METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR PRODUCING A WOOD-FIBER BOARD

• US 20100223881A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flooring Technologies Ltd
• Original Assignee: Flooring Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: KALWA, Norbert
• Granted Patent: US 8,394,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/782.100
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 3/10 Moulding of mats
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 3/12 from fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 3/18 Auxiliary operations, e.g. preheating, humidifying, cutting-off
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/44 Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms having dual functions or combined with, or coupled to, apparatus performing other functions
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 5/043 containing wooden elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A method for producing a wood-fiber board, which has a pattern on the top, in that glued wood fibers are scattered at least one layer to form a fiber cake, and the fiber cake is subsequently compressed under pressure and temperature to form a board of the desired thickness, is characterized in that the pattern is applied to the fiber cake before compression. An installation for producing a wood-fiber board with a scattering device, by means of which a fiber cake comprising at least one layer of wood fibers glued with resin is scattered, and a conveyor device, which conveys the fiber cake in a process direction to a pressing device in which the fiber cake is pressed to form a board of the desired thickness, is characterized in that a printing device is arranged above the conveyor device between the scattering device and the pressing device.

Claims

1. A method for producing a wood-fiber board, which has a pattern on the top, comprising:

scattering glued wood fibers in at least one layer to form a fiber cake;

compressing the fiber cake under pressure and temperature to form a board of a desired thickness; and

applying the pattern to the fiber cake before compression.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is applied in a contactless manner.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the pattern is applied with at least one inkjet printer.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying a protective layer to the pattern before compression.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein a fiber/resin mixture is scattered as the protective layer.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising scattering at least one of pigments, resins and salts into the fiber cake as additional constituents.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a layer of wood fibers containing the additional constituents is scattered on wood fibers already scattered.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the wood fibers in the additional layer are finer than the wood fibers already scattered.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein during compression of the fiber cake to form a board, a print image that forms the pattern previously applied is compacted.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein during the compression, print points that form the print image are either superimposed or move closer together so that more print points are present per unit surface area after compression than before compression.

11. A installation for producing a wood-fiber board, comprising:

a scattering device, by which a fiber cake comprising at least one layer of wood fibers glued with resin is scattered;

a conveyor device, which conveys the fiber cake in a process direction;

a pressing device, in which the fiber cake is pressed to form a board of a desired thickness; and

a printing device arranged above the conveyor device between the scattering device and the pressing device.

12. The installation according to claim 11, wherein the printing device is at least one inkjet printer.

13. The installation according to claim 11, further comprising a first additional application device, which is arranged in the process direction between the printing device and the pressing device.

14. The installation according to of claim 11, further comprising a second additional application device, which is arranged in the process direction in front of the printing device.

15. The installation according to claim 13, wherein the first additional application device is structured to apply a protective layer to the fiber cake already printed.

16. The installation according to claim 14, wherein the second additional application device is structured to apply a further wood-fiber layer on the fiber.

17. The installation according to claim 16, wherein the further wood-fiber layer comprises finer fibers and additives including at least one of pigments, resins and salts, which are required in only a region of the fiber cake.

18. A flooring panel made from an intermediate product of a core of wood fiber which is composed of non-compressed fiber cake of scatter glued wood fibers in at least one layer having a pattern printed thereon, the non-compressed fiber cake has a thickness that is thicker than the fiber cake after being compressed under pressure and temperature.