ROLLING MATRIX FOR A ROLLER OF A MOCK WOOD POWDER PAINTING PLANT OF A MANUFACTURED PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The present invention refers to a rolling matrix for a roller of a mock wood powder painting plant of a manufactured product, to the plant and to the painting process that uses said rolling matrix.
Currently, powder painting is widely applied in the field of imitation wood surface decoration of metal profiles usually intended for making door and window frames and standing finish.
The conventional painting process has drawbacks that limit its large scale industrial application, which can be identified above all in the application of the decorative layer that often requires the control of a the hand of a skilled expert.
Such a conventional painting process, due to the need for the presence of qualified personnel, is sometimes not very productive'.
Other painting processes are known in which the greater automation is offset by a not very accurate reproduction of the desired decorative pattern on the manufactured product. The reproduction of the decorative pattern can be obtained through a rolling matrix that is in the form of an elastically deformable layer of applique that can be applied to the side surface of the roller. Often the exact reproduction of a decorative pattern requires
that an additional brushing step be carried out.
A conventional rolling matrix generally has a work face consisting of a plurality of peaks and troughs in which the peaks engage against the surface to be decorated scraping away the powder paint to obtain the desired decorative pattern.
Such a rolling system determines the accumulation of a substantial amount of powder paint in the wide surfaces of the troughs formed between the peaks of the matrix and requires accurate cleaning of the matrix after rolling.
Moreover, during rolling part of the powder paint removed from a peak starting from the first point of contact with the surface to be decorated can be redeposited at the moment of detachment from the surface to be decorated and dirty or alter the lines of the decorative pattern.
The technical task proposed of the present invention is, therefore, that of making a rolling matrix and a powder painting plant and process of a manufactured product using said rolling matrix, which allow the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art to be eliminated.
In this technical task a purpose of the invention is that of making a rolling matrix and a powder painting plant and process of a manufactured product using said rolling matrix, which allow the procedural operations necessary for obtaining the desired decorative pattern on the manufactured product to be automated, simplified and reduced.
Another purpose of the invention is that of making a rolling
matrix and a powder painting plant and process of a manufactured product using said rolling matrix, suitable for carrying out mock wood painting that faithfully reproduces the desired decorative pattern on the manufactured product. Another purpose of the present finding is that of providing a rolling matrix and a powder painting plant and process of a manufactured product using said rolling matrix, which optimises the time of the production cycle eliminating idle time .
The last but not least purpose of the invention is that of making a rolling matrix and a powder painting plant and process of a manufactured product using said rolling matrix, which are simple, cost-effective and productive. The technical task, as well as these and other purposes, according to the present invention, are accomplished by making a rolling matrix for a roller of a mock wood powder painting plant of a manufactured product, characterised in that it comprises a flat engagement ^surface against the surface to be decorated, having a plurality of troughs suitable for reproducing the lines of the decorative pattern on said surface to be decorated.
The present invention also discloses a mock wood powder painting process of a manufactured product, characterised in that it comprises the steps of laying a first layer of powder paint, fixing said first layer of powder paint, laying at least a second layer of powder paint of different colour, tone and/or properties with respect to said first layer of
paint, and carrying out the rolling of the surface to be decorated with a rolling matrix having a flat engagement surface against said surface to be decorated and a plurality of troughs suitable for reproducing the lines of the decorative pattern on said surface to be decorated. Other characteristics of the present invention are defined, moreover, in the subsequent claims.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention shall become clearer from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the rolling matrix for a roller of a powder painting system according to the finding, illustrated for indicating and not limiting purposes in the attached drawings, in which:
- figure 1 shows a perspective view of a rolling matrix in accordance with the present finding, before application to the roller;
- figure 2 shows a section view of the coupling zone between the rolling matrix for in accordance with the present finding and the surface to be decorated.
With reference to the figures, a rolling matrix is illustrated generically indicated by reference numeral 1. The rolling matrix 1 consists of an elastically deformable layer of applique applied to the side surface of the roller 2 of the rolling group of a mock wood powder painting plant (not shown) of a manufactured product 3.
The roller 2 is moved along a cyclical path comprising a stroke following the manufactured product 3, which extends
along a direction that is inclined with respect to the direction of advance of the manufactured product 3, and during which it is subject to a displacement with respect to the manufactured product 3.
The following stroke extends along a direction that is inclined with respect to the direction of advance of the manufactured product .
The rolling matrix 1 comprises a flat engagement surface 4 against the surface to be decorated 5 of the manufactured product 3, having a plurality of troughs 6 suitable for reproducing the lines of the decorative pattern on the surface 5 to be decorated.
The troughs 6 extend longitudinally and are preferably triangular or even rectangular in shape.
The surface to be decorated 5 has a first base layer of paint
7 and at least a second outer layer of paint 8 of different colour, tone and/or properties with respect to the first layer of paint .
After having applied the base layer of paint and at least the second layer of paint to the manufactured product 3 in the painting plant, the rolling takes place in the following way.
During the following stroke of the roller 2, the flat surface
4 of the rolling matrix 1 applies a contact pressure against the surface 5 to be decorated determining the smearing of the outer layer of paint on the inner layer of paint and simultaneously an accumulation of paint inside the troughs 6.
Thus, the powder paint accumulated in the troughs 6 makes a
plurality of lines in relief 9 on the surface 5 to be decorated.
Advantageously, whereas the lines in relief on the surface 5 created by the troughs 6 of the matrix 1 substantially represent the grains of a wood finish, the smearing zones on the surface 5 created directly by the flat surface 4 of the matrix 1 can substantially represent the shades of the wood finish.
The rolling can be carried out through rolling with or without sliding of the matrix 1 on the surface of the manufactured product 3.
The first case is preferable because it allows the shades that can be achieved to be improved.
The rolling can possibly be preceded by a brushing step.
In this case, however, a second layer of paint is associated with the first layer of paint, the brushing is carried out, then a third layer of paint is laid and finally the rolling of the third and last layer of paint is carried out .
The matrix of the present finding is particularly advantageous because it allows a faithful and precise reproduction of the desired decorative pattern to be obtained in a simple, cost-effective and highly productive manner, making one step of the painting process optional, in particular the provision of at least one intermediate layer of paint between the base and the outer layer and the brushing of such an intermediate layer of paint before the application and rolling of the final layer of paint.
Moreover, the troughs of the matrix are shaped and sized so as to allow an accumulation inside them of the amount of paint necessary and sufficient to make sharp lines in relief on the surface of the manufactured product thus eliminating the excess powder paint that in conventional rolling matrices is taken away from the peaks and at the moment of detachment of the peaks from the surface of the manufactured product is once again released from the peaks onto the surface of the manufactured product negatively altering the decoration reproduced on the surface of the manufactured product . The rolling matrix of the present finding can undergo various modifications and variations, all of which are covered by the present inventive concept; moreover, all of the details can be replaced with technically equivalent elements. In practice, the materials used, as well as the sizes, can be whatever according to the requirements and the state of the art .