GB2341574A

GB2341574A - A press for forming an impression in a panel

Info

Publication number: GB2341574A
Application number: GB9820149A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Frederick Robson
Original assignee: ABF Ltd
Current assignee: ABF Ltd
Priority date: 1998-09-17
Filing date: 1998-09-17
Publication date: 2000-03-22
Also published as: GB9820149D0

Abstract

A press for forming an impression in a panel comprises a moveable upper platten 2 and a lower moveable platten 1. An impression plate 3 is disposed therebetween on one of the press members and has a surface relief pattern 6 complementary to the impression to be formed in the panel P. Adjacent to and fixed relative to the impression plate 6 there are panel guides 9 that each comprises an insulating member 12. The panel is slid on to the surface of the impression plate until its edges contact the insulating members. As the upper platten descends it first moves insulating members downwardly against a biasing force so that they are clear of the edge of the panel and then presses the panel into the impression plate to form the impression. The panel guides allow the panel to be correctly located with respect to the impression plate without damaging the edge of the panel.

Description

2341574 A PRESS FOR FORMING AN IMPRESSION IN A PANEL The present invention

relates to a press for forming a decorative impression in the surface of a panel such as, for example, a wooden part of an item of furniture.

A press of this kind generally comprises upper and lower plattens, one of which is moveable relative to the other in a vertical direction by hydraulic actuators so that during the pressing operation their facing planar major surfaces are disposed in close proximity. The top platten is fitted with a flat, rectangular tool by bolts or the like. The tool has a surface relief pattern that is the inverse of the impression to be formed on the panel. In use, the tool, which is manufactured from a heat conductive material such as copper or an alloy thereof, is heated and the panel on which the impression is to be formed is slid on to the surface of the bottom platten. The top platten is then lowered towards the bottom platten until the tool presses on the surface of the panel with a predetermined amount of force. The pressure and heat applied by the tool to the panel leaves a surface impression on the panel that is the inverse of the surface relief pattern defined on the tool.

One disadvantage of this apparatus is that it is difficult to ensure that the panel is centrally disposed relative to the tool so that the impression is formed in the correct position on the panel. Generally, acceptable impressed panels are only obtained after trail and error by the operator of the press. Moreover, it is necessary to wait until the tool cools down before it can be unbolted, removed and replaced with one bearing a different pattern.

Panels of wood or MW (medium density fibreboard) are often applied with a decorative surface finish or coating including the application of a coloured foil to the edge of the panel. The finish or coating on the major surface of the panel is applied prior to pressing as it is difficult to apply after the surface impression has been formed. However, the foils are generally so thin that they can easily be damaged and therefore are not applied until after pressing.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

2 According to the present invention there is provided a press for forming an impression in a panel, comprising upper and lower press members moveable in a direction towards and away from each other, an impression plate disposed therebetween on one of the press members, the impression plate having a first surface with a relief pattern complementary to the impression to be formed in the panel, and at least one panel guide fixed relative to the impression plate at the periphery of an area in which the impression plate is to be received, wherein the guide comprises an insulating member having a panel contacting surface facing said area, the member being biased to a first position in which it stands proud of the first surface of said impression plate and being moveable against said bias to a second position in which the panel contacting surface is clear of the panel receiving area.

The arrangement of the panel guide enables the panel to be slid into said area and aligned with relative ease. The location of the panel relative to the impression plate is determined by the positioning of the panel guide. In addition, the provision of a moveable insulating member as defined above ensures that the edges of the panel are not damaged by heat or rubbing during operation of the press.

The panel contacting surface may conveniently be of tapered configuration so that when the insulating member is moved to the second position it is outboard of said panel receiving area. The insulating member may be annular.

Preferably the insulating member is mounted on a pin and is spring-biased relative to said pin. The insulating member may conveniently be removable so that it may be replaced by a member of a different size thereby accommodating different panel thickness.

The panel guide is preferably fixed to a flange extending laterally of the impression plate.

A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectioned side scrap view of the press of the present invention prior to formation of the impression in the panel; 3 Figure 2 is a view corresponding to that of figure I during formation of the impression; Figure 3 is a perspective plan view of an impression plate and panel guides of the present invention; and Figure 4 is the view of figure 3 shown with a panel in position.

Referring now to the drawings, the exemplary press (shown in figures I and 2) has a stationary lower platten I and an upper platten 2 that is moveable thereto under the action of a hydraulic actuator (not shown) as is well known.

The press is typically used to form a decorative impression on the surface of a panel P of furniture which is constructed from, for example wood or MF (medium density fibreboard). The panel is pre-treated with a decorative surface finish which may include application of a thin decorative and/or coloured foil to its edges.

A removable impression plate 3 is disposed on an upper surface 4 of the lower platten 1. The plate 3 (shown in more detail in figure 3) is generally rectangular and has an upper surface 5 with a relief pattern 6 defined thereon. The pattern is the inverse of that to be formed on the panel P and in the embodiment shown it is a foursided closed figure having three straight sides 7 and an arcuate side 8. Each of the sides is defined by a double ridge relief as shown clearly in figures I and 2.

Flanking the impression plate 3 on two sides is a plurality of panel guides 9 that define the periphery of an area in which the panel P is received. Each panel guide 9 is mounted on a flange 10 that is bolted to a recess I I on the underside of the impression plate 3. The panel guide 9 comprises an insulating member 12 of frustoconical configuration that is removably mounted on a spring-loaded bobbin 13 which in turn is secured to a pin 14 that is upstanding from the flange 10. The bobbin 13 serves to bias the insulating member 12 away from the impression plate 3.

The lower platten I is heated and transfers heat to the impression plate 3 (see arrows H in figure 1) which is manufactured from a thermally conductive metal such as copper or an alloy thereof. In operation, the panel P to be pressed is slid on to the upper surface 5 of the impression plate 3 after it has been preheated for a predetermined amount of time. The correct location of the panel P relative to the 4 impression plate 3 is made easy by virtue of the presence of the panel guides 9. The panel 9 is simply pushed into the press until the panel edges are in contact with the tapered surface of each insulating member 12. The upper platten 2 then descends under action of the hydraulic actuator, and applies a predetermined force to the upper surface of the panel P. In so doing the lower surface of the panel P is pressed against the impression plate 3 so that the desired impression is formed, by pressure and heat, on the panel surface. During its descent the upper platten 2 first contacts an upper surface 15 of the insulating members 12 of the panel guide 9. These members 13 are moved downwardly along their respective pins 14 against the bias of the springloaded bobbins 13 so that the tapered surface of each insulating member moves out of contact with the panel P as shown in figure 2.

It will be seen that the panel guides 9 of the present invention serve to define an area in which the panel is to be received and thereby ensure that the panel P is correctly positioned relative to the impression plate 3. Since it is only the insulating member 12 of the panel guides 9 that contact the edges of the panel there is no risk of heat damage to the decorative foil. Moreover, the tapered surfaces prevent rubbing damage to the foil during the downward movement of the insulating members upon contact by the upper platten. The insulating members 12 are made removable so that they can be replaced with ones of a different size so as to accommodate different panel thicknesses.

The invention eliminates the need to fix the impression plate to one of the plattens and therefore it is easier to remove when hot. The operator does not have to remove fixings which will be hot but rather simply slides the hot plate out of the press using suitable insulating members.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to the above described design may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, any number of panel guides may be used and the insulating member may be of any convenient shape. Furthermore the panel guides may be constructed in such a way that the insulating members move outwardly as well as downwardly of the panel so as to move clear of the panel receiving area.

Claims

1. A press for forming an impression in a panel, comprising upper and lower press members moveable in a direction towards and away from each other, an impression plate disposed therebetween on one of the press members, the impression plate having a first surface with a relief pattern complementary to the impression to be formed in the panel, and at least one panel guide fixed relative to the impression plate at the periphery of an area in which the impression plate is to be received, wherein the guide comprises an insulating member having a panel contacting surface facing said area, the member being biased to a first position in which it stands proud of the first surface of said impression plate and being moveable against said bias to a second position in which the panel contacting surface is clear of the panel receiving area.

2. A press according to claim 1,wherein the panel contacting surface is of tapered configuration so that when the insulating member is moved to the second position it is outboard of said panel receiving area.

3. A press according to claim 2, wherein the insulating member is annular.

4. A press according to any preceding claim, wherein the insulating member is mounted on a pin and is spring-biased relative to said pin.

5. A press according to any preceding claim, wherein the insulating member is removable.

6 6. A press according to any preceding claim, wherein the Panel guide is fixed to a flange extending laterally of the impression plate.

7. A press substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.