Method for the refinement of a panel and apparatus for carrying out the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522567-B2
Application number	US-201113163077-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2011
Priority date	Jun 30, 2010
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A method for the refinement of a panel and an apparatus for the refinement of a panel according to a method of this type. The method for the refinement of a panel includes: unpacking of a panel having a core made from wood material from a transport-safe packaging, a grounding in the form of at least one synthetic resin layer pressed together with the core and, if appropriate, a primer being arranged on a top side of the core, and a coating being arranged on a core underside lying opposite the top side of the core, and connection and locking means being attached to at least two mutually opposite side faces; application of a decorative layer having a decoration to the grounding or primer; and application of at least one wear layer to the decorative layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for the refinement of a panel offsite from an unfinished panel manufacturing facility and installation site, having a core made from wood material and a grounding, arranged on a top side of the core, in a form of at least one synthetic resin layer pressed together with the core, the panel, being located in a transport-safe packaging which is sealed, air-tight, in a film, with the following steps:
a) unpacking of one or more panels from the transport-safe packaging,
b) selection of a special decoration from a multiplicity of stored decorations or of an individually available decoration,
c) selection of a defined number of panels, which are to be printed with the decoration,
d) application of a decorative layer having the selected decoration to each individual panel, and
e) application of at least one wear layer to the decorative layer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the multiplicity of stored decorations are stored in a form of electronic data in a data store.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the grounding is present in the form of a synthetic resin layer applied as a liquid or in the form of a resin-impregnated paper or in the form of a glued-on film which is coated with synthetic resin.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising adhesive used for the glued-on film which is an adhesive containing synthetic resin.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the grounding is applied before the transport-safe packaging of the panels.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the panel has a coating on its underside.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the coating of the underside of the panel is applied before the transport-safe packaging of the panels.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a primer is applied to the grounding before the transport-safe packaging of the panels.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein side faces of the panels are provided with connecting and locking means before the transport-safe packaging of the panels.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the decorative layer is printed onto the grounding or a primer.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a decorative paper is printed with a decoration and is laid as a decorative layer onto the grounding or a primer.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one wear layer consists of a synthetic resin and, after being applied, is cured by pressing under influence of pressure and temperature.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein a structure is introduced into the at least one wear layer during the pressing.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one wear layer consists of a lacquer and, after being applied, is cured by means of electron or UV beams.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein a structure is introduced into the at least one wear layer by a structure-forming lacquer.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein means disturbing the flow of the lacquer are printed on, at least one of structure-forming depressions and elevations thereby being generated.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the application of the decorative layer and of the at least one wear layer takes place by means of the following steps:
provision of the at least one wear layer on a carrier medium,
printing of the decorative layer onto the at least one wear layer,
laying of the carrier medium, at least one wear layer and decorative layer onto the grounding or a primer, so that the decorative layer is arranged on the grounding or the primer, and
removal of the carrier medium.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein a structure is embossed into at least an uppermost wear layer.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the structure matches the decoration of the decorative layer.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the panel is cleaned before the decorative layer is applied.

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the application of the decorative layer is provided at a franchise operation associated with a laminate manufacturer, home-improvement market, an interior decorator, a dealer or a floor layer.

22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the application of the decorative layer is printed directly onto a grounding or a primer by a digital printer.

23. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the at least one wear layer is a plurality of wear layers admixed with additives applied at the franchise operation associated with the laminate manufacturer, the home-improvement market, the interior decorator, the dealer or the floor layer.

24. The method according to claim 23 , wherein the at least one wear layer is cured under influence of pressure and temperature or using high-energy radiation.

25. The method according to claim 21 , wherein a customer selects the special decoration and an amount of panels to be printed with the selected decoration at the franchise operation associated with the laminate manufacturer, the home-improvement market, the interior decorator, the dealer or the floor layer.

26. The method according to claim 21 , further comprising:
aligning a selected amount of panels in an acceleration section and spaced apart at a desired distance from one another;
feeding the selected amount of panels individually into a printing unit; and
selecting the special decoration from an electronic data storage medium for printing onto the selected amount of panels.

27. The method according to claim 21 , further comprising applying lacquer only at specific locations on a surface of the panel to generate structure-forming depressions and elevations.

28. The method according to claim 21 , further comprising selecting, by a customer at the franchise operation associated with the laminate manufacturer, the home-improvement market, the interior decorator, the dealer or the floor layer, whether the panel is to (i) be used privately or commercially, (ii) be used in a dry or a damp area and (iii) be coated for use as a floor, wall or ceiling panel, in order to determine how many wear layers are to be applied to the panel.

29. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the individually available decoration is provided by a customer stored in electronic form in a predetermined data format.

30. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising scanning the individually available decoration into electronic format for subsequent printing onto each individual panel.

31. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising taking a photograph of the individually available decoration and reading the photograph into electronic data for subsequent printing onto each individual panel.

32. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the unfinished panel manufacturing facility, the installation site and the where the application of the decorative layer is provided are three different locations.

33. The method according to claim 32 , wherein the location where the application of the decorative layer is applied receives from the unfinished panel manufacturing facility a semi-finished panel sealed in the transport-safe packaging.

34. A method for the refinement of a panel at a first location whic

Assignees

• Braun Roger
• Kalwa Norbert
• Flooring Technologies Ltd

Inventors

• Braun Roger
• Kalwa Norbert

Classifications

• B44C5/0476 Primary

  with abrasion resistant properties · CPC title

• E04F15/107

  composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels (layered products in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04) · CPC title

• B41M5/0041

  Digital printing on surfaces other than ordinary paper (B41M5/0082 takes precedence; printing on textiles D06P5/00) · CPC title

• E04F15/04

  only of wood {or with a top layer of wood}, e.g. with wooden {or metal} connecting members (rollable parquet E04F15/16) · CPC title

• B44C5/0461

  used as wall coverings · CPC title