Methods for manufacturing a decorative panel, and decorative panels
AssigneeUnilin BV
InventorsLaurent Meersseman, Christophe Naeyaert, Jan De Rick, Benny Schacht
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for manufacturing a decorative panel. The panel includes a substrate and a decorative top layer. The substrate is a mineral containing substrate and/or a thermoplastic material containing substrate. The substrate and/or decorative top layer is obtained from a larger material by means of a dividing operation. The panel includes at at least one and preferably at both upper edges of a pair of opposite side edges a lower edge area. The lower edge area is obtained prior to or during said dividing operation. Decorative panels are obtainable through such a method.
Claims19
A method for manufacturing a decorative panel, wherein said panel comprises a substrate and a decorative top layer, said substrate containing a thermoplastic material;
- said panel comprising a pair of opposite side edges with respective upper edges associated thereto,
- wherein said panel comprises an upper surface and lower edge areas at said upper edges, said decorative top layer continuing uninterruptedly from on the upper surface of said panel to and over said lower edge areas;
- wherein said method sequentially comprises:
- a first step of providing a larger material comprising said substrate and/or decorative top layer by a continuous operation including one or more extrusion operations and lamination operations;
- and then
- a second step of forming said lower edge areas on said larger material by one or more structure rollers indenting said larger material, wherein said substrate is locally compressed or deformed at said lowered edge areas;
- and then
- a third step of dividing said larger material to obtain said substrate and/or decorative top layer.
A method for manufacturing a decorative panel, wherein said panel comprises a substrate and a decorative top layer,
- wherein said substrate is a mineral containing substrate and/or a thermoplastic material containing substrate,
- wherein said substrate and/or decorative top layer is obtained from a larger material by a dividing operation,
- wherein said dividing operation comprises performing a cutting operation releasing at least said substrate from said larger material at at least a pair of two opposite edges, wherein said two opposite edges comprise respective upper edges associated thereto;
- wherein said panel comprises at both respective upper edges of said pair of opposite edges a lower edge area,
- wherein during said dividing operation, said lower edge area is obtained while said larger material is arranged in a dividing apparatus, said dividing operation comprising at least:
- providing said larger material in the dividing apparatus;
- indenting said larger material at said respective upper edges in order to at least partially form said lower edge area;
- releasing said substrate and/or said decorative top layer from said larger material by a knife that is forced in and through said larger material,
- wherein said cutting operation forms opposite cut edges for said releasing at said at least two opposite edges,
- wherein said opposite cut edges are positioned at a mutually different distance from said respective upper edges as measured in a horizontal direction of said panel, allowing for formation of profiled edges horizontally extending differently beyond the respective upper edges.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.