WO2011034479A1

WO2011034479A1 - A method of producing a 3d-formed structure or product and an arrangement adapted hereto

Info

Publication number: WO2011034479A1
Application number: PCT/SE2010/000218
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lars Göran NYBOM
Original assignee: Nybom Lars Goeran
Priority date: 2009-09-18
Filing date: 2010-09-06
Publication date: 2011-03-24
Also published as: SE0901205A1; SE533229C2

Abstract

This invention comprises a method and an arrangement ("A") for producing, from a cellulose-related fluffy material (1, 1a), a wave-shaped hard plate (14, 14'), which is adaptable to be capable of being included in a sandwich structure or product as being oriented between external plate-shaped layers (30, 30'), wherein said fluffy material is distributed along a carrier means (9), as a mat structure (1 a'), and is moistened with a supplied liquidized adhesive agent or material (10, 10a) and is in a compression arrangement (11) compressed to a wave-shaped soft plate (12), considered as a semi-finished structure or product, said wave-formed soft plate (12) being conveyed to a drying equipment (13) for thereafter forming said wave-shaped hard plate (14), as a rigid unit (14'). According to the invention said compression arrangement (11) is to be comprised of two or more compressing rollers (121, 122) disposed on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy material (1a1) with allotted adhesive material (10a), wherein a com- pressing surface (121a), of one of the compressing rollers is allotted a shape corresponding to the chosen wave-shaped form (18) and wherein a compressing surface (122a) of the other compressing roller, is allotted a shape corresponding to the chosen wave-shaped form. The wave shapes, are mutually corresponding and are adapted to take a registered position to each other during their rotation. The distance between opposing compressing surfaces of the two compressing rollers are to be adapted to correspond to a chosen surface weight (grammage), of the wave-shaped soft plate (12) and/or the wave-shaped hard plate (14).

Description

TITLE OF INVENTION:

A Method of Producing a 3D-formed Structure or Product and an Arrangement Adapted Thereto.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally refers to a method and an arrangement of producing a 3-D formed structure or product, such as a wave-shaped, undulatory-shaped, corrugated-shaped, plate-formed structure or product, from a cellulose-related fluffy material by using a compression arrangement and where said arrangement is adapted for continuous operation. The 3-D formed structure is to expose a thin-walled plate-formed structure or product.

The expression "structure" is, in the following description, mainly used to refer to a semi-finished product while the expression "product" is mainly used to refer to a fin- ished product.

Such a plate-formed structure or product or similarly formed products are to be capable of being included in, forming a part of or to expose a complete sandwich product, in which, in the last mentioned application, a plate-formed structure or product can be positioned between one or more external and/or additional plate-shaped layers.

The present invention is based on the known technology of distributing said fluffy material, as in a mass-structure, in a dry state along a support or carrier means and moistening the fluffy material with an added and supplied binder means or agent, such as in the form of an adhesive or glue material, so as thereafter, in a production line and in one or more subsequent compression arrangements, to be compressed to a plate- formed structure or product, which normally is considered to be a semi-finished structure or product and in this connection is exposing a "soft" plate structure or a product and exposing the criteria of being easily bendable, and usually somewhat further com- pressible.

A thus produced soft plate (formed) structure or product is then, as a semi finished structure, to be conveyed or transported to a drying equipment, so as thereafter to form a 3-D formed structure or product, such as a wave-shaped, undulatory-shaped, corrugated-shaped, plate-formed structure or product, and in this relevant application forming a "hard" plate structure or product, as a difficulty bendable plate-formed structure or product, such as a more rigid unit or product than that of said soft plate structure or product.

3-D shaped or formed, such as wave-shaped, hard plate structures or products of the relevant type can find use in the form of rigid units, structures or products in a plurality of different fields of application, such as rigid plates, insulation materials, sandwich structures or products, etc.

In addition to the above, the present invention discloses a method and an arrangement, which is adapted to perform the significant procedural steps of the invention in a processural sequence.

The present invention makes use of a "fluffy or fluff material" where such a material may consist of 100% fluff pulp material, a cellulose-related fibrous pulp mate- rial, which has been milled or teared to a predetermined degree, or said milled fluff pulp material may be mixed with one or more added fibrous materials, such as milled waste paper of any kind, including grease proof paper, plastic material or the like. Such a milled fluff pulp material or a mixture of added materials is to be mentioned solely as

"fluffy material" in the following description.

The mentioned weight per unit area (g/m²) is in the description mentioned as

"grammage".

The expression "soft" plate structure or product is used for a compressed sheet-like 3-D formed product (12), leaving a compression arrangement (11), and consisting of a mixture of used fluffy material moistened with a binder means or agent, such as glue or any other adhesive material (10a, 10a') in a liquid (water containing) form.

The expression "hard" plate structure or product is used for a 3-D formed "soft" plate structure or product (12) when leaving a drying equipment (13), where the binder means or agent material has evaporated to a lesser or larger extent or has cured. The expression "registered position" is meant that one compression roller, exposing a first 3-D formed support curve or peripherally arranged support surface, is interacting with an adjacently arranged second compression roller, exposing a second 3-D formed support curve or peripherally arranged support surface, whereby said first and second support surfaces being mutually corresponding and mutually adapted so as to be able to, during one revolution or a part thereof, always take an interacting and registering position (as cog wheels), however with a predetermined free space or distance in between said surfaces to form said support soft plate structure or product.

The present invention requires the use of a "binder means" or an agent and this expression is to be representing glue or other adhesives in liquidized form and when distributed within the fluffy material by the compression arrangement be able to harden or cure in a subsequent drying equipment or the like. This binder means or agent is adapted to stick to the fibers in the fluffy material and thus cured form said hard plate structure or product.

The expression "structure" is used primarily to indicate a structure as a semifinished material, adapted for further processing towards a finished product.

The expression product is used primarily to indicate a completed product based on one or more semi-finished materials, and/or one or more finished products.

Thus the used term soft plate structure or product implies said fluffy material which has been moistened by a binder means or agent, such as glue or adhesive material, and which has passed through the compression arrangement so as to distribute the means or agent material, as a liquidized material, completely within the used fluffy material and form a 3-D shaped structure or product before said mixture of fluffy material and binder means or agent material has been permitted to pass said drying equipment.

Such a soft plate structure or product in a 3-D form can be processed further, as pressed, to various shapes and dimensions.

Thus the used term hard plate structure or product implies when a 3-D formed soft plate structure or product has been permitted to pass through a drying and/or hardening equipment, so as to form a final product or a semi manufactured structure or pro- duct, intended for one or more additional processing steps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Methods, arrangements, structures and/or product related to the technical field mentioned above are known earlier in a plurality of different embodiments. As a first example of the technological background and the technical field, to which the invention refers, a method of producing wave-shaped and/or 3-D shaped discrete products from a cellulose-related fluffy material may be mentioned, wherein said fluffy material is to be distributed along a support or carrier means and to be moistened with a furnished glue or adhesive material and to be discontinuously compressed in a subsequent compression arrangement, between an upper male portion and a lower female portion, to a wave-shaped or 3-D shaped soft product, usually considered to be a semi-finished structure, with this structure being treated or transported to a drying equipment so as thereafter to be able to form a plurality of discrete wave-shaped or 3-D shaped products, each formed as a rigid unit.

In this regard reference is made to the content shown and described in and by the International Patent Publication Serial Number WO 2007/104431-A1.

Various procedural steps and arrangements are also known earlier for forming different sandwich structures or products, such as with an intermediate plate-formed structure or product shaped to a wave form as an intermediate portion or section, and with flat or bent external layers, also in the form of plates.

An example of this type of structure or product is more specifically shown and described in the International Patent Publication Serial Number WO 2005/113 230-A1.

The 3D-shaped hard plate product, produced in accordance with the present in- vention, is to advantage to be able to exhibit a grammage (g/m²) of 500 - 1000, with regard to utilized fiber material(-s), and whereto is added, such as 10 - 20% dry weight, a liquidized binder means or agent, such as glue or other adhesive materials in a processing step in the form of a compression arrangement upstream of a used drying equipment.

The profile height of said hard plate or product should to advantage be able to be set to 10 - 20 millimeters.

EVALUATIONS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM

Considering the circumstance that the technical considerations that a person skilled in the art will have to carry out in order to offer a solution to one or more given technical problems and/or structures or products are on the one hand initially a necessary understanding of the measures and/or the sequence of measures which will have to be carried out and on the other hand a necessary choice of the one or more means which are required, the following technical problems are to be relevant in evaluating and/or producing the present object of invention in view of the above stated prior art.

Considering the earlier standpoint of technology, as it has been described above, it must therefore be considered to be a technical problem to understand the signifi- cance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations which will be required for in a process, a method and an arrangement, adapted to producing, from a cellulose-related fluffy material, a 3-D shaped, as wave-shaped, undula- tory-shaped, corrugated or similar, hard plate structure or product, adaptable to be useable as an intermediately oriented portion or section as a structure or product for a sandwich structure or product, which may be oriented between external (plate-shaped) layers, wherein said fluffy material is to be distributed along a support or carrier means in a dry state and to be moistened by a liquidized binder means or agent, as a glue material and/or an added adhesive material, so as to be compressed in a compression arrangement to a 3-D formed, such as wave-shaped or otherwise-shaped, soft plate struc- ture or product, usually considered to be a semi manufactured product, wherein said soft plate structure or product is to be transported or conveyed to a drying equipment so that said 3-D shaped, structure or product may be transformed to a more rigid unit or structure, in the form of a final product or a semi-finished or manufactured structure.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for forming a rigid unit or structure, while utilizing one or more 3-D formed hard plate structures or products having good rigid qualities, but still is exposing a low gram- mage due to formed thin wall sections.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for suggesting a method and an arrangement, which offer a continuously acting production of rigid units, structures or products, such as elongated discrete hard plate units.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for reducing the need of energy in a used compression arrangement, as compared to known pressing technologies, and/or for reducing the need of energy in one or more used drying equipments.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for suggesting a method and an arrangement, which in principle are based on a predetermined mixture of a cellulose-related fluffy material mixed with one or more another cellulose-related materials or the equivalent, and with an added binder means or agent, such as glue or adhesive material, in a liquid or liquidized phase.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for having the compression arrangement exhibit at least two circularly formed support or compressing surfaces, for causing a 3-D form for the soft plate structure or product, and with a mutual distance there between being adapted for creating two small compressive or compressing surfaces (generatrix surfaces) with said adapted distance in between opposing generatrixes to cause thin wall thicknesses of the 3-D form.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be re- quired for permitting the supporting or compressing surfaces of the compression arrangement to roll relatively to each other and interact with each other in such a way that they do form thin wall surfaces for a processed soft plate structure or product, with limited moisture and thereby requiring a smaller amount of energy in a subsequent drying equipment.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for increasing the rate of productivity in the compression arrangement, as compared to known pressing technologies i.e. by increasing the peripheral speed of compressing rollers and their compressing surfaces in the compression arrangement.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for letting a compression arrangement be continually active, by utilizing at least two rotatably arranged compressing rollers or the like, with at least one compressing roller acting against a lower side of the fluff material, distributed along its support or car- rier means, as a mat structure, and at least one second compressing roller acting against the upper side of the fluffy material, distributed as said mat structure.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for having said compression arrangement to be comprised of two or more, on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy material with supplied liquidized binder means or agent or adhesive material oriented, compressing rollers with their 3-D formed compressing surfaces, wherein one of the compressing rollers, such as a roller with a circular support curve or compressing surface, is to be allotted an irregular or regular shape, corresponding to a chosen 3-D shaped, such as wave-shaped, undulatory-shaped, corrugated-shaped, soft plate structure or product and wherein the other (second) compression roller's support curve or compressing surface, which may be circular, is to be allotted an irregular or a regular shape, corresponding to the chosen 3-D shape and having the distance between the support curves or compressing surfaces controllably arranged, in order to adapt the thicknesses of the wall-sections within said 3-D formed soft plate structure or product to predetermined values and exposing a predetermined grammage.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be re- quired for letting a 3-D shape, allotted to one of the compression rollers for its support curve or compressing surface, and a 3-D shape, allotted to the second compressing roller for its support curve or compressing surface, be mutually corresponding and mutually adapted so as to be able, during one revolution or only a part thereof, to always take a mutually registered position, according to the definition stated above.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for having an adapted distance, between a compressing surface portion (genera- trixes) located closest to an opposing compressing surface for both of the compressing rollers, to be adapted to correspond to a chosen grammage for the 3-D formed, soft or hard plate structure, considered as a semi-finished or manufactured structure or a product.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for choosing as the binder means or agent, such as a glue or an adhesive mate- rial, at least a material based on potassium and/or sodium silicate, such as water glass, mixed with starch, if so desired.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for choosing a thin plastic film to rest against a support or carrier means, in the form of a flexible conveyer belt, and/or solely a flexible conveyer belt as said support or carrier means, for distributing said fluffy material and/or said binder means or agent as a mat structure towards and in between the compressing rollers.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for removing said plastic film before or after a drying equipment and for transporting the 3-D formed, hard plate structure to an equipment for additional processing and/or hardening to a hard plate product.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for letting a first arrangement spread out a chosen and selected quantity of liquidized binder means or agent, such as adhesive material, over the support or carrier means and/or the plastic film, perpendicular to the direction of transportation, and for letting a second arrangement spread out a chosen and selected quantity of liquidized binder means or agent, such as adhesive material, over the upper surface of the dry fluffy material, as a mat structure, and perpendicular to the direction or transportation, when it rests on the support or carrier means.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be re- quired for letting a quantity of liquidized binder means or agent and/or adhesive material above and/or below the fluffy material, as a mat structure, and the quantity of fluffy material be chosen such that the 3-D formed, soft plate structure is serving as a semifinished structure or product and will become completely moisturized within the compression arrangement.

There is a technical problem in being able to understand the significance of, the advantages related to, and/or the technical measures and considerations that will be required for supplying to a semi-finished structure or product, serving as a soft or hard plate structure or product, after or immediately after the drying equipment and/or in a subsequent processing step, a first and/or a second plate-shaped layer, which then can be formed of a compressed and with liquidized binder means or agent, such as adhesive material, provided fluffy material or alternatively some other plate-formed structure or product. THE SOLUTION

As its starting point the present invention takes the known technology mentioned by way of introduction and is based on a method and an arrangement for producing a 3-D shaped, as a wave-shaped, or undulatory-shaped, hard plate structure or product from a cellulose-related fluffy material, adaptable for being able to be included, as an intermediately oriented plate-formed structure or product, in a sandwich structure, which may be oriented between external plate-shaped layers, wherein said fluffy material is distributed along a support or carrier means, as a mat structure, and is moistened with a supplied viscousius or liquidized binder means or agent, such as an adhesive material, for being compressed in a compression arrangement to a 3-D formed, such as wave- shaped or undulatory-shaped, soft plate structure or product, usually considered as a semi-finished structure or product, wherein this soft plate structure or product is to be conveyed to a drying equipment for thereafter forming said 3-D formed, hard plate structure or product as a more rigid product, than that of said soft plate structure or product.

In order to solve one or more of the technical problems mentioned above the present invention more specifically proposes that the thus known technology is to be supplemented by having the mentioned compression arrangement to be comprised of two or more compressing rollers or the like, disposed on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy material, with added viscousius binder means or agent, such as adhesive material, wherein the compressing surface or curve, such as a circular one, of the one compressing roller is allotted a shape corresponding to a chosen 3-D form, such as a wave shape and/or an undulatory shape, and wherein the compressing surface or curve, such as a circular one, of the other compression roller is allotted a shape, corresponding to the chosen 3-D form related to said first compressing surface.

Furthermore it is indicated that the 3-D form, such as a wave shape form, allotted to one of the compressing rollers and the 3-D form, such as a wave shape form, allotted to the second compressing roller are to correspond to each other and are to take a registered position during their rotation and wherein i.e. a chosen distance between the generatrixes of the opposing compressing surfaces or curves for the two compressing rollers are to be adapted to correspond to, in response to the density of the utilized fluffy material, its thickness and the amount of supplied viscousius or liquidized binder means or agent, such as adhesive material, a chosen surface weight (gram- mage) of the hard plate structure or product, considerable as a product or a semifinished structure, when it has passed one or more drying equipments. As proposed embodiments, falling within the scope of the basic concept of the present invention, it is additionally indicated that as said liquidized binder means or agent, such as an adhesive material, can be chosen a material based on potassium silicate and/or sodium silicate, such as water glass, or alternatively a chosen mixture of starch and water glass.

As said support or carrier means for said fluffy material, and said liquidized binder means or agent as a mat structure, can be chosen primarily a thin plastic film and/or a flexible conveyor belt.

Before or after the drying equipment, such as in the form of a microwave drying equipment, said support or carrier means, such as a plastic film or sheet, is removed as a support or carrier means of the plate structure, if this is required.

A first arrangement, usually adapted with nozzles, for applying strings of liquidized binder means or agent along the support or carrier means and spreading the strings across the support or carrier means by using a doctor blade or squeegee ar- rangement, is used before applying said fluffy material, and a second, a subsequent, arrangement is used to spread out a chosen quantity of viscous or liquidized binder means or agent, such as an adhesive layer, over the top surface of the fluffy material.

The quantity of binder means or agent, such as an adhesive material, and the quantity of fluffy material in said mat structure are chosen such with regard to each other that the soft plate structure or product, serving as a semi-manufactured structure, becomes thoroughly moistened in the compression arrangement.

To the soft plate structure or product, serving as a semi manufactured structure, and behind or immediately behind the drying equipment a first and/or a second plate- shaped layer of a material is supplied, such as a plate-shaped layer that can be pressed by using a fluffy material provided with a liquidized binder means or agent, as adhesive material or some other material.

ADVANTAGES

The advantages which primarily must be considered as being characteristic of the present invention and the thereby allotted particular significant characteristics are that hereby prerequisites have been caused in a method and an arrangement for producing, from a cellulose-related fluffy material, a 3-D formed, such as a wave-shaped or undulatory-shaped, hard plate as a structure or product, which may be adapted for being included as an intermediate plate-formed product or layer of a sandwich product and which may be positioned between external plate-shaped layers, wherein said fluffy material is to be distributed along a support or carrier means, as a mat structure, and to be moistened with a furnished liquidized binder means or agent, such as an adhesive material, and in a compression arrangement being compressed to a 3-D formed, such as a wave-shaped or undulatory-shaped, soft plate structure or product, considered as a semi-finished structure or product, with this 3-D formed soft plate structure or product being transported to a drying equipment so as thereafter to form a 3-D formed, such as a wave-shaped or undulatory-shaped, hard plate structure or product.

More particularly the invention indicates that said compression arrangement is to be comprised of two or more compressing rollers, oriented on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy material, as a mat structure, with supplied liquidized underlying binder means or agent, such as an adhesive material, wherein one of the compressing rollers, such as one with a circular compression surface or curve, is allotted a form corresponding to a chosen 3-D form, such as wave shape and/or undulatory shape, and wherein an other, a second, compressing surface or curve of a second compressing roller, such as with a circular curve or surface, is allotted a form corresponding to the chosen 3-D form, such as said wave form or undulatory form, and that the shape allotted to one of the compressing surface and the shape allotted to the other of said compressing surface are to correspond to each other and are to be positioned in registered positions during its rotation and wherein a distance, between opposing compressing surfaces of the two compressing rollers, is controllably adapted to create prerequisites of the density of the fluffy material and the supplied liquidized binder means or agent, such as said adhesive material, to provide prerequisites for corresponding to a grammage of the 3-D formed soft or hard plate structure or product, considerable as a semi-finished structure or product, after it has passed a drying equipment.

A special advantage, linked to the present invention, is the use of a mixture between a pure fluffy material, added fibrous material and added liquidized binder means or agent, whereas said added fibrous material may use milled waste paper of any kind, including grease proof paper, plastic material laminated paperboard or the like, before the mixture of fibrous materials and one (or two) layers of liquidized binder means or agent are compressed in the compression arrangement.

The subject matter, which primarily can be considered to be characteristic of a method, according to present invention, is disclosed in the characterizing portion of the subsequent or succeeding claim 1 , whereas the subject matter, which primarily can be considered to be characteristic of an arrangement, according to the present invention, is disclosed in the characterizing portion of the subsequent or succeeding claim 8.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A presently proposed embodiment, exhibiting the significant characteristics related to the present invention, will now be described more specifically with the purpose of exemplification with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a method and an arrangement for producing a 3-D formed, as a wave-shaped or undulatory-shaped, hard plate structure and/or product, from a cellulose-related fluffy material compressed in a compression arrangement together wit a liquidized binder mans or agent, said hard plate structure or product being adapted to be includable in a sandwich structure or product, as the one shown in Figure 6, which hard plate product may be oriented in between external plate-shaped hard layers, as to form a rigid unit or structure,

Figure 2 shows an enlarged lateral view of a first proposed compressing arrangement, with two cylindrical compression rollers exhibiting equal diameters, whereas Figure 2a illustrates a second compressing arrangement with two cylindrical compression rollers having different diameters,

Figure 2b illustrates a third compression arrangement using a carrier or support means in the form of a plastic film, which is to be rolled up before a used drying equipment,

Figure 2c illustrates a fourth compressing arrangement using an endless elastic support or carrier means, adapted to pass in between the compressing rollers, and before a drying equipment returns back, during a cleansing process, for further use,

Figure 3 shows, in a perspective view, a suggested 3-D formed soft plate structure or product as an undulatory shaped mat structure, from interacting 3-D formed compressing surfaces from two compressing rollers, serving as a semi fabricated or finished structure or product as it in a continuous direction of transportation leaves the two parallel compressing rollers of the compression arrangement,

Figure 4 shows, in a perspective view, an alternative embodiment of the interacting 3-D formed compressing surfaces from two compressing rollers (compared with the embodiment disclosed in Figure 3) to form a 3-D formed soft plate, serving as a semi-fabricated or -finished structure or product, with parallel waves oriented in the direction of production,

Figure 5 shows, in a perspective view, a further additional embodiment of the compressing rollers for forming a 3-D formed soft plate structure or product having a simple transversely oriented wave-form, and

Figure 6 shows, in a perspective view, a sandwich product, having two external flat slabs or plate-shaped layers, as hard plate products, and an intermediate 3-D formed, soft or hard plate products, as a rigid unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PROPOSED EMBODIMENT

By way of introduction it should be pointed out that in the following description of a presently proposed embodiments, which exhibits the significant characteristics of the invention and which are clarified by the Figures, shown in the following drawings, we have chosen terms and specific terminology with the purpose of primarily clarifying the concept of the invention itself.

However, in this connection it should be noted that the terms chosen here are not to be considered as limiting solely to the terms utilized and chosen here and it should therefore be understood that each such chosen term is to be construed so as to additionally be able to comprise all technical equivalents which functions in the same or substantially the same way so as thereby to make it possible to achieve the same or essentially the same purpose and/or technical effect.

A 3-D formed, as wave-shaped or undulatory-shaped, soft plate, as a structure or a product, is mentioned in the following as a "wave-shaped soft plate".

A 3-D formed, as wave-shaped or undulatory-shaped, hard plate, as a structure or a product, is mentioned in the following as a "wave-shaped hard plate".

A wave-shaped soft plate 12 is to be formed in a compressing arrangement 11 from an uncompressed soft plane structure 1a' and a wave-shaped hard plate 14 is to be formed within drying equipment 13.

This hard plate 14 may be treated further in a processing step 15, to form a still harder plate 14^', as a semi structure or a final product.

Further processing steps may be arranged after said processing step 15, however not shown. Said wave-shaped soft plate 12 and said wave-shaped hard plate 14 are to be processed as semi structure or as final products.

A sandwich construction, such as the one illustrated in Figure 6, is to be formed from one or more wave-shaped hard plates 14, 14' and/or further treated hard plates 14" attached to one another and one or more plate-shaped layers 30. 30^', an upper plate-shaped layer 30 and a lower plate-shaped layer 30' attached to said wave-shaped hard plates 14, 4', whereas two of said plate-shaped layers 30, 30^' are usually forming the outer surfaces of the illustrated sandwich construction, as a rigid unit or product.

Further the illustrated wave-shaped, undulatory-shaped, corrugated-shaped or any other shaped, plate structures 2 as soft plate structures and/or hard plate structures 14, 14', 14" are just expressions to illustrate any 3-D form of plates, structures and/or products possible to process, according to the present invention, by forming and using first and second and additional compressing rollers and its formed outer surfaces 121a, 122a by using a first 11 or a second (not shown) compression arrangement.

Such 3-D form of plates is to expose a structure or product having as thin wall thickness as possible within a predefined strength, as to bending, shearing and/or other criteria and a low grammage.

The compression arrangement 11 may be formed to process the compression step in two or more stations, for successively producing the desired 3-D form as a con- tinuous process, exposing a soft plate structure 12 having a long lengthwise dimension, a predetermined width dimension, such as corresponding to the length dimension of the compression rollers 121 ,122, and a small height dimension (t) or smaller products.

The drying equipment 13 may be formed to process the drying step in two or more stations, for successively producing the desired 3-D form as a continuous proc- ess, exposing a hard plate structure 14 or 14' having a long lengthwise dimension, a predetermined width dimension, such as corresponding to the length dimension of the compression rollers 121 ,122, and a small height dimension (t) or smaller products.

Thus, with reference to the accompanying Figures 1 to 6 the basic prerequisites for the present invention are shown schematically and in detail, wherein the significant characteristics related to the invention have been concretized by the now proposed and in the following more specifically described embodiments.

Thus, Figure 1 shows a procedure, linked to a method and an arrangement "A", for producing, from a cellulose-related fluff material 1 , wounded up on a roller V, a 3-D shaped hard plate 14, 14' or 14", which may be adapted to be included in a sand- wich product, which may be oriented between external plate-shaped layers 30, 30^', in accordance with Figure 6.

Said fluff material 1 is deflbrated in a mill 3 and/or is mixed with material 4 from a filter 5 and/or surplus material 4' (15) from a process and is distributed, by cooperation of fan equipments 6 and 6a, along a first support or carrier means 7.

The carrier means 7 is here shaped as an endless screen 7a, in the form of a wire T, and the fluffy material 1a so treated is to be spread out, somewhat compressed by a partial vacuum from the fan equipment 6a, along said screen 7a or wire 7 and a suction box 8 and as a somewhat compressed fluffy mat structure 1a' be feed out by means of a control or support plate 8a.

The fluffy material 1a' is fed over as a mat structure, to a second support or carrier means 9, via said control or support plate 8a, which may be formed as a sliding plate.

The fluffy material 1a' is here resting against the second carrier means 9, to be chosen to a mat structure and with a thickness essentially corresponding to a gram- mage allotted to the produced wave-shaped soft plate 12 or wave-shaped hard plate 14, 14' or 14".

This thickness "b" of the fluffy material 1b with added viscous binder means or agent, as adhesive material, and which fluffy material 1a has been compressed by the compression rollers 121 , 122 together with the layers 10a, 10a' said viscous binder means or agent is dried and hardened in the drying equipment 13 and thus will provide a specific grammage for a produced plate 14 or further processed plates 14^' or 14".

This fluffy material 1a, which can be considered as being dry when feed to the suction box 8, is, after the suction box 8, the carrier means 7 and the support plate 8a, to be moistened with a supplied adhesive material 10 on said carrier means 9 as a layer 10a and to be compressed in a compressive arrangement 11 to a wave-shaped elongate soft plate 12, as a compressed mat structure 1b, which is considered as a semi finished structure, wherein this elongated soft plate 12 is continuously conveyed to said drying equipment 13, which can be and/or should be an equipment structured for mi- crowave drying of the added and distributed liquidized adhesive material 10 as a lower layer 10a.

In consequence of the drying equipment 13, the in feed wave-shaped soft plate 12 or mat structure 1b, has been treated and structured as to form a more bend-resistant plate 14 than the wave-shaped soft plate 12, when the liquidized adhesive material layer 10a has been pressed through the fluffy material 1a' as a mixture 100 and dried to a more rigid structure in said drying equipment 13.

This bend-resistant wave-shaped hard plate or unit 14 is to be able to be finally processed and/or to be processed further in a processing step, included in subsequent equipment 15, so as to form one or more discrete units or products 14', such as a successive subdividing of the elongated wave-formed hard plate 14 into discrete units 14".

The invention more specifically indicates that said compression arrangement 11 is to be composed of two or more compression means, here illustrated as compressing rollers, designated 121 , 122, arranged on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy mate- rial 1a', as a mat structure, and having an underlying thin layer 10a of a distributed liquidized adhesive material 10.

More specifically, Figure 1 indicates that one of the compressing roller's 121 , such as circular, support curve or compressing surface 121a is allotted a shape corresponding to the chosen upper wave 3-D shape 18 and that a lower support curve or pressing surface 122a of the second supporting or compressing roller 122, such as circular, is allotted a lower 3-D wave shape 8a corresponding to the chosen wave shape 18 and that the wave shape 18 allotted to one of the compressing rollers 121 as well as the wave shape 18a allotted to the other compression roller 122 correspond together for their support curves 121a, 122a and are to take a registered position during their rota- tion around their centers 121' and 122' of rotation.

Figure 2 illustrates that the fluffy material 1a', as a mat structure, is to rests against a bed or layer 10a of a well distributed viscous binder means or agent as a material 10, via one or more nozzles 16, and with a finely distributed 10a' viscous binder material 10' well distributed over the upper surface 1a" of said fluffy material 1a', via one or more nozzles 17.

In certain applications it may be an advantage to chose the quantity of the portion 10a of adhesive material 10 to be somewhat larger than that of the portion 10a' of adhesive material 10', if desired with mutually equal or different viscosities.

In the normal case the portion layer 10a' is to be chosen small.

Figure 2a illustrates a compression arrangement 11 having a lower pressing or supporting compressing roller 122 allotted a larger diameter than that of an upper pressing or support compressing roller 121. Furthermore, the centers 121' and 122' of the pressing rollers are angled from a vertical plane "V" to distribute and/or catch any temporary excess of added adhesive material 10, 10' as said layers 10a, 10a^'. This alternative embodiment also offers allotting a larger diameter to an upper pressing roller 121 than that of a lower pressing roller 122 if desired (not shown).

The centers of rotation 121', 122' of the pressing rollers are angled from a vertical plane "V" an angle "a" connecting in a direction to the production process.

More particularly said angle "a" may normally be chosen to be smaller than 30°.

The distance "a" (Figure 3) between opposing support and compressing surfaces or curves 121a and 122a for the two compressing rollers 121 , 122 (not circular) is to be adapted to correspond to a chosen thickness and grammage of the produced product in the wave-formed soft plate 12 or hard plate 14 and/or a chosen thickness "t" for the wave-shaped soft plate 12 considered as a semi finished structure, measured between wave crests and wave troughs.

The distance "a" and the thickness "t" are at that point to comprise input criteria for being adapted to the grammage of the soft plate or hard plate or unit 14 or alternatively to the chosen grammage of unit 14' or units 14".

The distances "a" and "t", which are to be chosen in dependence of the shape and grammage of the soft plate 12 and the hard plates 14, 14' or 14", which is to be produced, are chosen by a person skilled in the art.

The used binder means or agent or adhesive material 10,10' is to be a material based on potassium and/or sodium silicate (water glass) and is chosen primarily, such as at least 20 - 30 %, from water glass and the remainder in the form of starch.

As support or carrier means 9 a supported thin plastic film of polyethylene 9a is chosen, rolled up on a roller 20 (Figure 2b), and/or a conveyor belt (not shown) supporting a plastic sheeting.

In the drying microwave equipment 13 the material 12 may have a dry content of between 50 - 70 % in and between 80 - 90 % out of said equipment 13.

A removal of said support 9a' from the wave-shaped soft plate 12, (or from the wave-shaped hard plate 14), is proposed in order to have it rolled up on a roller 21, as illustrated in Figure 1 and in Figure 2b.

A first adhesive material (nozzles to distribute strings of adhesive material 10 and doctor blade or squeegee 16a to distribute the adhesive material 10 as a layer 10a over the support or carrier means 9) distributing arrangement 16 spreads out, counted in a chosen direction of transportation, a chosen amount of adhesive material 10 over the support or carrier means 9 and a plastic sheet 9a and a second adhesive material distributing arrangement 17 for distributing adhesive material 10', counted in the direc- tion of transportation, spreads out through nozzles 17 a chosen quantity of adhesive material 10a' on the upper surface 1a" of the fluffy material 1a", as a mat structure, by a procedure comprising spraying said adhesive material 10'.

The quantity of the distributed liquidized adhesive material 10a (alternatively 10a') and the quantity of fluffy material 1a' are mutually chosen such, that the soft plate 12 is serving as a semi finished structure and will be thoroughly moistened by the two or more compressing rollers 121 , 122 of the compression arrangement 11.

A first and/or a second flat (or bent) layer 30, 30 Of a compressed material provided with adhesive material can then be supplied to the soft plate structure or product 12 serving as a semi manufactured structure immediately after the drying equipment 13, as the hard plate 14, or a mat structure 1c, alternatively in and/or after the processing station or step 15.

Figure 1 illustrates a roller 20 for feeding a plastic film 9a as a support of fluffy material 1a' and a roller 21 for winding up utilized plastic film either after the compres- sion arrangement 11 (not shown) or the drying equipment 3. Nothing prevents introducing an upper plastic film 9a' (Figure 2) in front of the compressing arrangement 11 and rolling it up behind the drying equipment 13 by means of rollers, that are not shown but included in Figure 2, however similar to rollers 20 and 21 , respectively.

Figure 2c indicates a cleansing roller 25 to clear the plastic film 9b from material 25a.

Said distance "a" between opposing support and compressing surfaces or curves 121a and 122a exposing its 3-D form may be fixed, regulated and controlled to achieve specific conditions.

The fluffy material 1a, considered as a dry material, is to rest on a supplied binder means or agent as a support layer 10a (and/or a layer 10a') and the quantity of said dry material 1a and the quantity of the binder agent in said layer! 0a (or 10a') and its liquid (water) content are interrelated to cause a complete moistening of the fluffy material 1a with a low or higher moisture content by the compression arrangement 11 and said distance "a".

The grammage of the fluffy material 1 a and the grammage of the binder agent

10a (10a') causes the grammage of the wave-shaped soft plate 12 as no liquid has been evaporated.

However the grammage of the wave-shaped soft plate 12 may be increased be allotting a higher transporting speed for the fluffy material 1a (10a) than that allotted to the peripheral velocity of the surfaces 121a, 12a.

The grammage of the wave-shaped soft plate 12 may be reduced by allotting a lower transporting speed for the fluffy material 1a (10a) than that allotted to the peripheral velocity of surfaces 121a, 122a.

Further the grammage of the wave-shaped soft plate 12 is higher than that of the wave-shaped hard plate 14, depending upon the educed liquid content, caused by the drying equipment 13.

In this respect it will be possible to cause a further 3-D related treatment of a wave-shaped hard plate 14, with a high liquid content in a processing step and thereaf- ter treat this processed wave-shaped hard plate 14' in a drying equipment (not shown) towards a lesser (or final) liquid content, in order to form the product.

The invention is naturally not limited to the embodiment disclosed above as an example, and it can be subjected to modifications within the inventive concept illustrated by the following claims.

It should specifically be noted that each utilized unit and/or circuit can be combined with every other illustrated unit and/or circuit within the frame of being able to reach the desired technical function.

Claims

1. A method of producing from a cellulose-related fluffy material (1 , 1a) a 3-D formed, as wave-shaped, hard plate (14) structure or product, adaptable for being includable in a sandwich product, said fluffy material being distributed along a support or carrier means (7, 9), as a mat structure (1a'), and moistened with a supplied binder means or agent, such as an adhesive material (10), and which in a compression arrangement (11) is compressed to a 3-D formed soft plate (12) structure or product considerable as a semi fabricated structure or product, said soft plate (12) structure or product being conveyable to and through a drying equipment (13) so as thereafter to form said 3-D shaped hard plate (14) structure or product, characterized in that the used compression arrangement (11), consisting of two or more compressing rollers (121 , 122), arranged on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy material (1a'), as a mat structure, with supplied binder means or agent (10), such as an adhesive material (10a), exposes compressing surfaces, a curve (121a) of one of the compressing rollers is allot- ted a shape corresponding to the chosen 3-D form, such as a wave-shaped form, and a curve (122a) of the other compressing roller is allotted a shape corresponding to the chosen 3-D form, such as a wave-shaped form, and that the 3-D forms one allotted to one of the compressing surfaces and one allotted to the other compressing surface correspond to each other, said surfaces are caused to always take a registered position to each other, with opposing surfaces for the two compressing rollers being adapted to correspond to a chosen surface weight (grammage) of the 3-D formed soft plate (12) structure or product after the compression arrangement (1 ) and/or the 3-D form and hard plate (14) structure or product after the drying equipment(-s) (13).

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , characterized in that as said binder means or agent an liquidized adhesive material (10) is chosen, an adhesive material based on potassium silicate and/or sodium silicate, such as water glass and/or starch.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , characterized in that as said support or carrier means (9) forms a flexible conveyor belt and/or a thin plastic film.

4. A method in accordance with claim , characterized in that before or after the drying equipment (13) a plastic film (9a'), adapted as a carrier means, is removed.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 , characterized in that via a first binder means or agent, as aliquidized adhesive material, distributing arrangement (16) a chosen quantity (10a) of binder means or agent (10) is spread out over the support or carrier means (9) and that via a second binder means or agent, as a aliquidized adhesive material distributing arrangement (17) a chosen quantity of adhesive material (10a') is spread out over the top surface of the distributed fluffy material, as said mat structure (1a').

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 or 5, characterized in that the quantity of liquidized adhesive material or agent (10a, 10a') and the quantity of fluffy material (1 a') are mutually chosen such, that the 3-D formed, as wave-shaped, soft plate (1b, 12) structure or product, serving as a semi-fabricated structure, is to be totally moistened within the compression arrangement (11).

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 , characterized in that the 3-D shaped hard plate (14) structure or product, serving as a semi-fabricated structure, is allotted to a first and/or to a second plate-shaped layer, after the drying equipment (13) and/or in a final processing step (15).

8. An arrangement for producing from a cellulose-related fluffy material (1 , 1a) a wave-shaped hard plate (14), adaptable to be able to be included in a sandwich prod- uct, said fluffy material being distributed along a carrier means (7, 9) and being moisturized with a supplied liquidized adhesive material (10) and in a compression arrangement (11) being compressed to a wave-shaped soft plate (12) structure or product, considerable as a semi-fabricated structure or product, said soft plate structure ( 2) being conveyable to and through a drying equipment (13) for thereafter forming said wave- shaped hard plate (14), as a rigid unit (14'), characterized in that said compression arrangement (11) is adapted to exhibit two or more compressing rollers (121,122), oriented on opposite sides of said distributed fluffy material (1a¹) mixed with said adhesive material (10), wherein the compressing surface or curve (121a), such as circular, of one of the compressing rollers is allotted a shape corresponding to the chosen wave-shaped soft plate (12), and the compressing surface or curve (122a), such as circular, of the other compressing roller is allotted a shape corresponding to the chosen wave-shape soft plate (12), and that the wave-shape allotted to one of the compressing rollers and the wave-shape allotted to the other compressing roller are mutually corresponding and during the rotation of the compressing rollers take a registered position with regard to each other, with the distance (a) between opposing compressing surfaces of the two compressing rollers being adapted and set to correspond to a pre-chosen surface weight (grammage) of the soft plate (12) after the compression arrangement (12) and/or to a pre-chosen surface weight (grammage) of the hard plate (14) shaped on basis of the used drying equipment (13).

9. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that as a liquidized adhesive material (10) is meant a material based on potassium and/or sodium silicate, such as water glass and/or starch.

10. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that a flexible conveyor belt and/or a thin plastic film (9a) is serving as said carrier means (9).

11. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the plastic film (9a'), adapted as a carrier means, is removed before or after the drying equipment (13).

12. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that a first liquid- ized adhesive material distributing arrangement (16) is adapted to spread out a chosen quantity (10a) of adhesive agent or material (10) over the carrier means (9, 9a), that a mat structure ( a') of fluffy material is distributed over said adhesive agent and that a second liquidized adhesive material distributing arrangement (17) is adapted to spread out a chosen quantity of adhesive agent ( 0a') on the upper surface (1a") of the distrib- uted mat structure of fluffy material (1a').

13. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8 or 12, characterized in that the quantity of adhesive material and the quantity of fluffy material are adapted such, with regard to each other, that the wave-shaped soft plate (12), serving as a semi-finished structure or product, will become thoroughly moistened within the compression ar- rangement (11).

14. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that to the wave- formed hard plate (14), serving as a semi-finished structure or product, after the drying equipment (13) and/or within a final processing step (15), is a first and/or a second layer applied.

15. An arrangement in accordance with any one of the preceding claims 8 - 14, characterized in that the compressing rollers are horizontally oriented with regard to their centers of rotation.

16. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8 or 15, characterized in that the compression arrangement (11) is formed with a lower compressing roller allotted a lar- ger diameter than that of an upper compressing roller.

17. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8 or 15, characterized in that an upper compressing roller is allotted a larger diameter than that of a lower compressing roller.

18. An arrangement in accordance with any one of claims 8 - 17, characterized in that the centers of rotation of the compressing rollers are angled from a vertical plane.

19. An arrangement in accordance with claim 18, characterized in that said angle is chosen to be smaller than 30°.

20. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that said com- pression arrangement, is exposing two cylindrical compressing rollers, with equal diameters.

21. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that said compression arrangement is exposing two compressing rollers, having different diameters.

22. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that said com- pression arrangement is using a carrier means in the form of a plastic film, which is to be rolled up before said drying equipment.

23. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that said compression arrangement is using an endless elastic support or carrier means, adapted to pass between the compressing rollers and before a drying equipment returns back, dur- ing a cleansing process, for a further use.

24. An arrangement in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that said compression arrangement is using a carrier means in the form of a plastic film, which is to be rolled up after said drying equipment.