EP-4735222-A2 - BOARD MATERIAL, METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SUCH BOARD MATERIAL AND DECORATIVE PANEL COMPRISING SUCH BOARD MATERIAL

Abstract

Board material comprising plant particles comprising a coating on a surface thereof, wherein said plant particles are pressed and bound together with a glue. The invention further concerns a method for manufacturing such board material, and a decorative panel comprising a substrate layer obtained from such board material. Alternatively the board material comprises plant particles, wherein said plant particles have a charred surface and are pressed and bound together with a glue.

Inventors

• CLEMENT, BENJAMIN
• SCHACHT, BENNY

Assignees

• Unilin, BV

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20240624

Claims (20)

1. 1 A board material comprising plant particles, for example lignocellulose particles, said plant particles comprising a coating on a surface thereof, wherein said plant particles are pressed and bound together with a glue.
2. 2.- The board material in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plant particles comprise particles in fiber form, such as lignocellulose fibers, or in particulate form, such as lignocellulose chips or shavings.
3. 3.- The board material in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein said plant particles comprise wood fibers, wherein said wood fibers preferably have an aspect ratio (length:diameter) between 25 and 100.
4. 4.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said plant particles comprise one, two, three or four of the following features: -said plant particles comprise particles of a wood species having an average density at 12% moisture of at least 400 kg/m 3 or at least 500 kg/m 3 ; -said plant particles comprise particles of soft wood; -said plant particles are essentially or exclusively obtained from wood, preferably either softwood or hardwood; -said plant particles comprise particles of hemp, bamboo and/or miscanthus.
5. 5.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said glue has a composition different from said coating
6. 6.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating is applied on at least 50% of the surface of said plant particles.
7. 7.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating encapsulates said plant particles. RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA/EP
8. 8.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating is moisture cured or moisture curable.
9. 9.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims 1 to 7, wherein said coating is radiation cured or radiation curable, for example cured or curable with ultraviolet, infrared or near infrared light.
10. 10.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating comprises cured pMDI (polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate).
11. 11.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating comprises a thermoplastic material.
12. 12.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating comprises acrylate, for example an acrylate polymer or an acrylate derivative.
13. 13.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said coating comprises additives, said additives preferably being chosen from the list of: -wax; -thermoplastic material, such as polyvinyl butyral or ethylene-vinyl acetate or styrene copolymer; -inorganic fillers such as CaCOi, talc, vermiculite; -moisture absorbing material; -zero-poisson’s ratio material; -metallic soap; -a silicon comprising compound, such as fumed silica or siloxanes or silanes; -epoxy -a thermo-initiator; -carbon black; preferably wherein the weight ratio of said additives to the dry weight plant particles is between 0,1% and 10%, more preferably between 0,5% and 6%, most preferably between 1% and 5%. RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA/EP
14. 14.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said glue is a polycondensation glue, wherein preferably water is produced as a by-product.
15. 15.- The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said glue comprises formaldehyde, for example wherein said glue comprises ureaformaldehyde, melamineformaldehyde, melamine ureaformaldehyde, phenol ureaformaldehyde and/or phenolformaldehyde.
16. 16. The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said plant particles are modified plant particles, for example acetylated plant particles and/or delignified plant particles and/or thermally modified plant particles and/or silanized plant particles.
17. 17 - The board material in accordance with any of the preceding claims, wherein said glue comprises additives, said additives preferably being chosen from the list of: -wax; -thermoplastic material, such as polyvinyl butyral or ethylene-vinyl acetate or styrene copolymer; -inorganic fillers such as CaCOi, talc, vermiculite; -moisture absorbing material; -zero-poisson’s ratio material -metallic soap; -a silicon comprising compound, such as fumed silica or siloxanes or silanes; -epoxy; -a thermo-initiator; -carbon black; preferably wherein the weight ratio of said additives to the dry weight plant particles is between 0,1% and 10%, more preferably between 0,5% and 6%, most preferably between 1% and 5%. RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91) ISA/EP
18. 18.- A board material comprising plant particles, for example lignocellulose particles, optionally according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 17, wherein said plant particles have a charred surface and are pressed and bound together with a glue.
19. 19.- The board material in accordance with claim 18, wherein said plant particles comprise particles in fiber form, for example lignocellulose fibers, or in particulate form, for example lignocellulose chips or shavings.
20. 20.- The board material in accordance with claim 18 or 19, wherein said plant particles comprise wood fibers, wherein said wood fibers preferably have an aspect ratio (length:diameter) between 25 and 100.

Description

Board material, method for manufacturing such board material and decorative panel comprising such board material. The present invention relates to board materials, decorative panels and methods for manufacturing board material. The decorative panels of the invention are in the first place destined for application as floating floor panels, but may also be applied otherwise. For example as glued down floor panels, or as wall or ceiling or furniture or construction panels. WO 97/47834 describes a laminate floor panel for assembling a floating floor covering. The floor panel, as described herein, has as a disadvantage that the applied substrate, more in particular the MDF or HDF substrate (Medium Density Fiberboard or High Density Fiberboard) is prone to damage by moisture. EP 1 938 963 discloses a floor panel based on synthetic material, more particularly soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The floor panels may be obtained at least by lamination of several synthetic foils. EP 3 405 346 discloses a floor panel of a high density filled polyvinyl chloride material. The floor panels may be obtained at least by extrusion. In both EP’ 963 and the EP’ 346 the floor panels are provided with a decorative top layer comprising PVC. The floor panels of EP’ 963 and EP‘346 may be more water resistant than the panels of WO’ 834. The use of PVC, plasticizers and/or other additives may, however, at least in some cases, be harmful to the environment. From WO 2017/122149, it is known to use a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) composition as a substrate in a flooring panel, wherein the substrate may be formed at least by means of extrusion. From WO 2014/111192, it is known to use a thermoplastic composition comprising PP (polypropylene) as a substrate in a decorative panel. Panels comprising a substrate with PET or PP may be particularly prone to deformation in changing ambient conditions, due to their crystallinity. The present invention in the first place seeks to provide an alternative board material, wherein, in accordance with preferred embodiments, a solution is provided for one or more of the problems with the board materials and/or the decorative panels of the state of the art. The description mentions weight percentages. Said weight percentages are preferably dry matter weight percentages, unless otherwise indicated. With this aim, the present invention in accordance with its first aspect, is a board material comprising plant particles, wherein said plant particles comprise a coating on a surface thereof, and wherein said plant particles are pressed and bound together with a glue. The coating on said surface may to a certain extent shield the plant particles from humidity, water or vapor. Said plant particles comprising a coating on a surface thereof, are thus coated plant particles obtained by applying a coating material on said plant particles. Said coated plant particles are further pressed and bound together with the aid of, among others, said glue. The board material can for example be a plate-shaped material, e.g. a plate, which can be used for construction purposes or that can be further processed into a panel, such as a decorative panel, wherein for example the substrate of said decorative panel is derived from said plate. Said board material is preferably plate-shaped and can be one-layered or can comprise two sublayers, three sublayers or more sublayers. Thus the invention preferably relates to a plate comprising coated plant particles and a glue, wherein said glue bonds said coated plant particles together. Said coating can or cannot at least partially penetrate the plant particles. Said coated plant particles can thus also be impregnated plant particles. Preferably said coating forms chemical bonds, for example covalent bonds, with chemical end groups of the plant particles. As such, chemical end groups of the plant particles are blocked, and the plant particles are shielded from moisture/water. For example possible hydroxyl groups of said plant particles are blocked by said coating. Said coating can also form physical bonds with the plant particles. Preferably said glue forms chemical bonds, for example covalent bonds, with the coated plant particles as such forming a board material with high strength and stability. Said plant particles can also be indicated as vegetable particles, preferably said plant particles comprise cellulosic material, for example lignocellulosic material. The plant particles are preferably lignocellulose particles, more preferably wood particles, such as wood fibers and/or wood chips and/or wood shavings. Said plant particles can be obtained from fresh plants, e.g. fresh wood, but can also comprise a certain amount of recycled material or can only comprise recycled material. For example at least a part of said plant particles can be obtained from production waste or post-consumer products comprising particle board, wood fiber board, solid wood, etc. Said recycled material can comprise