Porcelain laminate and procedure for manufacturing it

Abstract

The laminate comprises a porcelain sheet with a thickness of two to three millimetres, adhered to a base or support sheet made of MDF or particleboard or high density foam or polyethylene or polypropylene or ABS or foamed PVC or methacrylate or a metal sheet of aluminium or steel, using as the adhesion means a two-component polyurethane or a PUR adhesive, producing a laminate that encompasses the advantages of the nature of the two materials, the porcelain and the base, as well as saving material, and being lighter, having higher thermal and acoustic insulation levels, improved resistance to bending loads and allowing to add additional layers, such as a metal sheet of thickness from 0.1 to 1 mm in order to obtain a greater flatness, or a combination with rubber or elastomer layers to improve the acoustic insulation level.

1 . Porcelain laminate characterised in that it comprises two sheets:
 A sheet of porcelain material with thickness from 2 to 7 mm adhered to   A sheet that acts as a base or support.   
     
     
         2 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the base or support sheet is made of one of the following materials or a combination thereof:
 MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard);   Particleboard;   High density foam;   Polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS or foamed PVC;   Methacrylate;   HPL (High-Pressure Laminate) compact;   Plywood boards;   Aluminium or steel plate.   
     
     
         3 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 2 , characterised in that the thickness of the base or support sheet is in one of the following ranges, depending on the composition of said base or support sheet:
 Polyethylene or polypropylene, or ABS or foamed PVC, from 2 to 20 mm;   MDF, from 4 or 5 mm to 30 mm, when a decorative effect is desired;   High density foams, minimum 6 mm to maximum 70 to 80 mm;   Methacrylate, from 2 to 20 mm;   HPL compact, from 1 to 30 mm;   Plywood boards, from 2 to 50 mm;   Aluminium or steel metal sheets, in the case of aluminium from 0.4 to 3 mm and in the case of steel from 0.5 to 3 mm.   Particleboard sheets, from 4 to 30 mm.   
     
     
         4 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 3 , characterised in that it also comprises a metal sheet ( 3 ) or metal counterface ( 3 ) adhered to the free face of the base or support sheet. 
     
     
         5 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 4 , characterised in that the thickness of the metal sheet ( 3 ) or metal counterface is from 0.1 mm to 1 mm. 
     
     
         6 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 5 , characterised in that the metal sheet ( 3 ) is made of aluminium, steel or stainless steel. 
     
     
         7 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 4 , characterised in that a foam sheet and a metal sheet are adhered to the above-described assembly formed by the porcelain laminate, the base or support sheet and the metal counterface ( 3 ). 
     
     
         8 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 3 , characterised in that the material used to adhere the sheets is a two-component polyurethane adhesive or a PUR adhesive. 
     
     
         9 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the support sheet consists of a laminate with a core that can be made of any of the aforementioned materials (MDF, particleboard, foams, polyethylene, methacrylate, HPL or plywood) and that is laminated on both faces with corresponding metal sheets, wherein the thickness of the metal sheets of either face of the core do not have to be the same. 
     
     
         10 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 1 , characterised in that the support sheet is a laminate formed by a sheet of silicates of fibre cement having metal laminates in at least one of the faces. 
     
     
         11 . Porcelain laminate according to  claim 2 , characterised in that the support sheet is made of one of the materials (MDF, particleboard, foams, polyethylene, methacrylate, high pressure laminate or plywood) and has an additional sheet or counterface made of porcelain material or silica quartz. 
     
     
         12 . Procedure for manufacturing the laminate claimed above, characterised in that it comprises the following stages:
 Cleaning the face of the porcelain material that will be adhered to the base or support sheet by blowing, cleaning brushes and suction;   Pre-treating the base or support sheet, in a manner depending on its composition:   Applying to the face of the base or support sheet a two-component polyurethane adhesive or a PUR adhesive;   Adhering the porcelain sheet to the base or support sheet by gradually applying pressure;   Allowing the laminate assembly to rest for 3 or 4 days, preferably under pressure, using for example a metal bench or plate with the same dimensions as the laminate obtained.   
     
     
         13 . Procedure for manufacturing the porcelain laminate according to  claim 12 , characterised in that if a polyethylene sheet is used as the base sheet, the face of the base or support sheet to be glued can receive the following treatment:
 Crowning;   Trimming.   
     
     
         14 . Procedure for manufacturing the porcelain laminate according to  claim 12 , characterised in that the gradual pressure to apply to glue the two sheets depends on the composition of the base or support sheet:
 If the base or support sheet is made of polyethylene, the pressure to apply is on the order of 15 to 20 Kg/cm2;   If the base or support sheet is made of rubber, the pressure to apply is on the order of 30 Kg/cm2;   If the base or support sheet is made of high density foam, the pressure to apply is on the order of 5 to 7 Kg/cm2;   If the base or support sheet is made of methacrylate, the pressure to apply is on the order of 15 to 20 Kg/cm2;   If the base or support sheet is made of MDF wood, the pressure to apply is on the order of 15 to 25 Kg/cm2.   
     
     
         15 . Procedure for manufacturing the porcelain laminate according to  claim 12 ,  13  or  14 , characterised in that if it has a metal sheet adhered to the base or support sheet, or if the support sheet is a metal sheet, the metal sheet is subjected to the following procedure in order to adhere it:
 Scraping the metal sheets to a depth of 60 to 120 microns, uni-directionally in a longitudinal sense, so that in addition to cleaning grease, oil and dirt from the surface of the face that will be attached to the central core, one of the faces of the metal sheet is given a certain roughness. Scraping is performed with a grain size suitable for metal sheets. 
 Applying a primer, a paint that attaches well to the metal, sealing it to prevent rusting and preparing the surface for the subsequent application of an adhesive. The primer must be a paint particularly suitable for adherence to the plastic materials and the adhesives used subsequently, both for two-component polyurethane and for reactive polyurethane adhesives. 
 Drying the primer in an oven at a temperature from 60-180° C. 
 Applying a special outdoor adhesive that can be of different types, including reactive polyurethane and two-component polyurethane adhesives. The adhesive can be applied:
 With a roller; 
 Spraying it on; 
 With a pistol, applying lines or beads in a spiral form. 
 
 
     
     
         16 . Procedure for manufacturing the porcelain laminate according to  claim 12 , characterised in that if the material used in the laminate employed as support is MDF, particleboard, high density foam, polyethylene or polypropylene, methacrylate, high pressure laminate or plywood, once the laminate or assembly is conformed it is adhered directly to the porcelain sheet. 
     
     
         17 . Procedure for manufacturing the porcelain laminate according to  claim 12 , characterised in that if the core of the support laminate is made of a silicate or fibre cement, the process is as follows:
 Adhering a metal sheet to the back face of the porcelain panel;   Then, adhering the silicate or fibre cement sheet;   Finally, adhering another metal sheet.