Technical Field

The present invention relates to a piece of equipment and a process for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material.

Background Art

It has long been known to manufacture panels by pressing a mixture comprising wooden material, in the form of flakes or powder, and a binding material, such as resin.

Specifically, to make these panels pieces of equipment are generally used provided with a main body comprising two side walls facing each other so as to delimit a containment chamber for the material to be pressed and a pressing element which can be moved by shifting to compact the material placed inside the containment chamber.

In order to achieve resin curing, which is necessary to bind the flakes and powder of the wooden material together, the mixture is heated during the phase of compacting.

Since the panels thus obtained are characterized by a high density of material, which entails not only high weight but also high cost of manufacture, panels provided with a series of inner cavities, referred to in the jargon as “hollow boards”, are alternatively made, and these are particularly suitable for certain applications, such as e.g. filling interior doors.

This type of panel is obtained by inserting, inside the containment chamber of the material to be pressed, one or more filling elements. These filling elements are then surrounded by the mixture of material introduced into the containment chamber and define, at the end of the phase of compacting, relative cavities.

The panels thus obtained are therefore lighter than full-mass panels and, consequently, more suitable for use in those contexts, such as precisely the filling of interior doors or partition walls, in which it is essential to optimize the ratio between weight and mechanical strength.

One drawback of this known piece of equipment for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material is the production timing, particularly related to reaching the curing temperature of the resin contained in the mixture of material to be pressed.

In fact, it generally takes about 20 seconds to reach the curing temperature and about 60 seconds for curing to occur.

Description of the Invention

The main aim of the present invention is to devise a piece of equipment and a process for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material that will reduce the time required for manufacturing compared with the state of the art.

Another object of the present invention is to devise a piece of equipment for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material that can overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art within the framework of a simple, rational, easy and effective to use, as well as affordable solution.

The aforementioned objects are achieved by this piece of equipment for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material according to claim 1.

The aforementioned objects are also achieved by this process for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material according to claim 12.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a piece of equipment for the manufacture of panels made of wooden material, illustrated by way of an indicative, yet non-limiting example, in the accompanying tables of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a section of a piece of equipment according to the invention in a first embodiment;

Figure 2 is a cross section of the piece of equipment in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the piece of equipment in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a cross section of a piece of equipment according to the invention in a second embodiment.

Embodiments of the Invention

With particular reference to these figures, reference numeral 1 globally indicates a piece of equipment for the manufacture of panels P made of wooden material.

The piece of equipment 1 comprises at least one main body 2, which defines a containment chamber 3 provided with at least one opening 4 for the insertion of a mixture M comprising wooden material, in the form of powder and/or flakes, and resin.

More specifically, the main body 2 comprises at least two side walls 5 arranged facing each other and bounding the containment chamber 3.

Depending on the embodiment, the containment chamber 3 may or may not have a bottom wall.

Preferably, the opening 4 is arranged at the upper end of the containment chamber 3 and the main body 2 comprises at least one conveying wall 6 of the material towards the opening 4, wherein the conveying wall 6 is adjacent to one of the side walls 5 and inclined with respect thereto. More particularly, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the main body 2 comprises two conveying walls 6, each of which is adjacent to a related side wall 5. The two conveying walls 6 are converging to each other towards the opening 4.

Then, the piece of equipment 1 comprises one or more filling elements 7 inserted inside the containment chamber 3, wherein the free volume inside the containment chamber itself and bounded by the main body 2 and by the filling elements 7 defines a pressing chamber 8, and compacting means 9 of the mixture contained inside the pressing chamber 8. The mixture M that is introduced through the opening 4 then collects inside the pressing chamber 8 by arranging itself around the filling elements 7.

According to the invention, the piece of equipment 1 comprises dispensing means 10 for dispensing steam inside the pressing chamber 8.

More particularly, the dispensing means 10 are adapted to inject water vapor inside the pressing chamber 8.

Preferably, the dispensing means 10 are associated with at least one of either the side walls 5 or the filling elements 7.

In more detail, the dispensing means 10 comprise a plurality of holes 11 defined on at least one of the side walls 5 and/or on at least one of the filling elements 7, which (holes) face the pressing chamber 8 and steam injecting means not visible in detail in the figures, communicating with the holes 11.

In the preferred embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 4, the dispensing means 10 comprise a plurality of holes 11 defined on both the side walls 5 and on the filling elements 7.

More particularly, in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the holes 11 extend substantially along the entire extension of the side walls 5.

In the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4, on the other hand, the holes 11 are defined in localized areas of the side walls 5. In other words, the holes 11 are arranged in predefined and discrete areas of the side walls 5. More particularly, the holes 11 defined on the side walls 5 are arranged with respect to each other at substantially the same height. As can be easily appreciated, in this embodiment, the holes 11 defined on the side walls 5 have a larger section than the holes 11 in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3.

The steam production means are of a type known to the technician in the field, such as e.g. of the type of a boiler or the like, connected by means of relevant tubing to the holes 11.

Advantageously, at least one of either the side walls 5 or the filling elements 7 comprise heating means 13 e.g., of the electric type. Such heating means 13 can be activated to increase the temperature of the mixture M until the curing temperature of the resin contained therein is reached.

Appropriately, the steam dispensing means 10 are separate from the heating means 13.

Advantageously, the compacting means 9 comprise at least one pressing element insertable inside the pressing chamber 8.

More particularly, the pressing element 9 is movable by shifting along a pressing direction 12 with respect to the main body 2 and to the filling elements 7. Preferably, the pressing direction 12 is arranged substantially vertically.

The pressing element 9 is movable between a home position, wherein it is arranged outside the pressing chamber 8, and at least one compaction position, wherein it is arranged inside the pressing chamber 8.

In more detail, in the compaction position, shown in Figure 3, the pressing element 9 is inserted into the pressing chamber 8 by passing through the opening 4, and in the home position, shown in Figure 2, it releases the opening 4 for the insertion of the mixture M into the pressing chamber 8. In the home position, the pressing element 9 is then raised with respect to the opening 4. The pressing element 9 moves in alternating motion along the pressing direction 12 between the home position and the compaction position.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, the pressing element 9 has a conformation substantially complementary to the pressing chamber 8. In other words, the pressing element 9 is shaped so as to fit inside the pressing chamber 8 and to occupy it entirely. The pressing element 9 has a plurality of cavities 9a, equal in number to the filling elements 7, and is fitted on the filling elements themselves.

Appropriately, the pressing element 9 also has a thickening 9b, defined at the upper end thereof, which is adapted to lean against the conveying walls 6 as it moves along the pressing direction 12. The interaction between the thickening 9b and the conveying walls 6 defines the end-of-stroke position of the pressing element 9 as it moves from the home position to the compaction position. In more detail, the thickening 9b has two abutment walls 9c which are adapted to contact the conveying walls 6 and having the same inclination.

The operation of the equipment described in carrying out the process according to the invention is as follows.

A mixture M comprising wooden material in the form of flakes and/or powder and resin is initially supplied and this mixture M is introduced inside the pressing chamber 8.

In order to be able to introduce the mixture M into the pressing chamber 8, the pressing element 9 is initially brought to the home position so as to release the opening 4.

Once a predefined amount of mixture M has been introduced, a phase of compacting of the mixture itself is carried out. More particularly, the mixture M collects inside the pressing chamber 8 by arranging itself around the filling elements 7, and the phase of compacting is carried out by activating the pressing element 9 so as to move it towards the compaction position.

The pressing element 9 then moves along the pressing direction 12 thus entering the inside of the pressing chamber 8, passing through the opening 4, where it interacts with the mixture M placed inside it.

As a result of this interaction, the mixture M then undergoes a pressing action. Once the mixture M contained in the pressing chamber 8 has been compacted, the pressing element 9 is raised to bring it to the home position so that a new amount of mixture M can be introduced inside the pressing chamber 8.

These phases are then carried out several times in order to progressively compact the mixture M which is from time to time introduced inside the pressing chamber 8.

Next, a phase of heating of the mixture M inside the pressing chamber 8 is carried out. The heating of the mixture M is carried out by means of the heating means 13 with which the side walls 5 are provided.

Appropriately, the phase of heating is carried out at the same time as the phase of compacting of the mixture M.

According to the invention, a phase of steam injection is carried out inside the pressing chamber 8.

In particular, the dispensing of water vapor which, as is well known, has a temperature of over 100°C, makes it possible to speed up the attainment of the resin curing temperature by the mixture M, thus significantly reducing, compared to the state of the art, the timing required to manufacture a finished panel.

The steam dispensed through the holes 11 then penetrates inside the pressed mixture M, thus reaching even the innermost parts thereof.

Once the curing temperature has been reached, this is maintained due to the heating of the side walls 5 until the curing process is complete.

Preferably, the phase of steam injection is carried out at the same time as the phase of heating.

The resulting panel can then be cut according to the specific application needs.

It has in practice been ascertained that the described invention achieves the intended objects, and in particular, the fact is emphasized that the supply of steam inside the pressing chamber during the phases of compacting of the mixture makes it possible to speed up the attainment of the curing temperature of the resin contained in the mixture to be pressed compared to the state of the art and, as a result, to significantly increase the production yield.