Device and method for fitting an edge profile and furniture component

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for fitting an edge profile on a narrow surface of a panel-form material in an edge-banding apparatus, having a panel carrier for accommodating a panel-form material. The panel carrier has an upper side running in a plane, having an edge-profile-feeding device, and having an edge-profile guide, said guide having at least one guide means along which or through which can be guided the edge profile. This can be fed by the edge-profile-feeding device. In order to prevent or reduce offsetting in the corner region of the panel-form material, the invention proposes that the at least one guide means should be movable relative to the panel carrier in a direction running at an angle to the plane in which the upper side of the panel carrier runs. The invention also relates to a method for fitting an edge profile, and to a furniture part produced thereby.

Claims

1. A method for fitting an edge profile to a narrow face of a plate-like material, the method comprising: providing a device for fitting the edge profile to the plate-like material, the device comprising: a plate carrier for receiving the plate-like material, wherein the plate carrier has a plate carrier upper side which extends in a plane; an edge profile supply device configured to supply the edge profile; and an edge profile guide configured to guide the edge profile, the edge profile guide having an upper guide portion and lower guide portion, respectively, between which the edge profile can be guided along, wherein the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion can be moved relative to the plate carrier in a direction which extends at an angle to the plane in which the plate carrier upper side extends; providing the plate-like material having at least one narrow face, an upper side, and a lower side, supplying the edge profile to the at least one narrow face with the edge profile supply device; applying the edge profile to the at least one narrow face; and guiding the edge profile in the edge profile guide on which or by which the edge profile can be guided along before and/or while it is being brought into contact with the at least one narrow face, wherein the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion of the edge profile guide are moved relative to the upper side of the plate-like material in a direction which extends parallel to a plane in which upper and lower edges of the at least one narrow face extend, and wherein the step of guiding the edge profile in the edge profile guide comprises: controlling a position of the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion relative to the upper side of the plate-like material in accordance with sensor data transmitted by a sensor in such a manner that an extent of a marking which is provided over a length of the edge profile is orientated parallel to a plane in which the upper side of the plate-like material extends.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper guide portion moves relative to the lower guide portion in a direction which extends parallel to the plane in which the upper and lower edges of the at least one narrow face extend.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the marking is an optical and/or haptic marking and is a portion of a decoration.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the position of the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion is controlled automatically.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a width of the edge profile is adapted to a width of the at least one narrow face of the plate-like material after the step of applying the edge profile to the at least one narrow face.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) There are now a large number of possibilities of configuring and developing the device according to the invention, the method according to the invention and the furniture component according to the invention. In this regard, reference may be made, on the one hand, to the claims following claims 1, 9 and 18 and, on the other hand, to the description of embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the method according to the invention using the device according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the method according to the invention using the device according to the invention, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a furniture component produced by the method according to the invention and/or the device according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the basic structure of a device 1 according to the invention for fitting an edge profile 2 or 2 to a narrow face 3a or 3a of a plate-like material 3, here by way of example a wooden material plate 3.

(6) The device 1 has a plate carrier 4 for receiving the wooden material plate 3. The plate carrier 4 may be a portion of a fixed frame or a portion of a transport device, for example, a transport belt. In the latter case, the wooden material plate 3 is guided past the devices which are used for fitting the edge profile, particularly at a uniform speed, wherein the mentioned devices, that is to say, an edge profile supply device 5 and an edge profile guide 6, are fixed in position. The plate carrier 4, for example, the conveyor belt, has a plate carrier upper side 4a which extends in a plane E.sub.1.

(7) The edge profile supply device 5 is used for supplying an edge profile 2 or 2, in this case, for example, a previously separately extruded edge profile 2 or 2 which is provided with a marking 10 or 10. The edge profile supply device 5 is only schematically illustrated here.

(8) This may have different elements, for example, rollers, cylinders or the like, for the transport of the respective edge profile 2 or 2.

(9) In a state downstream of the edge profile supply device 5 is the edge profile guide 6 which orientates the edge profile 2 or 2 relative to the wooden material plate 3 and which presses with elements not illustrated here, such as rollers, cylinders or the like, against the narrow face 3a or 3a.

(10) The edge profile guide 6 has as guide means 7 or 7 an upper guide portion 7 and a lower guide portion 7, between which the edge profile 2 or 2 which is supplied by the edge profile supply device 5 is guided along. The upper guide portion 7 and the lower guide portion 7 are both movable relative to the plate carrier 4 and consequently also relative to the wooden material plate 3 in a direction X.sub.1 which extends at right-angles to the plane E.sub.1 in this case.

(11) Both the unit comprising the upper guide portion 7 and the lower guide portion 7 as a whole and the upper guide portion 7 and/or the lower guide portion 7 alone are movable back and forth in the direction X.sub.1. As a result, on the one hand, the spacing between the upper guide portion 7 and the lower guide portion 7 can be adapted to different widths B of an edge profile 2 or 2. On the other hand, the position of the respective edge profile 2 or 2 relative to the extent of the plane E.sub.1 can be adapted in such a manner that the marking 10 or 10 on the edge profile 2 or 2 always extends with a defined spacing from the plane E.sub.1 when the edge profile 2 or 2 is applied.

(12) The movements of the upper guide portion 7 and the lower guide portion 7 or the positions thereof are controlled by a control device 8 which is connected in the present embodiment to two optical sensors 9. One of the sensors 9 detects the extent of the upper side 3b of the wooden material plate 3 and consequently the extent of the plane E.sub.2. The other of the sensors 9 detects the extent of the marking 10 or 10 provided on the edge profile 2 or 2, respectively.

(13) The control device 8 thereby allows the movements or positions of the upper guide portion 7 and the lower guide portion 7 to be controlled in accordance with the sensor data so that the marking 10 or 10 which extends over the length L of the edge profile 2 or 2 is orientated parallel to the plane E.sub.1 in which the plate carrier upper side 4a extends and parallel to the plane E.sub.2 in which the upper side 3b of the wooden material plate 3 extends.

(14) The device 1 according to the invention ensures, as FIG. 3 shows, that on the furniture component 11 two edge profiles 2 and 2 which each have an identical marking 10 or 10 are fitted to the respective narrow face 3a or 3a so that a vertical offset in a direction X.sub.2 which extends parallel to the plane E.sub.3 of the narrow face 3a or 3a in a corner 12 of the wooden material plate 3 between the marking 10 at the end 2a of one edge profile 2 and the marking 10 at the end 2a of the other edge profile 2 is at a maximum 0.5 mm.

(15) In the method according to the invention in which the positions or movements of the respective guide means 7 or 7 are controlled automatically and continuously, there may also be provision for the respective edge profile 2 or 2 to have a greater width B before being supplied to the respective narrow face 3a or 3a than the width b of the respective narrow side 3a or 3a. Since the orientation of the edge profile 2 or 2 relative to the narrow face 3a or 3a according to the invention is carried out in particular only taking into consideration the extent of the respective marking 10 or 10, it may be the case that the outer edges of the edge profile 2 or 2, when the edge profile 2 or 2 is adhesively bonded to the respective narrow face 3a or 3a, protrude by different distances with respect to the side 3b or lower side 3c of the wooden material plate 3. In this case, the protruding edge regions of the adhesively bonded edge profile 2 or 2 are then removed, whereby the width B of the edge profile 2 or 2 can be adapted to the width b of the narrow side 3a or 3a. FIG. 1 shows by way of example the case that the width B of the edge profile 2 or 2 is greater than the width b of the associated narrow side 3a or 3a. The following step of removing a portion of the respective edge profile 2 or 2 is not illustrated here.

(16) FIG. 2 shows, in comparison with FIG. 1, the similarly conceivable case that the edge profile 2 or 2 has the same width from the start as the width b of the narrow side 3a or 3a. In this case, an additional step of removal does not have to be carried out after the adhesive bonding of the edge profile 2 or 2 to the respective narrow face 3a or 3a.