Portable laminating machine and method

Claim 2

That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of trimming the web as it advances to a width corresponding to the interior width of said trough.

Claim 3

That method defined in claim 3 characterized in providing said trough with detachable end walls securable to said trough with their adjacent inner sides lying contiguous with the trimmed width of said web.

Claim 4

That method defined in claim 1 characterized in the step of passing the coated web discharging from said slot between a pair of cooperating drive roller means, and utilizing said roller means to press said web against substrate passing past said roller means in the same direction and at the same rate of travel as said web.

Claim 5

That method defined in claim 5 characterized in the step of utilizing a pair of roller means covered with thick resilient material mounted in spaced-apart parallel relation and cooperating to press the coated web against an elongated substrate to laminate the same together undeR pressure.

Claim 6

That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the step of feeding said substrate into laminating position between said roller means on a level underlying said coated web, and utilizing the upper one of said pair of rollers to invert the coated web so that the coated side thereof faces downwardly against the upper surface of the substrate.

Claim 7

That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the step of utilizing a strip web having a width wider than the width of the substrate, and depressing the opposite lateral edges of the coated web against the opposite lateral surfaces of said substrate by rotating bristle means applied against the uncoated surface of the web in a direction to press the coated web into conforming contact with the juxtaposed substrate surface. 9, That method defined in claim 8 characterized in the step of using rotating bristle means mounted on a power-driven shaft held in a plane extending generally crosswise of the path of advance of the laminate and at an angle to the surfaces of the laminate contacted by the rotating bristles.

Claim 8

That method defined in claim 8 characterized in the step of applying heat to at least one lateral edge of said coated web to relax the web in advance of contact of the rotating bristles therewith.

Claim 9

That method defined in claim 6 characterized in the step of passing the newly laminated portion of said substrate past a third driven roller while depressing the substrate thereagainst under pressure by applying pressure against the exposed surface of the web via a resilient strip in contact with the web crosswise thereof in an area opposite the axis of said third roller.

Claim 10

That method defined in claim 11 characterized in varying the share of the driving load applied to said laminate by said third roller by varying the pressure applied to the exposed surface of the web generally opposite the axis of said third roller.

Claim 11

That method defined in claim 11 characterized in the step of varying the share of the laminate feeding load between said pair of rollers and said third roller by varying the pressure applied to the laminate by said pair of rollers and by varying the pressure applied against the exposed surface of said web opposite said third roller.

Claim 12

That method of laminating a decorative web to the face and lateral edges of wallboard paneling which comprises passing a continuous inverted strip of thin flexible decorative web having a width substantially wider than the width of wallboard paneling to be laminated along a flat-bottomed trough beneath a supply of adhesive in contact with the full upper width of said web and through a slot effective to limit the thickness of the adhering coating of adhesive, pressing the coated web against the face of a wallboard panel lengthwise thereof while being advanced with and at the same rate as said web, and rotating brushes against the outer uncoated surface of the lateral edge portions of said web to depress the same against the lateral edges of said wallboard panel.

Claim 13

That method defined in claim 14 characterized in the step of trimming said web as it approaches the supply of adhesive in said trough so that the web width corresponds to the width of the trough and of the overlying supply of adhesive resting against the upper face of the web.

Claim 14

That method defined in claim 14 characterized in the step of holding said web flat and outstretched as the web advances across the bottom of said trough and beneath the supply of adhesive in said trough.

Claim 15

That method defined in claim 14 characterized in the steps of advancing wallboard paneling in end to end aligned abutment into contact with the advancing coated web with the opposite lateral edges thereof spaced inwardly from the edges of the coated web by a distance corresponding generally with the thickness of the paneling, and heating the lateral edges of the coated web in advance of said rotating brushes to facilitate the deflection and smooth surface-conforming adherence thereof to The lateral edges of the paneling.

Claim 16

That method defined in claim 14 characterized in the step of utilizing a single pair of counterrotating rollers held pressed transversely against the remote surfaces of said web and paneling to press the same together and to control the synchronized advance thereof.

Claim 17

That method defined in claim 18 characterized in the step of passing the uncoated side of said web over one of said pair of rollers for a distance sufficient to invert the coated web before the coating engages the upper surface of the paneling.

Claim 18

That method defined in claim 14 characterized in the step of rotating said brushes about an axis extending crosswise of the edge of said paneling with the plane of rotation of the brush bristles intersecting the panel edge at an obtuse angle to the laminated surface of the paneling.

Claim 19

That method defined in claim 14 characterized in the step of threading a fresh continuous length of web beneath the adhesive supply in said trough by placing the inverted advance end of the new web against the upper surface of the end portion of the old web in an area thereof on the upstream side of said adhesive supply, and securing a narrow strip of the leading end of the new web to the adjacent surface of the underlying old web while pulling the new web beneath the adhesive and through the slot controlling the coating thickness.

Claim 20

That method defined in claim 17 characterized in the step of utilizing the adjacent ends of newly laminated paneling as a guide for a cutting blade while severing said web lamination from edge to edge to separate the adjacent panels from one another.

Claim 21

A compact, portable machine or laminating a decorative layer to wallboard paneling at the installation site of the paneling, said machine having a main frame provided with a pair of oppositely driven laminating rolls mounted crosswise thereof, a broad V-shaped trough extending crosswise of said frame having a low height slot with its bottom side flush with one bottom wall of the trough, means for supporting a supply roll of decorative web material with the rear surface of the advance end thereof facing upwardly and extending through said slot with the decorative surface lying against one upper bottom surface of said trough, said trough having closed ends spaced apart the width of said web and adapted to contain a supply of adhesive resting against the upwardly facing surface of said web, said slot being effective to control the thickness of the adhesive coating, said pair of rollers being positioned in the path of advance of the coated web and adapted to pass therebetween with the coating layer facing toward a wallboard panel, and said driven rollers being effective to press said web into smooth contact with said panel while advancing both therepast.

Claim 22

A portable laminating machine as defined in claim 23 characterized in the provision of supplemental power drive means for feeding the laminated paneling forward comprising: a driven roller bearing against the paneling on the face remote from said decorative web, and adjustable nonrotating pressure applying means movably supported on the other side of said paneling and adapted to be moved into pressure contact with the decorative web downstream from said pair of rollers to aid in advancing the laminated paneling and to avoid applying sufficient pressure to said pair of rollers as to displace portions of the adhesive coating along the bight between said pair of rollers.

Claim 23

A machine as defined in claim 23 characterized in that said decorative web is sufficiently wide to project laterally beyond the edges of said paneling, and power-driven brushes mounted on said frame downstream from said pair of rollers with the shafts thereof extending crosswise of and inclined to either lateral edge of the paneling with the bristles positioned to press the projecting web edges into snug contact with the edges of the paneling, said bristles readily accommodating substantial variations in the width of The paneling without need for adjusting the position thereof.

Claim 24

A laminating machine as defined in claim 25 characterized in the provision of heater means positioned to heat the projecting lateral edges of said decorative web as the same approaches said rotating brushes.

Claim 25

A laminating machine as defined in claim 23 characterized in that said frame is provided with rollers movable into lowered position against a floor to support said machine thereon while being moved from one position to another at a construction site and onto and off a transporting vehicle while going to and from the construction site.

Claim 26

A laminating machine as defined in claim 26 characterized in the provision of roller-conveyor means detachably securable to the opposite ends of said main frame to facilitate the support and feeding of wallboard paneling between the entrance side of said pair of rollers and to receive and support laminated paneling discharging from the downstream end of said machine.

Claim 27

A laminating machine as defined in claim 23 characterized in the provision of variable speed drive means for said pair of rollers, one of said rollers being the principal means for advancing said web through said trough of adhesive and the other of said pair of rollers being the principal means for advancing paneling through said machine.

Claim 28

A laminating machine as defined in claim 23 characterized in that said trough means for applying a coating of adhesive to a continuous web is quickly removable as a unit.

Claim 29

A laminating machine for laminating a continuous flexible strip to rigid substrate, said machine having a rigid frame supporting a pair of power-driven laminating rolls cooperating to press said web and substrate together under pressure, adhesive applicator means mounted on said frame having a broad shallow trough extending crosswise of the path of the web and closed at its ends by end wall means spaced apart by the width of the web, said trough having a wide flat bottom on one side thereof leading into a shallow slot coextensive with the interior length of said trough and through which the web passes while advancing toward said laminating rolls, and said trough being adapted to be charged with a supply of adhesive resting on the upper surface of the web whereby the upwardly facing surface of the web is coated as the web is advanced through said slot and between said laminating rolls.

Claim 30

A laminating machine as defined in claim 31 characterized in that one bottom wall of said trough is adjustably supported for lowering and raising relative to the other bottom wall thereby to vary the height of said slot through which the coated web passes.

Claim 31

A laminating machine as defined in claim 32 characterized in that the lower edge of said bottom wall is serrated transversely thereof to provide for the feeding and distribution of adhesive as the web passes through the slot.

Claim 32

A laminating machine for laminating a flexible laminae to substrate having nonplanar portions, said machine comprising means for feeding and pressing together a length of said substrate and a flexible laminae with a layer of adhesive therebetween, and rotating brush means supporting along the path of travel of said web and substrate with the bristles thereof positioned to depress the advancing web into firm contact with the juxtaposed nonplanar surface of said substrate and in faithful conformance with the contour thereof.

Claim 33

That method of coating a surface of continuous strip material with a fast-setting layer of fluent material which method comprises: supporting a body of fluent fast-setting fluent material in a confined body in contact with the surface of said strip material, and advancing said strip material past said confined body of fluent material and past a coating thickness control barrier therefor at a rate effective to convert said body of fluent material into a rolling cylinder thereof in contact with the surface of said strip material as the latter advances tangentially therepast aNd past said thickness control barrier.

Claim 34

That method defined in claim 35 characterized in the step of applying the exposed side of the coating on the material issuing from the discharge side of said barrier against the surface of other material while advancing said other material in unison with said coated surface.

Claim 35

That method defined in claim 36 characterized in that said fast-setting fluent material includes fast-setting adhesive.

Claim 36

That method defined in claim 35 characterized in the steps of using a fluent coating material embodying fast-setting adhesive effective upon setting to bond together surfaces in contact with the opposite surfaces of a layer thereof, and pressing the exposed surface of the coating on said strip material after the same issues past said barrier against the surface of other material while advancing said other material in unison with said coated surface.