METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING DECORATIVE PARTS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for producing decorative components which have a plate-shaped core and a printed paper as a printing material, the method comprising the following steps: Printing a printing material with a decoration using a digital printing system, wherein the decoration has a decoration length and a decoration width, further processing the printed printing material to produce decoration sheets whose dimensions correspond to those of the core, pressing each decoration sheet with a core and dividing the core provided with the decoration sheet into a plurality of decoration components, wherein the decorative length is at least as long as two decorative components and at least as long as two cores.

[0002] Such processes have long been known in the art and are used to produce various decorative components. These include, for example, laminate panels that can be used as flooring or as wall or ceiling cladding, as well as plate-shaped decorative components that are used, for example, in the manufacture of furniture or other objects.

[0003] From US 2021 / 0155032 A1, for example, a method is known in which the decor length corresponds to the length of the core, whereby the decor is processed in such a way that it forms the desired decor not on the printing substrate, but on jointly laid decorative components that are designed as floor panels.

[0004] In many embodiments, the printing substrate is a paper web that is printed with the desired decoration. Typically, after the printing substrate has been printed with the decoration, the printing substrate is bonded to the core, for example by pressing, and then divided together with the core to create the desired decoration components. A decoration component therefore has smaller dimensions than the core to which the printed printing substrate is bonded. Accordingly, the decoration is also larger than the decoration component. Typically, the decoration comprises several, for example 8, 10 or 12 individual decorations, which correspond to the same number of decoration components. Each decoration component is therefore provided with an individual decoration.

[0005] Typically, paper webs are printed with a design to produce laminate panels used as flooring. This is often done using printing rollers, for example, in rotary printing. The dimensions of the printing roller are limited, as increasing the size of the printing roller also results in an increase in weight. Therefore, the printing length, which is determined by the circumference of the printing roller and corresponds to the length of the design, is also limited. The surface area of ​​the outer surface of the printing roller corresponds to the printing area, and thus to the area of ​​the design that can be used for the decorative components.

[0006] Nowadays, substrates are also printed using digital printing systems that no longer have a printing roller. The decoration printed on the substrate is contained in a print file, which usually also includes control commands and printing parameters that are transferred to the digital printing system. The dimensions of the included decoration correspond to those familiar from roller or rotary printing.

[0007] Particularly with flooring laminate panels, the visual impression of real wood panels is often intended to be recreated and emitted. This means that repeating decors is disadvantageous, as these do not occur naturally. In rotary printing, a greater variety of individual decors, i.e. the decors depicted on the decorative components, can only be achieved by using different printing rollers. First, the decor of a first printing roller is printed in a predetermined format, and the corresponding decorative components are produced. The printing roller is then changed, and the decor of the second printing roller is printed. The decorative components produced in this way must be temporarily stored and then mixed so that they can be packaged in bundles or bundles, exhibit individual decor variety, and, if possible, contain no repeats of the individual decor. A similar process is used in digital printing.Here, too, a first design is first printed in a predetermined pattern, resulting in a first set of decorative components produced in exactly this predetermined number. A second set of decorative components is then printed by printing a second design, also in a predetermined pattern, and mixing the resulting decorative components with the decorative components of the first design. This is complex, time-consuming, and costly.

[0008] The invention is therefore based on the object of further developing a method for producing decorative components in such a way that a greater variety of decorations can be achieved.

[0009] The invention achieves this objective by a method according to the preamble of claim 1, which is characterized in that the decoration additionally contains control characters used for the assignment of the individual decorative components and their sorting into packaging units. The decoration length is preferably at least as long as three, preferably four, and particularly preferably six decorative components.

[0010] The invention is based on the finding that the limitation on the size of the decoration originating from rotary printing does not apply, or at least not to the same extent, in a digital printing system. The size of the decoration contained in the print file and transferred to the digital printing system is essentially limited by the maximum size of the print file that can be processed and handled by the electrical control system, for example, an electronic data processing device, of the digital printing system. The decoration length is preferably greater than the decoration width. The length of the decoration components is preferably greater than the width of the decoration components.

[0011] The decoration is preferably stored electronically in a print file that is transferred to the digital printing system and used to control the digital printing system. Alternatively, the decoration is divided into several such print files that are transferred to the digital printing system and used to control the digital printing system. In this case, the several print files are used together to control the digital printing system. It is not intended that the part of the decoration stored in a first print file is first printed in a predetermined display before another part of the decoration stored in a second print file is printed. If the decoration is divided into several print files, these corresponding parts of the decoration are printed one after the other. Thus, the part of the decoration stored in the first print file is preferably printed once first.The part of the design is then printed once, saved in a second print file. This process continues until each part of the design has been printed once. This process is then repeated.

[0012] Preferably, the decorative length is at least as long as two, preferably as long as three, particularly preferably as long as four cores. Preferably, the length of the core is as long as two, particularly preferably as long as three decorative components.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is printed with several different designs. Each of these designs then corresponds, for example, to a partial design and is preferably stored in a separate print file that is transferred to the digital printing system. Here, too, the different print files are transferred in such a way that they are used together to control the digital printing system.

[0014] The printing substrate is preferably a paper web. This is usually provided as a paper roll and used as an "endless" paper web. Alternatively, the paper web can also be provided in the form of individual paper sheets, with the length of one paper sheet preferably corresponding to the length of the decoration. This also applies if the decoration consists of several partial decorations. Alternatively, it can be advantageous, especially when using individual paper sheets, if the length of one paper sheet corresponds to the length of one partial decoration.

[0015] The decorative components produced using the processes described here are preferably laminate panels. The printed substrate, particularly preferably the printed paper web, is preferably impregnated and cut during further processing to produce printed and impregnated decorative paper sheets, which form the decorative sheets for the subsequent process.

[0016] After production, the decorative components are packaged in packages so that each package contains only different decorative components. When the decorative components are used, for example, as floor panels, this ensures that the decorative components combined and packaged in a package do not result in a repetition of the individual decor.

[0017] Particularly preferably, the produced decorative components are packaged in a plurality of packages containing pairs of different decorative components. Each of the decorative components has an individual decoration that is a part of the decoration. If two packages contain pairs of different decorative components, this means that the individual decorations of the decorative components of the first package do not appear in the decorative components of the second package, and vice versa. This configuration ensures that the use of the decorative components from the plurality of packages does not lead to a repeat motif. The plurality of packages preferably comprises at least four, preferably at least six, particularly preferably at least ten packages.

[0018] The decor is preferably enlarged by adding digital master samples, thus increasing the decor length. Digital image processing and digital image editing make it possible to change the decor retrospectively and increase the decor length. This was impossible with roller printing or rotary printing. If, for example, further individual decors are to be added to the decor, additional master samples, such as real wood samples, are digitally recorded and reproduced. These digital images are then added to the digitally available decor, thus enlarging the decor. The decor length then corresponds, for example, to the length of five decor components instead of four.

[0019] The decorative components preferably have a length of at least 100 cm, preferably at least 115 cm, particularly preferably at least 130 cm and at most 280 cm, preferably at most 200 cm, particularly preferably at most 150 cm.

[0020] InIn a specific embodiment, the process proceeds as follows: First, the decor is digitized, for example, by creating digital data. This can be done by creating a scan or a photo of a motif, such as a real wood decor, a real stone decor, or another decor. The number of digital images created in this way is essentially only limited by the amount of memory that can be handled and processed by the electronic control system. The actual decor is then created using image processing software by combining several digital images into a single decor. The print width is determined by the width of the resulting decor.

[0021] The print data length may be limited by the submitted data volume or the file size. For example, for a PDF file with a length of 5080 mm, this can be 1,080,000,000 data points. The variety of individual decors can be further increased up to this limit, which can vary greatly depending on the electrical control system and digital printing system. In principle, it is also possible to increase the variety of these individual decors beyond this limit. In this case, several print files containing partial decors are used, numbered, for example, 1, 2, 3. These are then preferably printed in the sequence 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3.

[0022] The decoration, which is transferred to the electrical control system of the digital printing system in one or more print files, does not have to be printed in its entirety. InIn some designs, only a section of the submitted decors is printed, with the selection being almost arbitrary. The only important thing is that the printed section is large enough to accommodate all manufactured decorative components with a single decor. This also avoids motif repetition and increases the variety of individual decors almost unlimitedly.

[0023] The decor that is transferred to the digital printing system can be saved in one or more files, whereby the respective partial decors can be printed continuously and without visible transitions. Alternatively, depending on the dimensions, particularly the length, of the decorative components to be produced, an edge may be present in the printed image. For example, if flooring laminate panels are produced with a length of 140 cm, an edge will be present in the decor at intervals of 140 cm.

[0024] The decor may also contain control characters or quality defects that are placed in the print data or during printing and that are read out during further processing and are helpful for the allocation of the individual decor components and their sorting into packaging units.

[0025] In another specific example, a manufacturer of laminate flooring boards previously printed all of their decors using rotary printing with a maximum roller circumference of 1860mm. The print width is 205cm. The maximum printing area, which can also be referred to as the decor variety area, is therefore 186cm x 205cm (approx. 3.8m²) and corresponds to, for example, 10 floorboards. To mark a company anniversary, it was decided to add an oak decor to the collection, the variety of planks of which would grow every year. A particularly large amount of different natural material had already been provided for digitization. For the new addition of this decor, two partial decors, each 372cm long, for a total of 744cm, were created. These were saved in two print files and transferred to the electronic control system of the digital printing system.They are used together, meaning their partial designs are preferably printed one after the other. For the manufacturer's customers, this means a plank variety of 744 cm x 186 cm x 10 planks, which corresponds to 40 planks. By using the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the design variety could be increased from approximately 3.8 m² to over 15 m². Each additional plank.

[0026] For the first year of the manufacturer's existence, the decor is planned to be expanded with another print file for this decor. This means that the variety of the decor grows by an additional 3.8 m² every year. In this case, the variety of the decor is the area that can be covered with floor panels of this decor without creating repeating decors.

[0027] Another concrete example is described below: In the USA, the standard printing width for decors in industrial floorboard production is "only" approximately 1400 mm. At one manufacturer, all decors were previously printed using rotary printing with a roller circumference of 1300 mm. The printing area, i.e., the variety of decors, of 140 cm x 130 cm corresponded to seven individual floorboards.

[0028] To create a new decor, five partial decors, each 390 cm long, are created, resulting in a total length of 1950 cm. These are printed consecutively, and the printed substrate is further processed. For the manufacturer's customers, this means a plank variety of 1950 cm : 130 cm x 7 planks, which corresponds to 105. After further processing, the decor variety could be increased from approximately 1.8 m² to over 24 m². This is sufficient to furnish the majority of standard living spaces without repeating the decor.

[0029] Another example is described in detail below: A wood decor is produced on a digital paper printing system with a working width of 2070mm and a paper speed of 135m / min. The paper is white decorative paper with a grammage of 65g, and a water-based ink is used. The ink system corresponds to the CRYK system. A primer is applied inline at a quantity of 3g / m². The wood decor has a print length of 4200mm and a width of 2070mm. The laminate plank created after further processing is 1400mm x 193mm. This means that there are 30 different planks available for this decor. In order to ensure that this variety can be found in the subsequent packaging, markings are made in advance in the print files so that the individual planks that are later produced can be assigned.For example, each plank is assigned a number from 1 to 30, which is embedded into the separations using software so that it is invisible to the human eye, but can be recognized by optical measuring devices and image recognition software. The packaging size in this example is 10 planks per package. After the decorative components have been completed and the side edges have been profiled, the planks are sorted during packaging so that all 30 different planks are contained in three consecutive packaging units.

[0030] An embodiment of the present invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of the attached figure. It shows Figure 1 - the schematic flow of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 1shows a schematic of the process of the type described here. First, a scanned template 2 is used, from which digital images are to be generated. A scanner 4 is used for this purpose. A digital image is thus created from each element of the scanned template 2. These are combined to form a decoration 8 in an electrical controller 6, which in the illustrated embodiment is a computer, in particular a laptop.

[0032] The decoration 8 has a plurality of individual decorations 10, of which three are shown next to each other and ten on top of each other in the illustrated embodiment. They correspond in size and shape to the decorative components to be produced. In addition to the individual decorations, there are markings 12, which in the illustrated embodiment are designed as a circle, square and triangle. The type of marking 12 codes whether the respective decorative component to be produced has been provided with an individual decoration from the left (circle), the middle (square) or the right (triangle) area. The position of the respective marking 12 shows the position of the individual decoration in this area. Ten decorative components are combined and packaged in a bundle 14. The markings 12 ensure that only different individual decorations are present in a bundle 14. List of reference symbols

[0033] 2Scan template 4Scanner 6Electrical control 8Decor 10Individual decor 12Marking 14Container

Claims

1. A method for producing decor components which have a planar core and a printed paper as a substrate, the method comprising the following steps: - printing a decor onto a substrate by means of a digital printing facility, the decor having a decor length and decor width, - further processing the printed substrate, thus obtaining decor sheets, the dimensions of which correspond to those of the core, - pressing each decor sheet with a core and - dividing the core provided with the decor sheet into a plurality of decor components, wherein the décor length is at least as long as two decor components and at least as long as two cores, characterized in that the decor further comprises control characters, which are used for allocating the individual decor components and sorting them into packaging units.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the decor length is at least as long as three, preferably four, especially preferably six, decor components.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the decor is contained in a print file or multiple print files, which are transferred to the digital printing facility and used to control the digital printing facility.

4. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decor length is at least as long as three, preferably four, cores.

5. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that multiple decors, which differ from each other, are printed onto the printed substrate.

6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decor components are packed into packages in such a way that one package only contains different decor components.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the decor components are packed into a plurality of packages, any given two of which contain different decor components.

8. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the decor is enlarged by adding digital master samples, thus increasing the decor length.

9. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the laminate panels have a length of at least 100cm, preferably at least 115cm, particularly preferably at least 130cm and at most 280cm, preferably at most 200cm and particularly preferably at most 150cm.