METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR DECORATING A PANEL

Abstract

A method of decorating a panel includes the steps of supplying a panel to a carrier, performing at least a first printing step by means of a first printing module and performing a second printing step by means of a second printing module. The first and second printing steps are performed according to a predetermined positional relationship to form the decorated panel. Between the first and second printing steps, the panel is held at a substantially fixed position with respect to the carrier.

Claims

1. A method of decorating a ceramic panel, comprising: supplying a panel to a carrier; performing at least a first printing step using a first printing module and performing a second printing step using a second printing module; wherein the first and/or the second printing module includes one of a valvejet head and a inkjet head wherein the first and second printing steps are performed according to a predetermined positional relationship to form the decorated panel; and wherein during and between the first and second printing steps the panel is held at a substantially fixed position with respect to the carrier; wherein a step between said first and second printing steps comprises printing a curable substance on the panel and another printing step comprises printing a decorative basic pattern on the panel; the method further comprising curing the curable substance; wherein said curable substance comprises a powder and said step of curing the curable substance comprises melting the powder.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises positioning the carrier at preset positions with respect to a reference point during the first and second printing steps.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein during the first and second printing steps positioning the carrier includes following preset paths with respect to the reference point.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the preset paths extend behind each other.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the curable substance is printed with a print head that prints a higher flow than the printhead that prints the decorative basic pattern.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of said printing modules comprise a valvejet head and the other printing module comprises an inkjet head.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the printing module for printing the curable substance comprise a valvejet head and/or wherein the printing module for printing said decorative basic pattern comprises an inkjet head.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first printing step comprises printing the curable substance on the panel and the second printing step comprises printing the decorative basic pattern on the panel.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the curing step is performed after the second printing step.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the decorative basic pattern is printed at a relative position with respect to the decorative basic pattern or vice versa.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the textured pattern is built up by several separate steps by means of successively printing layers of curable substance.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said curable substance is varied per layer.

13. The method according to claim 1, the textured pattern and the decorative basic pattern are printed with different material to create different appearance.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a step of applying a top layer after said first and second printing step.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said top layer comprises wear resistance substances and/or anti-wear particles and/or anti-scratch particles.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein said top layer is applied by means of coating.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein said top layer is applied by means of a third printing step.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of said curable substance after curing is smaller than 1000 μm.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the curing step is performed by a heating source and wherein the curable substance is selected to be compatible with the heating source.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the panel is a floor panel, a wall panel, a ceiling, panel, or a panel for furniture and is suitable for indoor and exterior use.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] The invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to drawings showing embodiments of the invention very schematically.

[0066] FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of an embodiment of an apparatus.

[0067] FIG. 2 is a similar view as FIG. 1 of an alternative embodiment.

[0068] FIG. 3 is a similar view as FIG. 1 of another alternative embodiment.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a similar view as FIG. 1 of still another alternative embodiment.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a plan view of a part of a panel on a large scale, which panel is manufactured according to a method disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0071] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an apparatus 1 for manufacturing a decorative panel. Furthermore, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a method of decorating a panel. The apparatus 1 is suitable for manufacturing decorative panels in a continuous manner and comprises a loading station 2, a carrier in the form of an endless conveyor belt 3 and an unloading station 4. A stationary decor printing station 5 and a stationary embossment printing station 6 are located along the conveyor belt 3. The stationary embossment printing station 6 is located downstream of the stationary decor printing station 5.

[0072] Under operating conditions of the apparatus 1 panels 7 are supplied from the loading station 2 to the conveyor belt 3. Each of the panels 7 is transported along both printing stations 5, 6. The decor printing station 5 comprises a digitally controlled decor printing module which prints a decorative basic pattern onto the panel 7 that is present on the conveyor belt 3 at the decor printing station 5. The embossment printing station 6 comprises a digitally controlled embossment printing module which prints a curable substance onto the panel 7. In more general terms, the decor printing module is a first printing module for performing a first printing step and the embossment printing module is a second printing module for performing a second printing step. The first printing module may be movable with respect to the stationary printing station 5 and the second printing module may be movable with respect to the stationary embossment printing station 6.

[0073] After the second printing step the panel 7 leaves the conveyor belt 3 towards the unloading station 4 for further treatment of the panel 7, for example for curing the pattern of curable substance on the panel 7. The apparatus 1 may be provided with vacuum grippers (not shown) for placing a panel 7 from the loading station 2 onto the conveyor belt 3 and transferring a panel 7 from the conveyor belt 3 to the unloading station 4, but alternative transfer systems are conceivable.

[0074] The apparatus 1 comprises a retainer in the form of a vacuum system 8 for drawing the panel 7 to the conveyor belt 3. As a consequence, the panel 7 is kept at a fixed position on the conveyor belt 3 when passing the panel 7 along the printing stations 5, 6. In other words, during the step of printing the decorative basic pattern and the step of printing the curable substance as well as between these steps the panel 7 is hold at a fixed position with respect to the conveyor belt 3.

[0075] The conveyor belt 3 and the printing modules at the printing stations 5, 6 are controlled by a controller 9. The conveyor belt 3 is driven continuously in this case, but in an alternative embodiment the conveyor belt 3 may be stopped or decelerated to a lower speed when the panel 7 to be printed arrives at the corresponding printing stations 5, 6. The controller 9 is provided with a storage unit including a lookup table which contains coordinates of the decorative basic pattern to be printed on the panel 7 by the decor printing module. The same lookup table is used for controlling the embossment printing module. Consequently, the curable substance can be printed exactly onto the decorative basic pattern or on portions thereof. In this way an embossment-in-register textured surface can be created. This is, however, not necessary; the patterns printed in the first printing step and in the second printing step may be shifted with respect to each other, for example.

[0076] Covering only a portion of the decorative basic pattern with the curable substance may be advantageous for esthetical reasons. For example, it appears that in case of decreasing line thickness in the decorative basic pattern a more than proportionally smaller amount of curable substance on top of the line creates attractive effects, for example in case that such a line imitates a wood nerve.

[0077] It is also possible that the second printing step is performed such that the pattern that is printed in the second printing step is positioned next to a pattern which is printed in the first printing step. For example, the decorative basic pattern has an area which represents a wood nerve and a curable substance is printed next to the wood nerve. This means that the resulting panel has a depression at the wood nerve. It is clear that the method and apparatus also provides the opportunity to create an elevation at the wood nerve, if desired.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 1, it is noted that any detection means for detecting the coordinates of the decorative basic pattern on the panel 7, such as cameras, between the decor printing station 5 and the embossment printing station 6 are omitted. Additionally, it is neither necessary to calculate new coordinates for a new lookup table that could be used for controlling the embossment printing module. This allows to manufacture decorative panels in a rapid continuous process, for example at speeds between 0 and 300 m/minute or higher, possibly dependent on the width and length of the belt 3. Experiments have shown that a belt 3 of which the upper surface has a width of about 1 m and a length of about 3 m may run at a speed of 120 m/min up to 180 m/min, whereas the accuracy in length and width direction is less than 5 μm. The accuracy achieved in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the belt 3 is less than 100 μm.

[0079] In order to keep the relative positions of the panel 7 and the decor printing station 5, on the one hand, and the panel 7 and the embossment printing station 6, on the other hand, equal, the conveyor belt 3 is controlled such that the panel 7 passes both printing stations 5, 6 at preset or fixed positions with respect to a reference point. The apparatus 1 is provided with an actuator (not shown) for adjusting the position of the conveyor belt 3 in a lateral direction with respect to its conveying direction. Furthermore, the apparatus 1 comprises return rollers 10 that guide the endless conveyor belt 3. The return rollers 10 are rotatable about shafts of which the ends can be displaced in a direction transversely with respect to the shafts so as to compensate the conical configuration that conveyor belts have in practice. As a result, a substantially constant tension over the width of the conveyor belt can be achieved. When tiny lines, for example representing wood nerves, are printed on the panel 7 at the decor printing station 5 a curable substance can be printed over the line at the embossment printing station 6 very accurately, or very accurately adjacent or close to a nerve.

[0080] If the conveyor belt 3 is driven at a fixed speed the embossment printing module may follow a similar path as the decor printing module, but with a certain time delay. The delay depends on the speed of the conveyor belt 3.

[0081] The speed of the conveyor belt 3 may vary. For example, if at the second printing station 6 a curable substance is printed in order to create an elevated surface, the speed of the conveyor belt 3 at the second printing station 6 may be lower than at the first printing station 5 since a higher quantity of printed matter may be required than for printing a basic pattern at the first printing station 5. For example, the speed is 10 m/min when the panel 7 is at the first printing station 5 and 2 m/min when the panel 7 is at the second printing station 6.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 1, it is conceivable to perform additional steps between printing the decorative basic pattern and printing the curable substance. For example, it is possible to apply a protecting layer onto the panel 7, for example a varnish including anti-wear particles. The protecting layer is not limited to the decorative basic pattern, but may cover the whole upper surface of the panel 7. Subsequently, at the embossment printing station 6 a curable substance may be printed onto the panel 7, possibly after curing or partly curing the protecting layer. Partly curing may be beneficial concerning adhesion of the different layers. Anti-wear particles may also be added to the curable substance pattern. In a specific embodiment the anti-wear particles in the protecting layer may be larger than those used in the curable substance. The anti-wear particles in the protecting layer may have abrasion resistant properties whereas the anti-wear particles in the curable substance may have scratch resistant properties.

[0083] The decorative basic pattern or a basic textured pattern can be printed by using water-based or solvent-based ink, UV curable ink, varnish, color ink, transparent ink or the like. The curable substance to be printed by the embossment printing module may be a photo-polymeric ink or an alternative substance. The medium that is printed on the panel 7 at the decor printing station 5 may be adapted to the properties of the panel 7, for example the ink absorbance properties of the panel 7. Similarly, the substance that is printed on the panel 7 at the embossment printing station 6 may be adapted to the properties of the medium that is printed at the decor printing station 5, for example the ink absorbance properties of the substance to be printed at the embossment printing station 6. Furthermore, the viscosity and other properties of the materials to be printed as well as ambient conditions may be of influence on the characteristics of the pattern to be printed, such as flowing behavior of the matter on the panel 7. The controller 9 is provided with a calculation module for calculating the required amount of ink, polymer, etc.

[0084] The decor printing module and the embossment printing module may be provided with print heads of the following types, but are not limited to these: ink jet print heads, valve jet print heads, piezo-controlled print heads, toner-based print heads. Furthermore, printing techniques like silk screen printing, lithography-based printing or laser printing are applicable.

[0085] The panels to be printed may be made of different materials, for example MDF, HDF, wood, polymeric composite, WPC, LVT, PVC, carton, textile, carpet tiles, ceramic, stone, metal or the like. Furthermore, the apparatus 1 can be designed for panels 7 of different shapes and/or dimensions. The products may be suitable for use as floor panels, wall panels, ceiling panels, furniture, packaging etc. The resulting panels may be large intermediate products that still must be cut into pieces, after which the pieces may be provided with locking means, such as tongues and grooves. The panel may also be a continuous sheet, which is printed in a roll-to-roll process, for example.

[0086] FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus 1. In this case the apparatus 1 is also provided with one decor printing station 5, but with three embossment printing stations 6. The embossment printing stations 6 build-up a curable substance in several steps. Between the successive embossment printing stations 6 the substance may be partly or fully cured. Each embossment printing module is controlled on the basis of the same lookup table of the coordinates of the decorative basic pattern. It is possible that the amount of curable substance that is printed by the embossment printing modules differs between the individual embossment printing stations 6. For example, in case of embossing-in-register thick lines may be covered by three layers of curable substance printed by three embossment printing modules, whereas thin lines may be covered by only two layers of curable substance printed by two embossment printing modules. Differences can also be created by changing drop size, viscosity and other properties.

[0087] As described hereinbefore, it is not necessary that the patterns which are printed at the printing stations 6 exactly match with the decorative basic pattern. The patterns printed at the individual printing stations 6 may even vary. Nevertheless, the apparatus 1 provides the opportunity to create a predetermined positional relationship between the decorative basic pattern and the patterns of the curable substance, on the basis of a reference set of coordinates which is used at different printing stations 5, 6. The embossing stations 6 may also print different types of substances in different patterns, for example a gloss substance in a certain pattern and a matt substance in a deviating pattern.

[0088] The decor printing module and/or the embossment printing module may be movable or stationary, depending on the type of patterns to be printed. For example, if a passing panel 7 should be decorated with a single depressed grout line in longitudinal direction, i.e. in the direction of movement of the belt 3, the decor printing station 5 may print a grout line on the panel and the embossing station 6 may print a curable substance adjacent to the grout line such that the resulting panel 7 obtains a depression at the grout line. In such a case the printing modules may be stationary with respect to a reference point.

[0089] Furthermore, it is conceivable that the panels 7 pass a single embossment printing station 6 more than once. For example, referring to FIG. 1 a panel 7 may leave the conveyor belt 3 at the unloading station 4 and transferred back to the loading station 2 in order to be supplied to the conveyor belt 3 once again. When passing the decor printing station 5 the decor printing module is not activated, but when passing the embossment printing station 6 a next layer is printed by the embossment printing module onto the panel 7.

[0090] FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus 1. In this case the panel 7 is transferred to another conveyor 11 via the unloading station 4. A first printing pattern is printed at the first printing station 5 and a second printing pattern is printed at the second printing station 6. The second printing station 6 prints a liquid or adhesive on the panel 7. A powder unit 12 can be controlled to spread a powder over the passing panel 7. A part of the powder sticks to the liquid of the second printing pattern and another part of the powder falls beside of the printed substance and will be removed by a suction device 13. Hence, the powder only sticks to the liquid or adhesive at the second printing pattern. If embossment-in-register is desired the first and second printing patterns coincide. Alternatively, the abundant powder is removed by an air flow, for example by means of an air blade, air knife or air gun. The powder may comprise glitter particles, anti-wear particles like corundum particles, glass beads, silica or the like. The powder may comprise a thermographic or swelling powder and melted into a single mass which is elevated above the initial upper surface of the panel 7. It is conceivable that the liquid and powder together form a curable substance or the powder itself forms a curable substance adhering to the panel upon curing. In the latter case, the liquid may partly or entirely disappear in a curing step afterwards, for example by evaporation.

[0091] The thermographic powder may be a thermosetting powder, possibly containing a blowing agent. The powder grain size may have a predetermined variation and the powder can be pigmented, transparent or the like. Alternatively, the powder may be an ionomer, for example Surlyn. Applying an ionomer powder is advantageous since it does not only form a textured pattern upon curing, but it also provides anti-wear properties. This means that no additional anti-wear particles are required.

[0092] Nevertheless, a combination of ionomer powder and anti-wear particles may be applied in order to obtain an optimal wear resistant textured surface.

[0093] In general terms, the invention is also related to a method of manufacturing a panel having a textured surface, comprising the steps of supplying a panel, printing a liquid onto the panel in a predefined pattern, providing a curable powder to the liquid, curing the powder, hence forming the panel, wherein the powder comprises an ionomer, for example Surlyn. This method can be combined with other steps as described hereinbefore, for example printing the liquid pattern in a positional relationship with a decoration pattern, removing abundant powder, etc. The powder may also comprise anti-wear particles such that after curing the ionomer the particles are embedded in the ionomer layer.

[0094] The invention is also related to a method of manufacturing a panel having a textured surface, comprising the steps of supplying a panel, applying a powder on the panel, printing a liquid onto the panel including the powder in a predefined pattern such that the powder is retained at the liquid pattern, removing abundant powder and curing the powder or curing the liquid and the powder, hence forming the panel.

[0095] The powder may comprises an ionomer, for example Surlyn. The powder may also comprise anti-wear particles such that after curing the ionomer the particles are embedded in the ionomer layer. The step of removing abundant powder may be performed before or after the step of curing.

[0096] Several types, shapes and dimensions of the powder are conceivable. For example, metallic resin powder which creates a metallic effect after melting, lustrous resin powder in which lustrous particles are added to the powder, anti-static powder which avoids build-up of electrostatic charge and powders which generate pearlescent effect, matt effect or odour effect. The powder may contain release agents like wax or a gel component for improving cohesion to the polymer melt.

[0097] FIG. 3 shows, that the curable substance including the powder is cured at a curing station 14, which may comprise a UV-lamp, a UV-laser, a lamp generating optical radiation, a gas discharge lamp, IR heating, a normal heater or an electron-beam heater, for example. Preferably, curing energy is concentrated to the curable substance and/or an adjacent portion of the panel to which the substance must be adhered. In case of using UV ink as a liquid for receiving thermographic powder it is possible to preheat the panel and ink to initiate melting before starting UV curing. After UV curing certain thermographic powders are not affected by possible further heat treatments.

[0098] It is also possible to control heating such that the melted substance starts to boil. Consequently, an irregular surface will arise which creates a matt surface effect. This provides the opportunity to create a glass-matt effect on the panel 7.

[0099] Furthermore, it is noted that the powder unit 12, the suction device 13 and the curing station 14 can also be placed along the accurate conveyor belt 3, but this is not necessary since the treatments need less accuracy than the printing steps. In an alternative embodiment the powder may be added at several successive stations, wherein the grain size of the powders may differ between the stations. For example, a powder having a grain size of 150 μm is sprinkled over the panel 7 at a first powder unit and a powder having a grain size of 50 μm at a second powder unit. A combination of different grain sizes of the thermographic powder may increase the packing density of the resulting substance upon curing. Due to increased density the powders can be melted faster since air inclusions, which typically have insulation properties, are minimized. The resulting melted substance appears to be homogeneous and obtains a smooth surface.

[0100] Furthermore, the powder may be pressed into the liquid or adhesive after sprinkling, for example by means of a roller, a belt, a plate or the like. Due to pressing the powder into the liquid, the density of the powder increases and the adherence of the powder to the liquid improves.

[0101] It is noted that the liquid which is printed by the embossing station 6 may have primer properties for improved adherence between the powder and the panel 7 upon curing. For example, in case of applying an ionomer powder on a panel having a polypropylene surface an adherence promotor can be added to the liquid.

[0102] FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus 1, wherein intermediate steps are performed between printing the decorative basic pattern at the decor printing station 5 and printing the curable substance at the embossment printing station 6. After the panel 7 has left the decor printing station 5 it arrives at a toner printing station 15. A toner is printed on the basis of the same lookup table which is also used for controlling the decor printing module at the decor printing station 5. Then the panel 7 is coated by a metallized transfer foil 16 by means of a calander coating system. In the embodiment as shown in FIG. 4 the transfer foil is rolled-up after curing by means of a curing element 17. Then, a next printing step is printed onto the panel 7 at the embossment printing station 6. In this case the decor printing station 5, the toner printing station 15 and the embossment printing station 6 are located along the same accurate conveyor belt 3. They use the same lookup table for controlling the individual printing modules, hence achieving a rapid manufacturing process. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the curable substance will be cured after leaving the conveyor belt 3 so as to form decorative panels. Alternatively, the curable substance is formed by printing a liquid at the embossment printing station 6 and sprinkling a powder thereon, as described in relation to the embodiment corresponding to FIG. 3. The powder may also comprise anti-wear particles.

[0103] The thickness of the curable substance or the resulting textured pattern on the panel 7 may vary, but in general the thickness may be 5-1000 μm, preferably between 50 en 500 μm or even more preferably between 80 and 250 μm. The thickness may also be related to the size of additional particles like antiwear particles or pigmented particles, that may be contained in the curable substance. The width and/or height of the textured pattern in the plane of the panel 7 is preferably larger than the size of anti-wear particles or other particles. In general, from esthetical point of view it may be undesired that any particles project beyond a boundary of a textured area on the panel 7.

[0104] As mentioned hereinbefore, the method and apparatus provide the opportunity to perform a first and second printing step at a predetermined positional relationship. The carrier or conveyor belt 3 functions accurately such that the first and second printing steps can be based on the same reference set of coordinates without the necessity of monitoring the position of the pattern printed in the first printing step. It is also described that in the second printing step a curable substance may be printed, possibly by means of first printing a liquid and sprinkling a powder thereon. This provides the possibility to create a textured surface on the panel 7, possibly but not necessarily in-register with an underlying decorative basic pattern. For example, a panel imitating a brushed wood plank does not have an entirely embossed-in-register pattern. Furthermore, the second printing step may print a similar pattern as the first printing step, but at a certain distance thereof, not caused by a lack of accuracy, but deliberately. This is illustrated with reference to FIG. 5.

[0105] FIG. 5 shows a part of an upper surface of a panel that is decorated by means of the method. In the first printing step a first area 18 having a first border or contour 19 is printed onto the panel 7. The first area 18 may represent a wood nerve of a wood plank and an ink may be used as printing substance. In the second printing step a second area 20 is printed onto the first area 18 and has a second border or contour 21. The printing substance of the second area 20 is a liquid onto which thermographic powder 22 is applied afterwards such that an elevated surface is created at the first area 18.

[0106] It may be desired in practice to keep the first contour 19 clearly visible after finishing the panel 7. If the second area 20 overlaps the first contour 19 this might lead to a vague first contour 19, even if the substance of the resulting second area 20 is transparent. In order to avoid that the liquid of the second area 20 flows over the contour of the first area 18, the coordinates that were used for the first printing step are adapted such that the liquid of the second area 20 is printed within the first area 18 at a certain distance from the first contour 19 of the first area 18. The distance to be chosen depends on the viscosity of the liquid of the second area 20. Furthermore, the distance depends on the particle size of the powder 22. FIG. 5 illustrates that particles may project outside the second contour 21 of the second area 20, but remain within the first contour 19 of the first area 18. Hence, the distance between the contours 19, 21 of both areas 18, 20 should be such that particles which stick at the edge of the second area 21 do not extend over the edge of the first area 18 after curing. In case of using a swelling powder the distance between both contours 19, 21 can be still higher. When applying a powder having extremely small particle size, any projection of particles outside the second contour 19 is minimized and the distance between the first and second contours 19, 21 may be minimized.

[0107] The powder 22 can be supplied relatively inaccurately by means of scattering over the panel 7 and removing the abundant powder 22 before curing, but it is also possible to print the powder at the second area 20 accurately in a third printing step, for example by means of a toner-based printer module. Alternatively, the powder 22 is supplied by means of an electrostatographic process, such as xerography, iconography, laser printer technology, or the like.

[0108] If it is desired to create a higher surface level outside the first area 18, the second printing step should print a liquid outside the first contour 19 of the first area 18. In that case the coordinates that were used in the first printing step can be easily adjusted for performing the second printing step such that printing of the liquid stops at a predetermined distance from the first contour 19 outside the first area 18.

[0109] Although the embodiment of FIG. 5 illustrates a second printing step which is followed by sprinkling or printing of thermographic powder 22, it is also conceivable that a curable substance is printed at the second area 20 without the necessity of adding a powder afterwards.

[0110] Furthermore, in order to avoid flow over pattern edges as illustrated in FIG. 5 it is also possible to print a repellent or release agent. Referring to FIG. 5, it is again possible to print the first area 18 in the first printing step. In the second printing step a repellent or release agent can be printed accurately on the first contour 19 and possibly also within the first contour 19, after which in a third printing step a curable substance can be printed outside the first area 18. The repellent matter at the first contour 19 prevents the curable substance or melting thermographic powder from spilling over the first contour 19 to the first area 18. Afterwards the repellent agent may be removed or remain on the panel 7. The repellent agent may be made of silicones. If the repellent or release agent is removed afterwards, it is allowable that in the third printing step the curable substance is also printed inside the first area 18, such that less accurate printing of the curable due to the possibility of accurate printing without monitoring the relative position of any pattern on the panel 7 intermediately.

[0111] Flow over pattern edges during curing may also be avoided by manipulating the curing conditions, for example by means of quickly cooling after melting thermographic powder in order to increase the viscosity of the melted substance rapidly.

[0112] Instead of imitating a wood nerve as described hereinbefore, it is possible to create a textured surface on a panel in the form of bevelled side edges in order to create a Vgroove between adjacent panels. Such a texture can be created by for example printing a number of layers of liquid or adhesive onto each other which layers become narrower in a direction away from the panel, whereas a thermographic powder is sprinkled over the layers. After curing the resulting substance a panel including inclined opposite side edges arise. Of course, numerous alternative printing edges are conceivable to achieve the same result.

[0113] The method of manufacturing further provides the opportunity to create different printing layers next or adjacent to each other instead of or in addition to printing layers onto each other, for example in order to create areas of different gloss levels. Nevertheless, the method can be used to make a textured surface having varying gloss levels.

[0114] Furthermore, it is possible to print liquids of different properties on a panel by means of a plurality of printing modules. For example, the liquids may vary in rate of powder acceptance such that after sprinkling a thermographic powder and removing abundant powder, different powder densities are present on the panel. After curing the resulting substance, the texture will vary in height direction.

[0115] The rate of powder acceptance can also be influenced by the liquid absorbance capacity of the panel. If the liquid is absorbed quickly, it will absorb less powder, resulting in a relatively low elevation.

[0116] In another additional manufacturing step a finishing layer may be applied on the panel, for example a layer containing wear resistant particles.

[0117] From the foregoing it will be apparent that the invention provides an efficient method of decorating panels and an apparatus for that.

[0118] Due to the accurate functioning of the carrier it is possible to repeat several printing steps in an accurate way and to create numerous variations of possible successive processing steps. It is, for example, possible to manufacture a panel which imitates a wood nerve that is depressed and more glossy with respect to its surrounding surface. The following process may be performed. First printing a wood nerve pattern of liquid on the panel, then scattering a glitter powder on the liquid and subsequently removing abundant glitter powder. Then printing a second pattern of liquid outside and adjacent to the wood nerve pattern, scattering a matt powder having thermographic properties on the second pattern and removing abundant matt powder. After melting and/or curing the liquids and/or powders the panel surface will be higher and have a matt appearance outside the wood nerve whereas the depressed wood nerve will have a glossy appearance.

[0119] The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiments as shown in the drawings, which can be varied in several ways without departing from the scope of the invention. The variations of printing, particularly relating to thermography, may be applied in a separate way, independent from the method having at least two printing steps and using a different apparatus than described hereinbefore.