Digital Relief Printing for Flexible Floor Board Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing methods for floor boards require expensive embossed press plates and rollers under high pressure, limiting flexibility and increasing costs for creating varied relief patterns.
Innovation Solution
A method involving digitally controlled non-contact printing of a curable or surface removing substance onto panels, allowing for quick pattern changes and eliminating the need for high-pressure embossed press plates, using UV radiation or alternative curing methods to form elevations or depressions, and optionally incorporating wear-resistant particles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If embossed press plates or press rollers are used to create relief patterns, then the floor board surface can be embossed, but the production cost increases due to expensive equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical embossing system (press plates and rollers requiring high pressure) with a digital printing system that deposits curable substance in predefined patterns. This substitution eliminates the need for expensive mechanical embossing equipment while achieving the same surface relief effect through UV curing of the deposited material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of pattern creation from mechanical pressure application to selective material deposition followed by curing. Instead of applying force to create relief, the system deposits curable substance in desired patterns and cures it with UV radiation, fundamentally changing how the relief pattern is achieved.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple embossed press plates or press rollers are used to create different relief patterns, then pattern variety increases, but the equipment cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The digital printing system serves multiple functions: it can create any relief pattern by simply changing the digital design file, eliminating the need for multiple specialized press plates. The same printing apparatus can produce diverse patterns (wood grain, stone, geometric designs) without any physical modification, making the equipment universally applicable to all pattern types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, fixed-pattern press plates to a dynamic digital printing system where patterns can be changed on-the-fly through software. This allows the manufacturing process to adapt to different design requirements without physical reconfiguration, enabling quick switching between different relief patterns.
3Shape
If embossed press plates are used, then relief patterns can be created, but the flexibility to change patterns quickly is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces static mechanical press plates with a dynamic digital printing system. Pattern changes are achieved through software updates rather than physical plate changes, allowing instantaneous transitions between different relief designs. This dynamic approach enables the same equipment to produce diverse patterns on demand.
4Shape
If high pressure is applied using press rollers, then embossing can be achieved, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical system of high-pressure press rollers with a simpler digital printing and UV curing system. The curable substance is deposited in predefined patterns and then cured with UV radiation, eliminating the need for complex pressure application mechanisms while achieving the same embossed surface effect.
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
Enables high flexibility in producing customized relief patterns without the need for expensive equipment, reducing production costs and enabling quick transitions between patterns, while maintaining wear resistance.
Implementation Method 1
curing the curable substance or removing any reaction products of the surface removing substance and the panel, hence forming the floor board
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a floor board comprises the steps of supplying a panel, printing a curable substance or surface removing substance onto the panel in a predefined pattern for creating an elevation on the panel at the pattern or removing a portion of the surface of the panel at the pattern, respectively, and curing the curable substance or removing any reaction products of the surface removing substance and the panel.