Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-10
2001-04-10
Aftergut, Jeff H. (Department: 1733)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
C156S213000, C156S247000, C156S257000, C156S475000, C156S580000, C156S583100, C144S270000, C144S371000, C144S381000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06214148
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to applying wood veneer to a core, and more particularly to applying a single piece of veneer over a sharp corner on a core.
BACKGROUND
Recent environmental regulations and approaching exhaustion of old-growth timber supplies have made it increasingly difficult and expensive for manufacturers to obtain high-grade lumber to use in their wood products. Such products include furniture, cabinets and millwork. This is particularly a problem for products which are stained rather than painted because the stain does not cover any underlying irregularities in the wood. With painted products, on the other hand, many of the defects in the wood are covered by the finish.
One way of addressing the shortage and high cost of high quality lumber is use of veneered stock. Typically, veneered parts are created by laminating a high quality, i.e., clear, veneer over a lower grade core material, such as medium density fiberboard (MDF), particle board, plywood or finger-jointed stock. Use of veneered parts results in a substantially more efficient utilization of high quality wood, and therefore reduces raw material costs. Unfortunately, the actual process of applying the veneer can be relatively complex.
Veneering is relatively simple if only a single flat surface or two opposed flat surfaces, i.e., one or two sides of a piece of plywood, must be covered. However, covering adjacent sides of a core is substantially more difficult. In particular, multiple processing steps are required to cover adjacent sides. In a first step, the veneer is applied to one of the adjacent sides. The other side of the partially veneered piece must then be surfaced or milled to remove excess glue or overhang of the first applied piece of veneer. After the milling step, the second piece of veneer can be applied. Lastly, the edges of the second piece of veneer must be milled. Thus, applying veneers to two or more adjacent surfaces is a time-consuming and costly process.
Another difficulty incumbent in applying a veneer to two adjacent sides simultaneously is supplying sufficient heat to quickly cure the thermosetting adhesive that is often used for veneering. In particular, at least with thicker veneers, simple conduction heating from heated platens is relatively slow and creates a significant bottleneck in material processing. Radio frequency (RF) heating, on the other hand, heats at a rate that is substantially independent of the thickness of the veneer. Unfortunately, heating two perpendicularly oriented glue lines using RF techniques is difficult because of the preferential heating of glue lines oriented parallel to the electric field. The preferential heating is believed to lead to excess heating of the parallel glue line prior to achieving adequate heating of the perpendicular line.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for applying a veneer on two or more adjacent sides of a core in a single step.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system of veneering that eliminates the need to resurface the core between veneering steps.
One more object of the present invention is to provide a system for veneering that results in a visually attractive corner.
Another object is to provide a system of veneering that is flexible enough to accommodate an edge band with the veneer in a single step.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a system for pressing and heating a veneered article.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a system for pressing and heating a veneered article that can heat orthogonal glue lines in a single step.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a method of veneering across an elongate corner on an elongate core. The method involves providing a sheet of veneer sized to cover a desired portion of the core including an expanse on each side of the corner with the veneer having a core side for placement against the core and an exposed side opposite the core side. An elongate groove is formed in the core side of the veneer with the groove having a generally triangular cross-section with an open side substantially coplanar with the core side of the veneer and two interior sides extending into the veneer to a point near but not reaching the exposed side of the veneer where the angle between the interior sides being configured to match the angle of the corner. Lastly the veneer is applied to the core with the groove aligned over the corner and veneer on either side of the groove folded down against the core to thereby bring the two interior sides of the groove together.
The present invention also includes a press configured to supply pressure to adjacent sides of a press charge simultaneously. The press is also configured to heat adjacent sides of a press charge using radio frequency heating.
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Advertising and sales literature for Universal ‘V’ Groover by Auto ‘V’ Grooving Inc.
Product description flyer for Firestone Airstroke actuators.
Article describing radio frequency gluing technique.
“Gluing and Clamping: A Woodworker's Handbook”, Patrick Spielman, p. 182.
Aftergut Jeff H.
Kolisch Hartwell Dickinson & McCormack & Heuser
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