Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Method of manufacturing coating elements and production
installation relating thereto
Technical field
The present invention relates to a method in accordance with the
introductory section of claim 1.
The present invention also relates to a production installation in
accordance with the introductory section of claim 5.
State of the art
Laminate is a layered pressed material formed by pressing, adhering
and/or gluing together at least two layers of the same and/or different
material.
A laminate that is used, for example, as a floor, as a wall or ceiling
cladding, as a work top or for manufacturing furniture has at least one
carrier board which is coated with at least one coating element, more
particularly with at least one decorative layer or decorative paper with
thermally hardening resin.
The carrier board is usually a composite wood board, such as a fibre
board, for example a high-density fibreboard (HDF)or a medium-density
fibreboard (MDF) or a particle board, or a composite wood board made of
orientated micro veneers, known as an O[riented]S[trand]B[oard]
Decisive for the optical appearance of the laminate is the decorative layer
which is applied to the upper side of the carrier board. The decorative
paper of the decorative layer can be printed with a colour and/or a pattern
or decoration, for example a wood or stone reproduction.
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To improve the wear resistance of the laminate the decorative paper is
usually impregnated with thermally-hardening synthetic resin, for example
melamine resin, and/or coated with an abrasion-resistant layer, known as
the overlay.
The overlay consists of thermally-hardening synthetic resin, for example
melamine resin. For improved resin uptake the overlay can also consist of
fibrous, more particularly cellulose-containing, material. In order to
improve its abrasion resistance this fibrous synthetic resin layer can also
be provided with abrasion-resistant and/or abrasive substance such as
corundum particles for instance. The overlay can for example consist of
two transparent melamine resin-impregnated papers, between which a
corundum layers is included. Corundum-filled overlays are also usual.
On the side of the coating element facing the carrier board a core or
carrier paper layer of several papers impregnated with thermally
hardeningsynthetic resin, for example phenol resin, can be arranged. This
optional paper layer, in which kraft paper is preferably used as the paper,
provides the covering layers with additional hardness and impact
resistance and improves its standing ability.
To improve the dimensional stability of the laminate element, the
underside of the carrier board can be pressed with a backer sheet, for
example a veneer or another layer impregnated with a thermally
hardening synthetic resin.
In the manufacturing of laminate a distinction is made between a single
stage and dual stage manufacturing process. In the single stage
manufacturing process the various layers, i.e. the decorative layer of
decorative paper and thermally hardening synthetic resins, which can, for
example, be applied in the form of an overlay on the decorative paper, the
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carrier board and the optional backer sheet are pressed together in one
operation to form a direct pressure laminate (DPL).
In the dual-stage method on the other hand, in a first stage a coating
element is produced from the decorative paper and the thermally-
hardening resin which, for example, can be applied to the decorative
paper in the form of an overlay, and the optional core or carrier paper
layer. In a second stage the coating element is then pressed with the
carrier board. These laminate manufacturing methods are described in
DIN standards DIN EN 14322, DIN EN 438-2 and DIN EN 13329. With
regard to the technical background of laminate manufacturing reference is
made to document WO 2007/079547 Al.
In the known laminate manufacturing processes the decorative layer of
decorative paper and thermally-hardening synthetic resin is produced in
two working stages on two separate production installations. First of all
the decorative paper is printed on a first production installation, whereby
the printing using takes place using the intaglio process. The printed
decorative paper is then rolled up and transported to a second installation
for impregnation or coating with thermally hardening synthetic resin. At the
second production installation the printed paper is then impregnated with
the thermally hardening synthetic resin or is coated with the overlay.
However, producing the decorative layer on two separate production
installations and/or in two separate production stages is not very efficient
as the raw decorative paper has to be transported to two different
production installations and positioned in each one of these. In the first
production installation a paper web of raw paper is stretched out for
printing and in the second production installation a second paper web of
printed paper is stretched out for impregnation or coating of the paper.
This method of product is time and therefore cost-intensive. Two separate
production installations also require a relatively large amount of space.
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Another drawback is that stretching out the paper web twice can lead to a
change in the shape of the decorative paper and thereby deformation or
distortion of the printed pattern as wall as to kinking and/or tearing of the
decorative paper.
In document DE 600 15 603 T2 it is proposed, in order to avoid match
imprecisions of the pattern of a laminate floor, to print this pattern
directly
onto the carrier board, thus for example directly onto the composite wood
board by means of a digital printer. However, the drawback of this is that
the surface of the carrier board has to be treated before printing, for
example primed and/or ground. Also, in the case of the laminate element
in accordance with document DE 600 15 603 T2 only transparent layers
can be applied to the carrier board. For example, it is not possible to apply
a core or carrier paper layer of kraft pulp to the carrier board.
Explanation of the present invention: objective, solution, advantages
On the basis of the aforementioned disadvantages and inadequacies, as
well as an evaluation of the described state of the art, the objective of the
present invention is to further develop a method of the type set out in the
introduction as well as a production installation of the type set out in the
introduction so that the coating element can be efficiently manufactured,
while reliably avoiding kinks, tears or changes in the shape of the printed
fibre material or paper.
This objective is achieved by means of a method with the features set out
in clam 1 as well as a production installation with the features set out in
claim 5. Advantageous embodiments and expedient further developments
of the present invention are characterised in the relevant sub-claims.
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The present invention is fundamentally based on designing a series or in-
line production installation, such an production line, in which the fibre
material or paper is printed in a first stage and then immediately further
processed by means of impregnation and/or coating. In accordance with
the present invention the supplied fibre material or paper is printed in one
production stage and then impregnated and/or coated in the same
production stage.
According to the invention, in order to produce at least one coating
element, more particularly for producing a decorative coating made of
fibre material and resin, more particularly decorative paper and amino-
plastic and or thermally hardening synthetic resin for coating at least one
carrier board, at least one fibre material or paper web is initially stretched
out by unrolling raw fibre material or raw paper, more particularly raw
decorative paper. This stretched fibre material or paper web is at least
partially printed with colour and/or with at least one pattern or decoration.
The stretched out and printed fibre material or paper web is then at least
in parts
- impregnated with at least one resin with at least one aminoplastic
and/or thermally hardening synthetic resin, for example, melamine
resin and/or
- coated with a layer containing at least one resin, more particularly at
least one aminoplastic and/or thermally hardening synthetic-resin, for
example melamine resin, for example with a so-called overlay.
Combining printing and impregnation and/or coating in one production
installation or one machine can be achieved by arranging at least one
impregnating and/or coating device in series or in ine with at least one
printing device. For example, the printing device can be arranged between
at least one unrolling device for unrolling the fibre material or paper web,
and a first immersion bath, or a first coating device of the impregnating
and/or coating device. The unrolling device, printing device and/or coating
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device are preferably arranged in series, for example on at least one
production band or production line, such as on at least one impregnating
channel.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the present invention
the production installation has the components of a conventional
impregnation and/or coating installation. However, these components are
arranged so that the stretched out fibre material or paper web can be
printed as well as impregnated and/or coated.
The fibre material or paper web can be printed by intaglio printing or by
means of digital printing. Using the digital printing method is particularly
advantageous as a digital printing device requires little space and can thus
be simply integrated into a conventional impregnation machine.
Furthermore, a digital printing device or digital printer does not require
cost-intensive printing plates. Other advantages of a digital printing system
compared with intaglio printing are the lower investment costs as well as
the possibility of simpler and more cost-effective decoration changing. In
addition, with a digital printing system raw material storage costs can be
reduced as a large number of decorations does not have to be kept in
stock.
In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the present invention
the fibre material or paper web is printed by at least one digital printing
device. This digital printing device exhibits the properties required for
printing the fibre material or paper web and is preferably designed to
essentially print the entire width of the fibre material or paper web.
Advantageously the digital printer device is designed to dry the printed
fibre material or paper web at least in parts. Drying of the fibre material or
paper web can take place by means of air and/or ultra-violet radiation
and/or using the method of near infra-red drying. In addition to pure air
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drying other drying methods, such as UV drying and NIR drying can be
used.
Due to its comparatively low printing speed an advantageous embodiment
of the printer device has a comparatively short drying section, a few
metres in length for example.
After passing through the printing device or printer the known
impregnation and/or coating procedure can continue unchanged. For
example, the stretched out fibre material or paper web with at least one
resin, more particularly at least one aminoplastic and/or thermally
hardening synthetic resin, for example melamine resin, can be
saturated/impregnated and after saturation or impregnation with
- at least one resin, more particularly at least one aminoplastic and/or
thermally hardening synthetic resin, for example melamine resin,
and/or
- fibre material, more particularly cellulose, and/or
- provided with a least one layer containing an abrasion-resistant
substance, more particularly corundum.
Furthermore, the stretched out fibre material or paper web can, more
particularly on its side facing away from the layer with resin, be coated
with a core or carrier paper layer, whereby the core or carrier paper layer
has at least one fibre material, more particularly paper, for example kraft
paper, impregnated with a thermally-hardening synthetic resin, for
example phenol resin.
The present invention also relates to a method of producing laminate, for
example at least one laminate floor element, at least one laminate work
top, a least one wall or ceiling cladding element of a laminate or at least
one laminate furniture element, as well an installation relating thereto. In
accordance with the invention, to produce laminate
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at least one coating element is produced by way of a method in
accordance with the above type and
- then applied to at least one carrier board, more particularly glued
and/or stuck and/or pressed to it.
According to an advantageous further embodiment of the method
according to the invention for producing a coating element as well as the
production installation according to the invention, the stretched out fibre
material or paper web of the coating element can also immediately, i.e. in
the same production stage, be applied to the carrier board, for example a
composite wood board, such as an MDF, HDF, OSB or particle board, or
to a plastic board.
In addition, on its side facing away from the coating element, the carrier
board can in the same production stage also be coated with at least one
backer sheet, for example with at least one veneer and/or with at least
one further layer with a thermally-hardening resin. The coating element
can be laminated onto the carrier board by means of single-stage or dual-
stage process. From the coating element produced in accordance with the
invention D[irect]P[ressure]L[aminat], H[igh]P[ressure]L[aminat] as well as
C[ontinuous]P[ressure]L[aminat] and also L[ow]P[ressure]L[aminat] can
be produced.
The present invention finally relates to the use of a method for producing
at least one coating element in accordance with the manner set out above
and/or at least one production installation of the above-described type
for the line or series production of printed, impregnated and/or
coated decorative paper and/or
for the line or series production of laminate, more particularly by
means of a method for production of a laminate of the above-
described type and/or by means of at least one device for
producing laminate in accordance with type described above.
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Brief description of the drawings
As has already been stated, there are various possibilities of
advantageously embodying and further developing the teaching of the
present invention. With regard to this, reference is made on the one hand
to the claims subordinate to claim 1 and to claim 5, and on the other hand
further embodiments, feature and advantages of the present invention are
explained in more detail below with the aid of the example of embodiment
illustrated in figure 1.
Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a first example of embodiment of a
device in accordance with the present invention which operates in
accordance with the method of producing or finishing laminate according
to the present invention.
Best way of implementing the present invention
In the first example of embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
figure 1, an installation 200, more particularly a production line, for
producing laminate is shown which operates in accordance with the
present invention and has several functional components, namely
- an example of embodiment of a production installation 100 for
producing at least one coating element in accordance with the
present invention, whereby the production installation 100 operates
in accordance with the method of producing at least one coating
element according to the present invention and
- a laminating device 210 for applying the coating element, more
particularly the stretched out, printed, impregnated and/or coated
fibre material or paper web 50 to a carrier board 60.
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The production installation 100 is designed for the production of a
decorative layer suitable for coating the carrier board 60, whereby the
decorative layer comprises at least one printed decorative paper and
thermally-hardening synthetic resin.
For this purpose the production installation 100 has
an unrolling device 10 designed for stretching out a fibre material or
paper web 50 by means of unrolling raw fibre material or raw paper,
more particularly raw decorative paper,
a printing device 20 for printing the stretched out fibre material or
paper web 50 with colour and/or at least one pattern or decoration,
an impregnating and/or coating device 30, namely an impregnating
device 30 arranged in series or in line with the printer device 20.
This impregnating device 30 is designed for impregnating the stretched
out fibre material or paper web 50 with aminoplastic and thermally
hardening synthetic resin, namely melamine resin. Furthermore, the
impregnating device 30 can also be deigned for coating the stretched out
fibre material or paper web 50 with a layer comprising a resin, more
particularly melamine resin, i.e. with an overlay.
However, in the example of embodiment shown in figure 1, the production
installation 100 has a coating unit 40 arranged in series or in line with the
impregnating unit 30 for coating the stretched out fibre material or paper
web 50 with the overlay.
The printing unit 20 is arranged between the unrolling device 10 and the
impregnating unit and is designed for printing the fibre material or paper
web 50 by means of the digital printing method.
For the at least partial drying of the printed fibre material or paper web 50,
the printing device 20 has a drying device 22. Alternatively (not shown in
1 ,:
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figure 1), this drying device 22 can also be arranged in series or in line
with the printing device 20 and the impregnating device 30, more
particularly between the printing device 20 and the impregnating device
30.
In contrast to the methods known and practised in the state of the art, in
which in two separate working stages the decorative paper is first printed,
generally using the intaglio method, and then in another installation is
impregnated in a second stage, the production installation 100 shown in
figure 1 performs an inline process for printing and impregnating and/or
coating decorative paper. What is new about this is not the printing itself,
nor the impregnating and/or coating, but the fact that this takes place
inline during the course of one working process, i.e. on a production
installation or machine.
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List of references
Unrolling device
Printing device, more particularly digital printer or intaglio printer
22 Drying device
Impregnating and/or coating device
Coating device
Fibre material or paper web
Carrier board, more particularly composite wood board or plastic
board
100 Production installation or finishing installation, more particularly a
finishing line for producing a coating element, more particularly a
decorative layer suitable for coating a carrier board 60
200 Installation, more particularly production line for producing laminate
210 Lamination device
