WO2008051156A1

WO2008051156A1 - A door and a method for manufacturing a door

Info

Publication number: WO2008051156A1
Application number: PCT/SE2007/050752
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran Lundgren
Original assignee: Swedwood Poland Sp.Z.O.O.
Priority date: 2006-10-27
Filing date: 2007-10-18
Publication date: 2008-05-02
Also published as: EP2076649B1; SE0602281L; EP2076649A4; SE530450C2; EP2076649A1; PL2076649T3

Abstract

A door for use as a cabinet door to cupboards or other furniture, comprising a press moulded doorskin (101, 301 ) which forms the front of the door, the doorskin (101, 301 ) being press moulded so that its peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) are angled in relation to the plane (201 ) of the doorskin (101, 301 ) and the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) have at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) along the entire circumference of the doorskin (101, 301 ). The door comprises a substantially flat panel (202, 303) which forms the backside of the door, and the doorskin (101, 301 ) is produced from a mat of cellulose-containing material which has been formed and pressed in a line for manufacturing doorskins. The at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) of said doorskin (101, 301 ) is adapted for contact with a substantially flat surface and is fixed in abutment with and is supported by the substantially flat panel (203, 302) along the entire circumference of the doorskin (101, 301 ), whereby no conventional intermediate frame is necessary. A method for manufacturing such a door.

Description

A DOOR AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A DOOR

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a door for use as a cabinet door to cupboards or other furniture, comprising a press moulded doorskin which forms the 5 front of the door, the doorskin being press moulded so that its peripheral edges are angled in relation to the plane of the doorskin and the peripheral edges have at least one peripheral contact surface along the entire circumference of the doorskin. Further, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing such a door.

i o Background of the Invention

Upon producing boards of lignocellulose-containing material, such as particle boards and fibreboards according to the dry method (MDF, HDF, LDF etc.), first the lignocellulose-containing material is disintegrated into particles or fibre bundles. Subsequently these are dried and glue-coated and formed to a con-

15 tinuous mat in one or several forming stations. The mat is pre-pressed and subsequently finish-pressed to boards under pressure and heat in a continuous or discontinuous press.

Today, doors to be used as cabinet doors to kitchen cabinets, or other cupboards or furniture, is normally made of a solid panel, such as a particle board

20 or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard). This board is machined to create different three dimensional patterns in the door, often in order to imitate patterns which are obtained when manufacturing doors from solid natural wood material. However, the production of doors by machining a particle board or MDF has several drawbacks. The doors become heavy, a lot of waste material is produced as a result of

25 the material removed upon the machining, both lignocellulose-containing material and resin, which previously has been added to the lignocellulose-containing material during the production of the particle bard or MDF. Further, great amounts of paint, stain etc. are needed when painting/staining the machined door, since the surface of the door absorbs a lot of paint, and thus, several layers of paint are re-

30 quired.

When producing large doors, to be used as inner doors or outer doors, corresponding drawbacks have been overcome by the so called doorskin technology, where doorskins are press moulded from a lignocellulose-containing fibre mat which is formed and pressed in a line for producing said doorskin, for example a modification of a dry production line for fibreboards or a production line for MDF. These doorskins are thin and hard, and can be press moulded to obtain a shape, e.g. provided with door panels, which imitates a door produced from solid natural wood material. The basic technique for producing a doorskin corresponds to the technique for producing MDF, but the fibre and resin requirements are more stringent and the density is also higher in relation to MDF. Two pieces of doorskins are used for manufacturing a door, and these are attached, opposite to each other, to a wood frame which forms the peripheral edges of the door, and to which frame the hinges are attached. Insulating material can also be provided between these doorskins and the wood frame.

In the article "Metso Panelboard to Deliver Doorskin Line to Romanian Plant", Panelboard Highlights, Metso Panelboard Customer Magazine 1 , 2005, pages 34-35, a line for manufacturing doorskins is disclosed, comprising a forming station, a prepress and a multi-opening press. In the article, the attachment of a doorskin to a wood frame in order to enable the mounting of hinges to the produced door is disclosed, and it is disclosed that the space between the doorskins and the frame can be filled with additional material to provide sound insulation.

WO 02/053334 A2 discloses a method for manufacturing a wood compos- ite article which easily can be stained by a consumer. This is achieved by applying a coating which comprises wax.

US 5 887 402 A describes an intermediate component which is provided between two doorskins and the frame to which the doorskins are attached, when manufacturing a door. Further, US 5 887 402 A describes conventional methods for manufacturing doorskins.

However, the prior art doorskin technology is adapted for large doors and is not advantageous with regard to small cabinet doors, since these have small dimensions, and therefore it is not cost-effective. The use of intermediate frames requires a lot of material and results in several manufacturing steps in the manu- facturing process.

The Object of the Invention

The object of the present invention is thus to provide an uncomplicated method for manufacturing doors intended for cabinet doors to kitchen cabinets etc, and to provide a door which overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a method of the kind defined in the introductory part of the description, comprising the steps defined in claim 1.

The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are also achieved by providing a door of the kind defined in the introductory part of the description, having the features which are defined in the characterizing portion of claim 10. By the present invention, an efficient, flexible and uncomplicated method for manufacturing doors, especially cabinet doors to kitchen cabinets, or the like, is provided. By the innovative design of the doorskin, the doorskin technology can be used without the conventional wood frame, to witch the doorskins are attached according to prior art. By means of the peripheral contact surface of the doorskin, an effective surface for attachment to a substantially flat surface is attained, such as the backside of the door. Since the surface of the doorskin is hard and compact, less stain or paint is needed when staining the door of the present invention in relation to machined or milled solid cabinet doors, manufactured from MDF, e.g., which absorb a lot of paint before the surface is saturated. The door of the present invention is considerably lighter in weight than solid cabinet doors of prior art. The weight reduction is between 40 and 50 %, depending on the dimensions of the door, in relation to a door manufactured from an MDF or a particle board having corresponding dimensions. This is of great importance when transporting the doors because the loads of doors to be transported are large. By the present in- vention, considerably less lignocellulose-containing material, and consequently considerably less resin, which is used for glue-coating the fibres or fibre bundles, are used in relation to cabinet doors manufactured from solid boards, such as MDF. By pressing the doorskin to a thickness of about 3 mm, high temperatures can be attained in the centre of the board when press moulding it. The results of this is that phenol containing resins, which cures at high temperatures, can be used when glue-coating the fibres or fibre bundles. Cured phenol resin does not emit any formaldehyde, which has a major environmental significance. The use of doorskins for cabinet doors provides for that the appearance of the doors imitates products manufactured from solid wood material.

Advantageously, various kinds of insulating material can be provided between the doorskin and the substantially flat panel which forms the backside of the door.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the doorskin is press moulded so that the doorskin is provided with at least one elongated bulge positioned within the peripheral edges of the doorskin, the bulge/-s having such an extension from the plane of the doorskin that it/they has/have at least one contact surface for contact with a substantially flat surface, intended for abutment with and to be supported by a substantially flat panel. This bulge provides further rigidity to the structure. Advantageously, at least two bulges are provided. The at least one contact surface of these bulges can advantageously be attached to the substantially flat panel by means of attachment means, and in this case, the contact surfaces of the bulges and of the peripheral contact surface project substantially the same distance from the plane of the doorskin. The bulges also form a patterning of the front of the door, for example in the form of a door panel, which imitates doors made from solid wood material. Naturally, these bulges appear as indentations when viewed in the direction towards the front of the door, whereas they appear as bulges in the direction towards the panel to which the doorskin is attached. The bulges can also have such an extension from the plane of the doorskin that they do not abut the substantially flat panel. In this case, the bulges only contribute to the patterning of the door. Combinations of these two different bulges are possible. The attachment of the at least one contact surface of the doorskin to the substantially flat panel is advantageously effected by way of attachment means in the form of an adhesive, such as different kinds of glue, rivets, screws, or a section which encloses opposite edges of the doorskin and the flat panel, which section has a substantially U-shaped cross-section, etc. The glue, or any other adhesive, can be applied as a continuous bead or in dots.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the backside of the doorskin, which faces the substantially flat panel, is provided with at least one notch for mounting the mounting device of the door, and the substantially flat panel is provided with at least one attachment opening for this mounting device. By the combination of the notch of the doorskin, which can comprise a recess, possibly with any attachment element, and the attachment opening of the flat panel, which is a through-hole, a rigid mounting of the mounting device of the door, such as hinges etc., is provided. With regard to normal sized cabinet doors, it is advantageous with two notches along one and the same edge and two associated attachment openings in the flat panel. If the cabinet door is larger, three or more notches and attachment openings, respectively, can be provided.

The angle between the peripheral edges of the doorskin and the plane of the doorskin is adapted, inter alia, to the design of the door and the thickness of the doorskin.

Further advantageous embodiments of the method according to the present invention emerge from the dependent claims.

Further advantageous embodiments of the door according to the present invention emerge from the dependent claims. By the above-mentioned material which forms the formed mat, not only cellulose material is meant, but also cellulose-containing material mixed with other materials, such as plastics, waste paper, glass fibres, disintegrated minerals, etc. The size and shape of the material can vary, and the material can for example include fibres and/or fibre bundles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described, for exemplary purposes, in more detail by way of embodiments and with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the door ac- cording to the present invention, as viewed obliquely from above,

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-section of the door of Fig. 1 along the line A-

A,

Fig. 3 schematically shows a portion of a cross-section of an embodiment of the door according to the present invention during the manufacturing process, as viewed obliquely from above, and

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow schedule illustrating an embodiment of the method according to the present invention. Detailed Description of Embodiments

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a manufactured door according to the present invention, to be used as a cabinet door to a cupboard or any other furniture. The door comprises a substantially flat panel, which forms the backside of the door (not shown) and a construction element 101 which forms the front of the door. The construction element 101 is in the form of a press moulded, thin door- skin 101 , of about 3 mm, produced from a mat of cellulose-containing fibre material which has been formed in a line for manufacturing doorskins. The doorskin 101 is press moulded so that its peripheral edges 102, 103, 104, 105 are angled in re- lation to the plane of the doorskin 101 , and the peripheral edges 102, 103, 104, 105 have a peripheral contact surface along the entire circumference of the doorskin 101 for contact with a substantially flat surface. Further, the doorskin 101 comprises four elongated bulges 106, 107, 108, 109 positioned within the peripheral edges 102, 103, 104, 105 of the doorskin 101 , so that a door panel is formed in the centre of the doorskin 101. The bulges 106, 107, 108, 109 have such an extension from the plane of the doorskin 101 that they each have a contact surface for contact with a substantially flat surface.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section of the door of Fig. 1 along the line A-A. Here, it is shown how the peripheral edges 102, 104 of the doorskin 101 are angled in relation to the plane 201 of the doorskin 101 , and so that the peripheral edges 102, 104 have a peripheral contact surface 202 along the entire circumference of the doorskin 101 for contact with a substantially flat surface. Alternatively, several spaced apart contact surfaces can be provided. Along all the peripheral edges 102, 104 of the doorskin 101 , the peripheral contact surface 202 of the doorskin 101 is attached to a substantially flat panel 203 by means of attachment means in the form of glue. Said panel 203 can, for example, consist of a thin particle board or fibreboard. The peripheral contact surface 202 is thus fixed in abutment with and is supported by the substantially flat panel 203 along the entire circumference of the doorskin 101 , whereby no conventional intermediate frame is necessary. The glue is here applied as a continuous bead or string. In the figure, it is shown how the bulges 106, 108 of the doorskin 101 have such an extension from the plane 201 of the doorskin 101 that each has a contact surface 204, 205 for contact with a substantially flat surface. The contact surfaces 204, 205 of the bulges 106, 108 of the doorskin 101 are fixed in abutment with and are supported by said panel 203 and attached to the same panel 203 by means of attachment means in the form of glue. The contact surfaces 204, 205 of the bulges 106, 108 and the peripheral contact surface 202 project the same distance from the plane 201 of the doorskin 101. The backside of the doorskin 101 , which faces the said panel 203, is provided with two notches 206 at one and the same peripheral edge 102 of the doorskin, in the form of recesses 206, where only one notch 206 is shown in the figure, for mounting the mounting devices of the door, such as hinges, and said panel 203 is provided with two attachment openings 207 for these mounting devices, where respective attachment opening 207 is associated with one of the notches 206 and is provided in said panel 203 so that it is opposite the associated notch 206. By having the notch 206 in the form of a recess 206, which also advantageously has dimensions which correspond to the dimensions of that part of the hinge which is to be attached to the doorskin, a rigid attachment of the hinge is attained, since lateral movement along the plane of the doorskin is prevented, which provides a good immobilisation of the hinge in relation to the doorskin. Thus, it is sufficient to attach the hinge with a suitable glue in said recess 206. A sound absorbing material 208 is provided between the doorskin 101 and the flat panel 203.

Fig. 3 shows a portion of a cross-section of an embodiment of the door according to the present invention during the manufacturing process, comprising a doorskin press moulded according to the present invention and a substantially flat panel 302. Here, it is shown how the peripheral contact surface 303 of one of the peripheral edges 304 of the doorskin 301 and the peripheral contact surface 305 of one of the elongated bulges 306 of the doorskin 301 have been provided in abutment with and are supported by the flat panel 302, and also glued to said panel 302. The next step is to cut the peripheral edges of the doorskin 301 and the flat panel 302, approximately along the line BB with regard to the shown peripheral edge, whereby the door obtains straight peripheral edges. In the figure, it is also shown that the outer portion of the peripheral edge 304 of the doorskin 301 has been angled during the press moulding, so that the outer portion is substantial parallel to the surface of the flat panel 302, whereby an effective peripheral contact surface 303 of the doorskin 301 is obtained.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic flow schedule illustrating an embodiment of the method according to the present invention, comprising the following steps: A mat of glue-coated cellulose-containing material, in the form of wood fibre material, is formed, at 401 , in a line for manufacturing doorskins. The mat is press moulded in a multi-opening press having moulds adapted for the application, at 402, so that a hard thin doorskin of about 3 mm is obtained, the peripheral edges of which are angled in relation to the plane of the doorskin, and the peripheral edges have a peripheral contact surface along the entire circumference of the doorskin for contact with a substantially flat surface. Additionally, the mat is press moulded so that the doorskin obtains two elongated bulges positioned within the peripheral edges of the doorskin, the bulges having such an extension from the plane of the doorskin that each obtains a contact surface adapted for a flat surface, and so that the backside of the doorskin, from which side said contact surfaces project, are provided with two recesses for the mounting of hinges. A sound absorbing material is provided at the backside of the doorskin, at 403. Said contact surfaces are attached to a substantially flat panel by means of glue, at 404, which panel forms the backside of the door and has been provided with attachment openings. Each attachment opening is positioned opposite an associated recess. The peripheral edges of the doorskin and the flat panel are cut, at 405, parallely to the respective edge, whereby the door obtains straight edges. The residual material originating from the cut-away material is reintroduced into the manufacturing process, as material for the fibre preparation.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a door, such as a cabinet door to cupboards or other furniture, which method comprises the following steps: • forming (401 ) a mat of cellulose-containing material in a line for manufacturing doorskins,

• press moulding (402) the mat so that a hard doorskin (101 , 301) is obtained, the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of which are angled in relation to the plane (201) of the doorskin (101 , 301), and the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) have at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) along the entire circumference of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) for contact with a substantially flat surface, the doorskin (101 , 301 ) forming the front of the door, and

• fixing (404) said at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) in abut- ment with a substantially flat panel (203, 302) which forms the backside of the door.

2. A method according to claim 1 , characterized in that said fixing is achieved by attaching the at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) to the substantially flat panel (203, 302) along at least two peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ).

3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that said at least two peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301) are opposite to each other.

4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that said fixing is achieved by attaching the at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) to the substantially flat panel (203, 302) along all the periph- eral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301).

5. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 4, characterized by press moulding the mat so that the doorskin (101 , 301 ) obtains at least one elongated bulge (106, 107, 108, 109, 306) positioned within the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), and by forming the bulge/-s (106, 107, 108, 109, 306) with such an extension from the plane (201 ) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) that they/it obtain/-s at least one contact surface (204, 205, 305) which is provided in abutment with and is supported by the substantially flat panel (203, 302).

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized by attaching the at least one contact surface (204, 205, 305) of the at least one bulge (106, 107, 108, 109, 306) of the doorskin (101 , 301) to the substantially flat panel (203, 302).

7. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the attachment of the at least one contact surface (202, 204, 205, 303, 305) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) to the substantially flat panel (203, 302) is effected by means of an adhesive, such as glue.

8. A method according to any of the claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the attachment of the at least one contact surface (202, 204, 205, 303, 305) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) to the substantially flat panel (203, 302) is effected by means of rivets.

9. A method according to any of the claims 1 to 8, characterized by providing the backside of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), which faces the substantially flat panel (203, 302), with at least one notch (206) for mounting the mounting device of the door, and by providing the substantially flat panel (203, 302) with at least one attachment opening (207) for this mounting device.

10. A door for use as a cabinet door to cupboards or other furniture, comprising a press moulded doorskin (101 , 301 ) which forms the front of the door, the doorskin (101 , 301 ) being press moulded so that its peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) are angled in relation to the plane (201 ) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), and the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) have at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) along the entire circumference of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), characterized in that the door comprises a substantially flat panel (202, 303) which forms the backside of the door, in that the doorskin (101 , 301 ) is pro- duced from a mat of cellulose-containing material which has been formed and pressed in a line for manufacturing doorskins, and in that the at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) of said doorskin (101 , 301 ) is adapted for contact with a substantially flat surface and is fixed in abutment with and supported by the substantially flat panel (203, 302) along the entire circumference of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), whereby no conventional intermediate frame is necessary.

11. A door according to claim 10, characterized in that the doorskin (101 , 301 ) is press moulded so that the doorskin (101 , 301 ) is provided with at least one elongated bulge (106, 107, 108, 109, 306) positioned within the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), and in that the bulge/-s (106,

107, 108, 109, 306) has/have such an extension from the plane (201 ) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) that it/they has/have at least one contact surface (204, 205, 305) for contact with a substantially flat surface, which contact surface (204, 205, 305) abuts against and is supported by the substantially flat panel (203, 302).

12. A door according to claim 10 or 11 , characterized in that the at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) is attached to the substantially flat panel (203, 302) by means of attachment means along at least two peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ).

13. A door according to claim 12, characterized in that said at least two peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) are opposite to each other.

14 A door according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the at least one peripheral contact surface (202, 303) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) is attached to the substantially flat panel (203, 302) along all the peripheral edges (102, 103, 104, 105, 304) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ).

15. A door according to any of the claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the least one contact surface (204, 205, 305) of the at least one bulge (106, 107,

108, 109, 306) of the doorskin (101 , 301 ) is fixed in abutment with and is sup- ported by the substantially flat panel (203, 302) and attached to the same panel (203, 302) be means of attachment means.

16. A door according to any of the claims 12 to 15, characterized in that said attachment means comprise an adhesive, such as glue.

17. A door according to any of the claims 12 to 16, characterized in that said attachment means comprise rivets.

18. A door according to any of the claims 10 to 17, characterized in that the backside of the doorskin (101 , 301 ), which faces the substantially flat panel (203, 302), is provided with at least one notch (206) for mounting the mounting device of the door, and in that the substantially flat panel (203, 302) is provided with at least one attachment opening (207) for this mounting device.

19. A door according to claim 19, characterized in that said notch (206) comprises a recess (206).