Method for forming articles having deep drawn portions from matted wood flakes

Inventors

Gordan R. DeBruine
Bruce A. Haataja
L. Bogue Sandberg, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow

Files

Abstract

An article having non-planar portions, such as a material handling pallet, including a substantially flat deck member and a plurality of hollow leg members projecting integrally from the deck member, is molded as a one-piece unit from a loosely-felted mat formed from a mixture of resinous particle board binder and flake-like wood particles. The leg members are preformed in a separate preform mold or the article forming mold and the mat is deposited on the female die over mold cavities containing the preforms. When the article forming mold is closed, the mat and preforms are compressed into substantially the desired shape and size under temperature and pressure conditions which bond the wood particles of the mat and the preforms together to form a unitary structure.

Patent Number

4,960,553

Assignee

Board of Control of Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Mich.

Assignee

Weyerhaeuser Co., Tacoma, Wash.

Application Number

478,834

Date Filed

2-12-1990

Certificate of Correction

No

Issue Date

10-2-1990

Disciplines

Engineering

Comments

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Recommended Citation

DeBruine, Gordan R.; Haataja, Bruce A.; and Sandberg, L. Bogue, "Method for forming articles having deep drawn portions from matted wood flakes" (1990). Michigan Tech Patents. 58.
https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/58