Automated door assembly, press, and adhesive therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10315334-B2
Application number	US-201615161611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2016
Priority date	Jul 28, 2010
Publication date	Jun 11, 2019
Grant date	Jun 11, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a system and method of making a door having first and second door skins and an internal frame. The top and bottom surfaces of the frame are coated with an adhesive and the frame is placed on a first door skin. The second door skin is then placed on the opposite surface of the frame. The assembled components are then pressed to bond the first and second door skins to the frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a door, comprising the steps of:
a) assembling a plurality of doors; and
b) alternately receiving the doors into at least first and second presses of a pressing station and pressing the doors;
wherein each of the doors includes a door frame having stiles and rails forming a perimeter of the door frame, and first and second door skins joined to opposite first and second surfaces of the door frame, respectively, to form a door;
wherein each of the first and second presses includes pressing surfaces shaped to compress central portions of the first and second door skins to a greater extent than peripheral portions disposed about a perimeter of the first and second door skins so that surfaces of the central portions and the peripheral portions of the first and second door skins are coplanar with each other, and the peripheral portions are in contact with the stiles and rails of the door frame upon discharge.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assembling step comprises:
applying adhesive to at least one of the first door skin, the second door, skin, and the door frame having the opposite first and second surfaces;
joining the first and second door skins to the opposite first and second surfaces, respectively, to form the doors.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first press and the second press are vertically stacked for receiving the doors, wherein the pressing station is adapted to perform a pressing operation on at least a first one of the doors in the first press while loading or discharging at least a second one of the doors into or out of the second press, wherein each of the first and second presses includes upper and lower dies shaped to compress the first and second door skins, and wherein the upper die has an upper surface and the lower die has a lower surface.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the step of transporting the doors to and from the pressing station.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the steps of loading the doors into the first and second presses and unloading the associated on of the first and second presses after each door has been pressed.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the loading step is accomplished by a loading table upstream of the pressing station, wherein the loading table moves between first and second positions corresponding to a location of the first and second presses, respectively.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the unloading step is accomplished by a discharging table downstream of the pressing station, wherein the discharging table moves between first and second positions corresponding to a location of the first and second presses, respectively.

8. The method of claim 3 , wherein the upper and lower surfaces of the upper and lower dies are convex.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the upper and lower convex surfaces are removably connected to the upper and lower dies, respectively, or integrally formed with the upper and lower dies, respectively.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the upper and lower convex surfaces are continuously curving surfaces having a general parabolic shape with a vertex substantially at a center of the upper and lower dies, respectively.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the upper and lower dies are formed with a flat section circumscribing the convex surfaces.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the flat section has a width commensurate with a width of the frame of the doors.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps a) and b) occur as a synchronous process.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second presses each comprises a respective upper die having an upper convex surface and a respective tower die having a lower convex surface, the upper and lower convex surfaces facing one another to define a reduced-caliper portion of a mold cavity in which the door assemblies are received.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein step a) occurs by spraying adhesive onto one of the door frame having stiles and rails forming a perimeter of the door frame, a first door skin, or a second door skin; and joining the first and second door skins to opposite first and second surfaces of the door frame, respectively, to form the doors.

16. A method for making doors, comprising the steps of:
pressing doors in a pressing station having at least a first and a second vertically stacked presses, the first and second presses each configured to receive, press, and discharge at least one door having a door frame containing stiles and rails forming a perimeter of the door frame, at least two door skins, and adhesive;
the first and second presses further being configured to press in alternating manner with respect to one another;
wherein each of the first and second presses includes upper and lower dies shaped to compress central portions of the at least two door skins to a greater extent than peripheral portions disposed about perimeters of the at least two door skins, so that surfaces of the central portions and the peripheral portions of the at least two door skins are coplanar with each other, and the peripheral portions are in contact with the stiles and rails of the door frame upon discharge.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein upper and lower surfaces of the upper and lower dies of each of the first and second presses are convex.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the upper and lower convex surfaces are removably connected to the upper and lower dies, respectively, or integrally formed with the upper and lower dies, respectively.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the upper and lower convex surfaces are continuously curving surfaces having a general parabolic shape with a vertex substantially at a center of the upper and lower dies, respectively.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the upper and lower dies are formed with a flat section circumscribing the convex surfaces.

Assignees

• Masonite Corp

Inventors

• Liang Bei-Hong
• Macdonald Michael
• Hardwick Geoffrey
• Ritchie Robert
• Cucchi George
• Fedio Bruce

Classifications

• B29D99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• B27M1/08

  by multi-step processes · CPC title

• Y10T428/24612

  Composite web or sheet · CPC title

• E06B3/70

  Door leaves (wing frames E06B3/04) · CPC title

• Y10T156/1002

  with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina · CPC title