Milling tool set and method for producing panels

Abstract

Milling tool set for forming contoured edge regions on at least two opposite edges (5-6) of a panel (1), with a first and a second subset of milling tools, in which:-the first subset (22) of said type permits the formation of contoured edge regions of a first type, in which the male (24) and female (25) coupling portions are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces (27-28), in which the male (24) and female (25) coupling portions (25) are provided with locking surfaces (27-28), which are provided with locking surfaces (27-28), and in which the male (24) and female (25) coupling portions (25) are provided with locking surfaces (27-28). The first milling tool (9A) in the first subset (22) is configured to form a horizontally acting locking surface (27) of the male coupling (24); -said second subset (23) allows the formation of a contoured edge region of a second type wherein the male coupling portion (24A) and the female coupling portion (25) are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces (27A-28) wherein the first milling tool (9B) in the second subset (23) is configured to form the horizontally acting locking surface (27A) of the male coupling portion (24A); and-said first milling tools (9A-9B) are configured to be mounted on the same drive shaft (30). The invention also relates to a method in which the set (2) or subsets (22-23) of milling tools are used.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a milling tool set for forming profile edge areas on at least two opposing edges of a panel and to a method for manufacturing a panel, wherein at least a subset of the milling tool set is used. Background Art

[0002] For example, it is known from WO 97 / 47834, WO 2006 / 103565 and WO 2011 / 014113 to form contour edge areas on opposite edges of a panel by means of several successive cutting operations with a rotary milling tool. These cutting operations can be carried out in a continuous milling machine, wherein the panel to be machined is moved through the machine and a plurality of rotary milling tools arranged along the path of the panel machine one or both edges of the panel parallel to the feed movement. It is known from WO 02 / 060691 to apply a scraping tool instead of one or more of the plurality of rotary milling tools.

[0003] Milling tool sets are known from WO 2008 / 010060 and WO 2021 / 260466, which are capable of forming optimized profile edge areas of a clear type for panels of different thicknesses with a minimum number of changes. WO '060 and WO '466 relate to milling tool sets, which can form profile edge areas on two opposite edges, wherein these profile edge areas are of the type comprising a male coupling and a female coupling that can be locked together by means of a rotational movement and / or a horizontal sliding movement. Such profile edge areas can be arranged on a short pair of opposite edges of the panel and on a long pair of opposite edges. According to another possibility, such profile edge areas can be arranged on a long pair of opposite edges, and on a short pair of opposite edges, the profile edge areas are formed as a type comprising a male coupling and a female coupling that can be locked together by means of a downward movement. In this way, as further disclosed in WO 01 / 75247, a panel that can be installed by means of a so-called fold-down movement can be obtained. To install a panel in a particular row of panels, the long edge of the panel to be installed is coupled with the long edge of the installed panel of the previous row by means of a rotational movement. A downward movement is automatically generated on the short edge, which can be used to couple the short edge with the short edge of the installed panel in the new row. Here, it is not excluded to use knocking to obtain the final locking state on the short edge. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention firstly relates to an alternative milling tool set, in which, according to various preferred embodiments, it is possible to change between different types of contour edge areas in a more economical manner, in particular, between contour edge areas that allow connection by means of a rotational movement and contour edge areas that allow connection by means of a downward movement.

[0005] To this end, according to a first independent aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a milling tool set for forming profile edge areas on at least two opposite edges of a panel, wherein the profile edge areas comprise coupling means allowing the respective edges to be coupled to each other, wherein the milling tool set comprises a first sub-set of milling tools and a second sub-set of milling tools, wherein the first sub-set and the second sub-set comprise identical or different milling tools and wherein the sub-sets have the following features:

[0006] - the above-mentioned first sub-group allows forming a first type of profile edge area, wherein the first type of profile edge area comprises a male coupling part which can be fitted into a female coupling part on an opposite edge by means of a rotational movement and / or a horizontal sliding movement, wherein the male coupling part and the female coupling part are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces which in the coupled state enable locking at least in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the respective edge and in the plane of the coupled panels, wherein in the above-mentioned coupled state, preferably also a locking between the male coupling part and the female coupling part is achieved in a vertical direction perpendicular to the above-mentioned plane, wherein the first milling tool in the first sub-group is configured to form the horizontally acting locking surface of the male coupling part of the first type of profile edge area;

[0007] - the above-mentioned second sub-group allows forming a second type of profile edge area, wherein the second type of profile edge area comprises a male coupling part which can be fitted into a female coupling part on an opposite edge by means of a downward movement, wherein the male coupling part and the female coupling part are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces which in the coupled state enable locking at least in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the respective edge and in the plane of the coupled panels, wherein in the above-mentioned coupled state, preferably also locking between the male coupling part and the female coupling part is achieved in a vertical direction perpendicular to the above-mentioned plane, wherein the first milling tool in the second sub-group is configured to form the horizontally acting locking surface of the male coupling part of the second type of profile edge area;

[0008] - said first tools in the first sub-group and said first tools in the second sub-group comprise mutually different cutting edges; and

[0009] - The first milling tools in the first subgroup and the first milling tools in the second subgroup are both configured to be mounted on drive shafts having the same inclination to the horizontal plane, preferably on the same drive shaft.

[0010] “A milling tool configured to form a specific portion of the contour edge region” means that the milling tool has one or more contour cutting portions that correspond to corresponding portions of the contour edge region. “A milling tool configured to be mounted on a drive shaft having a specific inclination” means that the above correspondence can be achieved during milling only when the milling tool is mounted on a drive shaft having a specified inclination or having a specified inclination range.

[0011] It should be noted that the milling operation performed using the milling tool set or a sub-set thereof according to the invention is preferably performed with the decorative side of the panel pointing downwards, i.e. positioned opposite to the feed chain of the continuous milling machine. When referring to features of the panel hereinafter, an orientation with the decorative side of the panel pointing downwards will be assumed.

[0012] Since the first milling tools in the first subgroup and the first milling tools in the second subgroup are configured to be mounted on the same drive shaft, it is easy to change from the first type of contour edge area to the second type of contour edge area. According to a first possibility, the drive shaft can be maintained at an existing inclination. According to another possibility, there can be a stop portion available, against which the drive shaft can be directly or indirectly positioned at the desired inclination. In this case, the drive shaft can be tilted, for example until an inclination is obtained that allows for safer replacement of the above-mentioned first milling tool, and tilted back to the initial inclination with the help of the stop portion. According to both possibilities, a fine setting of the inclination of the corresponding drive shaft can be avoided.

[0013] Preferably, the horizontally acting locking surfaces of the male coupling parts of the first and second types of profile edge areas extend downwards at an angle of 55° to 80° in the distal direction viewed from the panel. In this way, for the first and second types of profile edge areas, a good locking in the above-mentioned horizontal direction can be obtained, while the inclination of the drive shaft is such that it remains easy to change the milling tool. The angles at which the horizontally acting locking surfaces of the male coupling parts of the first and second types of profile edge areas extend can then be identical or nearly identical.

[0014] According to a specific embodiment, the horizontally acting locking surfaces of the male coupling parts of the first and second types of contour edge areas extend downward in the distal direction at mutually different angles, wherein the angle difference is 5° or less. The possibility of obtaining a small angle difference is useful for optimizing the locking strength in the horizontal direction. Preferably, the angle at which the horizontally acting locking surface is associated with the male coupling part of the second type of contour edge area is larger. Nevertheless, according to the present invention, corresponding locking surfaces can still be obtained based on the first milling tools of the above-mentioned first and second subgroups mounted on drive shafts with the same inclination.

[0015] Preferably, the above-mentioned inclination of the drive shaft relative to the horizontal plane is between 10° and 35°. Said inclination is optimal for obtaining a locking surface as described above, which extends downward in the distal direction, for example, at an angle between 55° and 80°, which angles may be the same or different.

[0016] According to a preferred embodiment, the male and female coupling parts of the first type of profile edge area and the second type of profile edge area are both provided with a vertically acting locking surface, preferably formed by an upwardly facing surface of the male coupling part and a downwardly facing surface of the female coupling part interacting with the upwardly facing surface. Preferably, the first subgroup comprises a second milling tool configured to form a vertically acting locking surface of the male coupling part of the first type of profile edge area, and the second subgroup comprises a second milling tool configured to form a vertically acting locking surface of the male coupling part of the second type of profile edge area, preferably, in each case, the vertically acting locking surface points upwards and can interact with the downwardly facing surface of the female coupling part of the corresponding type of profile edge area. Preferably, the second tool in the first subgroup and the second tool in the second subgroup comprise mutually different cutting edges, and the second milling tool in the first subgroup and the second milling tool in the second subgroup are both configured to be mounted on a drive shaft having the same inclination to the horizontal plane, preferably on the same drive shaft. Obviously, this preferred embodiment helps to limit the time required to change the milling tool when switching from producing panels with a first type of contour edge area to producing panels with a second type of contour edge area. It should also be noted that regardless of whether the first milling tool described based on the first aspect must be configured to be mounted on a drive shaft with the same inclination to the horizontal plane, the milling tool set with the second milling tool also has independent inventiveness.

[0017] Preferably, the vertically acting locking surfaces of the male coupling parts of the first and second types of profile edge regions extend downwards in the distal direction at mutually different angles, wherein the angle difference is 10° or more. This allows the vertical locking strength to be optimized depending on the type of profile edge region. Preferably, the above angle is greater for the male coupling parts of the profile edge regions of the second type. Nevertheless, corresponding vertically acting locking surfaces can still be obtained based on the second milling tools of the first and second subgroups mounted on drive shafts with the same inclination.

[0018] Preferably, the male coupling parts of the first type and the second type of the contour edge area can be assembled into the female coupling part formed in the same way. Therefore, when the contour edge area of ​​the first type is converted to the contour edge area of ​​the second type, it is almost unnecessary to replace the milling tool for forming the female coupling part, and vice versa. Preferably, the milling tool group also includes at least one third subgroup of the milling tool, which allows the female coupling part to be formed on the above-mentioned opposite edges. In this preferred embodiment, it should be noted that the corresponding female coupling part can be combined with a male coupling part having a locking surface extending at different angles from each other. In this case, the female coupling part and / or the male coupling part preferably have an elastically bendable part. The elastically bendable part can adapt to different angles so that for the two male coupling parts, a good locking can still be obtained in the horizontal direction. The above-mentioned elastically bendable part can be, for example, a protruding lip of the corresponding female coupling part. When the female coupling part is configured as a groove flanked by an upper groove lip and a lower groove lip, the elastically bendable part is preferably formed by at least the lower groove lip. The lower groove lip may then protrude in the distal direction beyond the above-mentioned upper lip and / or may be provided with one or more resilient grooves or recesses to increase flexibility.

[0019] In conjunction with the aforementioned preferred embodiments, it should also be noted that, preferably, the downwardly pointing surface of the female connection part that can interact with the vertically acting locking surface of the male connection part and therefore also serve as a vertically acting locking surface can be different, depending on whether the downwardly pointing surface of the female connection part involves interaction with the vertically acting locking surface of the male connection part in the first type or second type of contour edge area.

[0020] Preferably, the milling tool set is adapted to form a profile edge region on a first and a second pair of opposing edges of a rectangular elongated panel, wherein the first to third subgroups are adapted to form the first pair of profile edge regions, preferably the short pair of opposing edges, and wherein the milling tool set further comprises a fourth and a fifth subgroup of milling tools, wherein the fourth and the fifth subgroups are adapted to form a male coupling or a female coupling, respectively, on the second pair of opposing edges, preferably the long pair of opposing edges. Preferably, the profile edge region of the long pair of opposing edges comprises a male coupling which can be fitted into the female coupling by means of a rotational movement and / or a sliding movement, wherein the male and the female coupling are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces which in the coupled state enable locking at least in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the respective edges, wherein in the coupled state, preferably also locking between the male and female coupling is achieved in a vertical direction perpendicular to the above-mentioned plane.

[0021] By switching from a first type of profile edge region to a second type of profile edge region on short pairs of opposing edges, while for example the profile edge region of long pairs of opposing edges remains unchanged, it is possible to switch a panel which is mounted only on the basis of a rotational movement and / or a horizontal sliding movement to a panel which can be mounted on the basis of a so-called fold-down movement with a minimum of milling tool changes. These mounting modes are very common and manufacturers of panels, such as floor panels, often feel obliged to provide both mounting modes. With the invention, a production change between these two mounting modes can be made more economically.

[0022] Preferably, the male coupling parts of the first type of profile edge area and the second type of profile edge area can both fit into the female coupling parts of the second pair of opposite edges. Based on this preferred embodiment, a very versatile panel can be provided, which is also suitable for forming coverings (such as floor coverings) with patterns (such as herringbone patterns). Preferably, the male coupling parts of the second pair of opposite edges can fit into the female coupling parts of the first pair of opposite edges.

[0023] Preferably, the male coupling portion of the second opposing edge pair is identical or nearly identical to the male coupling portion of the first type of contour edge area.

[0024] Preferably, the female coupling portion of the second opposing edge pair is identical or nearly identical to the female coupling portion that can interact with the male coupling portion of the second type of contour edge area.

[0025] Obviously, in addition to the milling tools of the first and second subgroups, the milling tool set may also include other milling tools, such as the milling tools of the third, fourth and / or fifth subgroups. Other possible additional milling tools are:

[0026] - one or more additional contour milling tools. Thus, for example, in order to form a male coupling part of a contour edge region of the second type, an additional milling tool may be used for forming an undercut in the proximal surface on the underside of the male coupling part;

[0027] - one or more finishing milling tools. With said finishing milling tools the final upper edge of the panel can be formed;

[0028] - one or more rough milling tools. With the rough milling tool a certain amount of material can be removed before applying the first milling tool and / or the second milling tool of the first and / or second subgroup of milling tools. In this way, the forces acting on the first milling tool and / or the second milling tool can be limited and the wear of these milling tools can also be limited;

[0029] - One or more milling tools for forming a lower edge region, such as a chamfer, on the upper edge of the panel.

[0030] Obviously, according to a second independent aspect, the invention also relates to a method for manufacturing panels for the same purpose, using at least a subset of the set of milling tools having the features of the first aspect of the invention and / or preferred embodiments thereof. The method preferably comprises the step of replacing at least a first milling tool of the first subset with a first milling tool of the second subset, e.g. in order to change the type of profile edge region to be obtained on a respective pair of opposing edges, e.g. a short pair of opposing edges of a rectangular elongated floor panel. Preferably, no changes are made to the milling tool providing the female coupling on the opposing edges and / or to the milling tool providing the profile edge region for the long pair of opposing edges.

[0031] According to a particular embodiment, the method further comprises the step of placing the additional contour milling tool from its parked position, incapable of engaging the panel, into an active position such that the additional contour tool in the active position can form a portion of a contour edge area of ​​the relevant type.

[0032] It is also obvious that the invention also relates to a panel obtained based on a method having the features of the second aspect and / or its preferred embodiments.

[0033] In general, with respect to all of the above aspects, it should also be noted that the above panels may have one or more of the following characteristics:

[0034] - the panel comprises the property of a substrate, on top of which a decorative top layer is applied, wherein in each case the above-mentioned joining part is preferably made in one piece with the material of the panel, more particularly with the material of the substrate. The above-mentioned decorative top layer preferably comprises a print. The print can be made directly on the substrate together with an intermediate preparation layer or can be applied on a carrier layer, such as on paper or a plastic film. Preferably, there is a transparent or translucent wear layer on top of the print. According to an alternative, the decorative top layer can also be formed at least by a wood veneer, a stone veneer, a textile such as a carpet or a woven vinyl or by a decorative powder mix;

[0035] - the panels contain the properties of a matrix of a filled plastic composite material, such as a filled thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic. Thus, for example, they may be so-called SPC panels (Stone Plastic Composite), which contain a foamed or non-foamed matrix of a thermoplastic, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate), which is filled with an inorganic filler, such as CaCO3. Alternatively, the panels may contain a matrix of particles bonded together, such as wood particles or cork particles. For example, they may be MDF or HDF (medium-density or high-density fiberboard) boards or wood particle boards. According to another alternative, the panels may contain a matrix of wood, wood strips or wood layers. For example, they may be a multilayer substrate or a so-called laminate core assembled from wood strips. According to another alternative, the panels may comprise a mineral-based substrate, such as cement fiberboard, calcium silicate board, gypsum board or magnesium oxide board;

[0036] - the property that the thickness of the panel is between 3 mm and 18 mm. In case the panel has a substrate filled with plastic composite material, the thickness of the panel is preferably between 3 mm and 7 mm. In case the panel has one of the abovementioned alternative substrates, the thickness of the panel is preferably between 6.5 mm and 15 mm;

[0037] - the characteristics of the panel being between 80 cm and 250 cm in length and between 12 cm and 30 cm in width. In the case of panels having a substrate filled with plastic composite material, the length of the panel is preferably between 85 cm and 140 cm. In the case of panels having one of the above-mentioned alternative substrates, the length of the panel is preferably between 120 cm and 215 cm; and / or

[0038] - the panel is provided with the property of a lower edge region on one or more upper edges, preferably in the form of a chamfer, wherein said lower edge region preferably extends at least to a depth below the overall level of the top surface of the substrate. Preferably, the surface of the lower edge region is provided with a decorative coating formed by an integral decorative top layer applied to said substrate or by a coating separate from said integral decorative coating.

[0039] Furthermore, it should generally be noted that, with respect to all of the above aspects, the above-mentioned coupling portion may have one or more of the following characteristics:

[0040] - the male and female coupling parts of the first type of profile edge area are respectively configured substantially in the nature of a tongue and groove, flanked by an upper lip and a lower lip. The interaction of the tongue and groove in the coupled state preferably results in locking in the above-mentioned vertical direction. Horizontally acting locking surfaces are preferably formed on the walls of the locking groove applied on the underside of the tongue and on the walls of the upwardly extending locking portion on the upper side of the lower lip, respectively. Preferably, the lower lip extends beyond the upper lip in the distal direction. Preferably, the above-mentioned upwardly extending locking portion is provided on a portion of the lower lip extending beyond the distal end of the upper lip;

[0041] - The property that the horizontally acting locking surface of the male coupling part of the profile edge area of ​​the second type mentioned above is formed on the wall of the locking groove applied on the lower side of the male coupling part. The female coupling part preferably has a protruding lip, wherein the horizontally acting locking surface of the female coupling part is preferably formed on the wall of the upwardly extending locking part located on the upper side of the protruding lip. Preferably, the protruding lip extends beyond the upper edge of the panel in the distal direction. Preferably, the above-mentioned upwardly extending locking part is arranged on the part of the protruding lip extending beyond the upper edge of the panel. Preferably, the male coupling part and the female coupling part of the profile edge area of ​​the second type also have a vertically acting locking part. The vertically acting locking part can be formed in various ways. Thus, for example, they can include one or more undercuts that interact with one or more protrusions. According to a first possibility, the undercut can be located on the proximal surface of the female coupling part and is intended to interact with a protrusion on the distal surface of the male coupling part. According to a second possibility, the undercut and the protrusion can be formed by the above-mentioned horizontally acting locking surface, in which case the undercut and the protrusion also act in the vertical direction. According to a third possibility, the undercut may be formed on the end of the above-mentioned protruding lip and the undercut interacts with a protrusion on the opposite wall of the male coupling part in the coupled state;

[0042] - the property that the male and female coupling parts of the first type of profile edge area and / or the male and female coupling parts of the second type of profile edge area are made in one piece from the same material as the rest of the panel; and / or

[0043] - The female coupling portion of the first type and / or second type of profile edge area has the properties of an elastically curved portion in the coupled state, preferably the lower lip of the above-mentioned groove or the above-mentioned protruding lip, respectively. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to better illustrate the features of the present invention, some preferred embodiments will be described below as examples but not limiting with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0045] Figure 1A method of using a milling tool set according to the invention is schematically illustrated;

[0046] Figures 2 to 7 Shown according to Figure 1 The cross sections along lines II-II; III-III; IV-IV; VV; VI-VI and VII-VII shown in FIG.

[0047] Figure 8 and Fig. 9 With Figure 5 and Figure 6 A similar diagram in FIG shows the use of Figure 1 Another method of milling tool set in;

[0048] Fig.10 Shown according to Figure 1 A section of line XX shown in ;

[0049] Figure 11 to Figure 12 Shown on a larger scale by Figure 1 The method in Figure 1 a cross section of the panel taken along the lines XI-XI and XII-XII shown in FIG. 1 ; and

[0050] Fig.13 With Fig.12 A similar diagram to that in FIG. 1 shows that Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Another panel obtained by the method shown in . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] Figure 1 It is schematically shown how a floor panel 1 can be obtained by a method using a milling tool set 2 according to the first aspect of the invention. In the example shown, it concerns a method for manufacturing a rectangular floor panel 1. Here, the floor panel 1 is provided with a profile edge area 8 both on its long pair of opposing edges 3-4 and on its transverse or short pair of opposing edges 5-6 by means of two processing machines, more specifically by means of continuous milling machines 7A-7B. Here, so-called "continuous milling" is used. First, the panels 1 are moved with their long pairs of opposing edges 3-4 onto a mechanical cutting tool or milling tool 9. Then, they are similarly processed with their short or transverse opposing edges 5-6.

[0052] Figure 2It is shown how the panel 1 can be transported by a first processing machine 7A. For this purpose, the machine 7A has a chain conveyor 10 and a belt, more specifically an upper belt 11, like the machine 7B for processing the short pairs of opposite edges 5-6 in the example. The panel 1 is inverted, i.e. its decorated side 12 points downwards towards the chain conveyor 10. At the height of its edges 3-4, the decorated side 12 of the panel 1 is pressed against a guide shoe 14 by means of a press shoe 13.

[0053] The panel 1 shown consists of a laminate material of the "DPL" type, but, as stated in the introduction to the invention, it is clear that the invention is not limited to the manufacture of panels 1 consisting of said material.

[0054] The laminate material shown comprises a core material 15, a decorative layer 16 and a so-called cover layer 17 or wear layer, wherein the decorative layer 16 and the cover layer 17 together form a top layer 18 and consist of a carrier film impregnated with plastic, which are pressed onto the core material 15 and wherein the decorative layer 16 is also provided with a print or printed decoration. The core material 15 consists, for example, of a wood-based material such as MDF or HDF. During the formation of the profile edge region 8, on its underside 19 (here oriented upwards), the panel 1 is provided with a balancing layer 20 consisting of a carrier film impregnated with resin.

[0055] Figure 2 It is shown that the contour edge region 8 to be formed comprises a coupling structure or coupling portion 21 on the long opposite edge pairs 3-4 of the floor panels 1, with which two such panels 1 can be coupled to each other on the respective edges 3-4. The same is true for the contour edge region 8 to be formed of the short opposite edge pairs 5-6.

[0056] A particular feature of the invention is that the milling tool set 2 comprises a first subset 22 of milling tools 9 and a second subset 23 of milling tools 9 .

[0057] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the first subgroup 22 allows the formation of a male coupling portion 24 of a first type of contour edge region, wherein the first type of contour edge region includes a male coupling portion 24, such as Fig.11 and Fig.12 As further shown in FIG. 1 , the male coupling part can be assembled into the female coupling part 25 on the opposite edge 6 by means of a rotational movement W and / or a horizontal sliding movement S. In this case, the first subgroup 22 is used in a continuous milling machine 7B for machining the short opposite edges 5-6. In the same continuous milling machine 7B, such as by means of Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the third subset 26 of milling tools 9 shown in FIG. 1 , female coupling portions 25 are also formed on the opposite short edges 5 .

[0058] In the continuous milling machine 7B, the male coupling part 24 and the female coupling part 25 are obtained on the short opposite edges 5-6 and are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces 27-28, which in the coupled state achieve locking at least in the horizontal direction H perpendicular to the respective edges and in the plane of the coupled panels 1. In this example, in the above-mentioned coupled state, locking is also achieved between the male coupling part 24 and the female coupling part 25 in the vertical direction V perpendicular to the above-mentioned plane. Figure 4 It is clearly shown that the first milling tool 9A in the first subset 22 is configured to form a horizontally acting locking surface 27 of the male coupling portion 24 of the first type of profile edge area.

[0059] like Figures 7 to 9 , the second subgroup 23 allows forming a male coupling 24A of a second type of contour edge region, wherein the second type of contour edge region comprises a male coupling 24A which can be fitted into a female coupling 25 on the opposite edge 6 by means of a downward movement N. In this case, the second subgroup 23 is used as an alternative to the first subgroup 22 in a continuous milling machine 7B for machining short edges 5-6. The female coupling 25 on the opposite short edge 6 is configured identically to the female coupling 25 of the first type of contour edge region and Figure 5 and Figure 6 Thus, the female coupling portion 25 can be formed based on the third subset 25 of milling tools 9 described above.

[0060] Thus, by means of the second subgroup 23 and the third subgroup 26 of the milling tools 9 in the continuous milling machine 7B, it is possible to obtain on the short opposite edges 5-6 a male coupling part 24A and a female coupling part 25 provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces 27A-28, which in the coupled state enable locking at least in the horizontal direction H perpendicular to the respective edges 5-6 and in the plane of the coupled panels 1. In this example, in the above-mentioned coupled state, locking is also achieved between the male coupling part 24A and the female coupling part 25 in the vertical direction V perpendicular to the above-mentioned plane. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 2 , the first milling tool 9B in the second sub-set 23 is configured to form a horizontally acting locking surface 27A of the male coupling portion 24A of the second type of profile edge area.

[0061] Figure 4 and Fig. 9It is clearly shown that the first tool 9A in the first subgroup 22 and the first tool 9B in the second subgroup 23 comprise different cutting edges 29 and that the first milling tool 9A in the first subgroup 22 and the first milling tool 9B in the second subgroup 23 are both configured to be mounted on a drive shaft 30 having the same inclination A with the horizontal plane, i.e., in this case, mounted on the same drive shaft 30. The inclination A of the drive shaft 30 with the horizontal plane is in this case approximately 25 degrees. The locking surface 27 of the male coupling portion 24 of the first type of contour edge area extends in the distal direction at an angle B of 65°, while the locking surface 27A of the male coupling portion 24A of the second type of contour edge area extends in the distal direction at an angle C of 62°.

[0062] Obviously, the above-mentioned drive shaft 30 is driven by the motor M, preferably because the drive shaft 30 is formed by the motor shaft.

[0063] Figure 1 and Figure 7 It is also shown that the second sub-set 23 comprises an additional profile milling tool 9C for forming an undercut 31 in the proximal surface on the underside of the male coupling portion 24A of the second type of profile edge area. When the first sub-set 22 is used, this additional profile milling tool 9C can be placed in a parking position 32 or inactive position, i.e. a position in which it cannot engage with the panel 1. This parking position 32 does not need to be different from the position in which the corresponding milling tool 9C is located when the second sub-set 23 is used, i.e. when forming the male coupling portion 24A of the second type of profile edge area. That is, the geometry of the cutting edge 29 of the additional profile milling tool 9C is such that it does not interfere with or otherwise detract from the geometry of the first type of profile edge area.

[0064] Figures 3 to 9 It is also shown that both the male coupling part 24-24A and the female coupling part 25 of the first type of contour edge area and the second type of contour edge area are provided with vertically acting locking surfaces 33-33A-34-34A. In this case, these locking surfaces are formed by the upward facing surface 33-33A of the male coupling part 24-24A and the downward facing surface 34-34A of the female coupling part 25 interacting therewith. Note again that Figures 3 to 9 The panel 1 in FIG. 1 is shown with its decorative side 12 pointing downwards, so that said upwardly facing surfaces 33 - 33A of the male coupling parts 24 - 24A mentioned here point downwards in the figure, and vice versa.

[0065] The first subgroup 22 comprises a second milling tool 9D configured to form a vertically acting locking surface 33 of a male coupling portion 24 of a first type of contour edge region, and the second subgroup 23 comprises a second milling tool 9E configured to form a vertically acting locking surface 33A of a male coupling portion 24A of a second type of contour edge region. In each case, it involves a vertically acting locking surface 33-33A that points upward and can interact with a downwardly facing surface 34-34A of a female coupling portion 25 of a corresponding type of contour edge region. The second tools 9D in the first subgroup 22 and the second tools 9E in the second subgroup 23 comprise mutually different cutting edges 29. The second milling tools 9D in the first subgroup 22 and the second milling tools 9E in the second subgroup 23 are both configured to be mounted on a drive shaft 30 having the same inclination with a horizontal plane. In this case, they are configured to be mounted on the same drive shaft 30. In this case, the associated drive shaft 30 is inclined at a right angle relative to the horizontal plane.

[0066] The corresponding vertically acting locking surfaces 33-33A of the male coupling portion 24A of the first type and the second type of contour edge area extend downward in the distal direction at mutually different angles D, wherein the angle difference is 10° or more. In this example, the vertically acting locking surface 33 of the male coupling portion 24 of the first type of contour edge area extends downward in the distal direction at an angle D of 9°, while the vertically acting locking surface 33A of the male coupling portion 24A of the second type of contour edge area extends downward in the distal direction at an angle D of 30°.

[0067] Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Fig.10 The milling tool set 2 is shown to include a fourth sub-set 35 and a fifth sub-set 36 adapted to form a male coupling portion 37 or a female coupling portion 38, respectively, on the long pairs of opposing edges 3-4. In this example, these milling tools 9 are adapted to form a first type of contour edge region that is the same as or at least very similar to the first type of contour edge region described herein for the short pairs of opposing edges 5-6.

[0068] The milling tool set 2 shown in the figure makes it possible to switch from producing a panel 1 with a first type of contour edge area to producing a panel 1 with a second type of contour edge area with minimal simple changes. More specifically, in this example, it is possible to switch from Figure 1 The configuration involving the production of a panel 1 having a first type of contour edge region is converted to the production of a panel 1 having a second type of contour edge region:

[0069] - Will Figure 7 The additional milling tool 9C is placed in the enabled position;

[0070] - Replace the first milling tool 9A-9B, i.e. Figure 4 The first milling tool 9A in the first subgroup 22 shown in FIG. 1 is replaced by Fig. 9 The first milling tool 9B in the second subgroup 23 shown in FIG. 1 does not need to adjust the inclination A of the drive shaft 30 . However, for safety reasons, a stop portion may be used (as described in the summary of the invention but not shown here); and

[0071] - Replace the second milling tool 9D-9E, i.e. Figure 3 The second milling tool 9D in the first subgroup 22 shown in FIG. 1 is replaced by Figure 8 The second milling tool 9E in the second subgroup 23 shown in FIG. There is no need to adjust the inclination of the drive shaft 30. In this case, the vertical orientation of the drive shaft 30 is ideal for performing a safe replacement.

[0072] Of course, when switching, it may be necessary to finely adjust the positions of the first milling tool, the second milling tool and the additional milling tools 9A-9B-9C-9D-9E. Since the number of milling tools to be replaced is limited and since there is no need to adjust the inclination of the drive shaft 30 or since a stopper can be used, such fine adjustment can save time and effort.

[0073] It should also be noted that, as shown here, in addition to the milling tools in the first to fifth subgroups already mentioned, the milling tool set 2 may also include one or more fine milling tools 9F and / or one or more rough milling tools 9G and / or one or more milling tools 9H for forming the lower edge region 39 (such as a chamfer). When switching from producing a panel 1 with a first type of contour edge region to producing a panel 1 with a second type of contour edge region, it is not necessary to replace these milling tools 9F-9G-9H.

[0074] Fig.11 The resulting contour edge regions on the long opposing edge pairs 3-4 are shown. In this example, these contour edge regions are similar to those when the first subset 22 of milling tools described above is used. Fig.12 The resulting profile edge areas of the short opposing edge area pairs 5-6 shown in FIG. are the same. This configuration allows the male coupling portion 24 of the short opposing edge pairs 5-6 to couple with the female coupling portion 38 of the long opposing edge pairs, and vice versa. By configuring this profile edge area, a specific laying pattern can be obtained.

[0075] It should be noted that Fig.11 and Fig.12 as well as Fig.13 The panel 1 in Figure 1 is a floor panel and is shown here in the orientation for use, ie with the decorative side 12 facing upwards.

[0076] The male coupling part 24 and the female coupling part 25 of the first type of profile edge area are substantially configured as a tongue 40 and a groove 41, respectively. In this case, the groove 41 is delimited by a lower lip 42 and an upper lip 43, wherein in this example the lower lip 42 is formed to extend beyond the upper lip 43. The male and female coupling parts 24-25 shown enable mutual locking of the individual panels 1 in the coupled state of at least two of the above-mentioned floor panels 1 in the horizontal direction H and in the vertical direction V. The interaction of the tongue 40 and the groove 41 in the coupled state enables the above-mentioned locking in the vertical direction V. The horizontally acting locking surfaces 27-28 are formed on the walls of the locking groove 44 applied on the lower side of the tongue 40 and on the walls of the upwardly extending locking portion 45 located on the upper side of the lower lip 42, respectively. The lower lip 42 extends beyond the upper lip 43 in the distal direction, and the above-mentioned upwardly extending locking portion 45 is provided on the portion of the lower lip 42 extending beyond the distal end 46 of the upper lip 43.

[0077] Fig.13 The horizontally acting locking surface 27A of the male coupling part 24A of the profile edge area of ​​the second type described above is formed on the wall of the locking groove 44 applied to the lower side of the male coupling part 24A. The female coupling part 25 has a protruding lip 42A, wherein the horizontally acting locking surface 28 of the female coupling part 25 is formed on the wall of the upwardly extending locking part 45 located on the upper side of the protruding lip 42A. The protruding lip 42A extends beyond the upper edge 47 of the panel 1 in the distal direction. In this case, the above-mentioned upwardly extending locking part 45 is arranged on the part of the protruding lip 42A extending beyond the upper edge 47 of the panel 1. As already described above, the male coupling part 24A and the female coupling part 25 of the profile edge area of ​​the second type include vertically acting locking parts 33A-34A. The vertically acting locking parts 33A-34A include one or more undercuts 31, which interact with one or more protrusions 48. In this example, the undercut 31 is present on the proximal surface of the female coupling part 25 and is intended to interact with the protrusion 48 on the distal surface of the male coupling part 24A. Another pair of interacting undercuts 31 and protrusions 48 are formed on the end of the above-mentioned protruding lip 42A and on the opposite wall of the male coupling part 24A, respectively.

[0078] In these examples, the joining portions 21 of the long pairs of opposing edges 3 - 4 and the short pairs of opposing edges 5 - 6 are made in one piece from the same material as the rest of the panel 1 .

[0079] according to Fig.12 and Fig.13In the embodiment shown by the dashed line 49, the female coupling part 25 of the first type and / or the second type of the contour edge area can have an elastic bending part in the coupled state, such as the lower lip 42 of the above-mentioned groove 41 or the above-mentioned protruding lip 42A shown here. The dashed line also shows that the panel can be provided with a lower edge area 39 on its upper edge 47, for example in the form of a chamfer here.

[0080] refer to Fig. 9 It should also be noted that the milling tools 9-9A-9B-9C-9D-9E may include a number of teeth 50 mounted on the periphery of the respective milling tool. For the second milling tool 9E in the second subgroup 23, from Fig. 9 In the example shown in , several teeth 50 have mutually different cutting edges 29. These teeth 50 are preferably arranged alternately on the periphery of the milling tool 9E. Possibly, the distance between the individual teeth 50 measured along the drive shaft 30 can be changed to compensate for the wear of the corresponding cutting edges.

[0081] The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments described as examples and shown in the drawings, but the milling tool set and / or the method can be realized in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A milling tool set for forming a profile edge region on at least two opposite edges (5-6) of a panel (1), wherein: The contour edge region comprises a coupling structure (21) allowing the respective edges (5-6) to be coupled to each other, characterised in that the milling tool set (2) comprises a first sub-set (22) of milling tools and a second sub-set (23) of milling tools, wherein the first sub-set and the second sub-set (22-23) comprise identical or different milling tools (9), and the sub-sets (22-23) have the following characteristics: - the first subgroup (22) allows forming a first type of profile edge area, wherein the first type of profile edge area comprises a male coupling part (24) which can be assembled into a female coupling part (25) on an opposite edge (6) by means of a rotational movement (W) and / or a horizontal sliding movement (S), wherein the male coupling part (24) and the female coupling part (25) are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces (27-28) which in the coupled state enable locking at least in a horizontal direction (H) perpendicular to the respective edge (5-6) and in the plane of the coupled panel (1), wherein in the coupled state, preferably also locking between the male coupling part (24) and the female coupling part (25) is achieved in a vertical direction (V) perpendicular to the plane, wherein a first milling tool (9A) in the first subgroup (22) is configured to form the horizontally acting locking surface (27) of the male coupling part (24) of the first type of profile edge area; - the second subgroup (23) allows forming a second type of profile edge area, wherein the second type of profile edge area comprises a male coupling part (24A) which can be fitted into a female coupling part (25) on an opposite edge (6) by means of a downward movement (N), wherein the male coupling part (24A) and the female coupling part (25) are provided with horizontally acting locking surfaces (27A-28) which in the coupled state enable locking at least in a horizontal direction (H) perpendicular to the respective edge (5-6) and in the plane of the coupled panel (1), wherein in the coupled state, preferably also locking between the male coupling part (24A) and the female coupling part (25) is achieved in a vertical direction (V) perpendicular to the plane, wherein the first milling tool (9B) in the second subgroup (23) is configured to form the horizontally acting locking surface (27A) of the male coupling part (24A) of the second type of profile edge area; - the first tools (9A) in the first subgroup (22) and the first tools (9B) in the second subgroup (23) comprise mutually different cutting edges (29); and - The first milling tools (9A) in the first subgroup (22) and the first milling tools (9B) in the second subgroup (23) are both configured to be mounted on a drive shaft (30) having the same inclination (A) to a horizontal plane, preferably mounted on the same drive shaft (30).

2. The milling tool set according to claim 1, characterized in that The horizontally acting locking surfaces (27-27A) of the male coupling parts (24-24A) of the profile edge areas of the first type and the second type extend downwardly in the distal direction at an angle (B) of 55° to 80°.

3. The milling tool set according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The horizontally acting locking surfaces (27-27A) of the male coupling parts (24-24A) of the first type and the second type of contour edge areas extend downwardly in the distal direction at mutually different angles (B), wherein the angle difference is 5° or less.

4. The milling tool set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The inclination (A) of the drive shaft (31) relative to the horizontal plane is between 10° and 35°.

5. The milling tool set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The male coupling parts (24-24A) of the contour edge areas of the first type and the second type are capable of being assembled into female coupling parts (25) formed in the same manner, and wherein the milling tool set (2) further comprises at least one third subset (26) of milling tools, which allows the female coupling parts (25) to be formed on the opposing edges (6).

6. The milling tool set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The male coupling portion (24-24A) and the female coupling portion (25) of the first type of contour edge region and the second type of contour edge region are provided with vertically acting locking surfaces (33-33A-34-34A), preferably, the vertically acting locking surfaces are formed by an upward surface of the male coupling portion (24-24A) and a downward surface of the female coupling portion (25) interacting with the upward surface, wherein the first subgroup (22) includes a second milling tool (9D) configured to form the vertically acting locking surface (33) of the male coupling portion (24) of the first type of contour edge region, and the second subgroup (23) includes a second milling tool (9D) configured to form the vertically acting locking surface (33) of the male coupling portion (24A) of the second type of contour edge region. A second milling tool (9E) of the first subgroup (22) and the second milling tool (9E) of the second subgroup (23) are arranged to be mounted on a drive shaft (30) having the same inclination with respect to the horizontal plane, preferably on the same drive shaft (30), preferably on a drive shaft (30) oriented at a right angle to the horizontal plane.

7. The milling tool set according to claim 6, characterized in that The vertically acting locking surfaces (33-33A) of the male coupling parts (24-24A) of the first type and the second type of profile edge areas extend downwardly in the distal direction at mutually different angles (D), wherein the angle difference is 10° or more.

8. The milling tool set according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The first milling tool (9A-9B) is not configured to be mounted on a drive shaft (30) having the same inclination (A) with respect to the horizontal plane, but is configured to be mounted on one or more drive shafts (30) having mutually different inclinations (A).

9. The milling tool set according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The milling tool group (2) is suitable for forming a contour edge area on a first relative edge pair (3-4) and a second relative edge pair (5-6) of a rectangular elongated panel (1), wherein the first to third subgroups (22-23-26) are suitable for forming a contour edge area of ​​the first relative edge pair, preferably forming a contour edge area of ​​a short relative edge pair (5-6), and wherein the milling tool group also includes a fourth subgroup and a fifth subgroup (35-36) of milling tools (9), wherein the fourth subgroup and the fifth subgroup are respectively suitable for forming a male connecting portion (37) or a female connecting portion (38) on the second relative edge pair, preferably forming a male connecting portion or a female connecting portion on the long relative edge pair (3-4).

10. The milling tool set according to claim 9, characterized in that The male coupling portions (24-24A) of the first type of contoured edge region and the second type of contoured edge region are both fittable into the female coupling portion (38) of the second pair of opposing edges (4).

11. The milling tool set according to claim 10, characterized in that The male coupling portion (37) of the second pair of opposing edges (3-4) is fittable into the female coupling portion (38) of the first pair of opposing edges (3-4).

12. The milling tool set according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The male coupling portion (37) of the second pair of opposing edges (5-6) is identical or nearly identical to the male coupling portion (24) of the first type of contour edge region.

13. The milling tool set according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The female coupling portion (38) of the second pair of opposing edges (3-4) is identical or nearly identical to the female coupling portion (25) capable of interacting with the male coupling portion (24A) of the second type of contour edge region.

14. A method for producing a panel, wherein: At least one subset (22-23) of a milling tool set (2) having the features of one of claims 1 to 13 is used, and wherein the method preferably comprises the step of replacing at least the first milling tool (9A) of the first subset (22) with the first milling tool (9B) of the second subset (23).

15. A panel obtained by the method according to claim 14.

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