Apparatus for inserting connecting elements into lateral and/or front sides of technical wood products

[0001] The invention relates to a device for embedding fasteners in the front and longitudinal walls of long technical wood products. [0002] It is known to manufacture wood products such as floor panels, furniture boards, MDF, HDF, OSB and others in continuous technical processes. For the assembly of the abovementioned products on large surfaces such as floors, walls, furniture, they have on their outer longitudinal and front walls, fasteners in the form of a groove - tongue joint. These fasteners are milled directly in the technical wood product. The disadvantage is the possibility of damage to these elements during transport. Damage causes complications when laying floor panels, especially when the tongue is partly damaged.

[0003] Swiss Patent No. CH 24980 discloses a machine for producing wood block panels. Wood blocks, having grooves on opposite walls, lying one on top of the other are from the warehouse, in rows arranged next to each other, served on a table having sliders. On this table, feathers are pressed into the grooves of the wooden blocks. The blades are delivered from the warehouse in the necessary amount lying one on top of the other and are simultaneously pressed into the grooves of wooden blocks. After making one plate, it is ejected and the process of making another plate begins. This machine only allows non-continuous production, with individual wooden elements for the production of large products. Due to high pressure when the pen is pressed in, the groove or the pen itself is easily damaged, which reduces the strength of the produced elements. Individual parts may be assembled only at the place of manufacture.

[0004] From DE 142 293, a method for producing floor panels with a prismatic insert is known. The prismatic insert is held by cross-connecting rods. The connecting rods are issued from the warehouse located above the storage plane of the prismatic inserts and are mounted with them and are pressed together with a punch into the groove. A device for transferring connecting rods is not provided. The connecting rods are positioned along the prismatic insert along their entire length. This method only allows for non-continuous installation of prismatic inserts.

[0005] For this reason, in the woodworking industry, a milling process is used on the front and longitudinal walls of the grooves, and the tongue is first processed. This requires high costs, because the tongue must first be cut to the desired length, and then it must be pressed into the groove on the front and longitudinal wall. Asymmetrical pressing of the tongue can damage the groove.

[0006] DE-O 100 34 409 A1 discloses a device for joining building panels having a wooden core. In this case, a groove is made on the two opposing front edges of the plate, which allows the plates to be joined with a fastener. The fastener, known in the wood industry as a feather, has several mustaches on each side, which is a mirror image of the central plane. These mustaches achieve better hooking of the tongue in the groove of parts to be joined together, e.g. floor panels. The fasteners have a length that corresponds to the length of the groove in the joined elements, with the fasteners being embedded in the laying position. This leads to frequent damage to the groove and the associated difficult joining of individual wooden parts.

[0007] From EP 1 582 653, it is known to insert a tongue into a groove in a continuous process, and to collect the feathers a magazine is provided on the side of the transporting device. The lateral placement of the magazine necessitates the positioning of carriers next to the transporting device which have a pin protruding towards the magazine, which is swinging and sliding along an axis transverse to the direction of transport.

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a device that allows industrial, continuous production of technical wood products, for example floor panels in which technical wood products are deposited in the front and longitudinal walls.

[0009] This object according to the invention is achieved by developing a device with the features of claim 1. Other details are included in the dependent claims.

[0010] The device according to the invention for embedding connecting elements has one or several warehouses of fasteners arranged along the transport direction of technical wood products below or above the transport direction, furthermore it has an assembly transferring fasteners from the warehouse / magazines to the pressing aggregate, also endless fasteners items wherein, immediately before or during transfer by the transfer unit, they are cut to the desired length and are moved transversely to the direction of movement of the technical wood products to the pressing aggregate or transversely to the transporting device to the asymmetrical plane or pressing rollers constituting the pressing aggregate.

[0011] According to the invention, wood or plastic fasteners are cut into stock, cut into the desired length. It is also possible to collect in each warehouse connecting elements of different lengths or of the same lengths. With the same lengths of connecting elements, you can replace an empty warehouse with a full warehouse during a continuous process.

[0012] In another embodiment, the ready-made fasteners can be sorted on a belt that can slide in a certain direction relative to the transfer assembly.

[0013] In another embodiment, the connection element hopper can be made as a sorter, placed in a horizontal plane below or above the horizontal plane for transporting technical wood products. Disordered fasteners can be dispensed from the sorter and directed to the transfer unit. The transfer unit consists of an un-clocked and clocked belt conveyor. The uncontacted conveyor has a transport belt and a pressure belt. The connecting element is clamped between the conveyor belt and the pressure belt and is held between them due to frictional forces between the surface of the connecting element and the upper surface of at least one of the belts. The transport takes place from the horizontal plane of the sorter to the horizontal plane of wood products transport. After reversing the direction of the non-clocked belt conveyor, the connecting elements are transferred to the clocked conveyor. However, when the first fastener is below the clocked belt conveyor, it contacts the bumper, while the second following the first fastener is issued, and so on. The slip between the conveyor belt as well as between the pressure belt is leveled by the frictional force of the fastener. The first fastener is extracted from the quasi-wait position according to the selected timing of the belt conveyor and is further transported.

[0014] It is possible to use a cascade sorter that is located below or above the horizontal plane for the transport of wood products.

[0015] The individual fasteners are gripped by the transfer assembly from the magazines and brought to the height of the groove and technical wood product. The transfer unit supplying fasteners works together with drivers of technical wood products are programmably controlled together. This ensures that fasteners are accurately inserted into the grooves on the front and longitudinal walls of technical wood products. [0016] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fasteners and technical wood products are covered by the same carriers.

[0017] The pressing aggregate is a flat sloping flat, so that the gripping member of the fastener with its front end facing in the direction of transfer is hooked by the groove of the technical wood product, and during further movement of the technical wood product along the flat inclined plane, the fastener is easily pressed into the groove.

[0018] The pressing aggregate is positioned transversely to the conveying direction of the technical wood products, such that the connecting element is gripped by the conveying unit and is pressed into the groove of the technical wood product at a matching height and is simply kept parallel to the conveying technical wood product. Furthermore, due to the transverse movement of the pressing assembly, the connecting element is pressed into the groove.

[0019] The pressing assembly is driven by a linear or cam shift system.

[0020] During the transverse movement of the pressing assembly, it moves at the speed of the transfer belt. Of course, motion control is done using a programmable system.

[0021] The connecting element for installation in the technical wood product from the conveyor belt is directed in parallel towards the pressing aggregate. On the opposite side than the pressing unit of the conveyor belt provided with the drivers of the technical wood product, a support bearing is arranged. [0022] The device according to the invention holding technical wood products with embedded on the front walls and / or longitudinal connecting elements, allows to make large-format connections of products with good quality. The connection is characterized by high resistance to disconnection.

The invention will be explained in more detail on the basis of the drawings.

[0024] The drawings show:

Fig. 1: a view of the device according to the invention for pressing fasteners into technical wood products using an inclined plane as a pressing unit,

Fig. 2: view of the device according to the invention for pressing fasteners into technical wood products with the use of the pressing aggregate moving transversely in relation to the transport device,

Fig. 3: a view of the device according to the invention for pressing fasteners into technical wood products using an pressing roller as a pressing aggregate, deprived of storage,

Figs. 4 and 5 view of the sorting process for fasteners from the hopper and the special dispensing device [0025] Figs. 1 and 2 show two parallel chains transferring 1, 2 transport device for technical wood products 3, such as floor panels, lying horizontally. Transport of technical wood products 3 takes place in a continuous manner to a processing station not shown, whereby milling grooves in the leading edge are used along the transport device 1, 2 pressing units 8, 13 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

[0026] Fasteners 4 of desirable different lengths are separated from the reservoir 5 and transferred to a warehouse 6. Several magazines 6 can also be used. The warehouse 6 can be a shaft warehouse in which the fasteners 4 lie on top of each other. The fasteners 4 are in their longitudinal direction facing parallel to the transport direction 12 of the transport device 1, 2. According to the orientation of the fasteners 4, they are also arranged parallel to the transport device 1, 2 warehouse / magazines 6 lying on the side of the transport device 1, 2 below or above the transport plane.

[0027] The magazine (s) 6 have through bends at the lower end through which the fasteners 4 fall downwards.

[0028] Below the magazine 6, the fastener is gripped by the transfer unit 7 and in the horizontal direction is moved between the front and rear position and at the same time is moved upwards to the pressing aggregate 8/13.

[0029] Figs. 4 and 5 show a hopper 5 formed as a sorter, which is located in a horizontal plane above or below the wood transport plane 3. By means of the sorter, the disordered fasteners 4 are separated and directed and directed to the transfer assembly 7. The assembly conveyor 7 consists of a non-clocked belt conveyor 16 and a clocked belt conveyor 17. The non-clocked belt conveyor 16 has a transport belt 18 and a pressure belt 19. The fastener 4 is transported between the transport belt 18 and the pressure belt 19 due to the frictional forces between the surface of the fastener 4 and both belts 18, 19 and is clamped between them. Transport takes place in the horizontal plane of the sorter and in the horizontal plane of wood product transport 3. After changing the direction of the non-clocked belt conveyor 16 via pulleys 20,

20 ', the fastener 4 is transferred from the non-clocked belt conveyor 16 to the clocked belt conveyor. Where, when the first fastener 4 is below the clocked belt conveyor 17, it contacts the bumper not shown, while the second following the first fastener 4 is dispensed and so on. The slip between the conveyor belt 18 as well as between the pressure belt 19 is compensated by the friction force of the fastener 4. The first fastener is extracted from the quasi-wait position according to the selected timing of the belt conveyor 17 and is further transported.

[0030] Opposite the pressing aggregates 8, 13 on the other side of the transporting device 1, 2 is a support bearing 9. The distance of the support bearing 9 from the transporting device 1, 2 is variable.

[0031] At an equal distance according to the width of the technical wood product 3, drivers 10, 11 are arranged on both chains or other conveying devices 1, 2. Drivers 10, 11 together with the thrust bearing assembly 9 provide a parallel direction of the processed wood product 3 and equal distance to the pressing aggregate 8, 13. The technical wood product 3 having a leading edge and a longitudinal edge adheres to the pressing unit 13 according to Fig. 2, whereby the coupling element 4 gripped by the transfer unit 7 is displaced in a transverse direction to the direction of movement 12 of the transport belts 1, 2 and is pressed into the groove technical wood product 3.

[0032] The pressing device according to Fig. 1 is a flat inclined plane. In this embodiment of the device according to the invention, the fastener 4 gripped by the transfer assembly 7 with its front end facing in the direction of conveying 12 is hooked through the groove of the technical wood product 3. When the technical wood product 3 moves further along the flat inclined plane, the fastener 4 is smooth pressed into the groove.

[0033] The transfer assembly 7 simultaneously serves as a means of transporting fasteners 4 from the magazine 6, but also as a support before the pressing operation.

[0034] In the solution shown in Fig. 3, pressing rollers 14 are used as pressing units and the fasteners 4 are not collected in the warehouse 6. The fasteners 4 are directly fed to the transfer unit 7 and are cut to the desired length in the cutting device 15 and as described on the basis of Fig. 1, they are pressed into the groove.