Method for manufacturing a furniture component and furniture element

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a furniture element (10), in particular a tabletop, comprises the following steps: providing a base plate (12) of the furniture element (10), wherein the base plate (12) includes a height profile (18) perpendicular to the plate's extent, which extends laterally in two dimensions; placing a surface plate material (14), in particular a FENIX® plate material, onto the base plate (12); pressing the placed surface plate material (14) onto the base plate (12) in a vacuum press, wherein a vacuum film presses the surface plate material (14) onto the height profile (18) such that the surface plate material (14) follows the height profile (18) of the base plate (12) along both dimensions.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

[0001] The invention relates to a method for producing a piece of furniture, in particular a table top, and to a piece of furniture. 2. Description of the state of the art

[0002] So-called HPL (short for high-pressure laminate) panels are well-known from the state of the art and are applied as a panel material, for example, to tabletops. In German, such panel materials are also known as high-pressure laminates or decorative plastic laminates (DKS).

[0003] The name of such board materials primarily refers to the high pressure applied during production. Generally, the board materials comprise one or more sheets of paper impregnated with thermosetting resins, which are pressed under pressure and elevated temperature to form solid, flat boards. This is why they are also referred to as paper-resin boards. A top layer can be decorative, for example, printed with motifs.

[0004] FENIX® sheet materials from ARPA INDUSTRIALE SPA are also a sheet material made from one or more sheets of paper impregnated with thermosetting resins. A thermoplastic cover layer is used, partially cured using electron beam curing processes, which gives the surface of FENIX® sheet materials special properties. For example, the FENIX® surface is notable for its super-matte appearance. Furthermore, the surface is pleasantly soft to the touch and leaves no or only minimal fingerprints. Due to the thermoplastic properties of the cover layer, scratches or similar defects in the cover layer can be repaired through thermal treatment, for example, by ironing.

[0005] FENIX® sheet materials are available in a wide range of colors, color patterns and surface microstructures.

[0006] FENIX® panel materials or other surface panel materials from other manufacturers are therefore increasingly being used for the production of furniture.

[0007] What all the furniture pieces have in common, however, is that the FENIX® panel material is applied to a flat surface as a flat, prefabricated panel material. Prefabricated in this context primarily means that the surface panel material, as a reasonably solid panel material, already possesses its strength properties determined by the thermosetting, cured resins.

[0008] However, DE 10 2009 009 646 A1 discloses a process in which a decorative layer is coated with a lacquer, and the resulting decorative product is then applied to three-dimensionally structured carrier plates using membrane presses. A similar process is known from WO 00 / 53 666 A1.

[0009] DE 602 22 235 T2 discloses a method for producing a tabletop, in which a three-dimensionally shaped decorative laminate is subsequently attached to a correspondingly shaped MDF board. A device for vacuum thermoforming the decorative laminate is used.

[0010] From DE 10 2020 007 628 A1 and US 2011 / 0262720 A1 it is known to equip an MDF board with a decorative film as a counter layer. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a method with which the design possibilities of the FENIX® panel materials can be expanded in the production of furniture elements, as well as to provide a corresponding furniture element.

[0012] According to the invention, this is achieved by a method for producing a piece of furniture, in particular a table top, according to claim 1.

[0013] The inventors have realized that, despite a furniture element having a height profile extending in two dimensions, it is possible to apply a prefabricated surface panel material having a core structure comprising paper impregnated with thermosetting resins, in particular a FENIX® panel material, by means of a vacuum press.

[0014] In this context, it should be noted that such a height profile is understood to mean a change, for example, in the z-direction, which changes along both the x-direction and the y-direction. The result is a three-dimensional object covered with the prefabricated surface panel material.

[0015] For this purpose, a base plate is provided with a desired height profile in two dimensions, for example, a corner rounding. The surface plate material is then applied to this using a vacuum press. Due to the pressure or negative pressure of the vacuum press, the surface plate material is deep-drawn over the base plate and adheres to its height profile.

[0016] The inventors have particularly recognized that such deep drawing using a vacuum press is particularly suitable for FENIX® sheet material as a surface sheet material. By taking certain height gradients and / or minimum radii into account, the FENIX® sheet material can compensate for corresponding expansion and compression in different directions particularly well, preventing the formation of warping folds or cracks.

[0017] The core structure of the surface panel material is understood to mean that the material derives its basic stability from the paper impregnated with thermosetting resins. However, the material can also have one or more additional layers, such as, for example, a thermoplastic cover layer and / or, for example, a special adhesive layer on the underside of FENIX® panel materials. Materials that only have paper impregnated with thermosetting resins, i.e., that only have the core structure without any additional layers, are also intended to be encompassed by the inventive concept.

[0018] Preferably, the base plate is provided with a rounded section at its front sides and at the corners as a height profile.

[0019] In this way, furniture elements can be produced that have a certain solid, high-quality aesthetic due to the rounded edges.

[0020] The rounding can have a radius of between 150 mm and 350 mm, preferably between 225 mm and 275 mm, in particular of approximately 250 mm, in cross-section, ie when considering the height profile.

[0021] A lateral rounding (in plan view) can run around the corner, which has a radius between 75 mm and 250 mm, preferably between 125 mm and 175 mm, in particular of approximately 150 mm.

[0022] In particular, with a surface plate material with a thickness between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, in particular of about 1 mm, such radii have proven to be feasible without the formation of fault folds or cracks.

[0023] In general, FENIX® sheet material can be applied to a three-dimensionally structured base plate, provided the resulting gradients are not too large. In this respect, other spherical and / or concave contours or surface structures are also conceivable.

[0024] Furthermore, the invention provides that the base plate has a surrounding solid wood edge.

[0025] A continuous solid wood edge provides a visually interesting contrast to the surface panel material, especially the FENIX® panel material.

[0026] Preferably, the base plate is provided via the following steps: a1) gluing a solid wood edge to a core board, in particular to an MDF board; a5) Milling the height profile into the core board and the solid wood edge;

[0027] This allows the inner core panel to be made from a material chosen primarily for structural reasons rather than design considerations. Only the solid wood edge will be visible from the outside.

[0028] Preferably, the following steps are carried out between steps a1) and a5): a2) Lateral chamfering of the corners of the base plate over at least two corner chamfers; a3) Gluing solid wood pieces to the corner slopes; a4) Lateral rounding of the corners of the base plate, especially the solid wood pieces glued to the corner slopes.

[0029] In this way, a completely circumferential solid wood edge can be created, which includes visually high-quality rounded corners.

[0030] Preferably, it is provided that a counter-tension plate material is pressed onto a side of the base plate opposite the pressed-on surface plate material.

[0031] This has the advantage that the furniture element is less prone to warping. The counter-layer material can be the same material as the surface material of the upper side, for example, also a FENIX® sheet material. However, the counter-layer material can also be formed as a hidden layer, which is then, for example, painted over in a subsequent step. Most importantly, the counter-layer material can also be pressed on using a vacuum press and can also be deep-drawn if a height profile is also planned on the underside.

[0032] It is preferably provided that after the surface plate material has been pressed on, an end face of the furniture element is re-milled, in particular is milled crowned.

[0033] In this way, the solid wood edge protects the butt end of the surface panel material from external influences, such as when a chair hits a tabletop. This effectively prevents splitting between the base plate and the surface panel material. Furthermore, the crowning of the solid wood edge provides a certain aesthetic appeal.

[0034] It is preferably provided that an adhesive is applied or an already pre-applied adhesive is activated before the surface plate material is placed on the base plate and / or on the surface plate material.

[0035] This creates a strong bond between the base plate and the surface plate material. With a pre-applied adhesive, the adhesive is already applied to the base plate and / or the surface plate material but is not yet bonded. The adhesive only "sticks" when activated. Activation can occur, for example, by moistening, like a postage stamp. Thermal activation or other types of activation are also conceivable.

[0036] Preferably, the height profiling is provided at the edge region of the piece of furniture element and, in contrast, a central region of the piece of furniture is flat.

[0037] This represents a particularly common case in which the manufacturing process according to the invention can be applied.

[0038] Preferably, in the procedures described above, the individual steps are processed exactly in the order given.

[0039] With regard to a piece of furniture element, the object according to the invention is achieved by a piece of furniture element, in particular a table top, according to claim 9.

[0040] Such a piece of furniture can meet modern requirements for surface properties and at the same time can be designed in a variety of ways in terms of shape due to the height profiling extending in two dimensions.

[0041] The design possibilities resulting from the inventive manufacturing process are particularly evident when using FENIX® panels. However, the inventive concept can be extended to other surface panel materials that exhibit similar deep-drawing properties. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. In these drawings: Fig. 1 a perspective view of the corner of a table top; Fig. 2 a cross-section through an MDF board with a glued solid wood edge; Fig. 3 a top view of a corner of the MDF board, on which two bevels have been milled; Fig. 4 a top view of the corner of the MDF board after two solid wood pieces have been glued to the two bevels; Fig. 5 a top view of the corner of the MDF board after the corner has been milled out as a rounded corner; Fig. 6 a section through the MDF board, in which a height profile perpendicular to the lateral extent of the MDF board can be seen; Fig. 7 a section through the MDF board, in which a layer of FENIX® board material can be seen on the top and bottom of the MDF board; Fig. 8 a cross-section through the MDF board after a milling process in which the surrounding solid wood was milled into a crown. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] Fig. 1 shows a table top, designated overall by 10, as an exemplary piece of furniture element which is manufactured according to the manufacturing method according to the invention.

[0044] The table top 10 is essentially characterized in that a FENIX® plate material 14 deep-drawn in two dimensions is applied to a base plate 12.

[0045] As indicated by the dashed lines in Fig. As indicated in Figure 1, the tabletop 10 has a flat central surface 16 and a rounded bevel 18 that slopes down toward the end faces 20a, 20b of the tabletop 10. The bevel 18 also extends around corners, so that the FENIX® plate 14 has an uneven height profile along two dimensions simultaneously.

[0046] In addition, the base plate 12 has a fully circumferential, visible solid wood edge 22 along the end faces 20a, 20b and across the corner. There, the base plate 12 remains free of the FENIX® panel material 14. The table top 10 is manufactured as follows:

[0047] First, as in Fig. 2, an MDF board 30 is pre-formatted. This means that the MDF board 30 is cut approximately to the finished size of the tabletop 10, for example, 1 m by 2 m. The MDF board 30 can have a thickness of 1 cm to approximately 8 cm, in particular approximately 3 cm. The MDF board 30 is cut all around, minus approximately 0.2 to 2 cm, in particular approximately 7 mm, to create space for the solid wood edge 22.

[0048] Next, solid wood edge 22 is glued all around to the pre-formatted MDF board 30, for example, using an edge banding machine. The solid wood edge 22 can comprise one or more pieces of wood per side of the table top 10.

[0049] The glued solid wood edge 22 is also visible in the top view of Fig. 2 can be seen.

[0050] In a further step, the corners 32 of the base plate 12 are chamfered using a CNC milling machine in such a way that at least two further pieces of solid wood 34a and 34b can then be glued there (cf. Fig. 3). The pre-milled bevels already give the corners 32 a slight rounding compared to a 90° corner. During pre-milling, multiple bevels are also conceivable to round off the 90° angle, allowing more than two solid wood pieces 34a, 34b to be attached.

[0051] Fig. 4 shows how, after a further gluing step, the two solid wood pieces 34a, 34b are arranged on the base plate 12.

[0052] Once again on a CNC milling machine, the corners 32 of the base plate 12 are machined laterally, as shown in Fig. 5 visible, completely rounded.

[0053] Parallel to this milling step or after it, as can be seen from Fig. 6 - the MDF board 12, the solid wood edge 22 including the solid wood pieces 34a, 34b, a profile is milled, which runs completely around the table top 10 in the manner of a rounded bevel 18. In the area of ​​the corners 32, a two-dimensional outwardly sloping rounding is thus created, as can be seen in the oblique view of Fig. 1 is evident.

[0054] In a further step, the FENIX® board material 14 is pre-formatted. The FENIX® board material 14 typically has a thickness of 0.2 to 4 mm, in particular 0.9 mm. The FENIX® board material 14 is pre-formatted such that it exceeds the finished size by an overhang of approximately 0.2 mm to 5 mm, in particular 1 mm. When cutting the FENIX® board material 14, the corners 32 are pre-rounded laterally so that the FENIX® board material 14 also has a small overhang over the base plate 12, i.e., the MDF board 30 and the solid wood edge 22 including the solid wood pieces 34a, 34b.

[0055] The base plate 12 is then coated with an adhesive on its upper surface, preferably over its entire surface, and placed in the frame of a vacuum press. The pre-formatted FENIX® sheet material 14 is then placed on top of the base plate 12.

[0056] Finally, the base plate 12 including the FENIX® sheet material 14 placed on it is covered by the vacuum film of the vacuum press and the frame of the vacuum press is closed.

[0057] By evacuating the vacuum press, i.e. by sucking out the air beneath the vacuum film, the FENIX® board material 14 is then pressed from the vacuum film onto the MDF board.

[0058] The pressing process is carried out at approximately room temperature, but in any case at temperatures significantly below the temperatures used in the prefabrication of the surface material panels.

[0059] The adhesive permanently bonds the FENIX® sheet material 14 to the base plate 12. In the area of ​​the sideways sloping profile, and especially in the corners where a two-dimensional sloping profile is present, the FENIX® sheet material 14 is deep-drawn to the profile shape of the base plate 12. The FENIX® sheet material 14 is thus three-dimensionally deformed in such a way that the 2D height profile of the base plate 12 is perfectly reproduced.

[0060] If desired, a counter-laminated FENIX® sheet material 38 can also be applied to the underside of the base plate 12 in a similar step. Due to the flat underside of the base plate 12, this can also be applied using a normal press-on process. A vacuum press is preferably used for the underside as well. The pre-formatted counter-laminated FENIX® sheet material 38 also has a projection beyond the base plate 12. This prevents the adhesive from contaminating the vacuum press.

[0061] The result of these steps is shown in the section view of the Fig. 7 shown.

[0062] In a final milling step, the final contour of the tabletop 10 is milled using a CNC milling machine. A crown 40 is milled into the surrounding solid wood edge 22, and the smaller overhang of the FENIX® panel material 14 is also removed. The crown 40 is designed so that it is not only present on the solid wood edge 22, but also merges into the FENIX® panel material 14 (see Fig. Fig. 8).

[0063] Due to the convex solid wood edge 22, the sensitive end face of the FE-NIX® panel material 14 is protected from impacts, so that splitting from the end face is largely avoided.

[0064] In addition, in this or a subsequent milling process, a bevel 42 is milled from the underside of the tabletop 10, which creates a beveled edge on the underside of the tabletop 10 toward the solid wood edge 22. In the process, the counter-pull FENIX® panel material 38 is removed in the area of ​​the bevel 42.

[0065] Finally, the lower bevel 42 is painted to cover the MDF board 30.

[0066] Although the bevel 42 is ultimately not covered with the counter-FENIX® board material 38, it is nevertheless held there during pressing so that the press is not contaminated by the adhesive used between the MDF board 30 and the counter-FENIX® board material 42, which adhesive is applied to the underside of the MDF board 30, preferably over the entire surface, before the counter-FENIX® board material 38 is placed on top.

[0067] The manufacturing steps explained make it possible to produce a visually and haptically pleasant table top 10 with relatively extensive curves without having to forego the comfort properties of a FENIX® plate material 14.

[0068] The manufacturing steps make it possible, in particular, to provide height profiles along circumferential edges, i.e. not only edges running in one direction, which are covered with the FE-NIX® sheet material 14.

[0069] Of course, the manufacturing steps explained can be used in the same or modified way to manufacture other furniture elements, such as cover panels of a cabinet element.

Claims

[1] Method for producing a piece of furniture element (10), in particular a table top, comprising the following steps: a) providing a base plate (12) of the furniture element (10), wherein the base plate (12) comprises a height profiling (18) perpendicular to the plate extension, which extends laterally in two dimensions; b) placing a prefabricated surface plate material (14) having a core structure comprising paper impregnated with thermosetting resins onto the base plate (12); c) pressing the applied surface plate material (14) onto the base plate (12) in a vacuum press, wherein a vacuum film presses the surface plate material (14) onto the height profile (18) in such a way that the surface plate material (14) follows the height profile (18) of the base plate (12) along both dimensions, characterized by that the base plate (12) has a surrounding solid wood edge (22). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by that the base plate (12) has a rounding (18) as a height profile (18) on its end faces and over the corner (32). [3] Method according to claim 2, characterized by that the base plate is provided via the following steps: a1) gluing a solid wood edge (22) to a core board (30), in particular to an MDF board; a5) Milling the height profile (18) into the core plate (30) and the solid wood edge (22); [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized by that the following steps are carried out between steps a1) and a5): a2) Lateral bevelling of the corners (32) of the base plate (12) over at least two corner bevels; a3) gluing solid wood pieces (34a, 34b) to the corner slopes; a4) Lateral rounding of the corners (32) of the base plate (12), in particular of the solid wood pieces (34a, 34b) glued to the corner slopes; [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a counter-tension plate material (38) is pressed onto a side of the base plate (12) opposite the pressed-on surface plate material (14). [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that after the surface plate material (14) has been pressed on, an end face of the furniture element (10) is re-milled, in particular is milled crowned. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that before placing the surface plate material (14) on the base plate (12) and / or the surface plate material (14), an adhesive is applied or an already pre-applied adhesive is reactivated. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the height profiling (18) is provided at the edge region of the furniture element (10) and a central region (16) of the furniture element (10) is, in contrast, flat. [9] Furniture element (10), in particular a table top, with a) a base plate (12) comprising a height profile (18) perpendicular to the plate extension, which extends laterally in two dimensions, and b) a surface plate material (14) having a core structure comprising paper impregnated with thermosetting resins and pressed onto the base plate (12) using a vacuum press such that the surface plate material (14) follows the height profile (18) of the base plate (12) along both dimensions, characterized by that the base plate (12) has a surrounding solid wood edge (22).

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