Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
  • E04F15/00—Flooring
  • E04F15/02—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method for producing flooring slabs or slabs from support panels coated by surfacing a decorative layer.
• the invention also relates to an installation for the implementation of the method, as well as a floor covering composed of blades or slabs resulting from such a method.
• These blades are cut from laminated panels coated on the upper face of a decorative layer.
• such panels comprise a core of wood or wood-based, for example HDF or MDF type, that is to say formed from pressed wood fibers in press and by addition of a binder such as a resin.
• This core of the panel can still be made of synthetic material, or even from recycled materials.
• this core of a laminated panel receives, on its upper face, a decorative coating consisting of a printed sheet of a decor and impregnated with a polymerizable resin, for example melamine or other type.
• a decorative coating consisting of a printed sheet of a decor and impregnated with a polymerizable resin, for example melamine or other type.
• an overlay in the form of a cellulosic sheet impregnated with resin and containing a charge, of the alumina oxide type, which has the particularity of giving the floor covering a better resistance to abrasion.
• balance On the underside of such laminated panels is applied a layer, called balance, to balance constraints in the panel. It consists, usually, in a simple sheet of kraft paper, also impregnated with resin.
• such decorative panels are at a temperature of about 100 0 C and with a view to their cooling is carried out to storage until stabilization of their temperature which may take some time, particularly when these panels are stored by stacking immediately after the pressing operation.
• the core of the panel can be made from fibers or particles, including wood or other materials, agglomerated with a synthetic binder. Under the effect of heat, such materials can behave differently. In particular, he can resulting in deformations resulting in tiling or banana effects of the blades making up the flooring.
• this plate which dresses a press also results in the desired relief effects.
• some laminate flooring has, as a decorative coating, an imitation of tile, requiring a difference in relief and appearance between the tiles and the joints defining the latter.
• the present invention proposes to provide a solution to all of the above problems. For this, it has been necessary, in a first inventive step, to go against a prejudice of the person skilled in the art according to which only the lamination solution makes it possible to obtain a floor covering of sufficient mechanical strength for such an application .
• the solution according to the invention results, moreover, from a complete questioning of the manufacturing process of this type of laminate flooring.
• a solution was sought that avoided any heat input when surfacing the panels.
• a panel coated with a decorative layer can be immediately machined for the manufacture of flooring boards.
• the method according to the invention makes it possible to design an installation for its implementation comprising, immediately downstream, a panel production unit, a cutting and machining unit for cutting these panels into slabs or slabs of floor coverings. .
• the method according to the invention avoids any intermediate storage for stabilization of the panels or any cooling unit.
• the core of a panel can be made of any type of material, including materials that do not withstand temperatures as high as those used in a process. usual stratification.
• conventional coating techniques such as calendering
• the support panels are not necessarily subjected to such significant pressures that could limit, until now, the nature of the materials composing the soul of these panels.
• the invention relates to a method of manufacturing slats or floor covering slabs from support panels coated by surfacing a decorative layer, characterized in that:
• a decorative sheet is applied, in particular by calendering, to said bonded surface of the support panel;
• the panel is cut into strips and / or floor tiles.
• all or part of the faces of the support panel are glued for application, in particular by calendering, on one of the faces of a decorative sheet and, on the opposite face, of a balance.
• At least one of the faces of the support panel is bonded with a urea-formaldehyde adhesive.
• the decorative sheet is coated on its decorative face with at least one lacquer layer containing a charge of the alumina oxide.
• the installation for implementing the method according to the invention it comprises a panel surfacing unit and a cutting and machining unit for discharging said panels into slab surfaces and / or floor covering slabs, and means for transferring the panels between said surfacing unit and the cutting and machining unit.
• Figure 1 is a schematic and sectional representation of a flooring plate according to the invention.
• Figure 2 schematically illustrates the method of manufacturing such a blade.
• the present invention relates to the field of floor coverings.
• a floor covering is composed of blades 1 or slabs from panels 2 (visible in the diagram of FIG. 2) coated by surfacing a decorative layer 3.
• blade is used generically, insofar as if such a blade has been illustrated rectangular in Figure 1, it could still be square for s 'more like a slab.
• this core 4 which may be made of various materials.
• this core 4 can be based on wood, especially HDF, MDF or chipboard, just as it can be made of a synthetic material, or even based on recycled materials.
• the decorative layer 3 that receives this panel 2 on its upper face 5 it is advantageously made of a printed decor sheet. Note that at its lower face 6, this panel 2 can receive a layer of a balancing coating, often called balance or a layer of acoustic insulation material.
• the decorative sheet 7 is applied to the blade 4 of the panel 2 by gluing, more particularly using a urea-formaldehyde glue 8.
• a surfacing unit S all or part of the upper face 5 of the panel 2 is glued, by suitable means, before applying, in particular by calendering, the decorative sheet 7.
• the latter is previously coated on its decorative face 9 with at least one layer of a lacquer comprising a filler intended to improve the resistance to abrasion of the floor covering which are constituted by the blades 1 coming from the process according to the invention.
• this charge corresponds to alumina oxide.
• this lacquer of which the decorative sheet 7 is coated defines the degree of gloss that it is desired to obtain.
• the underside of a panel 2 may also be glued, including a urea-formaldehyde glue, to receive the layer of a coating of balancing or balance 10. This can be defined, substantially, by a sheet of craft paper.
• this lower face 6 of the support panels 2 can be applied a layer of a sound insulation material. This has not been shown in the figures of the drawing.
• the panels 2 leaving the surfacing unit S, in particular coated with their decorative layer 3, are directly routed, by transfer means 13 adapted, towards a cutting and machining unit 11 where they are cut into blades 1 of flooring.
• the blades 1 comprise at the peripheral edge, interlocking means, groove and tongue type, allowing their assembly by gluing or mechanical connection.
• downstream of this cutting and machining unit 11 can be implanted a unit for applying an acoustic insulation coating on the underside of these blades 1 in the case where the panels would not have been equipped upstream.
• the blades thus obtained through the process according to the invention meet all the criteria to be met by a floor covering.
• a filler of the alumina oxide type, in the lacquer of which the decorative sheet is previously coated, gives the blades a perfect resistance to abrasion, without it being necessary to use the usual stratification solution.
• the application by gluing, more particularly using a urea-formaldehyde glue, the decorative sheet on the panel leads to a polymerization without heat input, requiring no stabilization phase and allowing the treatment of the panel directly in the cutting and machining unit for the manufacture of the blades.
• means 12 for forming a buffer stock can be provided between the surfacing unit S of the panels 2 and the cutting unit.
• a buffer stock 12 shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2 makes it possible, for example, to change the decor sheet 7 at the level of the unit. surfacing S, without it being useful to interrupt the operation of the cutting unit 11.
• any phenomenon of expansion of the decorative sheet is avoided as the birth of tensions at the material constituting the core of the panels.
• the method according to the invention makes it possible to use a greater diversity of material composing this soul of the panels in comparison with those exploitable by adopting a solution of a hot pressing.
• synthetic materials that are sensitive to heat can be used, as can materials that can not withstand that a low compressive load, knowing that by calendering, the panels are subjected to often lower pressures than under a melamine press for example.
• the present invention represents a clear progress in the field of making floor covering.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Floor Finish (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2006
  • 2006-05-10 EP EP06794413A patent/EP1896271A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-05-10 WO PCT/FR2006/050428 patent/WO2007003805A2/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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