GB2306105A - A process for producing office furniture - Google Patents

Abstract

Veneer panels are prepared by stitching together a number of veneer strips. Wooden panels (11) are cut to size and edged if required. The wooden panels (11) pass between a pair of gluing rollers of a gluing machine (17) where a controlled layer of glue is applied to opposite faces of the panel (11). Veneer sheets are applied to the glued coated faces of the wooden panel at a veneering table (60) and bonded thereto in a setting station (65). Side edges of the veneered panels are trimmed at a trimming station 70 and a selected formation of mounting holes cut in the panel which is then sanded (80, 88) and varnished (90). Legs are also prepared and kits of selected panels and legs assembled to provide a set of co-ordinated office furniture. The legs have cast feet and an extruded support column and a cast mounting portion, and are provided with cable routing slots.

Description

"A process for producing office furniture" This invention relates to a process and apparatus for producing office furniture.

The invention particularly relates to a process and apparatus for producing coordinated suites of office furniture which typically include desks, tables, worktops and the like, together with associated cabinets. It is an object of the invention to produce in an efficient manner coordinated sets of high quality office furniture which are easy to install and are readily easily adjustable to facilitate different working environments and taste.

According to the invention, there is provided a process for producing office furniture, comprising the steps:cutting wooden panels to preset desired sizes and delivering the panels to a veneering station; preparing veneer sheets and delivering the veneer sheets to the veneering station; feeding a wooden panel between an associated pair of spaced-apart gluing rollers for applying a coating of glue to opposite faces of the panel, each gluing roller having an associated idler roller; forming a glue bath between each pair of gluing and idler rollers; discharging glue from each glue bath in a controlled manner on the gluing rollers and applying a preset amount of glue to opposite side faces of the panel; laying a bottom veneer sheet flat on a support bed; laying the glued wooden panel on the bottom veneer sheet; laying a top veneer sheet on the wooden panel; conveying the veneer coated panel to a setting station and bonding the veneer panels to the wooden panel to form a raw furniture panel; trimming the edges of the raw furniture panel; cutting a desired formation of mounting holes in the raw furniture panel; sanding the raw furniture panel and varnishing the panel; preparing one or more legs, each leg comprising a ground engaging cast metal foot, an upstanding extruded support column on the foot and a cast metal arm for mounting at an upper end of the support column, with associated clamping bolts for securing the leg parts together, each of the foot, column and arm having complementary cable routing slots therein; and preparing a kit comprising selected finished veneered panels and legs for forming a predesired set of coordinated office furniture.

In one embodiment, the process includes maintaining the glue bath between each gluing roller and its associated idler roller at a preset desirable level by sensing the level of glue in the glue bath and controlling delivery of additional glue from a glue supply to the bath in response to sensed glue bath level.

In another embodiment, the process includes regulating delivering of glue to the wooden panel by controlling the gap between each gluing roller and its associated idler roller.

In a further embodiment, the process includes sanding edges of the raw furniture panel and then varnishing the edges of the panel, sanding opposite faces of the panel and then varnishing the opposite faces of the panel.

Preferably, the process includes sanding side edges of the raw furniture panel by conveying the panel in a horizontal position past an endless sanding belt, engaging the edge of the panel with the sanding belt, supporting the sanding belt with a sanding head mounted behind the belt at the point of contact with the panel, floating the sanding belt away from a surface of the sanding head on a bed of pressurised air delivered through the sanding head to a face of the sanding head behind the belt.

In another embodiment, the process includes varnishing each face of the panel by cleaning the face, conveying the panel passed three spaced-apart varnishing stations arranged in series, at each varnishing station, applying a coat of varnish to the upper face of the panel by conveying the panel under a varnishing roller and engaging the upper face of the panel with the varnishing roller, downstream of the varnishing roller curing the varnish under ultraviolet light.

Preferably, the process includes preparing the veneer sheets by stacking a number of oblong veneer strips and delivering the stack to a cutter; positioning the stack on a bed of the cutter; clamping the stack on the bed; engaging opposite sides of tte stack simultaneously by means of a pair of parallel spaced-apart cutting blades for cutting the stack of veneer strips; delivering the stack of cut veneer strips to a stitching station; at the stitching station, joining a number of cut veneer strips together edge to edge by stitching along cut edges of adjacent strips to form an enlarged veneer sheet; stacking the veneer sheets and delivering the veneer sheets to the veneering station.

Preferably, the process includes mounting two stacks of veneer sheets one above the other on a support rack at the veneering station, drawing bottom veneer sheets from the lower stack on the support rack and drawing top veneer sheets from the upper stack of veneer sheets on the support rack.

In another embodiment, the process includes the step upstream of the veneering station, of applying a side edge to the wooden panels by gluing side strips along side edges of the wooden panel, mounting a plurality of the panels on a sunken bed to substantially fill the sunken bed, expanding a clamp ring which extends around a periphery of the bed to engage and clamp the panels together on the bed, delivering the bed into an associated housing within which radio frequency radiation is used to cure the adhesive in a cross-linking process for firmly bonding the side strips on each panel, removing the bed from the housing, releasing the clamp ring and unloading the panels from the bed.

Preferably, the process includes forming plastic spacers, each comprising a body having a top face and a bottom face with means for interengaging a top face of one spacer with a bottom space of an adjacent abutting spacer.

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 flowchart illustrating a process for manufacturing office furniture according to the invention; Fig. 2 is an elevational view of apparatus used in the process; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of apparatus used in the process; Fig. 4 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig.

3; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of veneer trimming apparatus used in the process; Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of veneer sewing apparatus used in the process; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a gluing station used in the process; Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the gluing station; Fig. 9 is a plan view of portion of the apparatus used in the process; Fig. 10 is a plan view of panel machining apparatus used in the process; Fig. 11 is a plan view of a panel edge sander used in the process; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of portion of the edge sander; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a panel face sander used in the process; Fig. 14 is a plan view of a finishing station used in the process; Fig. 15 is an elevational view of an office desk formed according to the process; Fig. 16 is an end elevational view of the office desk; Fig. 17 is a plan view of the desk; ; Fig. 18 is an elevational view of a foot forming portion of the desk; Fig. 19 is a plan view of the foot; Fig. 20 is an underneath plan view of the foot; Fig. 21 is a side elevational view of another foot; Fig. 22 is an end elevational view of the foot; Fig. 23 is a plan view of the foot of Fig. 21; Fig. 24 is an underneath plan view of the foot of Fig. 21; Fig. 25 is a side elevational view of an arm forming portion of the leg; Fig. 26 is an end elevational view of the arm; Fig. 27 is a plan view of the arm; Fig. 28 is an underneath plan view of the arm; Fig. 29 is an elevational view of a mounting plate used on the furniture; Fig. 30 is a plan view of the mounting plate; Fig. 31 is an underneath plan view of the mounting plate; Fig. 32 is a plan view of a height-adjusting spacer for the furniture; Fig. 33 is an underneath plan view of the spacer;; Fig. 34 is an end elevational view of the spacer; Fig. 35 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of Fig. 33; and Fig. 36 is a partially sectioned elevational view of a pair of interlocking spacers.

Referring to the drawings, a process and apparatus for producing office furniture according to the invention will be described.

At a cutting station 10, wooden panels 11, preferably of chipboard or the like material are cut to preset desirable sizes. The cut panels 11 are then either delivered directly to a veneering station 12 or prior to delivery to the veneering station 12, the panels 11 go to an edging station 14. At the edging station 14, side strips 15 are adhered along side edges of the panel 11 at either a hot melt gluing machine 16 or a radio frequency gluing machine 17.

At the hot melt gluing machine 16 (Fig. 2), a panel 11 is held and fed horizontally between an pair of conveyors, namely, an upper conveyor 18 and a lower conveyor 19. As the panel 11 is fed between inlet and outlet ends of the conveyors 18, 19, an edging strip is brought into contact with and glued to an edge of the panel 11.

At the radio frequency gluing machine 17 (see Figs. 3 and 4), side strips 15 are mounted around edges of a plurality of panels 11 which are supported on a sunken bed 20, the panels 11 being arranged to substantially fill the sunken bed 20. A pneumatically operated expandable clamp ring 22 extends around a periphery of the bed 20. When the panels 11 have been loaded on the bed 20, the ring 22 is expanded from a retracted loading position to engage and clamp the panels 11 edge to edge on the bed 20. The bed 20 is then slid into an associated housing 24 within which radio frequency radiation is used to set the adhesive in a cross-linking process to firmly bond the side strips 15 on each panel 11. Upon removal of the bed 20 from the housing 24, the clamp ring 22 is deflated to unload the panels 11 from the bed 20.

The edged panels from the edging stations 16, 17 are delivered through an edge trimming machine 25 to trim upper and lower edges of the edging strips 21 flush with upper and lower surfaces of the panel 11. The edged panels 11 are then delivered to the veneering station 12.

A number of veneer strips 30 are stacked and mounted on a strip cutter 32. Referring to Fig. 5, a stack of strips 30 is positioned on a bed 33 of the cutter 32 and laser guides 34 are set inboard of outer edges 35 of the strips 30. Each guide 34 is associated with a complementary cutting blade for setting the relative spacing between the cutting blades. The stack of veneer strips 30 is clamped on the bed 33 and the pair of parallel spaced-apart cutting blades (not shown) chop off outer side edges 35 of the strips 30 thus ensuring the opposite side edges of the strips 30 are parallel.

Cut strips 30 are delivered to a stitching station 38 (Fig. 6) at which a number of the strips 30 are joined edge to edge, being stitched together by means of a sewing machine 39 to form an enlarged veneer sheet 40.

Stacks of veneer sheets 40 are delivered to the veneering station 12. Two stacks of veneer sheets 40 are mounted one above the other on a support rack 42 at the veneering station 12. Each chipboard panel 11 is fed between an associated pair of gluing rollers 45, 46 mounted one above the other for applying adhesive 47 to both sides of the panel 11. Each gluing roller 45, 46 has an associated idler roller 48, 49. A glue bath 50 is formed between each pair of rollers 45, 48 and 46, 49 for pick-up of glue by the gluing rollers 45, 46 for application to the panel 11. Level sensors 52 are provided for monitoring the depth of each glue bath 50, the level sensors 52 comprising high and low level sensors with an intermediate optimum running level sensor.The sensors 52 are connected to a controller for a glue supply means 55 for regulating delivery of additional glue from the glue supply means 55 through solenoid operated control valves 56 to each glue bath 50, as required. It will be noted that the glue is added at each end of the glue bath 50 through pipes 57. Delivery of a glue coating onto the faces of the panel 11 is controlled by regulating the gap between each gluing roller 45, 46 and its associated idler roller 48, 49. The upper gluing roller 45 and idler roller 48 are mounted on a vertically movable carriage for adjustment of the relative spacing of the gluing rollers 45, 46 to accommodate different thicknesses of panel 11.

Downstream of the gluing rollers 45, 46, the panel 11 is delivered to a veneering table 60 (Fig. 8). At the veneering table 60, an operative draws a bottom veneer sheet 40a from the lower stack on the support rack 42, the bottom veneer sheet being mounted flat on the support bed 60 as shown in Fig. 8. Next the glued chipboard panel 11 is laid on top of the bottom veneer sheet 40a. Then a top veneer sheet 40b is drawn from the upper stack of veneer panels on the support rack 42 and laid on top of the panel 11. The veneer coated panel is then delivered to a setting station 65 at which the veneer sheets 40 are pressed against the panel 11 at a desired pressure and at a desired temperature for bonding the veneer sheets 40 onto the panel 11.

Downstream of the setting station 65, each veneered panel 66 passes through a trimming station 70. At the trimming station 70, side edges of the veneered panel are trimmed, a first set of opposed side edges being initially trimmed and then the panel being rotated through 90 in a turning device 72 for subsequent trimming of the other two opposed side edges. If desired, an edging strip may be applied at the trimming station 70 by gluing the edging strip to side edges of the panel 66 after trimming.

Downstream of the trimming station 70, the panels are delivered to a panel machining apparatus 75 (Fig. 10).

Panels are mounted on a bed 76 of the apparatus 75 by vacuum and an overhead tool carrier 77 is moved over the bed 76 for drilling and routing sets of holes 78 in the panels 66.

Each panel 66 is then delivered to an edge sander 80 at which the panel 66 is conveyed in a horizontal position past an endless sanding belt 81 for sanding side edges of the panel 66. It will be noted that the belt 81 is supported by a sanding head 82 mounted behind the belt 81 at the point of contact with the panel 66. The head 82 has a shaped front face 84 for reception of the side edge of the panel 66 and properly sanding any desired edge profile on the panel 66. It will be noted that the head 82 has air holes 85 in the front face 84 through which compressed air is blown for floating the belt 81 away from the front face 84 of the head 82 to prevent rubbing and wear of the belt 81 against the head 82.

Downstream of the edge sander 80, the side edges of the panel 66 are varnished. Then the panel 66 is delivered through a face sander 88 for sanding opposite faces of the panel 73.

The panel 66 is then delivered to a finishing station 90 at which a number of coats of varnish are applied to the opposite faces of the panel 66. Each panel 66 is conveyed passed a rotating cleaning brush 92 which cleans a top surface of the panel, the panel then being delivered through an oven 93 for heating the panel to a desired temperature. Downstream of the oven 93, the panel passes beneath a varnishing roller 94 which applies a coat of varnish to a top surface of the panel. The panel then passes beneath ultraviolet lamps 95 for drying the varnish. The panel passes beneath a second varnish roller 96 and associated set of ultraviolet lamps 97 for applying a second coat of varnish.Then, the top surface of the panel is bluffed by passing the panel under a buffing roller 98 and subsequently under a final varnish roller 99 and associated ultraviolet lamps (not shown) to apply a finish coat of varnish onto the top surface of the panel.

The panel 66 is then inverted and sent through the finishing station 90 again to coat the other face of the panel 66.

Referring to Figs. 15 to 17, a desk 100 incorporating a number of the finished panels 66 is shown. The panels in this case are used to form a top 101 of the desk 100 and also a cabinet 102 mounted at one end of the top 101 and forming a support therefor. The opposite end of the top 101 is mounted on a support leg 103. The support leg 103 comprises a cast aluminium foot 104 with an upstanding support column 105 on the foot 104 and an arm 106 at an upper end of the column 105. Mounting plates 107 secured between an upper end of each leg 103 and an underside of the top 101 stabilise and spread load from the top 101 through the leg 103. In this case, a stack of height adjusting spacers 110 is mounted between an upper end of the leg 103 and also an upper end of the cabinet 102 and an underside of the top 101.The spacers 110 are shown in more detail in Figs. 32-36 and comprise a stack of interlocking plastics spacers 110, any number of which can be provided in each stack for adjustment of the height of the top 101 and for accommodating height difference between upper ends of the cabinet 102 and leg 103. The stacks of spacers 110 can be readily easily adjusted to different depths by either adding more spacers to each stack of spacers or removing spacers as appropriate.

The foot 104 is shown in more detail in Figs. 18 to 20 and comprises an elongate body 120 having at one end upstanding lugs 121 for engagement with the support column 105. Cable routing grooves 124 are provided in sides of the body 120 between the lugs 121.

Figs. 21 to 24 show an alterative foot 126 construction.

Parts similar to those of the foot 104 of Figs. 18 to 20 are assigned the same reference numerals.

Referring to Figs. 25 to 28, the arm 106 is shown in more detail. The arm 106 has an elongate body 130. Downwardly extending lugs 131 are provided at one end of the body 130 for engagement with a top of the support column 105. A slot 134 for through passage of cables is provided at one end of the body 130 between the lugs 131.

Referring to Figs. 29 to 31, the mounting plate 107 is shown in more detail. The mounting plate 107 has a diecast body 140 having a plurality of holes 141 for through passage of fixing bolts for securing the mounting plate 107 on the panels and leg.

Referring to Figs. 32 to 36, the spacer 110 is shown. The spacer 110 is of moulded plastics material and is generally triangular in shape as shown in the drawings.

The spacer 110 has a body 150. Bolt holes 151 extend through the body 150 for reception of mounting bolts. It will be noted that the bolt holes 151 have a spigot 152 at one end and an associated recess 153 at the other end.

This enables adjacent spacers 110 arranged in a stack to interlock as shown in Fig. 36. Typically, a number of the spacers 110 are provided in blocks, the spacers 110 being glued together sufficient to securely hold the spacers together but allowing the spacers to be readily easily manually parted to form stacks of any desired height.

It will be appreciated that many combinations of the finished veneered panels 66 and the legs 103 are possible to provide different styles and design of office furniture in coordinated sets comprising desks and associated cabinets and the like.

Sets of the finished veneered panels 66, legs 103, and spacers 110 are prepared in kit form and packaged for on site assembly in offices.

It will be appreciated that a wide range of high quality furniture sets can be readily easily and efficiently produced.

The manner in which the veneer sheets are prepared provides a high quality veneer sheet. The gluing machine advantageously allows accurate control and deposition of glue on the wooden panels for good bonding of the veneer sheets onto the wooden panels. The edge sanding apparatus allows a range of edges to be easily and accurately formed on the panels. Further, the arrangement of the legs and the spacers facilitates height adjustment in a simple manner for assembly of furniture sets and integration of different furniture pieces in furniture sets.

Claims (12)

1. A process for producing office furniture, comprising the steps: cutting wooden panels to preset desired sizes and delivering the panels to a veneering station; preparing veneer sheets and delivering the veneer sheets to the veneering station; feeding a wooden panel between an associated pair of spaced-apart gluing rollers for applying a coating of glue to opposite faces of the panel, each gluing roller having an associated idler roller; forming a glue bath between each pair of gluing and idler rollers; discharging glue from each glue bath in a controlled manner on the gluing rollers and applying a preset amount of glue to opposite side faces of the panel; laying a bottom veneer sheet flat on a support bed; laying the glued wooden panel on the bottom veneer sheet; laying a top veneer sheet on the wooden panel;; conveying the veneer coated panel to a setting station and bonding the veneer panels to the wooden panel to form a raw furniture panel; trimming the edges of the raw furniture panel; cutting a desired formation of mounting holes in the raw furniture panel; sanding the raw furniture panel and varnishing the panel; preparing one or more legs, each leg comprising a ground engaging cast metal foot, an upstanding extruded support column on the foot and a cast metal arm for mounting at an upper end of the support column, with associated clamping bolts for securing the leg parts together, each of the foot, column and arm having complementary cable routing slots therein; and preparing a kit comprising selected finished veneered panels and legs for forming a predesired set of coordinated office furniture.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 which includes maintaining the glue bath between each gluing roller and its associated idler roller at a preset desirable level by sensing the level of glue in the glue bath and controlling delivery of additional glue from a glue supply to the bath in response to sensed glue bath level.

3. A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2 which includes regulating delivering of glue to the wooden panel by controlling the gap between each gluing roller and its associated idler roller.

4. A process as claimed in any preceding claim which includes sanding edges of the raw furniture panel and then varnishing the edges of the panel, sanding opposite faces of the panel and then varnishing the opposite faces of the panel.

5. A process as claimed in claim 4, which includes sanding side edges of the raw furniture panel by conveying the panel in a horizontal position past an endless sanding belt, engaging the edge of the panel with the sanding belt, supporting the sanding belt with a sanding head mounted behind the belt at the point of contact with the panel, floating the sanding belt away from a surface of the sanding head on a bed of pressurised air delivered through the sanding head to a face of the sanding head behind the belt.

6. A process as claimed in claim 4 or 5 which includes varnishing each face of the panel by cleaning the face, conveying the panel passed three spaced-apart varnishing stations arranged in series, at each varnishing station, applying a coat of varnish to the upper face of the panel by conveying the panel under a varnishing roller and engaging the upper face of the panel with the varnishing roller, downstream of the varnishing roller curing the varnish under ultraviolet light.

7. A process as claimed in any preceding claim, which includes preparing the veneer sheets by stacking a number of oblong veneer strips and delivering the stack to a cutter; positioning the stack on a bed of the cutter; clamping the stack on the bed; engaging opposite sides of the stack simultaneously by means of a pair of parallel spaced-apart cutting blades for cutting the stack of veneer strips; delivering the stack of cut veneer strips to a stitching station; at the stitching station, joining a number of cut veneer strips together edge to edge by stitching along cut edges of adjacent strips to form an enlarged veneer sheet; stacking the veneer sheets and delivering the veneer sheets to the veneering station.

8. A process as claimed in claim 7 which includes mounting two stacks of veneer sheets one above the other on a support rack at the veneering station, drawing bottom veneer sheets from the lower stack on the support rack and drawing top veneer sheets from the upper stack of veneer sheets on the support rack.

9. A process as claimed in any preceding claim, which includes the step upstream of the veneering station, of applying a side edge to the wooden panels by gluing side strips along side edges of the wooden panel, mounting a plurality of the panels on a sunken bed to substantially fill the sunken bed, expanding a clamp ring which extends around a periphery of the bed to engage and clamp the panels together on the bed, delivering the bed into an associated housing within which radio frequency radiation is used to cure the adhesive in a cross-linking process for firmly bonding the side strips on each panel, removing the bed from the housing, releasing the clamp ring and unloading the panels from the bed.

10. A process as claimed in any preceding claim which includes forming plastic spacers, each comprising a body having a top face and a bottom face with means for interengaging a top face of one spacer with a bottom space of an adjacent abutting spacer.

11. A process for producing office furniture substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. Office furniture whenever produced by the process as claimed in any preceding claim.