Granted Patent B2

US 12,728,560 · App. 18/039,324 · Granted Sep 8, 2026

Inventors: Munish Chanana (Neuenburg, DE); Gaspard Antoine Clerc (Dübendorf, CH); Philipp Friedrich Siegfried Hass (Zürich, CH); Oliver Frederik Kläusler (Basel, CH); Walter Ulrich Sonderegger (Männedorf, CH); Pascal Wyss (Schwerzenbach, CH)

Assignee: Swiss Wood Solutions AG

B27K5/007B27D1/04B27K3/0278B27K5/001B27K5/0095B27K5/065G06K19/07722

Abstract

Claims (54)

1 . A method for producing a laminated structure comprising the steps of:

a) densifying a layer of hygroscopic material comprising a natural hygroscopic material or wood, the densifying comprising:

i) providing the hygroscopic material to be densified;

ii) pre-conditioning of the hygroscopic material by adjusting the moisture content of the hygroscopic material to a value within a predefined moisture range, if required;

iii) simultaneously heating and pressing the hygroscopic material under predefined temperature and pressure conditions, wherein the moisture content of the hygroscopic material is kept constant; and

iv) obtaining a densified material,

wherein:

the layer of the hygroscopic material is densified in said method step of densifying a hygroscopic material, and afterwards laminated with at least one further layer, wherein the at least one further layer comprising at least one of:

(i) another layer of hygroscopic material that was densified according to said method step of densifying a hygroscopic material; and/or;

(ii) plant-based material, animal-based material and/or wood-based material comprising paper, plant and/or wood fibers, wood-chips, wood flour, cellulose, starch, lignin, wood bark, wood extractives, algae, chitin-based materials, chitosan-based materials, native wood, protein, coal, char, carbon black and/or active coal; and/or;

(iii) metals and/or metal alloys comprising Aluminum, Steel, Copper, Silver, Gold, and/or Titanium; and/or;

(iv) polymeric materials comprising synthetic polymers and/or biopolymers, e.g. PLA, PET, PP, PE, PVC and/or proteins; and/or; and

(v) inorganic materials selected from ceramics, glass, stone, clay, metal-organic frameworks, zeolites, coal, char, carbon black and/or active coal; or other porous or non-porous inorganic materials,

wherein the laminated structure is produced such that the laminated structure comprises:

a) a backside made of a layer of a densified or non-densified wood veneer;

b) a frontside made of a layer of a densified or non-densified wood veneer; and

c) an integrated circuit, a memory device, a tracking device, a sensing device, an antenna and/or an electromagnetic coil,

wherein the layers are laminated and at least one of the layers of wood veneer is made of densified wood veneer, and

wherein the densification step comprises the following sub-steps:

iii1) the hygroscopic material is pre-heated to a first temperature at a first pressure and kept for a predefined first dwell time, wherein, the first pressure is equal to ambient pressure;

iii2) while keeping the first temperature, the pressure is raised to a second pressure, at a constant rate of pressure increase, and kept for a predefined second dwell time;

iii3) while keeping the second pressure, the temperature is increased to a second temperature, at a constant rate of temperature increase, and kept for a predefined third dwell time;

iii4) reducing the temperature to room temperature; and

iii5) reducing the pressure to ambient pressure.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laminated structure comprises one or more further layers of a densified or non-densified wood veneer, or any non-wood-based material, arranged between the backside layer and the frontside layer.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laminated structure comprises a support layer, made of cellulosic material comprising paper, densified wood, and/or fleece, arranged between the backside and the frontside, for carrying one or more of the integrated circuit, the memory device, the tracking device, the sensing device, the antenna and/or the electromagnetic coil.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laminated structure comprises an electrical wire.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a further step of gas-tight packaging of the pre-conditioned hygroscopic material in a gas-tight casing.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hygroscopic material to be densified is selected from plant materials, natural fiber materials, synthetic fiber materials, mineral wool, animal wool, skin-based materials, chitin-based materials, chitosan-based materials, protein-based materials, and/or the mixtures of such materials comprising grasses, algae, hemp fibers and/or egg shells.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hygroscopic material to be densified is selected from wood, lumber, solid wood and/or wood veneers.

8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is effected such that a density of the obtained densified material is 1.01-100 times the density of the hygroscopic material before the densification.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the densification step the moisture content of the hygroscopic material to be densified is adjusted to 5-30%.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the densification step the pressure is increased to a value of 5-50 MPa, and/or the temperature is increased to a value 120-190° C.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein an electronic functionality, a magnetic functionality, and/or an optical label is arranged on a layer of cellulosic material, or on a layer of paper.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two layers of a stack, or the outermost layers of the stack, are made of wood.

13 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the lamination step, a recess and/or an engraving is produced at least in the outermost layer, wherein, the recess and/or the engraving is produced by laser-engraving and/or laser cutting.

14 . The method according claim 13 , wherein a electronic functionality, a magnetic functionality and/or an optical label is placed in the recess, by adhesively bonding.

15 . The method according claim 14 , wherein the electronic functionality is arranged to be in electrical contact with another electrical functionality comprised in a stack.

16 . A method for producing a product comprising the steps of (i) producing a laminated structure according to claim 1 , and (ii) manufacturing the product at least partly from the laminated structure obtained in step (i), wherein the product is a musical instrument or a part of it, a furniture, a door, a door handle, a floor covering, a wall covering, a revetment, an automotive part, a covering for a ceiling, a sports equipment, a load-bearing element, a card, an electronic device, or a casing for an electronic device.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the product is a payment card, a credit card, a debit card, an identity card, a member card and/or an access card.

18 . A method for producing a laminated structure comprising the steps of:

a) densifying a layer of hygroscopic material comprising a natural hygroscopic material or wood, the densifying comprising:

i) providing the hygroscopic material to be densified;

ii) pre-conditioning of the hygroscopic material by adjusting the moisture content of the hygroscopic material to a value within a predefined moisture range, if required;

iii) simultaneously heating and pressing the hygroscopic material under predefined temperature and pressure conditions, wherein the moisture content of the hygroscopic material is kept constant; and

iv) obtaining a densified material,

wherein in step a) of said method step of densifying a hygroscopic material, the hygroscopic material comprising a wood-based material to be densified is provided in form of a stack comprising at least two layers, wherein at least one layer, is made of hygroscopic material, and wherein all layers of the stack are densified together, and

wherein the stack comprises an electronic functionality, a magnetic functionality, and/or an optical label; and

wherein the densification step comprises the following sub-steps:

iii1) the hygroscopic material is pre-heated to a first temperature at a first pressure and kept for a predefined first dwell time, wherein, the first pressure is equal to ambient pressure;

iii2) while keeping the first temperature, the pressure is raised to a second pressure, at a constant rate of pressure increase, and kept for a predefined second dwell time;

iii3) while keeping the second pressure, the temperature is increased to a second temperature, at a constant rate of temperature increase, and kept for a predefined third dwell time;

iii4) reducing the temperature to room temperature; and

iii5) reducing the pressure to ambient pressure.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (36)