Patent Publication Number: US-2011076439-A1

Title: Multi-layered structure, product comprising said structure and a method for producing said structure

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a multi-layered structure, a product comprising said structure and a method for producing said structure. In particular, the invention relates to a multi-layered structure for use within the field of furniture and constructions. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are several different applications in which there is a need for products having a three-dimensional shape with curved and/or straight surface sections, and with different thicknesses in different parts of the product. Such types of products are for example furniture, constructional elements and interior panel sections in cars, aeroplanes etc. There are different ways of producing these products. Traditionally furniture is made of wood, or boards made of wooden fibres, that are machined to the desired shape before the surface is coated with for example paint in the selected colour or a foil that gives the product the desired features and appearance. Due to the characteristics&#39; of wooden materials, it is very difficult to design and build products with complex shapes that are asymmetrical and are able to withstand and remain the desired shape when exposed to different surrounding conditions like changing temperatures, different levels of humidity etc. Furthermore, these wooden materials have a rather high density and consequently products having a design with a considerable element thickness will become very heavy. Furthermore it is very complicated to manufacture products with curved surfaces and different element thicknesses. In the end, all these drawbacks will also make them complicated to transport, expensive and difficult to install. 
     The present invention provides an alternative structure for products, such as furniture, a panel for a car or an aeroplane interior or a constructional element, and a method for producing said product. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention, defined by the appended claims, provides a multi-layered structure, a product comprising said structure and a method for producing said structure that reduce the problems described above. 
     According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a Multi-layered structure comprising a first and a second continuous outer skin, and an intermediate layer adhered to the first and second outer skin. The intermediate layer comprises substantially spherical elements arranged between the first and the second outer skin. The spherical elements has an either hollow core, a porous core, or a core made of a material with a density lower than 300 kg/m3, said core is surrounded by an exterior layer that provides a shell able to withstand pressure. The spherical elements are bounded at their contact surfaces to the adjacent spherical element or elements. The Multi-layered structure is characterised in that the first and/or the second skin comprises an outer foil of a thermoplastic film that provides the desired surface appearance, such as roughness, colour, brightness and resistance to wear and scratches, and a thereto bounded reinforcement layer of a woven or non-woven mat of fibres or a tufted mat of fibres placed inside the foil to increase the strength of the skins and the structure. 
     The spherical elements provide an intermediate layer with a very low density since the spherical elements are bounded to each other only in the area where they are in contact with an adjacent spherical element. The spherical elements bounded together generate a three-dimensional mesh structure that provides sufficient strength and stiffness to the intermediate layer, and a final product made of the multi-layered structure, while ensuring that the weight of the intermediate layer is low. The space defined between the spherical elements is un-filled and no resin is used for filling the space between the spherical elements. The non filling of the space between the spherical elements keeps the weight of the intermediate layer as low as possible. 
     The foils provide the structure with the desired surface appearance and a continuous smooth surface while the reinforcement layer is used to provide a structure that is able to withstand the loads that are applied on the structure during use. 
     The spherical elements are for example ECCOSPHERE® MINISPHERES Lightweight composite spheres manufactured and sold by TRELLEBORG EMERSON &amp; CUMING, Inc. These spherical elements are substantially hollow, and consequently the density is low. The spherical elements are available in different sizes, and the spherical elements are also adaptable for the conditions in a specific application regarding their ability to withstand external forces like for example pressure or shearing forces. 
     In one embodiment of the invention the spherical elements have a substantially hollow core surrounded by a layer made of glass fibres cut in small pieces and bounded together by an epoxy resin. The use of epoxy resin provides a strong and reliably bounding between the spherical elements within the intermediate layer. 
     In one embodiment of the invention the selected type of foil requires that the inside surface of the film is covered by a layer of a primer, such as for example a printing ink or paint, to ensure the desired bounding to the intermediate layer or an adjacent layer. 
     An alternative to the use of a primer to achieve the desired bounding strength is a corona treatment of the surface of the foil, or thermoplastic film. Corona treatment is a surface treatment process that improves the bounding characteristics for materials like foils and films by increasing the surface energy of the surface the film. 
     The reinforcement layer furthermore has the advantage of preventing the skin from adopting the shape of the underlying spherical elements in the intermediate layer, normally called“print-through”, which could be important for the appearance of the product. Woven mats provide a skin, and consequently also a structure, with a higher strength while a tufted mat of fibres may be better when print-through is very undesirable. 
     The multi-layered structure could have an intermediate layer with a thickness between 1 mm and 1000 mm depending on the design of the product it is intended to be used in. The thickness of the structure could be different in different parts of the product and change continuously which means that in some applications or parts of a product the thickness may be even bigger. 
     The spherical elements suitably have a diameter of at least about 1 mm, and preferably at least 2 mm, in order to ensure that the spherical elements are bounded together only at their contact surfaces and a space not filled with adhesive is generated between the spherical elements. Furthermore the diameter of the spherical elements is equal to, or less than the minimum intermediate layer thickness in the structure. 
     The size of the spherical elements is selected taking due account of the specified thickness of the product and the required structural strength of the product. Larger spherical elements ensure a lower weight of the intermediate layer but will have a negative impact on the strength of the structure since the intermediate layer will contain a mesh with less spherical elements and connecting bounding points within the layer. Furthermore the intermediate layer will contain less material and more air. 
     In one preferred embodiment of the invention the spherical elements in the intermediate layer have different diameters within the range defined above. The use of spherical elements with different diameters facilitates the spreading of the spherical elements within the intermediate layer which ensure that the spherical element will have the desired distribution within the intermediate layer which may improve the strength of the product. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the foil is transparent and a layer with a predetermined pattern, or a layer of wood, is placed inside the foil to give the structure the desired appearance. This embodiment makes it possible to choose the appearance of the product and protect the patterned layer or layer of wood from wear and possible moisture and dirt that in the end would lead to a frayed surface. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcement layer is made of for example natural fibres, synthetic fibres, ceramic fibres, metal fibres or structural fibres such as carbon or aramid. The fibre type is selected depending on the required properties of the final structure. Different fibres have different properties, advantages and price. If high structural strength is required, for example carbon fibres or similar fibres with a high strength are selected. 
     In one embodiment of the multi-layered structure some of the spherical elements are replaced by spherical elements not able to withstand the same pressure as the other spherical elements. This embodiment may be advantageous since the weaker spherical elements will collapse when a pressure is applied during the manufacturing of the structure if the quantity of spherical elements introduced in the intermediate layer is to large and thereby avoid that the structure in the end will have a larger element thickness than intended. 
     According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a product prepared by use of the multi-layered structure of the invention. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and the second skin are bounded together to enclose the intermediate layer. This embodiment is used if it is desired that the skin enclose the intermediate layer completely. If desirable, one or both skins could be extended a distance beyond the termination of the intermediate layer. This is of particular interest if a thin edge of the product is requested. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and/or the second skin have a curved shape and the intermediate layer has a different thickness in different parts of the product. The fact that products made of a structure according to the present invention could be designed with curved surfaces and different intermediate layer thicknesses in different parts of the product is a very advantageous feature since the structure could be easily adapted to any curved surfaces and different element thicknesses that are requested for a specific product. No matter of the design of the product, the intermediate layer of spherical elements will ensure that the overall weight of the product remain low even though the thickness of the intermediate layer of considerable size. 
     According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing a product, comprising the steps of:
         a) positioning and shaping a foil and a reinforcement layer in a first part of a mould; distribute a resin over the layers and cure the resin to bound the different layers together to a first skin;   b) positioning and shaping a foil and a reinforcement layer in a second part of a mould; distribute a resin over the layers and cure the resin to bound the different layers together to a second skin;   c) applying a layer of adhesive on spherical elements;   d) introducing a predetermined quantity of spherical elements covered by the adhesive into the first or the second part of the mould;   e) closing the mould by bringing the first and the second part of the mould together to the relative position that ensures a product with the desired shape and an intermediate layer of spherical elements; and heating the mould to a predetermined temperature to cure   f) the adhesive on the spherical elements thereby bounding the spherical elements in the intermediate layer together and adhering to the first and the second skin, and to bound the first and second skin together to enclose the intermediate layer; and   g) removing the final product from the mould.       

     This method makes it possible to manufacture a product in one single operation since the multi-layered structure is completed when removed from the mould. 
     Furthermore the foil that is first positioned within each part of the mould will protect the surface of the mould from the resin, adhesive etc that are used during the manufacturing of the product which means that once a completed product is removed from the mould, the mould will immediately be ready for manufacturing of further products. 
     This method also has the advantage that the foil is applied on the product during the manufacturing of the product itself while the mould ensures the desired shape and appearance of the product. The claimed method saves time compared to the conventional method of manufacturing since the conventional method comprises the steps of first manufacturing the intermediate layer and cover it with the reinforcement layer and mechanically prepare the surface of the reinforcement layer before finally applying the surrounding foil to get the desired surface appearance. 
     Furthermore, a product manufactured by the method according to the invention will be absolutely stable with no interior stresses within the product. This is a very important advantage since stresses within a multi-layer product causes deformations, sometimes severe, of the product. These deformations could be induced for example by temperature changes in the surroundings, or loads applied on the products, that in combination with the interior stresses give rise to considerable deformations. 
     The curing of the resin bounding the foil and the reinforcement layer is done before the spherical elements are introduced into the mould to ensure that the different layers within the skin are bounded together in a reliable manner. 
     If the selected type of skin or foil requires that the inside surface of the skin or foil are covered by a layer of a primer, such as for example a printing ink or paint, to ensure the desired bounding strength between the skin or the foil to the intermediate layer or an adjacent layer, this primer layer could be applied on the skin or foil surfaces either before the skin or the foil is introduced and shaped in the mould or after. 
     If the corona treatment is used to achieve the desired bounding strength between the foil or thermoplastic film and the adjacent layer the corona treatment is performed on the surface of the foil, or film, either before the foil or film is introduced and shaped in the mould, or after the foil or film is placed within the mould. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the method, the resin distributed over the layers is only cured to about 90% and the final curing takes place together with the curing of the adhesive on the spherical elements in step f). By performing the curing of the resin distribute over the layers like this, the overall production time for each product is reduced considerably since the curing of the resin must be completed before the product is removed from the mould to ensure that the product will remain in the intended shape. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the method a material, that expands when heated to a predetermined temperature, is applied on the inside surface of at least a part of the skin before the first and the second part of the mould are brought together in order to compensate for any shrinking that may occur during the curing of the adhesive and the resin in step f) and thereby ensure that the space between the first and the second skin is filled by the spherical elements and the expanding material. 
     In an alternative embodiment of the method described above the intermediate layer is replaced by a preshaped intermediate layer produced separately. 
     The alternative method comprises the same step a) and b) as the method described above but step c) and d) are replaced by:
         h) introducing a intermediate layer produced separately in the desired shape of the product before it is introduced into the first or the second part of the mould together with an adhesive for bounding the skins to the intermediate layer;       

     This method shorten the overall production cycle time since the intermediate layer is produced separately in the desired shape to fill the space generated between the first and second skin and provide a product with the desired shape and size. 
     The cycle time is further reduced by this method since not time is required for curing of the material in the intermediate layer. 
     The separately produced intermediate layer is either made of the spherical elements described above, or a conventional core material like for example divinycell. These materials are either produced in blocks that are mechanically cut into the desired shape, or casted in a mould to the desired shaped of the intermediate layer. 
     Further aspects and embodiments will present themselves through the following detailed description and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Two embodiments of the claimed invention are illustrated in the appended figures, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a cross sectional view of a part of a product according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a second cross sectional view of a part of a product according to a second embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration of a method of manufacturing a product according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2  a first and a second cross sectional view of a part of a piece of furniture  10 ,  20  made of a first and a second embodiment respectively of the claimed structure are illustrated. The piece of furniture in  FIG. 1  comprises an outer skin  11  moulded to the desired shape. The skin  11  is selected to provide the product with the desired appearance and features. The space inside the skin  11  is filled with an intermediate layer  12 . The intermediate layer  12  comprises spherical elements  13  that are bounded together only in their contact areas with the adjacent spherical elements to three-dimensional mesh structure. In this embodiment of the intermediate layer  12  all spherical elements  13  have substantially the same diameter. An alternative embodiment of the invention would be to use spherical elements with different diameters. The use of spherical elements with different diameters could be advantageous if the shape of the product is complex since the use of differently sized spherical elements would make it easier to fill the entire space inside the surrounding skin completely since the smaller spherical elements would more easily fill narrow areas inside the skin  11 . 
     The spherical elements  13  have a hollow or porous core, or a core made of material with low density. The core is surrounded by an exterior layer that provides a shell able to withstand pressure. The shell could for example be made of glass fibres bounded by epoxy. Other fibres and bounding agents could also be used as long as the surrounding shell is made of a material that provides a strong bounding to the adjacent spherical elements in the intermediate layer. 
     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2  the skin  21  comprises two different layers. The first one is an outer layer  24  consisting of a foil that provides the product with the desired appearance and features, and the second one a reinforcement layer  25  that is bounded to the outer layer  21 . The reinforcement layer  25  increases the structural strength of the product and reduces the risk that the shape of the spherical elements  23  in the intermediate layer  22  is transferred to the skin, called print-through, which may be devastating for the appearance of the product. Fibre types and type of fibre mat in the reinforcement layer  25  are for example selected depending on the desired structural strength of the product, the cost etc. The mat of fibres is either woven, non-woven or tufted. Woven mats provide a product with higher structural strength, while a tufted mat is more favourable in order to avoid print-through. Also in this embodiment of the intermediate layer  22  all spherical elements  23  have substantially the same diameter. An alternative embodiment of the invention would be to use spherical elements with different diameters. The use of spherical elements with different diameters will have the same advantages as described above. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the different steps of a first embodiment of the method for producing a product according to the present invention schematically. 
     A product according to the claimed invention is produced in a mould  30  comprising at least two parts  31 ,  32  that, when brought together to the predetermined position in relation to each other, result in a product with the desired shape. 
     The method comprises the steps:
         positioning and shaping a foil and a reinforcement layer in a first part  31  of a mould; distribute a resin over the layers and cure the resin to bound the different layers together to a first skin  33 ;   positioning and shaping a foil and a reinforcement layer in a second part  32  of a mould; distribute a resin over the layers and cure the resin to bound the different layers together to a second skin  34 ;   applying a layer of adhesive on spherical elements  35 ;   introducing a predetermined quantity of spherical elements  35  covered by an adhesive into the first  31  or the second part  32  of the mould  30 ;   closing the mould  30  by bringing the first  31  and the second part  32  of the mould  30  together to the relative position that ensures a product with the desired shape and an intermediate layer of spherical elements  35 ;   heating the mould  30  to a predetermined temperature to cure the adhesive on the spherical elements  35  thereby bounding the spherical elements  35  in the intermediate layer together and adhering to the first  33  and the second skin  34 , and to bound the first and second skin together to enclose the intermediate layer;   removing the final product from the mould  30 .       

     In a first embodiment of the invention the first two steps a, b of the method are performed simultaneously for the first  33  and the second skin  34  in the first  31  and the second 32 part of the mould  30 . 
     A foil of thermoplastic film is placed above each part of the mould in a substantially flat and stretched condition. The foils are then formed to the desired shape in the heated parts of the mould  30  by vacuum that is sucking air from the area underneath the foils in order to bring the foils into alignment with the surface of each part of the mould  30  that is provided with the desired shape. Once the foils are properly formed in each part of the mould  30 , a reinforcement layer are placed on the foil within each part of the mould and a resin distributed over the layers to bound the foil and the reinforcement layer together to a first and second skin  33 ,  34 . 
     A predetermined quantity of spherical elements  35  covered by a limited amount of adhesive is poured into the first  31  or the second part  32  of the mould  30 . The first  31  and the second part  32  of the mould  30  is then brought together into the intended position relative to each other by applying a pressure that additionally forces the spherical elements  35  to spread within the space defined by the skins  33 ,  34  already in place within the first  31  and second part  32  of the mould  30 . The adhesive surrounding the spheres  43  are then cured within the heated mould  30  until the spheres  35  in the intermediate layer are bounded together in their contact areas and the intermediate layer is bounded to the surrounding skins  33 ,  34 . The quantity of the spherical elements  35  is determined to fill the space within the skins completely and generate an intermediate layer of spherical elements  35  bounded together in their contact areas to a mesh structure with a low density. Finally the parts of the mould  30  are separated and the product removed from the mould. 
     If the design requires that the skins  33 ,  34  are bounded together to enclose the intermediate layer completely, which is the case in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , there might be residue material  36  at the joint between the first and the second skin. The residue material  36  may be removed after the product is removed from the mould by any conventional method, like for example machining. 
     In a second embodiment of the invention, one of the skins, or both, comprise more than two layers of material. The method is then adapted to this embodiment of the product by some additional steps that are performed on the skin, or skins, comprising the additional layer. 
     If the skin comprises more than one layer, the reinforcement layer and/or the layer with a predetermined pattern or the layer of wood are preferably pre-shaped to the shape of the part of the mould to which they will be applied since the material in the reinforcement layer may be difficult to shape in the mould. 
     Of the overall time required for manufacturing of products by the methods described above the time fore curing of adhesive in the intermediate layer and resin that bound the different layers of the skin is a major part. In one embodiment of the method, in order to speed up the process and save time, the resin that bounds the different layers within the skin is only cured to about 90% before the spherical elements are introduced in the mould. The final curing of the resin takes place at the same time as the curing of the adhesive on the spherical elements in step f). 
     For some products, there are high requirements on the final product regarding strength and/or appearance which means that it is important that the space defined within the product is completely filled by the intermediate layer. However, most materials tend to shrink during curing and one embodiment of the invention, in order to compensate for such shrinking a material that expands when heated to a predetermined temperature is applied on the inside surface of at least a part of the skin before the first and the second part of the mould are brought together. The expanding material will, at the same time as the resin and adhesive are cured, expand and thereby compensate for the shrinking that occurs during the curing of the adhesive and the resin in step f) and thereby ensure that the space between the first and the second skin is filled by the spherical elements and the expanding material. 
     In a further embodiment of the invention the intermediate layer could be produced separately to the desired final shape before it is introduced between the skins in the mould. This embodiment reduces the overall cycle time for manufacturing considerably since several steps of the method are eliminated. 
     While two presently preferred embodiments of a structure according the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited but covers and includes any and all modifications and variations that are encompassed by the following claims. 
     Example 
     One example of a piece of furniture comprising the inventive structure is a table top that will be described in further detail. The table top is made of the claimed multi layered structure in which the top and bottom surface of the table top are a PMMA-foil (polymethyl methacrylate-foil) with a thickness of about 0.25 mm. Inside the PMMA foil, a reinforcement layer of tufted polyester is bounded to the foil by an epoxi resin. In order to ensure sufficient bounding strength between the layers the inside surface of the foil is covered by printing ink type F3 delivered by PROLL AG. The table top furthermore comprises an intermediate layer placed between the upper and lower skin. The intermediate layer comprises ECCOSPHERES® that are spherical elements delivered and sold by TRELLEBORG EMERSON &amp; CUMING, Inc. The spherical elements have diameters within the range of 1.5 to 6 mm and are bounded together at their contact surfaces by an epoxi adhesive to a three-dimensional mesh structure. 
     The table top was produced by the claimed method, in which a mould comprising two parts, one that provided the desired shape of top surface of the table top and a second part that provided the bottom side of the table top. First the PMMA-foil was positioned and shaped simultaneously in each part of the mould and the printing ink applied on the inside surface of the foils. Next, the reinforcement layer, pre-shaped into the desired shape, was positioned in each part of the mould and bounded to the adjacent foil by an epoxy resin. A layer of adhesive was simultaneously applied on the spherical elements and a predetermined quantity of the spherical elements introduced in one of the parts of the mould. Once the all spherical elements were introduced in the selected part of the mould, the mould was closed and the first and the second part of the mould brought together and a pressure applied to spread the spherical elements within the space defined between the surrounding layers. The mould was then heated to a predetermined temperature to cure the adhesive on the spherical elements thereby bounding the spherical elements in the intermediate layer together and adhering to the first and the second skin. Finally, the table top was removed from the mould. The top and bottom skin were joined together around the surrounding edge of the table top to enclose the intermediate layer completely.