Method of producing processed wood material panels

Claim 2

Method of continuously producing processed wood material board or panels, including chipboard, fiberboard, OSB panels, and MDF panels, including using a binder resin for coating the wood material particles, with the binder including urea resins, melamine resins and phenol-formaldehyde resins, and accelerating curing the resin coated wood particles by applying a hardener, and including the steps of spreading the wood particle material coated with the binder on a support surface and forming a mat of the material, conveying the mat into a continuously operating double-band press and gradually compacting the mat of material at an inlet to the press for reducing mat thickness and maintaining pressure on the mat while it hardens, wherein the improvement comprises coating the wood particle material with a hardener-free resin, and introducing the hardener as an acid hardener or a basic hardener in a gaseous phase or a binary phase with a gaseous carrier agent, across and onto the surface of the mat or directly into the interior of the material forming the mat as the mat is gradually compacted at the inlet into the double-band press.

Claim 3

Method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein using ammonia as the basic hardener.

Claim 4

Method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein using an inorganic acid is the acid hardener.

Claim 5

Method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein using an organic acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 6

Method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein using hydrochloric acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 7

Method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein using sulfuric acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 8

Method, as set forth in claim 3, wherein using phosphoric acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 9

Method, as set forth in claim 4, wherein using formic acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 10

Method, as set forth in claim 4, wherein using acetic acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 11

Method, as set forth in claim 4, wherein using maleic acid as the acid hardener.

Claim 12

Method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein using the gaseous carrier agent as a gas neutral in the presence of one of the acid and basic hardener and not reactive with the hardener.

Claim 13

Method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein using air as the gaseous carrier agent.

Claim 14

Method, as set forth in claim 11, wherein using a rare gas as the gaseous carrier agent.

Claim 15

Method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein using the gaseous carrier agent in a vapor phase.

Claim 16

Method, as set forth in claim 14, wherein using steam as the gaseous carrier agent.

Claim 17

Method, as set forth in claim 1, including the step of adding heat to the mat during the compressing step for accelerating the curing of the binder.

Claim 18

Method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein while compacting the processed wood material in the press, transmitting heat from the press to the wood material particles.

Claim 19

Method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein transmitting heat to the wood material particles by one of the gaseous acid and basic hardener.

Claim 20

Method, as set forth in claim 16, wherein transmitting the heat to the wood material particles by the gaseous carrier agent.

Claim 21

Method, as set forth in claim 15, wherein using superheated steam as the gaseous carrier agent.

Claim 22

Method of producing processed wood material board or panels, including chipboard, fiberboard, OSB panels, and MDF panels, including using a binder resin for coating the wood material particles, with the binder including urea resins, melamine resins and phenol-formaldehyde resins, and accelerating curing the coated wood particles by applying a hardener, and including the steps of spreading the wood particle material coated with the binder on a support surface and forming a mat of the material, compacting the mat of material for reducing mat thickness and maintaining pressure on the mat while it hardens, wherein the improvement comprises coating the wood particle material with a hardener-free resin, and during compacting introducing the hardener as one of an acid hardener and a basic hardener in one of a gaseous phase and a binary phase with a gaseous carrier agent, one of across and onto the surface of the mat and directly into the interior of the material forming the mat, using a continuously operating double band press for compacting the mat, conveying the mat in two separate portions to an inlet to the double band press and at the inlet combining the two portions and compacting the combined portions using a piston oscillating in the direction of and counter to movement of the mat through the press.

Claim 23

Method of producing processed wood material board or panels, including chipboard, fiberboard, OSB panels, and MDF panels, including using a binder resin for coating the wood material particles, with the binder including urea resins, melamine resins and phenol-formaldehyde resins, and accelerating curing the coated wood particles by applying a hardener, and including the steps of spreading the wood particle material coated with the binder on a support surface and forming a mat of the material, compacting the mat of material for reducing mat thickness and maintaining pressure on the mat while it hardens, wherein the improvement comprises coating the wood particle material with a hardener-free resin, and during compacting introducing the hardener as one of an acid hardener and a basic hardener in one of a gaseous phase and a binary phase with a gaseous carrier agent, one of across and onto the surface of the mat and directly into the interior of the material forming the mat, using a continuously operating double band press for compacting the mat, conveying the mat in two separate portions to an inlet to the double band press and at the inlet combining the two portions and compacting the combined portions using a piston oscillating in the direction of and counter to movement of the mat through the press.

Claim 24

Method, as set forth in claim 21, wherein supplying the hardener directly from the piston into the interior of the mat at the inlet into the double band press.

Claim 25

Method, as set forth in claim 22, wherein supplying the hardener from the oscillating piston in the oscillatory movement as the piston moves in the direction of the mat moving through the press.