Method for the production of profiled floor elements from a timber material
A method is described for the production of profiled floor elements from a timber material, comprising at least one covering flange protruding from a footing and having a rounded longitudinal edge, with the method proceeding on the basis of a pre-profiled floor element consisting of profiled floor elements connected along a longitudinal edge by means of a connecting land and the profiled floor elements being separated from each other by machining the connecting land on the profiled side opposing the visible side once a covering layer has been adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled floor element in the region of the visible sides of the subsequent profiled floor elements. In order to ensure advantageous production conditions, it is proposed that the strips of the covering layer corresponding to the individual profiled floor elements are adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled floor element, which forms a connecting land bridging the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges on the side of the covering flange facing away from the visible side, and that the edge sections of the strips, which face each other and protrude into the wedge-shaped recess, are bent into the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges of the covering flange and are adhesively bonded to the longitudinal edges before the connecting land is machined away on the underside of the covering flange.
The invention relates to a method for the production of profiled floor elements from a timber material. Said elements are provided with at least one covering flange that has a rounded longitudinal edge and projects from a footing. Said method commences with a pre-profiled element consisting of profiled floor elements connected to each other along a longitudinal edge by means of a connecting land. The profiled floor elements are separated from each other after a covering layer is adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled element in the area of the visible sides of the subsequent profiled floor elements by machining the connecting land on the side of the profiled element facing away from the visible side.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTIn order to reduce the production effort for the manufacture of profiled covering strips coated on the visible side, a method is known (EP 0 862 976 A1) which proceeds on the basis of a pre-profiled element that corresponds to at least two covering strips to be produced that join at one longitudinal edge of the visible side and are connected by means of a connecting land on the side facing away from the visible side. The pre-profiled element is coated on the profiled surface forming the joined visible side before the connecting land is machined from the side facing away from the visible side and separated into individual covering strips. This known production method requires a continuous profiled surface extending over the abutting joint area if the covering strips are intended to be coated with a bonded masking film and is therefore not suitable in this case for floor strips, the covering strips of which project from a footing and are provided with rounded longitudinal edges that produce a wedge-shaped recess in the region of the joint that interrupts the continuous profiled surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONConsequently, the object of the invention is to create a method for producing at least two profiled floor elements of the kind described at the outset such that a covering layer can be adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled element in a simple manner despite the wedge-shaped recess produced between the abutting longitudinal edges of the subsequent profiled floor elements such that the visible side of the profiled floor elements obtained from the coated pre-profiled element are completely coated.
The invention fulfils this aim by adhering the strips of the covering layer which correspond to the individual profiled floor elements to the pre-profiled element that forms a connecting land bridging the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges on the side of the covering flange facing away from the visible side, by bending the edge areas which face each other and extend into the wedge-shaped recess into the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges of the covering strip and by adhering them to the longitudinal edges before the connecting land on the underside of the covering flange is machined away.
As there is a separate strip of the covering layer with an edge section projecting into the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges of the profiled floor elements for each of the subsequent profiled floor elements as a result of this action, these projecting edge sections can be bent into the wedge-shaped recesses and adhesively bonded to the rounded longitudinal edges such that the entire visible area of the profiled floor elements, including the rounded longitudinal edges of the covering flange, can be coated with the covering layer before the connecting land bridging these longitudinal edges on the side facing the coating is machined away to separate the profiled floor elements that had been manufactured together until this time. It must only be ensured that the overhang of the edge sections of the covering layer strips projecting into the wedge-shaped recess is sufficient to cover the curvature of the longitudinal edges.
For this purpose, provision can be made for the connecting land of the pre-profiled element to connect the spatially separated longitudinal edges of the covering flange and for the covering layer extending across and beyond the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges of the covering flange to be adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled element before the covering layer is severed in the wedge-shaped recess to form strips and is pressed against and adhesively bonded to the rounded longitudinal edges in a stripwise manner. Adhesively bonding a covering layer which is common to the profiled floor elements to be created onto the pre-profiled element in a bridging manner provides simpler conditions for attaching the covering layer. However, provision must be made for a gap between the sides of the abutting longitudinal edges by widening the connecting land accordingly to ensure a sufficiently wide edge area between these longitudinal edges for the individual strips produced so that each of the individual longitudinal edge curvatures is covered after the covering layer has been severed in the area of the wedge-shaped recess. However, widening the connecting land increases the volume to be machined away.
If the greater resultant utilisation of material is to be avoided, the strips of the covering layer can be glued to each other onto the pre-profiled element in the wedge-shaped recess between the rounded longitudinal edges of the edge sections overlapping the covering flange before the overlapping edge sections are bent into the wedge-shaped recess and pressed onto the rounded longitudinal edges of the covering flange. Overlapping the edge sections of the covering layer strips provides the width of the edge sections of the covering layer strips projecting into the wedge shaped recess that is required to cover the longitudinal edge curvature, despite the directly abutting profiled floor elements, so that the connecting land can be minimised.
Provision for a pre-profiled element from which two or more profiled floor elements can be obtained results in advantageous conditions for automated production in series because, among other things, the pre-profiled element has a greater inherent strength than individual profiled elements and can also be conveyed better, especially if the pre-profiled element is provided with at least one guide groove in the area of the connecting land between the profiled floor elements because in this case the pre-profiled element can be conveyed along the guide groove immediately before the connecting land is machined away, something which not only improves production precision, but also allows an increase in the processing speed.
The method in accordance with the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawing.
The profiled floor element 1 to be produced in accordance with the embodiment shown in
The production of such a profiled floor element 1 proceeds from a pre-profiled element 8 consisting of a timber material as shown in
A covering layer 7 is adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled element 8, specifically in two strips 12, the facing edge sections 13 of which project into the wedge shaped recess 14 between the rounded longitudinal edges 6 of the sub-sequent profiled floor elements 1 and overlap each other, as shown in
After the visible sides of the subsequent profiled floor elements 1 have been coated with the strips 12 of the covering layer 7, the connecting land 9 and the reinforcement allowances 11 in the region of the covering flange 5 can be machined away. It is advantageous if this machining can precede trimming of the edge sections 13 of the strips 12 on the outer sides of the pre-profiled element 8, as indicated in
Furthermore, a pre-profiled element 8 corresponding to that depicted in
Consequently, in some cases only the connecting land 9 and the reinforcement allowances 11 need to be machined away after trimming of the edge sections 13 of the outer covering flange 5 in the pre-profiled element 8 in order to obtain to profiled floor elements 1 in accordance with
Of course, the production method in accordance with the invention can be employed for differently profiled floor elements as the important aspect is not the form of each profiled element, but the fact that the profiled floor elements are provided with a minimum of one covering flange 5 with a rounded longitudinal edge 6. To illustrate this point,
Preforms of the profiled floor elements 1 can also be produced using the production method in accordance with the invention, as shown in
Claims
1: Method for the production of profiled floor elements (1) from a timber material, said elements having at least one covering flange (5) with a rounded longitudinal edge (6) and said flange projecting from a footing (4), with said method proceeding on the basis of a pre-profiled element (8) consisting of profiled floor elements (1) connected to each other along a longitudinal edge (6) by means of a connecting land (9), with said profiled floor elements (1) being separated from each other after a covering layer (7) is adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled element (8) in the area of the visible sides of the subsequent profiled floor elements (1) by machining the connecting land (9) on the side of the profiled element facing away from the visible side, wherein the strips (12) of the covering layer (7) corresponding to the individual profiled floor elements (1) are adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled floor element (8), which forms a connecting land (9) bridging the wedge-shaped recess (14) between the rounded longitudinal edges (6) on the side of the covering flange (5) facing away from the visible side, and the edge sections (13) of said strips, which face each other and protrude into the wedge-shaped recess (14), are bent into the wedge-shaped recess (14) between the rounded longitudinal edges (6) of the covering flange (5) and are adhesively bonded to the longitudinal edges (6) before the connecting land (9) is machined away on the underside of the covering flange (5).
2: Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the strips (12) of the covering layer (7) are adhesively bonded onto the pre-profiled element (8) in the wedge-shaped recess (14) between the rounded longitudinal edges (6) of the edge sections (13) overlapping the covering flange (5) before the overlapping edge sections (13) are bent into the wedge-shaped recess (14) and pressed onto the longitudinal edges (6) of the covering flange (5).
3: Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the connecting land (9) of the pre-profiled element (8) connects the spatially separated longitudinal edges (6) of the covering flange (5) and the covering layer (7) extends across and beyond the wedge-shaped recess (14) between the rounded longitudinal edges (6) of the covering flange (5) to be adhesively bonded to the pre-profiled element (8) before the covering layer (7) is severed in the wedge-shaped recess (14) to form strips (12) and is pressed against and adhesively bonded to the rounded longitudinal edges (6) in a stripwise manner.
4: Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the pre-profiled element (8) provided with at least one guide groove (10) in the area of the connecting land (9) between the profiled floor elements (1) is promoted along the guide groove (10) during the course of machining work.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 20, 2006
Publication Date: Apr 2, 2009
Inventor: Martin Neuhofer (Zell am Moos)
Application Number: 11/918,806
International Classification: E04B 5/00 (20060101);