Method for producing corrugated laminated panels
AssigneeDow Global Technologies LLC
InventorsMirella CORONEO, Andreas OTTENS, Christopher J. SILER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Corrugated laminated panels (1) are produced by dispensing a reactive foam formulation (4) onto a corrugated facing layer (2), positioning a top facing layer (3) above the reactive foam formulation and then curing the foam formulation so it expands to occupy the space between the facing layers to form a cured foam layer adhering to both facing layers. The reactive foam formulation is dispensed only onto flat areas of the corrugated facing layers, and not the corrugations (13). Some of the reactive formulation drains into the corrugations where it cures to fill the corrugations with foam. The panels have few defects and exhibit good adhesion between the cured foam and the facing layers.
Claims13
A process for making a corrugated laminated panel, the process comprising the following steps:
- I) continuously moving a corrugated facing layer in a linear direction of movement beneath a distributor having multiple outlets for dispensing jets of a reactive foam formulation onto the corrugated facing layer, wherein (i) the corrugated facing layer comprises multiple flat sections separated by multiple parallel corrugations, the flat sections having a width greater than or equal to the widths of the multiple parallel corrugations, (ii) the corrugated facing layer is disposed with the flat sections facing upwardly, and (iii) the multiple parallel corrugations extend downwardly from the flat sections and are oriented in the linear direction of movement of the corrugated facing layer beneath the distributor;
- II) forming a reactive foam formulation layer by continuously dispensing jets of reactive foam formulation from the multiple outlets of the distributor only onto the flat sections of the corrugated facing layer as the corrugated facing layer moves beneath the distributor, such that the reactive foam formulation is dispensed onto each of the flat sections at rates per unit width that differ from each other by no more than 25%, whereby a portion of the reactive foam formulation dispensed onto the flat sections drains into the multiple parallel corrugations;
- III) positioning a top facing layer above the reactive foam formulation layer and parallel to the corrugated facing layer to define a gap therebetween;
- and
- IV) curing the reactive foam formulation layer between the corrugated facing layer and the top facing layer to expand the reactive foam formulation layer to fill the entire gap between the corrugated facing layer and the top facing layer, including the corrugations, and convert the reactive foam formulation layer to a cured foam layer, to produce the corrugated laminated panel comprising the cured foam layer adhered to the corrugated facing layer and the top facing layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.