Search

EP-4328397-B1 - BOARD, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A BOARD AND A PANEL COMPRISING SUCH BOARD MATERIAL

EP4328397B1EP 4328397 B1EP4328397 B1EP 4328397B1EP-4328397-B1

Inventors

  • CLEMENT, BENJAMIN
  • MEIRLAEN, José
  • SEYNAEVE, Marijn

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20210202

Claims (14)

  1. Floor, Wall or Ceiling panel comprising a board (11) and a decorative top layer (12), wherein the decorative top layer (12) is provided on the board; wherein the board (11) is based on MgO and MgChloride or wherein the board (11) is based on MgO and MgSulphate; wherein the decorative layer (12) comprises a printed paper sheet (decor) (17) being treated with a resin, such as melamine formaldehyde (MF), polyurethane (PU), latex, acrylate dispersion or a combination thereof, wherein the decorative top layer (12) is applied to the board by means of a direct pressure lamination (DPL) process, characterized in that said board comprises separate fibers coated with a coupling agent.
  2. Panel as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that an overlay paper sheet (18), preferably unfilled, that is transparent or translucent in the obtained panel, is applied on top of said printed paper sheet by means of the direct pressure lamination (DPL) process, preferably said paper sheet (18) is treated with resin (32), such as melamine formaldehyde (MF), polyurethane (PU), latex, acrylate dispersion or a combination thereof.
  3. Panel as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the panel comprises a counterbalancing layer (13) at the bottom of the board, wherein the counterbalancing layer is applied to the panel by means of a direct pressure lamination (DPL) process.
  4. Panel as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the panel comprises an underlay paper sheet (19) applied below the printed paper sheet (18), preferably wherein the underlay paper sheet (19) is treated with resin (32), such as melamine formaldehyde (MF), polyurethane (PU), latex, acrylate dispersion or a combination thereof.
  5. Panel as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the board is free from glass fiber nets or unwoven structures.
  6. Panel as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the board comprises cellulose based fibers.
  7. Panel as in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the board (11) is provided at at least two opposite edges (2-3;4-5) with coupling means (6) allowing to couple two such panels (1) at the respective edges (2-3; 4-5), wherein a vertical locking in a direction V1 perpendicular to the plane of the coupled panels (1) and/or a horizontal locking in a direction H1 perpendicular to the respective edges (2-3; 4-5) and in the plane of the coupled panels (1) is obtained.
  8. Panel as in claim 7, characterized in that said coupling means (6) are basically shaped as a tongue (7) and a groove (8), wherein the groove is bordered by an upper lip (20) and a lower lip (21); preferably wherein said lower lip (21) and/or said upper lip (20) comprises a locking element (10) taking part in said horizontal locking, wherein the respective lip (21) is at least partially provided in a layer (16) of the board (11) that comprises cellulose fibers.
  9. Method of manufacturing a coated panel, preferably a panel as in any of the preceding claims, wherein said panel (1) comprises a board (11) and a decorative layer (12) provided on the board (11), wherein the board (11) is based on MgO and MgChloride or wherein the board (11) is based on MgO and MgSulphate, said method further being characterized in that said decorative layer (12) comprises a printed paper sheet (decor) (17) treated with a resin, such as melamine formaldehyde (MF), polyurethane (PU), latex, acrylate dispersion or a combination thereof, wherein said decorative layer (12) is applied to the board (11) by means of a heated press treatment wherein a stack comprising said board (11), and at least said printed paper sheet (17) treated with resin (32), and potentially an overlay and/or an underlay, and/or a counterbalancing layer (13) at the bottom of the board, is brought into a heated press equipment and pressed at a pressure of at least 20 bar, and a temperature of at least 120°C during at least 10 seconds, wherein a consolidation of the stack is attained together with a curing of the available resin (32), characterized in that said board comprises separate fibers coated with a coupling agent.
  10. Method as in claim 9, characterized in that said printed paper sheet (17) treated with resin (32) - has a raw paper weight of 50 to 100 grams per square meter; and/or - has a resin content of 50 to 130 grams per square meter dry weight; preferably 50 to 100 grams per square meter, when an underlay is used as below, and 80 to 130 grams per square meter, when no underlay is used as below and the printed paper sheet is pressed directly on top of the board; and/or - comprises, in particular when such treated paper sheet is intended to form the final upper surface of the panel (i.e. without the overlay paper as below), preferably particles of aluminumoxide e.g. in an amount of 0.1-40 grams per square meter.
  11. Method as in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that said decorative layer (12) comprises a paper sheet (18) (overlay), preferably unfilled, that is transparent or translucent in the obtained panel and applied on top of said printed paper sheet (17), wherein preferably said paper sheet is treated with resin (32), such as melamine formaldehyde (MF), polyurethane (PU), latex, acrylate dispersion or a combination thereof.
  12. Method as in claim 11, characterized in that said resin (32) treated paper sheet (18) (overlay) - has a raw paper weight of 8 to 30 or 15 to 35 grams per square meter; and/or. - has a resin content of 30 to 150 grams per square meter dry weight; preferably 30 to 100 grams per square meter; and/or - comprises, preferably particles (31) of aluminumoxide e.g. in an amount of 0.1-40 grams per square meter.
  13. Method as in any of the claims 9 to 12, characterized in that said decorative layer (12) comprises a paper sheet (19) (underlay), applied below the printed paper sheet (18), preferably said paper sheet (19) is treated with resin (32), such as melamine formaldehyde (MF), polyurethane (PU), latex, acrylate dispersion or a combination thereof.
  14. Method as in claim 13, characterized in that said resin (32) treated paper sheet (19) (underlay) - has a raw paper weight of 8 to 30 or 15 to 35 grams per square meter; and/or. - has a resin content of 20 to 80 grams per square meter dry weight.

Description

The present invention relates to coated panels comprising a board, as well as to methods for manufacturing coated panels comprising a board. In the field of decorative surfaces, such as floor panels or furniture panels several types of board materials have been in use. WO 97/47834 and WO 2010/070605 disclose the use of wood-based panels, such as MDF or HDF or wood particle board. Such panels have the disadvantage of being prone to damage due to absorption of water and lack dimensional stability in a climate with changing relative humidity. WO 2011/077311 and WO 2011/141849 disclose plastic based boards that in some cases may comprise filler materials and/or may be foamed, such as boards comprising closed cell foamed Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These boards are resistant to water or moisture, but sometimes lack rigidity and still lack dimensional stability when exposed to a climate with changing temperature. WO 2006/108,446, WO 2017/172959 and WO 2019/064113 disclose mineral based boards for example based on Portland cement or magnesiumoxide (MgO), also known as Sorel cement. These boards are a lot more dimensional stable than the wood-based or plastic-based boards of the prior art. These boards are however prone to absorption of water and long term disadvantageous effects may originate as a result. Furthermore these boards are brittle and difficult to provide with a qualitative and lasting glueless coupling system. In WO 2019/064113 it is proposed to incorporate two glass fiber fabrics in the critical areas of the click system in order to prevention damage and subsequent loss of strength. Furthermore, decoration of such boards with e.g. melamine based top layers may be challenging, especially using short cycle presses in e.g. a DPL process in which one or more resin provided paper layers are cured, consolidated and adhered to a board using a heated pressing operation. The obtained delamination strength may be in sufficient. CN 106827770 discloses a decoration panel comprising a core board comprising magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride, and a top layer impregnated with a melamine resin and pressed to the board for 10-30 seconds at a temperature of 120-220°C. US 2020/047469 discloses a floor panel comprising a mineral core board comprising magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride and a top layer consisting of an impregnated paper layer, the top layer being hot pressed to the mineral board. The panels of the present invention in particular concern new types of boards that are based on MgO and MgChloride (a board of so called MOC or magnesiumoxychloride) or that are based on MgO and MgSulphate (a board of so-called MOS or magnesiumoxysulphate). Such boards are known per se, e.g. from the above mentioned WO 2019/064113, but may show problems of leaching of corrosive substances and/or unpleasant odors, e.g. when exposed to water. Further such boards show certain other disadvantages when being applied as decorative coated panel, such as floor panels, wall panels or ceiling panels, of which some have been elucidated above. WO 2019/240838 discloses a board based on MgO and MgChloride with increased chemical stability due to the addition of phosphoric acid. The present invention in the first place seeks to provide panels comprising alternative boards, and methods of manufacturing panels comprising such boards, wherein in accordance with several preferred embodiments a solution is obtained for problems with the panels comprising such boards of the state of the art. The invention is defined in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention. The board as used in the invention is used in a DPL process. Such DPL process or Direct Pressure Lamination process is a process in which one or more resin provided paper layers are cured, consolidated and adhered to a board using a heated pressing operation. One of said resin provided paper layers is a paper layer having a print. A further one of said resin provided paper layers may be a wear layer applied on top of said print. At the side of the board opposite the print a counterbalancing layer may be applied during the same pressing operation, also including a resin-provided paper layer. The several independent aspects of the invention, as well as certain preferred embodiments thereof are contained in the claims, and further elucidated here below. In general, in accordance with any of the aspects of the invention defined below and in the claims, a MOC board is preferably obtained from a general composition comprising 18 to 40 wt%, or 18 - 26 wt% of MgO and 25 to 50 wt% or 42 - 46 wt% of MgCl2. A MOS board preferably shows a general composition comprising 18 to 40 wt% or 18 - 26 wt% of MgO and 25 to 50 wt%, or 42 - 46 wt% of MgSO4. The MgSO4, the MgCl2 respectively, may be added in a watery solution. In each of these mixtures 2 - 10 wt% of mica powder may be added. Mica powder increases the fire grading, locks water and reflects UV. As