providing tenon jointed ends on the frame elements. The frame elements are then delivered to a profiling station for cutting a desired profile in the frame elements which are subsequently sanded.

A frame stile element is delivered to a hinge mounting station. At the hinge mounting station, the stile element is aligned and clamped on a support bed. Drills are advanced to engage and drill hinge mounting holes in the stile. Upon release of the stile, hinges are mounted on the stile. The frame elements are delivered to an assembly station at which the frame elements are glued and assembled to form a doorframe.

Referring to Figs. 12 to 14 a drilling station 90 for drilling a locking stile 91 of the door frame is shown.

The drilling station 90 is used when producing a door frame incorporating a three point locking mechanism.

Three spaced-apart grooves 92 for reception of associated locking bolt receivers 93 are routed on the stile 91. The stile 91 is then delivered to the drilling station 90 which has a flat bed 94 on which the stile 91 is clamped by ram-operated clamps 95 after alignment of the style 91 against associated stops on the bed 94. Drill sets 96 are provided on a support frame of the drilling station 90 each drill set having a pair of spaced-apart drills. The drills are movable on the frame to advance and engage and drill the stile 91 when the stile 91 is clamped on the bed 94. It will be noted that each of the two central drill sets 96 which are arranged substantially perpendicular to each other and are each mounted on a sliding carriage 97,98 for adjusting the position of the centre drill sets 96 relative to the two outer drill sets 96.Each carriage 97,98 is slidable on the frame by means of rams. Thus, advantageously the drilling station 90 can be readily quickly and easily adjusted to accommodate either a left hand or a right hand stile 91 as the middle groove 92 is offset from the centre of the stile 91. Upon release of the clamps 95 and removal of the stile 91 from the drilling station 90, the lock receivers 93 can be mounted in the associated grooves 92 on the stile 91 by mounting screws which locate in the holes drilled in the style 91 at the drilling station 90.

At a doorframe assembly station a number of doorframe elements are glued and secured together to form a door frame.

A strip of draftproof material is mounted on an inner face of a door receiving ope in the doorframe and a lock receiver is fitted on the doorframe prior to delivery of the doorframe to the door hanging station 100 as shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The door hanging station has an upright support frame with a pair of spaced-apart rails 102, 103 interconnected by end uprights 104. Fixed frame holding jaws 105 are mounted spaced-apart on the end upright 104 for engaging a stile member of a doorframe 106. The jaws 105 are slidably mounted on the end upright 104 for adjusting the relative spacing of the jaws 105 to accommodate different sized doorframes.

An upright sliding beam 108 is slidably mounted between the tracks 102, 103 on rollers 109. Ram operated movable jaws 110 are mounted on the beam 108. A brake 112 is provided adjacent a lower end of the beam 108 for locking the beam 108 on the tracks 102, 103. With the beam 108 in a retracted position, the doorframe 106 is positioned in engagement with the fixed jaws 105 and resting on a platform 115 above the lower track 103. The beam 108 is then slid into a position adjacent the doorframe 106 and locked on the tracks 102, 103. Movable jaws 110 are advanced by their rams to engage the frame 106, clamping the frame 106 between the fixed jaws 105 and movable jaws 110 in a squared position on the support frame. Then a door can be hung on the support frame 106 and the door assembly comprising the doorframe and door can be released from the door hanging station 100.

The door assembly is delivered to a spraying station downstream of the door hanging station 100. At the spraying station, the door assembly is mounted on a turntable. The turntable is rotated whilst spraying a preservative liquid onto the door assembly to coat the door assembly with the liquid preservative. Excess liquid is allowed run off and the door is then delivered for further processing such as mounting glazing panels on the door and for dispatch.

It will be appreciated that the process and apparatus of the invention advantageously allows the production of batches of doors and door assemblies in an efficient and trouble-free manner. Relatively high production throughput can be achieved while at the same time producing a high quality product. Machinery at the various handling stations can be readily easily and quickly adjusted to handle different sizes and orientations of work piece. Further, location and correct alignment of work pieces on the machinery can be simply and accurately achieved for a wide range of work piece sizes.

Claims (10)

1. A process for producing wooden doors comprising the steps : - machining raw timber pieces to form a number of door pieces of a preset desirable size and shape; delivering a set of door pieces to an assembly station and gluing and assembling the door pieces together to form a door by supporting a door side piece in a horizontal position on a support beam, clamping the door side piece on the beam with an inside face of the piece uppermost, mounting two or more door cross pieces on the door side upstanding on the side piece, mounting a second side piece on the free ends of the cross pieces, roughly squaring an end cross piece relative to the side piece by engaging the end cross piece against an end stop above the beam, releasing the clamps and delivering the door from the assembly station to a squaring machine in which the door pieces are correctly aligned and then pinned together in alignment; delivering the door to a door trimming station, at the door trimming station mounting the door on its side on a conveyor and delivering the door on the conveyor between a pair of vertically spaced-apart cutter blades which trim the door to a pre-selected width; passing the door through a moulding machine downstream of the trimming station for moulding the sides of the door to a preset desirable shape;; delivering the door to a hinge mounting station, at the hinge mounting station supporting the door horizontally on a bed mounted on a base frame, aligning the door on the bed by engaging an end of the door against an end stop and a side of the door against a back stop, clamping the door on the bed in the aligned position, advancing two or more spaced-apart drills on the base frame to engage and drill hinge mounting holes in a side of the door adjacent the back stop, retracting the drills, releasing the clamps and removing the door from the bed, fitting hinges to the side of the door; delivering the door to a drilling station, at the drilling station supporting the door and then drilling holes in a side of the door for reception of a lock and handle assembly;; delivering the door to a mortice forming station downstream of the drilling station, holding the door on the mortice forming station and advancing a mortice cutter to cut a mortice for reception of a lock in a side element of the door; delivering the door to a lock fitting station and fitting a lock and handle assembly on the door.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 wherein at the drilling station the door is mounted on a horizontal support bed on a ground-engaging base frame, aligning the door on the bed by locating one end of the door against an end stop adjacent one end of the bed with a side of the door abutting against a backstop on the bed, overhead ram operated clamps being operated to clamp the door against the bed in the aligned position, advancing drills mounted on the base frame to engage and drill holes in the door.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the mortice forming station has a bed on which the door is clamped, a mortice cutter being mounted on a carriage adjacent the bed and being advanced between a retracted disengaged position and an extended door cutting position for engaging and cutting a mortice in the door side, the carriage being movable along the base frame in the engaged position for cutting an elongate mortice in the door side with the mortice cutter.

4. A process as claimed in any preceding claim wherein downstream of the lock fitting station, the door is hung on an associated door frame at a door hanging station, the door hanging station having an upright support frame with a pair of horizontal, vertically spaced-apart rails interconnected by end uprights, fixed frame holding jaws being mounted spaced-apart on the end upright for engaging a stile member of a doorframe, an upright sliding beam being slidably mounted between the tracks and having a pair of ram operated movable frame holding jaws, brake means for locking the beam on the tracks, with the beam retracted positioning a door frame in engagement with the fixed jaws and resting on a flat platform above the lower track, sliding the beam to a position adjacent the frame, locking the beam on the tracks, operating the rams for engaging the movable jaws with the frame, clamping the frame between the fixed jaws and movable jaws in a squared position on the support frame, then hanging the door on the support frame.

5. A process for producing wooden doors substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. A door whenever produced according to the process as claimed in any preceding claim.

7. A process as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein the process further includes the manufacture of a doorframe assembly according to the steps: preparing frame elements of a desired shape and size from raw timber material; delivering the frame elements to a profiling station and shaping the frame elements by cutting a preset desired profile in the frame elements; sanding the frame elements; delivering a frame stile element to a hinge mounting station, aligning and clamping the stile element on a support bed, advancing drills to engage and drill hinge mounting holes in the stile, releasing the stile and mounting hinges on the stile; gluing and assembling a set of frame elements to form a doorframe; mounting a strip of draftproofing material on an inner face of a door receiving ope in the doorframe; ; fitting a lock receiver on the door frame and delivering the frame to the door hanging station, and mounting a door on the doorframe.

8. A process as claimed in claim 7 wherein the door assembly is delivered to a spraying station downstream of the door hanging station, each door assembly being mounted on a turntable at the spraying station, then rotating the turntable whilst spraying a preservative liquid onto the door assembly.

9. A process for producing a doorframe assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A doorframe assembly whenever produced according to the process as claimed in any of claims 7 to 9.