Recycling of laminate floorings

• US 8,617,439 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Original Assignee: Valinge Innovation AB
• Inventors: Pervan, Darko, Lindgren, Kent, Boucke, Eddy, Jacobsson, Jan, Hakansson, Niclas, Ziegler, Goran
• Primary Examiner(s): Theisen, Mary F
• Application Number:
  US13/693,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20130095315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 264/112
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 3/007 and at least partly composed of recycled material
• CPC Class Codes: B27N 3/02 from particles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/02 the layer being formed of fibres, chips, or particles , e.g. MDF, HDF, OSB, chipboard, particle board, hardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 21/06 of paper or cardboard
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/021 Fibrous or filamentary layer layers of natural mineral fibres or particles being impregnated in a plastic substance B32B19/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/028 Paper layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2260/046 Synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/067 Wood fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2262/101 Glass fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2264/06 Vegetal particles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2264/102 Oxide or hydroxide
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2264/12 Mixture of at least two particles made of different materials
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/50 having particular mechanical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/54 Yield strength; Tensile strength
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/546 Flexural strength; Flexion stiffness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/554 Wear resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/558 Impact strength, toughness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/73 Hydrophobic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/75 Printability
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2419/00 Buildings or parts thereof walls, panels B32B2607/00
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 29/02 : next to a fibrous or filamentary layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/06 : for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support , or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/16 : characterised by features of a layer formed of particles, e.g. chips, powder or granules layer formed of natural mineral particles B32B19/00; layer being formed of wood fibres, chips or particles B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/30 : one layer being formed of particles, e.g. chips, granules, powder
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 : using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 5/0415 : containing metallic elements
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 5/043 : containing wooden elements
• CPC Class Codes: B44C 5/0469 : comprising a decorative sheet and a core formed by one or more resin impregnated sheets of paper
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 5/00 : Floors; Floor construction with regard to insulation; Connections specially adapted therefor elements for floors, e.g. bricks, stones, filling bodies, girders, E04C; flooring as finishing work, insulation of flooring, sectional false floors, e.g. for computers E04F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/24 : laminated and composed of materials covered by two or more of groups E04C2/12, E04C2/16, E04C2/20
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/243 : one at least of the material being insulating
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/246 : combinations of materials fully covered by E04C2/16 and E04C2/20
• CPC Class Codes: E04C 2/38 : with attached ribs, flanges, or the like, e.g. framed panels concerned with attaching to other panels or elements to form a structure, see the places for the relevant structure, e.g. E04B2/00
• 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 15/102 : of fibrous or chipped materials, e.g. bonded with synthetic resins
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 15/107 : composed of several layers, e.g. sandwich panels layered products in general B32B; producing decorative panels or veneers B44C5/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 264/913 : From fiber or filament, or fiber or filament containing article or product, e.g. textile, cloth fabric, carpet, fiberboard
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 264/914 : From cellulose containing articles, e.g. paper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24994 : Fiber embedded in or on the surface of a polymeric matrix
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 : Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31942 : Of aldehyde or ketone condensation product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31982 : Wood or paper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31989 : Of wood

Abstract

Recycling of laminate flooring based on a separation of the panels (1) into particles which are connected with a binder and formed to a new sheet shaped material. A building panel includes a surface layer and a wood fiber based core, and the wood fiber based core includes aluminum oxide particles.

Claims

1. A method to recycle floor panels comprising a wood fibre based core, a decorative surface layer comprising a thermosetting resin and aluminium oxide, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

mechanical cutting of the panel into particles;

mixing said particles with a binder; and

pressing under heat the mixed particles and binder, and thereby curing the binder and forming a sheet shaped material.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder is a melamine formaldehyde resin.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder is a urea resin.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder is a phenol resin.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binder is a powder resin.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises the step of separating particles essentially into a first set of particles comprising substantially wood fibres and a second set of particles comprising substantially melamine before mixing at least the first set of elements with the binder.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising pre-pressing the particles and the binder before the step of pressing under heat.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising printing on the sheet shaped material.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the printing is made with an ink jet printer.

20. A building panel comprising a sheet shaped material produced according to claim 1.

10. A method to recycle floor panels comprising a wood fibre based core, a decorative surface layer comprising a thermosetting resin and aluminium oxide wherein the method comprises the steps of:

mechanical cutting of the panel into particles;

mixing said particles with a binder; and

pressing the mixed particles and binder and thereby forming a sheet shaped material,

wherein the sheet shaped material forms a layer arranged on a core.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the layer is a surface layer.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the layer is a balancing layer.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the pressing is made under heat.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the sheet shaped material is formed by curing the binder.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the binder is a melamine formaldehyde resin.

16. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the binder is a urea resin.

17. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the binder is a phenol resin.

18. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the method comprises the step of separating particles essentially into a first set of particles comprising substantially wood fibres and a second set of particles comprising substantially melamine before mixing at least the first set of elements with a binder.

19. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising printing on the layer.

21. A building panel comprising a sheet shaped material produced according to claim 10.

22. A method to recycle floor panels, comprising:

mechanical cutting of the panel into particles;

mixing said particles with a binder; and

pressing under heat the mixed particles and binder, and thereby curing the binder and forming a sheet shaped material.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the sheet shaped material forms a layer arranged on a core.