Method for Producing an Edge Profile and Furniture Component

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing an edge profile for a narrow surface of a plate-shaped material, wherein an edge band extending in a longitudinal direction has a decoration, and wherein the edge band has a three-dimensional structure. In order to further improve a furniture part with regard to optical and haptic properties, the decoration and the structure according to the invention are arranged in such a way that the structure is at least substantially congruent with the decoration. The invention further relates to a corresponding furniture part having a plate-shaped material, which has at least one narrow surface, an upper part, and a lower part, and at least one edge profile.

Claims

1. A method for producing an edge profile for a furniture component, the method comprising: providing an edge strip, which extends in a longitudinal direction, with a decoration; and wherein the edge strip is provided with a three-dimensional structure, wherein the decoration and the structure are configured so that the structure is at least substantially congruent with the decoration and the edge strip is produced by extruding a thermoplastic plastics material.

2. (canceled)

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the edge strip with the structure within a time period after the production of the edge strip, in particular extrusion, wherein the plastics material of the edge strip does not yet have the definitive form stability.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the edge strip with the structure within a time period after the production of the edge strip, in particular extrusion, in which the plastics material of the edge strip already has the definitive form stability.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing the edge strip first with the decoration and subsequently with the structure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the edge strip is provided first with the structure and subsequently with the decoration.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying the decoration to the edge strip by means of intaglio printing, in particular indirect intaglio printing, using one or more impression cylinder.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising impressing the structure into the edge strip by means of one or more embossing roller(s).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one embossing roller is a calender roller of a calender.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising selecting the circumference of the impression cylinder(s) and the embossing roller(s) in such a manner that, if the edge strip comes into contact with impression cylinder(s) and embossing roller(s), the decoration and structure are moved so as to at least substantially overlap with each other.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the circumference of the embossing roller(s) corresponds to the circumference of the impression cylinder(s) or an integral multiple of the circumference of the impression cylinder(s).

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the circumference of the impression cylinder(s) corresponds to an integral multiple of the circumference of the embossing roller(s).

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying the decoration to the edge strip by means of digital printing.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising providing a printing device for digital printing, or the impression cylinder, one of the impression cylinders, the embossing roller, one of the embossing rollers, or a separate marking device for a marking on the edge strip several times, in particular at regular intervals.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising providing the respective marking as a separate marking on the edge of the edge strip, on the rear side of the edge strip, or is integrated in the decoration and/or the structure.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising detecting the respective marking, in particular with a scanning device, and is used by a control device to control the advance speed of the edge strip, the printing speed of a device for digital printing, the rotation speed of the impression cylinder(s), the embossing roller(s), and/or to adapt the digital decoration intended to be printed.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising comparing the position of the respective marking with the angular position of the impression cylinder(s) and/or the embossing roller(s) and carrying out a control operation on the basis of the comparison result.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising comparing the position of the respective marking with the position of the device for digital printing, in particular the printing head, and carrying out a control operation on the basis of the comparison result.

19. A furniture component comprising: a plate-like material having at least one narrow face, an upper side, and a lower side; and at least one edge profile, in particular produced by the method according to claim 1, wherein the edge profile is an extruded edge strip which extends in a longitudinal direction and which has a decoration and a three-dimensional structure, wherein the decoration and the structure are configured so that the structure is at least substantially congruent with the decoration.

20. The furniture component according to claim 19, wherein the upper side and/or the lower side of the plate-like material is provided with a coating having a decoration and in particular a three-dimensional structure which is at least substantially congruent with the decoration of the coating of the plate-like material.

21. The furniture component according to claim 20, wherein the decoration of the coating of the plate-like material corresponds to the decoration of the edge profile and/or the structure of the coating of the plate-like material corresponds to the structure of the edge profile.

22. The furniture component according to claim 20, wherein the decoration of the coating of the plate-like material is different from the decoration of the edge profile and/or the structure of the coating of the plate-like material is different from the structure of the edge profile.

23. The furniture component according to claim 20, wherein the decoration and structure of the coating of the plate-like material represent the decoration and structure of timber cut longitudinally and the decoration and structure of the edge profile represent the decoration and structure of timber cut in the cross-grain direction.

Description

[0050] There are now a large number of possible ways of configuring and developing 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 which follow claims 1 and 19 and, on the other hand, to the description of embodiments in connection with the drawings. In the drawings:

[0051] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the production of an edge profile according to a first embodiment of the method according to the invention,

[0052] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the production of an edge profile according to a second embodiment of the method according to the invention,

[0053] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the production of an edge profile according to a third embodiment of the method according to the invention,

[0054] FIGS. 4a and b are schematic illustrations of a first embodiment of a furniture component according to the invention, and

[0055] FIGS. 5a and b are schematic illustrations of a second embodiment of a furniture component according to the invention.

[0056] FIG. 1 illustrates by way of example the production of an edge profile 1 for installation to a narrow face 2a of a plate-like material 2. FIGS. 2 and 3 show additional variants of the method. FIGS. 4a) and b) show a furniture component 14 comprising a plate-like material 2 which has a corresponding edge profile 1. FIGS. 5a) and b) show an alternative embodiment of a furniture component 14 with an edge profile 1.

[0057] The following common basic principle forms the basis of the different variants of the method illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 for producing an edge profile 1.

[0058] Thus, in the method according to the invention initially an edge strip 3 which extends in a longitudinal direction L is provided or produced in the form of a continuous strip. The production can be carried out, for example, by extrusion of a thermoplastic plastics material or compression of a layer structure comprising papers which are impregnated with a thermosetting plastics material (resin).

[0059] The edge strip 3 is provided during or after the production thereof with both a decoration 4 and a three-dimensional structure 5. In this case, the decoration 4 is produced by a partial dye application so that regions which are provided with dye 4a adjoin regions which are not printed or which are differently printed. The regions provided with dye 4a each form a decoration element 4b.

[0060] The structure 5 can be produced either by providing recesses 5a or projections 5b on the edge strip 3, wherein the recesses 5a or projections 5b are delimited by at least one edge 5c. Recesses 5a can be produced, for example, by embossing and projections 5b by material application, for example, lacquer application.

[0061] Whether the edge strip 3 is first provided with the decoration 4 and subsequently with the three-dimensional structure 5 or first with the three-dimensional structure 5 and subsequently with the decoration 4 is of secondary importance for the fundamental principle of the present invention. The sequence can vary here in accordance with the specific case and desired result.

[0062] As explained below with reference to the embodiments in FIGS. 1 to 3, it is significant in the method according to the invention that the decoration 4 and the structure 5 are arranged in such a manner that the structure 5 is at least substantially congruent with the decoration 4. Therefore, according to the invention a so-called structure 5 having a synchronous decoration is produced. The term substantially is intended to be understood to mean that, although ideally a portion of the structure 5, in particular the said recess 5a or the said projection 5b, extends congruently with the decoration element 4b of the decoration 4, wherein tolerance-related, slight displacements or a slight offset in the longitudinal direction L or transversely thereto cannot be excluded. A possible offset can be prevented, however, by a control device 13 which is described in detail below.

[0063] As already indicated, the edge strip 3 can in principle comprise a one-layered or multi-layered layer structure comprising papers which are impregnated with a thermosetting resin. In this case, the decoration 4 can also, at least partially, be applied to one of the layers of the layer structure, for example, to a paper which is impregnated with resin or not yet impregnated with resin, wherein subsequently the edge strip 3 is then produced from the layer structure, for example, by the compression mentioned.

[0064] However, the method is explained by way of example below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 for an edge profile 1, in which the edge strip 3 comprises a thermoplastic plastics material.

[0065] FIGS. 1 and 2 schematically illustrate an extruder 18 for a single-strand extrusion which produces an edge strip 3. However, FIG. 3 illustrates an extruder 18 of a calender 8.

[0066] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a method, in which the extruded edge strip 3 is provided in a first step with a decoration 4 and subsequently in a subsequent step with a structure 5. To this end, the extruded edge strip 3 is guided in a longitudinal direction L initially past an impression cylinder 6 and subsequently past an embossing roller 7. Dye 4a is partially applied repeatedly at the front side to the edge strip 3 with the impression cylinder 6 by means of an intaglio printing method. The regions which are provided with dye 4a form with the remaining surface of a decoration 4.

[0067] The downstream embossing roller 7 subsequently embosses in the case of FIG. 1 recesses 5a between the regions which are provided with dye 4a. The recesses 5a together form a structure 5. In this case, the respective recess 5a extends congruently with the respective decoration element 4b which is formed by the region which is provided with dye 4a. In this manner, a structure 5 which has a synchronous decoration is provided.

[0068] FIG. 2 schematically shows a method in which the extruded edge strip 3 is also initially provided with a decoration 4 and subsequently with a structure 5. Here, however, the dye 4a of the decoration 4 is applied by a printing head 9, for example, an ink jet printing head 9, by means of a digital printing method.

[0069] The three-dimensional structure 5 is also produced by means of a printing head 9 using a digital printing method by the printing head 9 applying plastics material, for example, coloured or colourless and/or matt or brilliant lacquer, between the regions which are provided with dye 4a. The material which is applied by the printing head 9 has in this case a higher layer thickness than the dye 4a previously applied by the printing head 9 so that projections 5b which form the structure 5 are produced here.

[0070] For a particularly good result, there may also be provision for the structure 5, in particular the structure 5 which is produced by digital printing, to be detected by an optical detection device (not illustrated), for example, a camera, and for the decoration printing to be adapted to the detected position of the structure 5 in relation to the longitudinal direction L. The transposed case is also conceivable in which first the decoration 4 and then the structure 5 is provided on the edge strip 3, wherein the decoration 4 is detected by an optical detection device (not illustrated), for example, a camera, and the embossing of the structure 5 to be adapted to the detected position of the decoration 4 in relation to the longitudinal direction L.

[0071] In the method in FIG. 3, the extruded edge strip 3 is guided along between a plurality of calender rollers 7 or 7 after being discharged from the extruder 18 and is formed. One of the calender rollers 7 or 7 is in this embodiment an embossing roller 7 which embosses a structure 5 into the edge strip 3 similarly to the case in FIG. 1.

[0072] In order to optimise the embossing result, various additional measures are conceivable. Thus, the calender roller 7 which embosses the structure 5 is in this case a portion of the first roller pair 7/7, with which the extruded edge strip 3 first comes into contact after being discharged from the extruder 18, whereby the edge strip is still relatively soft. The calender roller 7 is further arranged relative to the extruder 18 in particular and/or the extruded edge strip 3 is in particular guided from the extruder 18 so that the extruded edge strip 3 extends around the embossing calender roller 7 by at least 90, preferably by at least 135, particularly preferably by at least 180, and thus is in contact with the structuring roller 7 for a particularly long time.

[0073] An impression cylinder 6 similar to the one illustrated in FIG. 1 which also applies dye 4a to the edge strip 3 with the intaglio printing method is connected downstream of the calender 8. In this case, however, the dye 4a is introduced into the recesses 5a of the structure 5 produced previously by the embossing roller 7. No dye or another dye which was then applied separately (not illustrated) is located outside the recesses 5a.

[0074] So that the recesses 5a or projections 5b which form the structure 5 extend synchronously (congruently) according to the invention with the respective decoration elements 4b, that is to say, with the regions of the decoration 4 provided with dye 4a, various measures are conceivable.

[0075] On the one hand, there may be provision for the circumference of the respective impression cylinder 6 and the circumference of the respective embossing roller 7 to be selected in such a manner that, when the edge strip 3 comes into contact with the respective impression cylinder 6 and the respective embossing roller 7, the decoration 4 and the structure 5 are brought into an overlapping state with each other (at least substantially). In this case, the degree of overlap between the decoration 4 and structure 5 does not change. Here, this is firstly achieved in that the circumference of the respective embossing roller 7 corresponds to the circumference of the respective impression cylinder 6 so that the impression cylinder 6 and embossing roller 7 run at the same rotation speed or rolling speed.

[0076] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, there may be provided a separate marking device 10 which automatically provides on the edge strip 3 at regular intervals over the length L of the edge strip 3 markings 11 which can be used for control purposes. In FIG. 1, the markings 11 are embossed. However, it is also conceivable to print markings 11. Such markings can also be provided in the embodiments in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0077] The markings 11 are provided in FIG. 1 by way of example on the rear side, that is to say, the side facing away from the decoration 4 and structure 5, of the edge strip 3. In principle, however, the markings 11 could also be provided at a different location, for example, at the edge of the edge strip 3 and/or at the upper side and/or inside the decoration 4 and/or inside the structure 5.

[0078] The respective marking 11 is detected in FIG. 1 by way of example by a scanning device 12, in this case an optical sensor 12, and used by a control device 13 for controlling the advance speed of the edge strip 3 and/or the rotation speed of the embossing roller 7. In the event that the impression cylinder 6 is connected downstream of the embossing roller 7, as illustrated in FIG. 3 by way of example, the respective marking 11 is preferably used to control the rotation speed of the impression cylinder 6.

[0079] The control device 13 compares the established position of the respective marking 11, for example, with the established angular position of the impression cylinder 6 or the embossing roller 7 relative to the edge strip surface and carries out an adjustment of the rotation speed of the impression cylinder 6 or embossing roller 7 on the basis of the comparison result if an offset between the decoration 4 and structure 5 exceeds a specific desired value.

[0080] As set out, alternatively or additionally the advance speed of the edge strip 3 can also be varied as a result of the comparison result if a desired value is exceeded for the offset, for example, by changing the extrusion speed and/or by changing the transport speed of the transport device or individual portions of the transport device (not illustrated), on which the extruded edge strip 3 is transported in the longitudinal direction L. The control device 13 can also carry out, in the manner described, an extension or compression of portions of the edge strip 3 in a longitudinal direction L in order thereby to prevent any offset between the decoration 4 and structure 5.

[0081] FIGS. 4a and b illustrate by way of example a furniture component 14 which is formed by a plate-like material 2 which is coated on the narrow faces 2a and on the upper side 2b and the lower side 2c thereof.

[0082] In this case, the upper side 2b and the lower side 2c of the plate-like material 2 are provided with a coating 15 here, for example, a paper-based, compressed laminate, wherein the coating 15 has, on the one hand, a decoration 16 and, on the other hand, a three-dimensional structure 17, which is a structure 17 having a synchronous decoration.

[0083] The narrow faces 2a are provided with an edge profile 1 which has been produced according to the above-described method according to the invention. The edge profile 1 also has a decoration 4 and a three-dimensional structure 5, wherein the structure 5 is a structure 5 having a synchronous decoration.

[0084] In this case, the decoration 4 and structure 5 of the edge profile 1 are identical to the decoration 16 and structure 17 of the upper-side and lower-side coating 15 of the plate-like material 2.

[0085] In the embodiment of a furniture component 14 in FIGS. 4a) and 4b), the three-dimensional structure 5 comprises a large number of recesses 5a which are embossed in the edge profile 1. The structure 17 is formed accordingly.

[0086] The additional embodiment of a furniture component 14 which is illustrated in FIGS. 5a) and b) is substantially comparable with the embodiment in FIGS. 4a) and b), with the difference that the three-dimensional structure 5 of the edge profile 1 is formed here by a large number of projections 5b. This also applies to the structure 17 of the coating 15.