Thin Stone Laminated Panels With Flexible Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies for manufacturing stone material articles with low thickness face limitations in material compactness and delamination, particularly with ceramic materials, and lack aesthetic fidelity and mechanical strength.
Innovation Solution
A process involving arranging a block or sheet of natural stone or ceramic materials, gluing a flexible support, cutting to achieve a minimum thickness, winding into irregular shapes, and impregnating with polymeric materials to create laminated panels with enhanced mechanical hardness and aesthetic appeal, allowing for easy installation and thermal insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If stone material plates are cut to low thickness (3-5mm), then the weight and material consumption are reduced, but the mechanical strength and structural integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining thin stone plates (3-5mm) with a flexible support structure and adhesive layers. This creates a composite laminate structure where the thin stone provides aesthetic value while the support structure provides mechanical strength, resolving the contradiction between reduced weight and maintained strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible support structure (flexible shell) that can be wound around cylindrical supports during production. This flexible support maintains the structural integrity of thin stone plates while allowing them to be handled and installed, enabling both low thickness and adequate mechanical strength.
2Loss of substance
If stone material plates are cut to low thickness (3-5mm), then the material consumption is reduced, but the structural integrity and resistance to damage worsen
Solution Approach 1:
By creating a composite laminate with thin stone plates bonded to a flexible support structure, the patent achieves both reduced material consumption (thin plates) and maintained structural integrity (through the composite structure and adhesive bonding).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies adhesive layers to the stone plates before assembly and pre-assembles the laminate structure before final installation. This preliminary bonding action ensures structural integrity is established before the product is put into service, preventing damage during handling and installation.
3Ease of manufacture
If adhesive materials are applied to stone surfaces, then the bonding and assembly are facilitated, but the surface aesthetics and natural appearance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies adhesive materials locally at the edges and bonding surfaces of the stone plates rather than covering the entire surface. This localized application facilitates assembly while preserving the natural aesthetic appearance of the visible stone surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible support structure serves as a temporary carrier that is removed after the laminate is assembled. This allows adhesive materials to be applied effectively during manufacturing without permanently affecting the final aesthetic appearance, as the support itself is not visible in the finished product.
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 process results in lightweight, high-strength laminated panels with excellent aesthetic and mechanical characteristics, suitable for various applications, including furniture and coatings, with the added benefits of easy installation and energy-saving thermal insulation.
Implementation Method 1
carrying out the impregnation or spreading on such crushed panel with the use of polymeric materials or thermosetting resins
Implementation Method 2
pasting on a surface of said plate a support of a flexible material
Data Source
AI summary
Process for the realization of manufactured articles in stone material, characterized by comprising the following steps of: providing a block or flat sheet of said stone material, and gluing a support in a flexible material on a surface of said sheet, carrying out the cutting or sectioning of said sheet to obtain a laminated panel with a determined minimum thickness, carrying out the winding of the mentioned laminated panel on a roll or similar curved surface to obtain the crushing of said panel into irregular chunks or parts; carrying out the impregnation or spreading on said crushed panel with polymeric materials or thermosetting resins; recomposing the planarity of said impregnated panel thus obtained.