Hello,
I'm a french cabinet maker, i hope the following text will be understandable and precise enough.
I'm looking for a reliable method to press veneer or laminate sheets on both sides of specific 15mm (0,6 inches) MDF panels.
These panels are 400mm (1 foot 3¾ inches) wide by 3000mm (9 feet 10 inches) long. The tricky part is that the 3m edges are lightly profiled, a bit like tapered drywall panels but on the rear surface as well.
That means that about 20mm (0.8 inches) from the edge, the front and rear surface of the panel are gradually thinned down to lose 1mm (0.04 inches) thickness on each face.
I want to use my 3m x 1,3m (9,9 x 4,3 feet) 120 tons hydraulic press with electrically heated platens. I'm gonna use PUR glue, set up the temperature at about 50°C for approximatively 7mn press time.
To be able to compensate the thickness difference, i'm thinking at adding rubber mats on both platens. I want to give it a try with 5mm (0,016 inches) silicone sheets, hardness 30 Shore A.
As i have no experience with this kind of process, i'm looking for any kind of info/advices/suggestion that could help in setting up the right method.
Thanks a lot for your help, i can provide more detailed info if needed.
JFH