US 4,372,899 A · Method of manufacturing particleboard and the like

Abstract

Particleboard is manufactured by scattering an endless mat of chip and binder material on a series of overlapped mat carriers 17 moving on a forming conveyor 2 beneath a scattering station 1. A cut-off saw 5 is then used to separate the endless mat into mat sections 18 each of which is mounted on a respective mat carrier 17. The overlap between the mat carriers is eliminated and the laden mat carriers are removed from the forming conveyor 2 by an accelerating conveyor 6 which simultaneously operates as an intermediate store and a feed unit for a single storey press 8 arranged immediately after the accelerating conveyor 6. The accelerating conveyor 6 introduces the laden mat carrier into the inlet to the press from where it is transported into the press by internal transport devices of the press. After the mat section has been pressed to form a particleboard a pair of driven rollers 9 extract the mat carrier from the press and feed it towards a separating wedge 10. The mat carrier is deflected downwardly onto a conveyor 11 and the pressed board slides over the top surface of the separating wedge through further rollers 15. As soon as the mat carrier is fully located on a guide conveyor 11 beneath the separating wedge 10 the guide conveyor is pivoted downwardly and its direction of rotation is reversed so that the mat carrier can be transferred to a return conveyor 16. The mat carrier is then transferred back onto the forming conveyor from the return conveyor at a feeding station 14 which also serves to overlap the mat carrier with the preceding mat carrier and to turn the mat carriers over prior to them once again passing through the scattering station 1.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing particleboard and the like from material comprising particles containing ligno-cellulose and/or cellulose together with at least one binder dispersed therein, wherein a series of mat carriers arranged with predeterminable overlap on a forming conveyor are continuously moved beneath a stationary scattering device to produce an endless mat of said material on said mat carriers, said endless mat is subsequently divided into mat sections each of which is carried by a respective mat carrier, the overlap between the mat carriers is eliminated and the laden mat carriers are conveyed to a press feeding station from which they are transferred into a discontinuously operating press where the mat sections are subjected to a pressing step to form boards and wherein, after the pressing step, the mat carriers are separated from the boards, are returned for reuse and are once again arranged with overlap on the forming conveyor, wherein a single storey press is used for the discontinuously operating press, the speed of the forming conveyor is controlled in dependence on the prevailing cycle time of said single storey press;

the overlap of the mat carriers is eliminated by means of an accelerating conveyor which follows said forming conveyor and simultaneously serves as an intermediate store and as a feed unit for said single storey press;
the accelerating conveyor is driven independently of the speed of the forming conveyor and independently of the speed of the transport device belonging to the press;
the mat carriers which are each laden with a respective mat section are transferred by means of the accelerating conveyor into the press entry zone, are picked up by the said transport device which clamps onto side edges of the mat carriers and brings them into position in said single storey press;
and wherein after each pressing step, the mat carriers together with the respectively associated boards are transported out of the press and thereby separated from one another, whereupon the mat carriers are returned, without being turned over, to a feeding station where they are once again laid on the forming conveyor with the required overlap and are simultaneously turned over.

1 more element

Apparatus for manufacturing sections of particleboard comprising a forming conveyor, which extends between a mat carrier feeding station having a direction changing drum for turning over the mat carriers and a mat carrier transfer station and is guided beneath a stationary scattering station for scattering a mat of particulate material onto mat carriers forwarded on said forming conveyor;

means for continuously driving said forming conveyor;
a cut-off saw associated with said forming conveyor for separating said mat into mat sections;
a transport and storage unit for supplying the mat carriers, which are each laden with a respective mat section, to a manufacturing press;
and also mat carrier return means for returning the mat carriers to the mat carrier feeding station;
wherein the transport and storage unit for the laden mat carriers comprises an accelerating conveyor extending between said mat carrier transfer station and said manufacturing press, said manufacturing press consisting of a discontinuously working single storey press having its own transport device which clamps onto side edges of each mat carrier after an initial infeed movement of the mat carriers;
a device for separating pressed boards and mat carriers;
and a reversible guide conveyor provided at the outlet of the press for returning the mat carriers without turning them over;
and wherein means for steplessly adjusting the overlap of sequentially following mat carriers is arranged between said mat carrier return means and said mat carrier feeding station.

5 more elements

means for continuously driving said forming conveyor;
a cut-off saw associated with said forming conveyor for separating said mat into mat sections;
a transport and storage unit for supplying the mat carriers, which are each laden with a respective mat section, to a manufacturing press;
and also mat carrier return means for returning the mat carriers to the mat carrier feeding station;
wherein the transport and storage unit for the laden mat carriers comprises an accelerating conveyor extending between said mat carrier transfer station and said manufacturing press, said manufacturing press consisting of a discontinuously working single storey press having its own transport device which clamps onto side edges of each mat carrier after an initial infeed movement of the mat carriers;
at least one pair of transport rollers provided at the output of the manufacturing press to take over mat carriers and finished boards from the transport device belonging to the press, the speed of advance of the pair of transport rollers being the same as or larger than the transport speed of said transport device;
the transport rollers followed by a device for separating pressed boards and mat carriers including a stationary splitting wedge engaging between the mat carriers and the boards to deflect the mat carrier downwardly;
and a reversible guide conveyor provided at the outlet of the press beneath the splitting wedge for returning the mat carriers without turning them over, the transport direction of which is reversible, the reversible guide conveyor being pivotable about an axis remote from the manufacturing press;
and wherein means for steplessly adjusting the overlap of sequentially following mat carriers is arranged between said mat carrier return means and said mat carrier feeding station.

6 more elements

said forming conveyor including means for partially surrounding said direction changing drum to press the mat carriers onto the forming conveyor and which together form an intake slot for the mat carriers;
means for continuously driving said forming conveyor;
a cut-off saw associated with said forming conveyor for separating said mat into mat sections;
a transport and storage unit for supplying the mat carriers, which are each laden with a respective mat section, to a manufacturing press;
and also mat carrier return means for returning the mat carriers to the mat carrier feeding station, said mat carrier return means including a return conveyor;
a support table provided between said return conveyor and said intake slot, said support table being disposed beneath a plane containing said return conveyor and at least substantially aligned with a base of said intake slot;
telescopic support arms extensible from said return conveyor towards said intake slot when a rear edge of a mat carrier, which has already been picked up by said forming conveyor, leaves said return conveyor;
a stationary positioning end switch provided on said support arms with the positioning end switch being actuable by a front edge of a mat carrier to stop the return conveyor;
a control switch associated with said support table for switching the return conveyor to the speed of said forming conveyor and for initiating retraction of said support arms, said control switch being steplessly positionable along said table and responding to said rear edge of the mat carrier when this mat carrier enters the intake slot;
wherein the transport and storage unit for the laden mat carriers comprises an accelerating conveyor extending between said mat carrier transfer station and said manufacturing press, said manufacturing press consisting of a discontinuously working single storey press having its own transport device which clamps onto side edges of each mat carrier after an initial infeed movement of the mat carriers;
a device for separating pressed boards and mat carriers;
a reversible guide conveyor provided at the outlet of the press for returning the mat carriers without turning them over;
and wherein means for steplessly adjusting the overlap of sequentially following mat carriers is arranged between said mat carrier return means and said mat carrier feeding station.

10 more elements

means for continuously driving said forming conveyor;
a cut-off saw associated with said forming conveyor for separating said mat into mat sections;
a transport and storage unit for supplying the mat carriers, which are each laden with a respective mat section, to a manufacturing press;
and also mat carrier return means for returning the mat carriers to the mat carrier feeding station;
wherein the transport and storage unit for the laden mat carriers comprises an accelerating conveyor extending between said mat carrier transfer station and said manufacturing press, said manufacturing press consisting of a discontinuously working single storey press having its own transport device which clamps onto side edges of each mat carrier after an initial infeed movement of the mat carriers;
a device for separating pressed boards and mat carriers;
said separating device followed by a thickness measuring device having several spaced apart measuring heads for determining the actual thickness of each manufactured board at several positions across and along each board, wherein correspondingly disposed correction positions are provided in said manufacturing press, one associated with each said measuring position, and wherein exchangeable correction insert means are provided at said correction positions for correcting the thickness of subsequent boards;
and a reversible guide conveyor provided at the outlet of the press for returning the mat carriers without turning them over;
and wherein means for steplessly adjusting the overlap of sequentially following mat carriers is arranged between said mat carrier return means and said mat carrier feeding station.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of manufacturing particleboard and the like

Life of this patent

Method of manufacturing particleboard and the like

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31