Calendered Decorative Panel with Impressed Core Grooves
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for lighter, yet strong and shape-retentive decorative panels that can be efficiently manufactured, while also meeting ecological and material-saving requirements.
Innovation Solution
The decorative panel features a calendered core with impressed core grooves or patterns on its upper and lower sides, which are formed during extrusion and preserved or deformed during calendering. This design reduces material usage and allows for efficient production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the panel thickness is reduced to save materials and reduce weight, then the areal weight decreases, but the strength and shape retention deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The core of the panel is designed with a foamed structure, creating a porous material that reduces density and areal weight while maintaining adequate strength through the cellular structure's inherent energy absorption and distribution capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The panel employs a composite structure combining a foamed core with solid skin layers and coupling profiles, creating a sandwich composite that achieves high strength-to-weight ratio by distributing mechanical loads across different material zones
2Weight of moving object
If the panel thickness is reduced to save materials and reduce weight, then the areal weight decreases, but the shape retention deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The foamed core provides compressibility and resilience that allows the thin panel to maintain its shape under load, with the closed-cell foam structure resisting permanent deformation while enabling the panel to return to its original shape after loading
Solution Approach 2:
The sandwich composite structure with solid outer layers and foamed core creates a rigid framework that maintains geometric stability and shape retention despite the reduced overall thickness
3Weight of moving object
If material is removed to create core grooves for weight reduction, then the areal weight decreases, but the structural integrity may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The core grooves are strategically positioned in specific zones of the core where material removal provides weight reduction and potential cable routing functionality without compromising the structural integrity of the coupling profiles and load-bearing regions
Solution Approach 2:
The removed core material is replaced with air or vacuum, creating a composite structure where the remaining solid material forms a optimized load-bearing framework that maintains structural integrity while reducing weight
4Productivity
If the core material is softened during extrusion and calendering, then the manufacturing process becomes more efficient, but the risk of damage during handling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The core material undergoes controlled parameter changes in temperature and viscosity during extrusion and calendering to enable forming, then rapidly cools to restore full strength and damage resistance for subsequent handling and installation
Solution Approach 2:
The core material is pre-heated and softened before the forming operations to enable efficient extrusion and calendering, with the understanding that it will quickly regain strength upon cooling
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The panel achieves a low areal weight, making it lightweight and economically, environmentally, and logistically beneficial. The impressed patterns enhance sound dampening and anti-slip properties, while maintaining robust coupling profiles for interlocking panels.
Implementation Method 1
During calendering the core material is typically flattened and smoothened
Implementation Method 2
During calendering the profiled calendering roll(s) is/are preferably facing towards the core surface(s) which is/are provided with the core grooves, wherein the profile roll is provided with a profiled outer surface which is preferably substantially complementary to the grooved surface of the core. Hence, during calendering the (extruded) core grooves may be preserved (maintained).
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a decorative panel, in particular a floor panel, ceiling panel or wall panel. The invention also relates to a decorative covering, in particular a decorative floor covering, decorative ceiling covering, or decorative wall covering, comprising a plurality of mutually coupled decorative panels according to the invention. The invention further relates to a core for use in a panel according to the invention. The invention additionally relates to a method of producing a decorative panel, in particular a decorative panel according to the invention.