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.-21. (canceled)

22. A device for fitting an edge profile to a narrow face of a plate-like material, in particular an edge gluing device, comprising: a plate carrier for receiving a 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 an edge profile; and an edge profile guide configured to guide the edge profile on which or by which the edge profile can be guided along, wherein the edge profile guide as a guide means has an upper guide portion and a lower guide portion, respectively, between which the edge profile, which can be supplied by the edge profile supply device, 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, wherein a control device is provided to control the position of each guide means, in particular the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion, wherein the control device has at least one sensor, in particular at least one optical sensor, which is connected to the control device and wherein the control device is configured to control the position of each guide means in accordance with sensor data transmitted by the respective sensor, in particular is configured to control it in such a manner that the extent of a marking provided over the length of the edge profile is orientated parallel to the plane in which the plate carrier upper side extends or parallel to the plane in which the upper side of the plate-like material extends.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein the upper guide portion is configured to move relative to the lower guide portion in a direction which extends at an angle to the plane in which the plate carrier upper side extends.

24. The device according to claim 22, wherein the direction in which the respective guide means can be moved extends perpendicularly to the plate carrier upper side.

25. The device according to claim 22, wherein the control device is configured to control the position of the respective guide means automatically and in particular continuously or at regular intervals.

26. A method for fitting an edge profile to a narrow face of a plate-like material, in particular using a device according to claim 22, the method comprising: providing a plate-like material having at least one narrow face, an upper side, and a lower side, supplying an edge profile to the narrow face; applying the edge profile to the narrow face; and guiding the edge profile in an 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 narrow face, wherein the edge profile guide as a guide means has an upper guide portion and a lower guide portion, between which the edge profile supplied by the edge profile supply device is guided along, wherein the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion are moved relative to the upper side of the plate-like material in a direction which extends parallel to the plane in which the upper and lower edges of the narrow face extend, wherein the position of each guide means, the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion, is controlled, wherein the position of each guide means is controlled in accordance with sensor data transmitted by a sensor and wherein the position of each guide means is controlled in such a manner that the extent of a marking which is provided over the length of the edge profile is orientated parallel to the plane in which the upper side of the plate-like material extends.

27. The method according to claim 26, 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 narrow face extend.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the marking is an optical and/or haptic marking and is a portion of a decoration, wherein the marking is preferably at least one line which extends over the length of the edge profile.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the position of the respective guide means is controlled automatically and in particular continuously or at regular intervals.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the width of the edge profile is adapted to the width of the narrow side of the plate-like material after the application.

31. 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 applied to the narrow face of the plate-like material, wherein the furniture component is produced by a method according to claim 26, and wherein at least one edge profile comprises a marking provided along the length of the edge profile, wherein the extent of a marking is orientated parallel to the plane in which the plate carrier upper side extends or parallel to the plane in which the upper side of the plate-like material extends.

32. The furniture component according to claim 31, wherein the plate-like material has two narrow faces which meet in a corner of the plate-like material, wherein an edge profile is applied to both narrow faces, respectively, and the ends of the edge profiles meet each other at the corner.

33. The furniture component according to claim 32, wherein the two edge profiles each have a marking which is identical at least in a portion adjoining the respective end of the edge profile or completely, wherein an offset in the direction which extends perpendicularly to the plane in which the upper and lower edges of the narrow face extend between the marking at the end of one edge profile and the marking at the end of the other edge profile is a maximum of 0.5 mm, preferably a maximum of 0.35 mm, particularly preferably a maximum of 0.2 mm.

34. The furniture component according to claim 31, further comprising: a plate-like material having at least two narrow faces, an upper side, and a lower side; and at least two edge profiles applied to a narrow face of the plate-like material, wherein two of the edge profiles each have a marking which is identical at least in a portion adjoining the respective end of the edge profile or completely, wherein an offset in the direction which extends perpendicularly to the plane in which the upper edge and lower edge of the narrow face extend between the marking at the end of one edge profile and the marking at the end of the other edge profile is a maximum of 0.5 mm, preferably a maximum of 0.35 mm, particularly preferably a maximum of 0.2 mm.

Description

[0051] 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:

[0052] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the method according to the invention using the device according to the invention,

[0053] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of the method according to the invention using the device according to the invention, and

[0054] FIG. 3 shows a furniture component produced by the method according to the invention and/or the device according to the invention.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] This may have different elements, for example, rollers, cylinders or the like, for the transport of the respective edge profile 2 or 2.

[0059] 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] The device 1 according to the invention ensures, as FIG. 3 shows, that 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.