Decorative door skin composite article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9352486-B2
Application number	US-71662007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2007
Priority date	Nov 12, 2002
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A method of forming a composite article is disclosed that involves providing a press having first and second platens, a cellulosic fiber substrate having a first thickness, and a layer of material such as a wood veneer, foil, or non-creped paper, where the layer of material has a thickness less than the thickness of the cellulosic fiber substrate. A layer of bonding material is placed onto the cellulosic fiber substrate or the layer of material, and the layer of material is placed onto the cellulosic fiber substrate so that the bonding material is between the layer of material and the cellulosic fiber substrate. The cellulosic fiber substrate and layer of material are placed between the first and second platens, and at least one of the first and second platens is moved toward the other of the first and second platens to deform the cellulosic fiber substrate and layer of material into a predetermined configuration while bonding the layer of material to the cellulosic fiber substrate without cracking or wrinkling the layer of material.

First claim

We claim:

1. A composite non-planar door skin comprising:
a medium density fiberboard defining a continuous layer having an exterior major surface comprising a planar central portion extending along a first plane, a first planar side portion and a second planar side portion positioned at opposite first and second sides of the planar central portion and extending in a second plane, a planar top portion and a planar lower portion positioned at opposite third and fourth sides of the planar central portion and extending in said second plane, where the second plane is spaced apart from the first plane, a first angled wall connecting the first side of the planar central portion to the first planar side portion, a second angled wall connecting the second side of the planar central portion to the second planar side portion, a third angled wall connecting the planar top portion with the third side of the planar central portion, and a fourth angled wall connecting the planar lower portion with the fourth side of the planar central portion, wherein the third angled wall and the fourth angled wall have a slope that is less than a slope of the first and second angled walls;
a wood veneer layer covering the exterior major surface of the medium density fiberboard, the wood veneer layer comprising a planar central portion, planar side portions, and angled walls corresponding to and overlaying the planar central portion, the first and second planar side portions, the planar top portion, the planar lower portion, and the first, second, third, and fourth angled walls of the medium density fiberboard,
wherein the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer are bonded to one another and simultaneously deformed into the composite non-planar door skin without cracking or wrinkling of the wood veneer layer by heating and moisturizing the medium density fiberboard but not the wood veneer layer, placing the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer in contact with one another in a press, deforming and bonding the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer together under application of heat and pressure to form the composite non-planar door skin, removing the composite non-planar door skin from the press, and wetting the composite non-planar door skin to raise the moisture content of the wood veneer layer.

2. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 1 , wherein the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer are deformed in a thickness direction of the composite non-planar door skin.

3. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 1 , wherein the wood veneer layer has a grain direction, and the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer are deformed along a direction that is the same as the grain direction.

4. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 1 , wherein the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer have a rectangular shape, wherein the first and second angled wall portions connect the planar central portion to the first and second planar side portions, respectively, the third and fourth angled wall portions connect the planar central portion to the planar top portion and the planar lower portion, respectively, and wherein the first plane is parallel to the second plane.

5. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 4 , wherein the first plane and the second plane are spaced apart from one another by 6-9 mm.

6. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 1 , wherein the wood veneer layer has a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm.

7. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 1 , further comprising a layer of bonding material disposed between the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer.

8. A composite non-planar door skin comprising:
a medium density fiberboard defining a continuous layer having an exterior major surface comprising a planar central portion extending along a first plane, a first planar side portion and a second planar side portion positioned at opposite first and second sides of the planar central portion and each extending in a second plane that is spaced from the first plane, a first angled wall connecting the first side of the planar central portion to the first planar side portion, and a second angled wall connecting the second side of the planar central portion to the second planar side portion;
a wood veneer layer in the form of a plurality of wood veneer strips covering the exterior major surface of the medium density fiberboard, the plurality of wood veneer strips overlying the planar central portion, the first planar side portion, the first angled wall, and the second angled wall of the medium density fiberboard, wherein the first angled wall extends an entire length of the medium density fiberboard and is covered by a first wood veneer strip and the second angled wall extends the entire length of the medium density fiberboard and is covered by a second wood veneer strip; and
a paper backing between the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer,
wherein the medium density fiberboard, the wood veneer layer and the paper backing are bonded to one another and simultaneously deformed into the composite non-planar door skin without cracking or wrinkling of the wood veneer layer by heating and moisturizing the medium density fiberboard but not the wood veneer layer, placing the medium density fiberboard and the wood veneer layer in contact with one another in a press, deforming and bonding the medium density fiberboard, the paper backing, and the wood veneer layer together under application of heat and pressure to form the composite non-planar door skin, removing the composite non-planar door skin from the press, and wetting the composite non-planar door skin to raise the moisture content of the wood veneer layer.

9. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 8 , wherein the paper backing incorporates a heat activated bonding agent.

10. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of wood veneer strips comprises a first wood veneer strip and a second wood veneer strip, wherein an edge surface of the first wood veneer strip is directly adjacent to an edge surface of the second wood veneer strip in side-by-side arrangement.

11. The composite non-planar door skin of claim 8 , wherein more than one wood veneer strip of the plurality of wood veneer strips overlay the planar central portion of the medium density fiberboard.

Assignees

• Liang Bei-Hong
• Luetgert Karine
• Coghlan Henry
• Walsh John Peter
• Hardwick Geoffrey B
• Masonite Corp

Inventors

• Liang Bei-Hong
• Luetgert Karine
• Coghlan Henry
• Walsh John Peter
• Hardwick Geoffrey B

Classifications

• Y10T156/1023

  Surface deformation only [e.g., embossing] · CPC title

• B32B2607/00

  Walls, panels · CPC title

• Y10T156/1044

  of parallel stacked sheets only · CPC title

• B32B37/06

  characterised by the heating method · CPC title

• Y10T156/1039

  Surface deformation only of sandwich or lamina [e.g., embossed panels] · CPC title