FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to an arrangement which cleans the top surface of
the moulds required for High Pressure Laminate manufacturing. More particularly, the
present invention discloses mould top auto cleaning process in real time during operation/
production considering that any dust or resin particle left on the mould surface sticks to the
laminate manufactured and thus degrades it, resulting in low quality product.
BACKGROUND ART
In High Pressure Laminate (HPL) manufacturing, layers of papers impregnated with
resin are placed in between highly polished stainless steel plates of about 6mm thickness
and compressed under high temperature and pressure in a horizontal Press whereupon the
resin flows in-between the papers and gets cured bonding the whole assembly into an
integrated mass called Laminate. These stainless steel plates are called Moulds and generally
are of 2450 mm X 1240 mm dimension. The papers adjacent to (in contact with) the top side
and bottom side of the moulds are called the Design Papers which are very high quality
printed papers those give the ultimate look and the finish of the laminate. In this process, it
is extremely important to thoroughly clean the top surface and the bottom surface of the
moulds before the paper assemblies are placed below and above it, since even a speck of
dust, if left alone on the highly polished surfaces of the mould, will get embedded on the
Design Paper and will lead to a dark spot on the decorative surface of the laminate. This will
generate defective products. Since these moulds are lifted by vacuum mould handling
system from the top in automated assembly lines, it is very difficult to meticulously clean
the top surface just before paper assembly on the mould. At present the system which is
followed by the laminate manufacturers is that two men stand on each side of the moving
mould with feather dusters in hand and try to manually clean the 2450 mm X 1240 mm

Mould very quickly (in the very short interval between the vacuum handler positioning the
mould and the paper assembly being placed on it) (shown in Drawing 1). The cleaning being
manual and being done in a hurry, is far from perfect and leaves ample scope of dust and
resin particles being left on the mould resulting in frequent Quality failures of the product.
In the prior art of cleaning moulds of various other manufacturing process of
different products, the following examples have been observed. A Korean specification
KR100526220A discloses apparatus and method for Evaluating Degree of Adhesion of
Adherents to Mould Surface, Apparatus and Method for Surface Treatment of Mould
Surface and Arrangement for Cleaning Mould Used for Moulding Resin. In this invention,
lower mould on the basis from the sensor unit 10, respectively, provided a lower sensor 13
and upper sensor to the upper and lower surfaces of the lower sensor and upper sensor, a
detection signal received, respectively and the upper mould of the mould surface (mould
surface) compares the measured value with a predetermined reference value received each a
measure indicating the degree of adhesion of dirt from the operating section and a
calculation unit for calculating each of the and, if the measurement is less than the reference
value and a comparison unit for transmitting a predetermined warning signal.
Therefore, if the intensity of the reflected light for the irradiation light irradiated to the
mould surface below the reference value, a warning signal is transmitted. Therefore, it is
possible to improve the yield of the automation and efficiency of the moulded article, the
resin moulding action of the resin moulding operation by the cleaning at the same time that
can be evaluated based on the degree of adhesion of dirt to the quantitative, warning signal.
In another prior art a Chinese specification CN1132722C discloses surface finishing
article having quick release fasteners. The invention relates to an article of manufacture
comprising the surface of a quick release fastener. The fastener comprising: a first end

opposite to the article, the article proximate the second end, increasing cross-sectional area
along the direction from the first end to the second end of the tapered portion, the tapered
portion situated a groove and a mating portion having a non-circular cross-section between
the second end. Preferably, the mating portion crosses section of a hexagon. The present
invention also discloses a mating surface of the bearing block used in processed products.
The bearing block includes a fastener with a cross section as part of the opening
corresponding to the cross-sectional area. Within the openings of the support base it is also
provided an O-ring, which engages the inner groove of the fastener.
In yet another prior art a Japanese specification JPH11114972A discloses an
automated mould cleaning arrangement capable of certainly obtaining a uniform
polyurethane moulded product. The apparatus includes a planar brush is brought into
contact with the upper surface of a mould to be reciprocating moved in the length direction
of the mould to clean the surface of the mould and subsequently drawn up to replace the
mould. The planar brush forms a pair and one planar brush is washed within a washing
tank while the mould is cleaned by using the other planar brush and, after the mould is
cleaned, both brushes forming a pair are drawn up and revolved to be replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In the present case ,in order to overcome the technical problems described in
'Background Art' portion of manufacturing of High Pressure Laminate, the present
invention provides a new mechanism which is simple, compact, lightweight, feature-rich and
having superior performance. This new arrangement is called Mould Top Auto Cleaning
Arrangement for High Pressure Laminate (HPL) Manufacture.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for removing
residual resin particles and dust from the mould top surface using vigorous and rapid
brushing.
It is still another object of the present invention, to provide an arrangement usable in
a continuous, in-line process for manufacturing High Pressure Laminates using Mould
plates for rapid and meticulous cleaning of the mould top surfaces after the processed
laminate from the preceding operation cycle is removed from the mould and prior to reuse of
the same mould.
It is still a further object of the present invention, to eliminate costly, time consuming,
mould-damaging manual cleaning arrangement by substituting it with a highly effective
arrangement for cleaning the moulds prior to reuse.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus
for the uniform and controlled removal of surface contaminants from top surface of moulds
used in a HPL manufacturing.
It is still a further object of the present invention, to provide an arrangement for
cleaning the top surface of the moulds through controlled mechanical cleaning thereby
prolonging the life of the moulds and greatly reducing the number of defective parts formed
by the mould assembly.
The advantages and meritorious features of the present invention will be more fully
understood from the following description of the drawings and the preferred embodiment,
the appended claims and the drawings which are described briefly herein below.

Advantageous effects of the present invention are: the present invention is a new type
of mould top automatic cleaning arrangement using a pneumatic motor through a geared
transmission to rotate a high-speed brush in reverse direction of its linear travel path. By a
level sensing sensor and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), the exact position of the
Mould top surface is determined facilitating accurate positioning of the rotating brush so
that the pressure which the brush exerts on the Mould top surface remains the same for
every Mould in each cycle of operation.
The present invention is of simple and ingenious design, low cost, improved produc-
tion efficiency, reduced labour intensity and improved environmental quality, to achieve a
continuous automated production.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure. 1 illustrates the schematic view of the High Pressure Laminate (HPL)
manufacturing with manual cleaning as prior art;
Figure.2 illustrates the schematic view of the High Pressure Laminate (HPL)
manufacturing unit with automated arrangement as per the present
invention;
Figure. 3 illustrates the Mould Top Auto Cleaning arrangement as per the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As in all production operations, the above product manufacturing steps are

repeatedly accomplished and, as hereinbefore mentioned, each mould must be cleaned
every time it goes into the Press for processing impregnated papers to manufacture
laminate, which amounts to about 200 times cleaning in an hour.
After each pressing operation, as it is commonly referred to in the art, some dust/
resin particles and unwanted materials are left behind in the mould surface resulting in
aberrations on the highly polished mould surfaces. If the moulds are not cleaned every time
before it is assembled then these residual materials cause unacceptable finish on the moulded
products. The unacceptable finish typically appears in the form of dark spots on the
finished products, that is, on the decorative surfaces of the laminates. In the present case,
the mould plates are transferred by the VMHS (Vacuum Mould Handling System) from the
table where the finished product (laminate) is taken out of the mould (called Breakdown
Table), after processing is over, to the Assembly Table where bunches of impregnated Design
Papers and Backup Papers are sequentially placed between the moulds for the next
processing cycle.
This VMHS moves from its Parking position in- between the Assembly Table and the
Breakdown Table at a prefixed height to the top of the Breakdown Table. At that position it
lowers itself and picks up the Mould from the top by engaging vacuum cups on the Mould
top surface. Then it lifts the Mould to a prefixed height from the Breakdown Table and
moves it to the top of the Assembly Table, lowers itself and places the Mould on the
Assembly Table. While the Mould is being carried by the VMHS, the bottom of the Mould
remains freely accessible and is cleaned by a brush fitted in the travel path of the Mould.
However, the top side of the Mould where the VMHS's vacuum cups grip the Mould remains
inaccessible during the shifting of the Mould. After the Mould is placed on the assembly
table, the vacuum cups disengage from the Mould and the VMHS moves back to its Parking
position. As soon as the VMHS moves out from the Assembly Table area, bunches of

impregnated papers are placed on the Mould in proper sequence and this process is known
as Assembly. The time interval available between the positioning of the Mould on the
Assembly table and placement of the bunch of impregnated papers on it is extremely small
(5 seconds only). The challenge is to clean the (2540 mm X 1240mm=) 3150 sq. mm, i.e.,
3.15 sq. metre of Mould top surface meticulously within this short time.
To meet the challenge, this arrangement was invented. In this arrangement a high-
speed (2700RPM) rotating brush of 2560mm length and 200 mm diameter (Comp. No. 01),
driven by a pneumatic motor (Comp. No. 04) comes down from the VMHS frame (Comp.
No. 12) and positions itself on the forward end of the Mould. The height of the Mould top
surface keeps on increasing as more and more Moulds are placed on the assembly table
interspaced with paper assemblies. For uniform engagement of the rotating brush with the
Mould, the Rotating Brush has to sense the exact current height of the Mould top surface
every time a Mould is placed on the assembly table. This is done by a level sensor (Comp.
No. 13) which senses the top level of the Mould and sends signal to the PLC (Programmable
logic Controller) which controls the VMHS, which in turn lowers the Rotating Brush by Rack
and Pinion arrangements (on either side of the rotating brush holding device) (Comp. Nos.06
& 07) to the desired level ensuring that the Brush has the right level of contact and
engagement with the Mould Top surface. The pinions are made of high polymer DELRIN to
avoid formation of metal dusts normally associated with metal to metal contact in a rack and
pinion system. Such metallic dusts are detrimental to the quality of the laminates being
manufactured. The Racks and Pinions are actuated by a Geared Brake Motor (0.37 KW,
1400 RPM) (Comp. No. 08). The gear ratio in this Geared motor is 1400:60. Once the Brush
is in proper contact with the Mould (shown in Figure 2), it moves along the 1240 mm wide
side of the Mould along with the Vacuum Mould Handling System (VMHS) traveling in its
return path and cleans the whole top surface of the Mould uniformly. After the VMHS
reaches its parking position in-between the Assembly Table and the Breakdown Table, the

VMHS along with the Mould Top Auto Cleaning Arrangement, lifts itself to its original height
at which the VMHS executes its travel to the Breakdown Table.
This arrangement, when completes one full cycle of movements, flawlessly cleans
the Mould top surface improving the quality of laminates and thereby reducing Laminate
degradation/rejection to a large extent, resulting in drastic reduction in Quality Cost. Moreover,
this arrangement permanently eliminates the requirement of the two manual Mould cleaners
per shift leading to a large saving in Manufacturing Cost.
All over the world, in High Pressure Laminate (HPL) manufacturing industry, similar
process of production is followed and similar machines are used. Stainless steel moulds are
used everywhere to manufacture laminates and these Moulds require meticulous cleaning
for removal of dust and resin particles at the paper assembly stage to avoid quality failure.
Manual cleaning with duster is the present day practice for the Mould top surface cleaning
during assembly.
Also, in all high volume HPL manufacturing units, the Moulds are handled between
the Assembly and Breakdown Tables with Automated Vacuum Mould Handling System
(VMHS). This 'MOULD TOP AUTO CLEANING ARRANGEMENT' can be used everywhere in
these industries as an attachment to the VMHS to ensure absolutely dust free Mould
surfaces for top quality Laminate production.
Additionally, by employing this arrangement, high volume Laminate industries can
ensure manufacture of high quality spotless Laminates at a lower manpower cost.
The Mould Top Auto Cleaning Arrangement is shown in Figure .3. The details of its
components are given below:

1. NYLON ROLLER BRUSH I LENGTH- 2560 mm I DIAMETER - 200 mm
2. BEARING UNIT HOLDING THE BRUSH (P 206)
3. GEARED COUPLING
4. PNEUMATIC MOTOR 12700 RPMI MA X. PRESSURE 18 BARS
5. GEARED COUPLING MALE AND FEMALE CONNECTOR
6. DELRIN PINION 1100 mm DIAMETER, 31TEETH
7. MILD STEEL RACK I LENGTH 535 mm I SUITABLE FOR THE PINION
8. BRAKE MOTOR WITH GEARBOX 1 0.37 KW 11400 RPM
9. BEARING UNIT (P 205)
10. ROLLER BRUSH MS PIN, 30 mm DIAMETER
11. MS FRAME FOR ROLLER BRUSH GUIDE
12. VACUUM MOULD HANDLING SYSTEM (VMHS) FRAME ON WHICH THE
MOULD TOP CLEANING SYSTEM IS MOUNTED
13. LEVEL SENSOR
14. SLIDING BAR GUIDE PLATE
15. STAINLESS STEEL ROUND SHAFT 1 DIAMETER 30 mm
16. ALUMINIUM SLIDING BLOCK
17. MOTOR RESTING FRAME.
While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in the illustrated
embodiments, it will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art, many modifications
of structure, arrangements, proportions, elements, materials and components used in the
practice of the invention and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific
environments and operation requirements without departing from those principles. The
appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within
the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim :
1. A Mould Top Cleaning Arrangement for manufacturing of High Pressure
Laminates to be retrofitted to the existing VMHS (Vacuum Mould Handling System, configured
for transferring the moulds from Breakdown Table where the finished laminates are taken
out of the moulds after the processing is over, to the Assembly Table) consisting of a frame
holding a Rotary Nylon Brush rotated by a pneumatic motor, a level sensor configured
to sense the top level of the mould which sends signal to a PLC (Programmable Logic
Controller) and Rack and Pinion arrangements driven by an electric motor fitted with a
Gearbox. The PLC controls the movements of the VMHS, which in turn lowers the Rotating
Brush by the Rack and Pinion arrangements present on either side of the Rotating Brush
holding frame to a level ensuring that the brush has the right intensity of engagement with
the mould top surface to perform the best possible cleaning.
2. The Mould Top Automatic Cleaning Arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein
the level detecting process is configured in sensing and aligning the brush on the mould top
surface thereby ensuring most effective cleaning.
3. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the
cleaning method is a high speed rotating brush mounted on rack and pinion arrangements
for upward and downward movements driven by a geared motor. The Rotary Brush is
rotated at high speed by a pneumatic motor placed on the VMHS frame.
4. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the high
speed rotating brush of 2560 mm length and 200 mm diameter is configured to rotate at
2700 RPM.
5. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein cleaning
is done by the nylon roller brush.

6. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the said
brush moves along the 1240 mm wide side of the said mould along with the Vacuum Mould
Handling System (VMHS) in its return path and cleans the whole top surface of the Mould
uniformly.
7. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the
height of the said mould top surface keeps on increasing as more and more moulds are
placed on the said assembly table interspaced with resin impregnated paper assemblies and
arrangement has been made in this innovation to accurately sense this height before the
cleaning brush is positioned on each mould.
8. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the
pinions are made of high polymer DELRIN to avoid formation of metal dusts normally
associated with metal to metal contact in a rack and pinion system.
9. The mould top cleaning arrangement as claimed in Claim 5, wherein Racks
and Pinions are actuated by a Geared Brake Motor (0.37 KW, 1400 RPM) and gear ratio in
said geared motor is 1400:60.
10. Mould top auto cleaning arrangement for high pressure laminate manufacture
substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to the accompanying
drawings.