Method for coating and identifying workpieces

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for coating and identifying workpieces which preferably consist at least to some extent of wood, wood materials or the like. For this purpose, a curable liquid is used, preferably comprising ink, which, when cured, contains readable information or can receive said readable information.

Claims

1. A method for coating workpieces, in particular at least a narrow side of a preferably plate-shaped workpiece, having the steps: effecting a relative movement between a workpiece and a print head, wherein the print head is at least one of an inkjet print head or a laser print head; printing at least one section of the workpiece with a curable liquid, preferably with an ink which, in a cured state, comprises readable information, wherein the curable liquid furthermore comprises particles having fluorescent properties and color particles which form a visible decoration after the curable liquid has cured; and applying a protective layer onto the cured liquid to render the readable information not optically visible.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the readable information is reversible or irreversible.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cured liquid comprises orientable particles, the particles being at least partially magnetized or magentizable, preferably ferromagnetic.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cured liquid has a fluorescent material.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the readable information is a barcode.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein after the curable liquid has cured, a form-stable coating material, in particular a strip-shaped edge band, is preferably applied thereto as a further coating.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a further curable liquid is applied to the curable liquid after said curable liquid has cured.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the readable information is read by electrical and/or magnetic and/or electro-magnetic fields.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the readable information is read by an optical reader.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a paste-like compound for forming a three-dimensional structure is applied to the area of the cured liquid.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the readable information comprises data regarding the identified workpiece (W), in particular the dimension, regarding the workpiece number, regarding the manufacturer and/or the date of manufacture and/or the type of material and/or the material properties.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece comprises a wood material, in particular a solid wood piece or a wood material, a workpiece of a composite material such as a particleboard or is a layer material, synthetic material and/or comprises mineral materials.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the curable liquid is introduced on to a planar side of the workpiece or into a cutout provided in the workpiece, in particular a groove or bore.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein, prior to the complete curing of the curable liquid, a structure is embossed thereinto.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the effecting of a relative movement between the workpiece and the print head is performed by means of a conveyor device, in particular a belt conveyor or chain conveyor.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the print head is moved relative to the workpiece.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer comprises a varnish.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer comprises a form-stable coating material comprising a strip-shaped edge band.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a device for performing the method for coating and identifying workpieces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(2) One preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below in detail by means of the enclosed FIGURE. Further modifications of certain features in this context can each be combined with one another in order to form new embodiments.

(3) The device shown in a plan view comprises a conveyor means 1 which, in the present case, is a rotating belt. Additionally, a further rotating belt can be provided which presses (so-called top pressure) the workpieces W against the rotating belt 1 depicted in FIG. 1 In this manner, the workpieces W placed on the conveyor belt 1 are conveyed in the through-feed direction (arrow in FIG. 1) and guided past several machining devices.

(4) In particular, the device comprises a print head 10 that is provided laterally to the conveyor belt 1, the print head 10 being configured to print at least a narrow side of the plate-shaped workpiece W. In the present embodiment example, the print head 10 is arranged in a horizontal direction. Additionally, it is possible that the print head 10 is rotatably mounted by means of a pivot axle.

(5) According to one embodiment of the present invention, the ink applied by the print head 10, which in particular is an inkjet print head or a laser print head, contains magnetic or magnetizable particles.

(6) According to one first variant of the present invention, the particles can be applied to the respective workpiece W in the form of a line matrix. Alternatively, it is possible that the ink that is sprayed onto the workpiece by the print head 10 contains magnetic particles or particles having fluorescent properties that are integrated into the actual ink.

(7) Downstream from the print head 10, a curing unit 11 is located in the through-feed direction of the workpieces W for curing in sections the ink applied with the print head 10. For example, the curing unit 11 can be a hot air source with which at least the surface of the applied ink which points away from workpiece W is cured.

(8) A coating unit 12, which is also a print head in the present embodiment, is arranged downstream from the curing unit 11 in the through-feed direction Consequently, the ink applied by the print head 10 is provided with a further coating, in particular an ink or a varnish. The coating unit 12 can be provided with a pivot axle which enables workpieces to be printed across the edge. By printing across the edge corner and seam areas can be covered by means of the ink or the coating.

(9) Alternatively, it is possible, by means of the coating unit 12 to supply a form-stable coating material such as an edge band and to apply it to the workpiece side which had been printed by the print head 10 in the preceding step.

(10) If a flat identification area is applied by the print head 10 which is per se optically visible, said identification area will be covered by a coating supplied by the coating unit 12 or by a coating that is applied to the workpiece.

(11) If the ink applied by the print head 10 is a coating material which already contains such color particles that are used for forming a visible surface, for example, a transparent varnish can therefore be applied by the coating unit 12.

(12) After the workpiece has been identified, said workpiece is guided in through-feed to an encoder 20. According to one embodiment, the encoder 20 comprises a magnetic head. After the ink applied by the print head 10 has at least partially cured, or according to one variant is in a flowable state in sections, the particles can be arranged by the encoder 20 and can consequently be provided for permanent storage of information on the workpiece.

(13) A further curing unit 30 can be arranged in the through-feed direction downstream to the encoder 20. With said further curing unit 30, the orientations of the particles in the ink that are made by the encoder 20 are fixed and furthermore the ink as well as the further coating applied by the coating unit 12 are fully cured so that the workpiece W can subsequently be removed from the device.

(14) Although the present invention was described with reference to FIG. 1 by means of a device in which the workpieces are moved relative to the said machining devices, such as the print head 10, the present invention is not restricted thereto. Alternatively, it is possible to move one or more machining devices, such as the print head 10, relative to a workpiece.

(15) It is especially preferred to compile the print head 10, the curing unit 11 and the coating unit 12 into one aggregate. Alternatively, it is possible to provide the print head 10, the curing unit 11, the coating unit 12, encoder 20 and the further curing unit 30 in an aggregate.

(16) Such an aggregate can be exchanged in an interface of a CNC machine, for example, a hollow-taper-shank interface.

(17) This patent application claims the priority of German patent application 10 2015 212 409.6, the content of the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference