METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A LAMINATE PANEL, AN APPARATUS AND A LAMINATE PANEL

• US 20100196678A1
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Unilin Bvba (Mohawk Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spanolux Nv -Div Balterio
• Inventors: Vermeulen, Bruno Paul Louis
• Application Number:
  US12/697,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20100196678A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/195.1
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 5/0446 bearing graphical information
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/02 Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements of webs E04F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/04 only of wood or with a top layer of wood, e.g. with wooden or metal connecting members rollable parquet E04F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1039 Surface deformation only of sandwich or lamina [e.g., embossed panels]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a laminate panel comprises the steps of providing a support panel having at least one side to be decorated and applying an overlay on said side of the support panel. A finishing decoration pattern is printed on the support panel and/or the overlay by a printing device which is substantially free of contact with the support panel and/or the overlay, respectively.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a laminate panel, comprising:

providing a support panel having at least one side to be decorated;

applying an overlay on said at least one side of the support panel; and

printing a finishing decoration pattern on the support panel and/or the overlay by a printing device which is substantially free of contact with the support panel and/or the overlay, respectively.

2. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 1, wherein the printing device comprises a digital printer.

3. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 1, wherein printing comprises printing the finishing decoration pattern on the overlay, and the method further comprises impregnating the overlay with a resin before or after printing.

4. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 1 and further comprising applying a basic decoration pattern on the support panel, the basic decoration pattern being different from the finishing decoration pattern.

5. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 4, wherein applying the basic decoration pattern comprises applying the basic decoration panel on a decoration layer which is applied on said at least one side of the support panel to be decorated.

6. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 4, wherein the finishing decoration pattern to be printed on the overlay is selected on the basis of the basic decoration pattern which is detected by a detector) before printing the finishing decoration pattern on the overlay.

7. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 1 and further comprising printing a predetermined pattern on a carrier with curable liquid so as to form an embossing decoration pattern on the carrier, and pressing the embossing decoration pattern of the carrier on the overlay at said at least one side of the support panel to be decorated for creating an embossed surface thereon.

8. The method of manufacturing a laminate panel according to claim 7, wherein the carrier is provided from a roller and guidable along a press plate.

9. An apparatus for manufacturing a laminate panel (2) by a method according to claim 1.

10. A laminate panel manufactured by a method according to claim 1.