Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Forming articles by uniting randomly associated particles
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-05
2003-06-10
Lechert, Jr., Stephen J. (Department: 1732)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Forming articles by uniting randomly associated particles
C264S129000, C264S232000, C264S234000, C264S235000, C264S237000, C264S346000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06576175
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to means for and methods of tempering composite fiber panels without requiring a bake oven for the tempering process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, the term “dryer” is interchangeable with the term “catalyst.” The term dryer is an historic word for a catalyst used with industrial agricultural oils in the paint and coating industry. The dryers are actually added to these oils in order to catalyze the oxidation reaction thereof. The three main types of catalyst used with this invention are:
1. Many metal dryers commonly used in he oil based paint and coating industry, some of which are manganese, iron, cobalt, zirconium, calcium, and rare earth.
2. Resins and modified resins, some of which include low molecular MDI (isocyanate resin) phenolformaydehyde resin, and ureaformaldehyde resins. Also, some of these resins are available in blended form, such as the ESL, Kelvin, Drisoy, and Beckosol materials.
3. Organic peroxide materials are various peroxides carried in a solvent carrier, which actually add oxygen to the oil and, hence, a rapidly progressing oxidation reaction. The most common peroxide used in MEKP, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide.
Composite panels are usually made of wood, agriculture or other fibers by a manufacturing process leading to a production of panels in the form of hardboard, oriented strand board, fiber board siding, wafer board, medium density fiber board, particle board, and other similar boards. Wood is the preferred fiber. The panels or boards are made by mixing fiber and a binder and then placing the mixture in a hot press.
Wood-fiber based composites are sensitive to moisture, particularly moisture in a liquid form. In addition to linear expansion and thickness swell, moisture can cause blistering and fiber-pop at the panel surface. Since fiberboard is often painted or coated, especially for decorative use, blistering and fiber-pop become important issues, especially when using water based topcoats or adhesives. Tempering also provides a strong surface layer that gives added strength, especially to doorskins used in the manufacturing of doors.
During building construction or transport of the finished composite, structural panels are often exposed to weather elements before they are protected by a siding or roofing. Severe weather can cause water damage to unprotected panels in a very short period of time. To protect the paneling during the construction process, a tempering topcoat can be applied to the panel's surfaces to provide them with a hard, moisture resistant surface.
Usually, the process of manufacturing these composite panels includes a use of a tempering oil which is applied to the surfaces of the panel in order to impart a smooth, strong, and water resistant surface thereto. However, to date, the manufacturing technology has required a high temperature bake oven in order to cure the tempering oil after it has been applied to the surface of the panel.
In the following description, reference is made to a number of tempering oil additives which may be further identified in the following manner. “Alinco” is a term of art which is well known in the oil industry. A letter after “Alinco” indicates the viscosity of the oil. “Archer 1” is a trademark and “GP1125”, “Scientific Double Boiled Linseed Oil” and “ML189” are the manufacturer's product codes of the Archer Daniels Midland Company of Decatur, Ill. “Beckosol”, “Dressy”, “Esskol”, “Kellin”, and “Kelsol” are product lines of the Richol Corporation. “Mondur” is a product of the Bayer Corporation. The letters or numbers following these names are the manufacturer's product codes. The value “p” refers to the results of a statistical analysis of at least two blends. When “p<0.5”, it means that there is a statistically significant difference between the two blends without reference to whether the difference is good or bad.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,607,633 and 5,719,304 which describe systems for bonding wood or other agriculture based fibers in order to form composite panels. These patents provide a binder made from drying oils having more than one carbon-to-carbon double bond, usually separated by a methylene blend, commonly described as “methyline interrupted”. These patents teach a shifting or relocation of the methylene blend in order to remove the interruption and, thereby, produce a conjugated oil. Then, the drying oil is mixed with a bonding agent. This form of conjugated drying oil is sold under the trademark “Archer 1” by the Archer Daniels Midland Company of Decatur, Ill.
Other examples of tempering oils are linseed oil, soy bean oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, tung oil or mixtures thereof. Also, other materials, such as metal catalysts (manganese, cobalt, iron, zirconium, rare earth, etc.), organic catalysts (such as organic peroxides), phenolic resins, isocyanate resins, ureaformaldehyde resins, and melamine resins can be added to the tempering oils to produce different effects, as desired. The manufacturer describes two of the preferred oils in the following manner.
PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
Product Name
GP 1125 Linseed Oil
Product Class:
Refined Linseed Oils
Description:
An alkali refined linseed oil
Product Name:
Scientific Double Boiled Linseed Oil
Product Class:
Raw and Boiled Oils
Description:
A raw linseed oil containing man-
ganese and cobalt dryers
PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DATA FOR BOTH GP1125 AND
SCIENTIFIC DOUBLE BOILED LINSEED OILS
Boiling point:
N/A
Volatile:
0 by volume
Evaporation rate:
Nonvolatile
Appearance:
clear amber liquid
Vapor Density:
Nonvolatile
Specific gravity:
0.93 @ 25 C
Viscosity:
A
Solubility in water:
Negligible
Stability:
Stable
SPECIFICATIONS
G-P1125
Acid Value
0.5 max.
Color (Gardner 1953)
11
Iodine Value
175-190
Saponification Value
189-195
Pounds per Gallon - Av.
7.71
ADM Code Number
001-102
DRYER EVALUATION
PRODUCT
DRY TIME
Raw linseed oil/GP1125
96 hours
Raw linseed oil/GP1125
0.50% of 12 iron solution
72 hours
0.50% of 12% manganese solution
11 hours
0.50% of 12% cobalt solution
6 hours
AST tempering oil
0.50% of 12% iron solution
50 hours
0.50% of 12% manganese solution
6 hours
0.50% of 12% cobalt solution
4 hours
Archer I
24-36 hours
Archer I
0.25% of 12% manganese solution
10-14 hours
0.50% of 12% manganese solution
9 hours
0.75% of 12% manganese solution
6-7 hours
1.00% of 12% manganese solution
6-7 hours
0.25% of 12% cobalt solution
4 hours
0.50% of 12% cobalt solution
2 Hours
The Manganese (“Mn”) dryer used with the various oils had 40% wt. solids and was supplied by the OMG Chemicals Company, which uses the product code FOA #910 for identification purposes. The percentage of the added Mn dryer was based on the liquid weight of the drying oil that was used.
Heretofore, the tempering drying oils have usually been baked on the panel in a high temperature oven, which may produce a Hazardous Air Pollutant (“HAP”) or a concentration of Volatile Organic Compounds (“VOC”), both of which may become a serious pollutant. As a result, governmental regulations (e.g., the EPA Clean Air Act) severely limit the release of VOC's, HAP's, and other pollutants. Other problems caused by VOC's and HAP's are found, especially in hot press areas and bake oven areas. For example, the VOC fumes may lead to fire hazards, especially in exhaust flues and stacks.
Still another problem in the production of composite panels is the very high cost resulting from the energy consumption required to heat the bake ovens. These costs tend to be increased sharply by such things as weather conditions, political instability in countries where fuel is produced, and other unpredictable events.
Accordingly, to provide stable manufacturing costs and practices, a cleaner environment and the like, a desirable advance in the art results from an elimination of bake ovens in the panel tempering process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, in keeping with an aspect of the invention, a mixture of a tempering oil in combination either with a catalyst dryer or a low molecular
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
Lechert Jr. Stephen J.
Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.
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