FLOOR PANEL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING FLOOR PANELS

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a floor panel with a substrate and a top layer of laminate, which floor panel, at one or more edges, is provided with a lower edge region, where the laminate extends in one piece from the actual upper surface of the substrate over the lower edge region at least up to a point. The laminate surface is situated at a level in a horizontal plane which intersects the substrate and that the substrate material, at the location of the lower edge region, has the same or a lower density than at the actual upper surface of the substrate material.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing floor panels, wherein the floor panels have at least a substrate and a top layer including at least one material sheet, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps: providing a basic board of the material of the substrate; composing a stack which comprises at least the basic board and the at least one material sheet; pressing said stack in a heated press, wherein said at least one material sheet forms a top layer adhered onto the substrate; subdividing the pressed whole into semi-finished panels, from which said panels can be formed; finishing the semi-finished panels to form said floor panels; wherein the at least one material sheet consists of material strips situated next to each other.

2. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 1, wherein said subdividing takes place at least at a location of the edges of adjacent material strips.

3. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the at least one material sheet is a paper layer, such that said material strips are paper strips.

4. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 1, wherein the at least one material sheet extends in the stack continuously over the substrate material of at least two of the finally envisaged panels and that the press element and/or the basic board are provided with means for concentrating tears in said at least one material sheet in the zone extending between the edges of the substrate material of the envisaged panels.

5. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 4, wherein said means for concentrating tears in said at least one material sheet in the zone extending between the edges of the substrate material of the envisaged panels, comprises one or more of the following; a local protrusion on the upper surface of the basic board in said zone; a pair of cooperating, substantially vertical walls of the basic board, the press element, respectively, which during the step of pressing engage behind each other and punch the at least one material sheet present in between them.

6. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 1, wherein the at least one material sheet concerns melamine resin layers.

7. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 1, wherein the at least one material sheet concerns veneer layers.

8. The method for manufacturing panels according to claim 1, wherein the finally obtained panels have a surface which comprises at least structural portions with a depth larger than the thickness of the top layer.

9. The method for manufacturing floor panels according to claim 1, wherein the floor panels, at one or more edges, are provided with a lower edge region in the form of a bevel or other chamfer, wherein the method comprises the step of providing a basic board of the material of the substrate and of structuring the upper surface of said basic board, wherein the structure consists at least of a recess in the upper surface of the basic board at the location of said lower edge region and in that said top layer extends in one piece from the actual upper surface of the basic board up to into said recess, at least up to a point, wherein the top layer surface is situated at a level in a horizontal plane intersecting the substrate, and in that an edge of said recess forms the lower edge region.

10. The method for manufacturing floor panels according to claim 1, wherein the substrate substantially consists of an HDF board having an average density of more than 800 kilograms per cubic meter.

11. The method for manufacturing floor panels according to claim 10, wherein the HDF board forms at least an actual upper surface of the substrate.

12. The method for manufacturing floor panels according to claim 1, wherein the top layer is adhered to the substrate without any intermediate glue or resin layers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the invention, herein below, as an example without any limitative character, some preferred embodiments are described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0059] FIG. 1 in perspective represents a floor panel with the characteristics of the invention;

[0060] FIGS. 2 and 3, at a larger scale, represent a cross-section according to the lines 11-11 and 111-111, respectively, represented in FIG. 1;

[0061] FIG. 4, in a view similar to that of FIG. 2, represents a variant;

[0062] FIG. 5, at a larger scale, represents the floor panel of FIG. 4 in coupled condition;

[0063] FIG. 6, at a larger scale, represents a view of the area indicated by F6 in FIG. 2; and

[0064] FIG. 7 schematically represents some steps in a method according to the second aspect of the invention;

[0065] FIG. 8, at a larger scale, represents a view according to the arrow F8 represented in FIG. 7;

[0066] FIGS. 9 and 10, in a similar view, represent variants;

[0067] FIG. 11, in a view similar to that of FIG. 7, represents a variant of the method;

[0068] FIG. 12, at a larger scale, represents a view on the area indicated by F12 in FIG. 11; and

[0069] FIGS. 13 and 14, in a view similar to that of FIG. 12, represent more variants.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0070] FIG. 1 represents a decorative panel, more particularly a floor panel 1, in accordance with the invention. The panel 1 is rectangular and oblong and comprises a pair of opposite short edges 2-3 and a pair of opposite long edges 4-5. The decorative top layer 6 is formed by a laminate 7.

[0071] FIG. 2 clearly shows that the decorative panel 1 comprises a substrate 8 on which the laminate 7 is provided, in this case by means of a DPL technique without additional resin or glue layers. To this aim, the laminate 7 is formed on the basis of a thermosetting resin, namely, melamine resin 9. In the example, the substrate material 8 has an average density of more than 800 kilograms per cubic meter. In this case, this concerns an HOF board material having an average density of 900 kilograms per square meter and a surface density or peak density of more than 1000 kilograms per square meter. At the edges 2-3 and 4-5, mechanical coupling means 10 are formed in the substrate material by means of milling. At the lower side of the substrate material 8, a backing layer 11 is provided by means of the same DPL technique.

[0072] FIGS. 2 and 3 represent that both pairs of opposite edges 2-3-4-5 are provided with mechanical coupling means 10, which substantially are realized as a tongue 12 and a groove 13 bordered by an upper lip 14 and a lower lip 15, wherein the tongue 12 and the groove 12 substantially are responsible for the locking in a vertical direction V, and wherein the tongue 12 and the groove 13 are provided with additional locking parts 16-17, which substantially are responsible for the locking in a horizontal direction H. Preferably, the locking parts comprise a protrusion 16 at the lower side of the tongue 12 and a recess 17 in the lower groove lip 15. The coupling means 10 represented in FIGS. 2 and 3 allow at least a coupling by means of a rotational movement W around the respective edges 2-3-4-5 and/or a coupling by means of a shifting movement S, in a substantially horizontal manner, of the edges 2-3-4-5 to be coupled towards each other.

[0073] FIGS. 4 and 5 represent a variant with a pair of short edges 2-3, which allow obtaining a coupling at least by means of a downward movement D. One edge 2 is provided with a male coupling part 18, whereas the other edge 3 is provided with a female coupling part 19. By means of the downward movement D, the male coupling part 18 is pressed into the female coupling part 19 in order to be locked there in the vertical direction V, as a result of a pair of protrusions 20 and recesses 21 working in conjunction. In this case, the recess 21 partially is formed by a resilient element 22 present in the female coupling part 19.

[0074] FIG. 6 represents a detail of the upper edge of the floor panel from FIG. 2 and clearly shows that the laminate 7 is formed of a paper sheet soaked in resin 9, with a print 24, namely, a so-called decor paper 23, and a situated thereon transparent or translucent paper sheet soaked in resin 9, namely, a so-called overlay 25. The laminate 7 further also comprises wear-resistant particles 26, in this case corundum particles or Al203 particles, at a position where they are situated substantially above the print 24. The hard particles 26 concerned preferably are applied by means of the overlay 25, more particularly by means of the resin 9 situated at the lower side of the overlay 25.

[0075] It is noted that for clearness' sake, the mutual thicknesses of the paper sheets and intermediate resin layers are represented only schematically. So, for example, the resin layer 27 between the lower side of the decor paper 23 and the substrate 8 in practice shall be hardly visible, and the decor paper does contact or almost contact the substrate 8. Here, in the example this namely concerns a resin layer 27 which is provided by means of the decor paper 23 and provides for the connection to the substrate 8. During the press treatment forming the DPL laminate 7, this resin substantially penetrates into the substrate material 8. Concerning the resin layer 28 between the overlay 25 and the decor paper 23, it is noted that this layer partially is provided via the overlay 25 and partially via the decor paper 23.

[0076] According to the invention, the floor panel of FIGS. 1 to 6, at one or more edges 2-3-4-5, is provided with a lower edge region 28, wherein the laminate 7 extends in one piece from the actual upper surface 29 of the substrate 8 over this lower edge region 28. In the example, the lower edge regions 28 are realized as a bevel or inclined portion 30, which in this case encloses an angle A of approximately 60° with the upper surface 31. The laminate 7 extends over the lower edge region 28 at least to a point 32 wherein the laminate surface is situated at a level L in a horizontal plane which intersects the aforementioned substrate 8. At the location of the lower edge regions 28, the laminate 7 on average may have a thickness TB which is smaller than the global thickness T1 of the laminate 7. This difference in thickness then is obtained in that the laminate 7 is more compressed or impressed at these edges, however, this does not necessarily have to be so. The laminate 7 at the edge region 28 may have also approximately the same thickness TB as the laminate 7 at the actual upper surface 29. Preferably, the average thickness TB of the laminate at the lower edge regions is between 85% and 115% of the global thickness T1 of the laminate 7 at the actual upper surface 29 of the substrate 8.

[0077] At the location of the lowered edge region 28, the substrate material 8 is almost not or not compressed, such that the substrate material 8 there has the same or a lower density than at the actual upper surface 29. In this case, the laminate 7 extends up to a portion of substrate material 8 underneath the zone 33 with the peak density, namely, up to underneath the level G, where the density of the substrate material 8 corresponds to the average density.

[0078] FIG. 6 further represents that the laminate 7, without additional resin layers or glue layers, is directly attached to the substrate 8, namely, to the actual upper surface 29 as well as at the location of the lower edge region 28. The aforementioned hard particles 26 are present at the location of the actual upper surface 29, as well as at the location of the lower edge region 28, and in this case even in approximately the same concentration.

[0079] The level of the laminate surface 31 continuously diminishes from the actual upper surface 29 of the substrate 8 up to the lower edge region 28 and, in this case, even up the aforementioned point 32 at the edge of the floor panel 1. In dashed line 34, a less desirable situation is represented wherein this is not the case and wherein next to the lower edge region 28 an elevation is present. Such effect will occur when one wants to form the lower edge region by compressing the substrate material 8. In such case namely a portion of the substrate material 8 is pushed away towards the internal edge of the lowered edge region 28. In this manner, an elevation is formed on the surface of the substrate material 8, which then continues towards the laminate surface 31.

[0080] FIG. 6 further also shows, by dashed line 35, that the floor panels from FIGS. 1 to 6 shows such lower edge regions 28 on at least two opposite edges, wherein the respective point 32, up to where the laminate surface 31 is extending, in both lower edge regions 28 is situated at an equal horizontal level L. Adjoining both inclined portions or lower edge regions 28 here results in a so-called V-groove in the floor surface.

[0081] The depth T over width B ratio of the lower edge region 28 is between 80 and 150 percent and in this case is approximately 137 percent. Herein, the width B is determined starting from the point 36-36A, where the laminate surface 31 starts lowering, onto the edge of the lowered edge region 28, namely, in this case to the point 32.

[0082] FIG. 7 schematically represents some steps in a method for manufacturing laminate floor panels 1 having a lowered edge region 28. Herein, this relates to a method comprising at least the following steps:

[0083] the step S1 of providing a basic board 37 of the material of the substrate 8;

[0084] the step S2 of structuring the upper surface 29 of said basic board 37,

[0085] wherein this structure consists at least of a recess 38 in the surface 29 of the basic board 37 at the location of said lower edge region 28. The recesses 38 may be provided, for example, by means of a sawing and/or milling device, for example, a sawing device with a plurality of parallel positioned rotating saws, wherein each saw preferably forms one of the aforementioned recesses. Such device is not represented here. This can be in-line with the press device 39 of the following step S3, or possibly off-line;

[0086] the step S3 of composing and pressing a stack 40 which comprises at least the structured basic board 37 and one or more melamine resin layers and possibly paper layers. In this case, the stack 40 at the top comprises two paper sheets soaked in melamine resin, namely, a decor paper 23 and an overlay 25. At the bottom, the stack 40 also comprises a paper sheet soaked in resin, which finally has to serve as the balancing layer 11. In the example, both the decor paper 23 and the overlay 25 comprise a plurality of adjacently situated paper strips 23A-23B; 25A-25B, namely, in this case, one paper strip 23A-23B per adjacently situated final floor panel 1. However, it is not excluded that one paper strip per two or more of adjacently situated final floor panels 1 may be applied. The pressing is performed in a heated press device 39. During pressing, the melamine resin 9 hardens, and the resin, together with the decor paper 23 and the overlay 25, forms a laminate layer 7 adhered directly onto the substrate 8. This laminate 7 extends in one piece from the actual upper surface 29 of the basic board 37 up to into said recess 38, at least up to a point 32, wherein the laminate surface 31 is situated at a level L in a horizontal plane intersecting the basic board 37 or the final substrate 8;

[0087] the step S4 of subdividing the pressed whole 41 into panels 42, of which said floor panels 1 can be formed. In this case, this subdividing takes place at the location of the edges 43 of the adjacent paper strips 23A-23B. It can be advantageous to saw as little as possible through the pressed laminate 7 in order to limit the wear of the sawing device. Preferably, there will be no sawing through the pressed laminate 7;

[0088] the step S5 of finishing the aforementioned panels 42 to form said floor panels 1, wherein an edge 44 of said recess 38 forms the substrate material 8 at the location of the lower edge region 28.

[0089] It is clear that the method illustrated by means of FIG. 7 can be applied for realizing the floor panels from FIGS. 1 to 6, or more in general for realizing the floor panels of the first aspect of the invention. For clarity's sake, in FIG. 7 the shape of the final coupling means 10 is indicated in dashed line.

[0090] Further, it is clear that the view represented in FIG. 7 relates to a cross-section across the basic board 37, namely in a direction perpendicular to the length of the final floor panels, to with in the direction VII-VII indicated below in that figure. It is possible that, seen in longitudinal direction, a plurality of floor panels are successively taken from the pressed whole 41. The paper strips 23A-23B-25A-25B possibly may be continuous over the length of two or more floor panels 1 situated one after the other in the basic board.

[0091] Preferably, the decor paper 23 and/or the overlay 25 is divided into paper strips in-line with the press device 39 and/or by means of a laser device.

[0092] Preferably, the decor paper 23 and/or the overlay 25 is subdivided only when it is already situated on the basic board 37 and possibly is oriented in accordance with the structured press element 45. In this manner, the dividing of the decor paper and/or the overlay can be performed in a very stable and repeatable manner. Possibly, the decor paper and possibly the overlay, before or after being divided, can be locally adhered to the basic board 37 in order to avoid the risk of shifting or other hindrances when providing the stack 40 in the press device 39. Such adhering can be performed, for example, by locally, for example, in the form of points, hardening the resin 9, such that at the respective places an adherence to the basic board is realized already. Such adherence preferably is performed on the material 46 of the basic board which is intended for removal prior to dividing or to forming of the coupling parts 10.

[0093] FIG. 8 represents an example, wherein the laminate surface 31 on the actual upper surface 29 of the substrate, as well as the laminate surface 30 on the lowered edge region is provided with a wood structure 47, which corresponds to the wood print of the laminate 7. The wood structure 47 is composed of impressions 48 which imitate wood pores and follow the course of the printed wood nerves 49.

[0094] FIG. 9 represents a variant, wherein the geometry, more particularly the width B, of the lower edge region 28 varies along the edge 4. In this case, this concerns a variant which substantially extends along the entire length of the edge 4. Preferably, the geometry varies over at least 30 percent of the length of the edge 4.

[0095] FIG. 10 represents a variant, wherein a local deviation 48 of an otherwise rather constant geometry of the lowered edge region 28 is applied. In this case, the deviation extends over a length L which is smaller than five times the width B of the lowered edge region 28, and here even is situated between one and two times the width B. It is evident that a plurality of such local deviations 48 can be present along the respective edge 4.

[0096] FIG. 11 represents another example of a method with the characteristics of the present invention, wherein at least the decor paper 23, however, in this case also the overlay 25, extend in the stack 40 uninterruptedly over the substrate material 8 of two or more of the finally envisaged floor panels 1 or panels 42.

[0097] FIG. 12 clearly shows that at least the decor paper 23 and here the overlay 25, too, also extend uninterruptedly over the zone 50 situated between the edges of the substrate material 8 of the final floor panels 1, and here more particularly between the edges 44 of the recess 38 at the location of the final lowered edge regions 28.

[0098] In the example of FIGS. 11 and 12 the aforementioned basic board 37 is provided with a local protrusion 51 in said zone 50. FIG. 12 thus shows an example of the first practical embodiment example, mentioned in the introduction, of means which concentrate the tearing of the respective paper layers 23-25 in the zone 50. In this example, the protrusion 51 is situated approximately halfway between the edges 44 and is made in one piece in the same material as the basic board 37. The protrusion 51 comprises a most protruding portion with an acute angle C of less than 30°. Herein, this protruding portion forms a convex portion in the structure of the upper surface 29 of the basic board 37. The corner point 52 herein is situated in the same plane, or approximately in the same plane, as the upper surface 29 of the basic board 37. Herein, the height of the protrusion 51 is approximately equal to the depth of the recess 38, which extends over the entire zone 50, with the exception of the respective protrusion 50.

[0099] FIG. 11 represents that after pressing a tear line 53 is showing at the location of the aforementioned protrusion 51. The protrusion 51 is flattened, however, does not lead to negative effects for the surface of the final floor panels 1.

[0100] FIGS. 11 and 12 represent that the portion 54 of the press element 45 opposite to the protrusion 51 is substantially made flat. According to an alternative, represented in dashed line 55, a recess working in conjunction with the protrusion 51 can be provided in the press element 45.

[0101] FIG. 13 represents an example of an embodiment according to the second practical example, mentioned in the introduction, of means for controlled tearing of one or more paper layers 23-25. Herein, the means comprise at least a pair of cooperating and substantially vertical edges 56-57 of the basic board 37. In the example, two of such pairs 56-57 are provided. In the step of pressing, the edges 56-57 engage in pairs behind each other and punch the paper layers 23-25 present in between.

[0102] FIG. 14 represents another example of means for controlled tearing of the paper layers 23-25. In this case, a protrusion 58 is provided on the press element 45. As mentioned in the introduction, such embodiment shows the risk that the protrusion 58 becomes blunt. Possibly, protrusions 58 in the form of a replaceable insertion piece at the press element 45 can be applied, such that a complete revision of the press element 45 is redundant when the protrusion 58 is blunt.

[0103] It is also noted that, although the figures represent embodiments wherein both a first and a second pair of opposite edges are provided with lowered edge regions, it is also possible that only one pair of opposite edges is provided therewith. In such case this preferably concerns the long edges 4-5.

[0104] The present invention is in no way limited to the herein above-described embodiments, on the contrary may such floor panels and methods be realized without leaving the scope of the present invention.