Lightweight moisture resistant flat sheet for furniture - consists essentially of recycled polystyrene foam core bonded to polystyrene facing sheets so that its' complete structure can be recycled

摘要

A flat sheet for use in furniture has two plastic visible faces and a resin foam core; both faces are thermoplastic sheets and they are bonded to the sides of foam made of the same but recycled polymer. A preferred polymer for the faces and core is polystyrene. The cross-section (shown) is of a prod. with a core (10) of foamed recycled polystyrene; this is between the two face sheets (12, 14) of which the front face (12) alone has relief features (15). Moreover, its (12) edges (20) stand up over the edges of the core (10) and are thus flush with the outer face of the backing sheet (14). Both faces (12, 14) are covered with a scratch-resistant film (16, 18). The whole structure is thus not sensitive to moisture and can be used in e.g. bathrooms or kitchens. It can be recycled in toto as all its parts are made of the same type of polymer. Its wt. can be reduced further by using a core with hollow chambers (21) or e.g. ribs or honeycomb structure. ADVANTAGE - The whole sheet can be recycled and repeatedly so.