EP0489355B1 - Method of producing an outer air grid - Google Patents

Abstract

The method produces a slatted external air grille for the end of a ventilation conduit etc. A section of sheet steel is cut out, having the dimensions of the finished article, and fold lines (4) forming one side of each slat (3) are stamped in it. Slots extending round the other sides of the slats are then cut or stamped out, and the slats are bent out along the fold lines. Fold lines for a peripheral strip can be stamped at the same time as those for the slats.

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing an outside air grille with fins, which forms the end of an air duct system, a sheet, in particular a steel sheet, being cut to the size of the later outside air grille and cutting out slots which circumscribe the other sides apart from the folded side of the fins be punched or punched and that in a further work step each lamella is bent at an angle by a crease line.

Outdoor air grilles of this type are known and are available from the market in the most varied designs and types. Such outside air grilles differ primarily in the size, arrangement and number of the assigned slats in a corresponding frame. For example, there are outside air grilles with a few wide fins or those with a rather narrow and therefore many fins.

Outside air grilles are also known, the slats of which are adjustable, while in others the slats are fixed. In their basic concept, particularly in their construction, such outdoor air grilles, whether with adjustable or with fixed slats, are similar. The frames for such outside air grilles are assembled from individual pieces and then the individual previously punched, cut or otherwise produced slats are inserted into the frames. The assembly of the frames and the introduction of fixed slats is done in particular by welding. Bearing points are necessary for adjustable slats.

A method of this kind is not only cumbersome, but also time-consuming and costly. This is cumbersome because several process steps are necessary, such as punching, welding and the like. It is cost-intensive due to the work required for this and due to a relatively high amount of waste in the individual productions. Such a process is also extremely energy-wasting and therefore polluting the environment.

Environmental pollution also arises from the gas released during welding, but above all from the type of painting or painting process to be selected, which is only possible due to the presence of corners, edges and weld seams.

The process is wasteful of energy due to the energy required for the various punchings and for the welding apparatus and due to the energy consumption which is necessary for the operation of the suction devices prescribed for such work.

In addition to the economic aspects due to their high labor costs, environmental pollution and energy waste are factors that need to be improved in a time of increased awareness of the environment.

A housing for a projector is known from US Pat. No. 2,703,045, a large amount of air having to enter the housing in order to cool the corresponding lamp. This air enters through a lamellar grille, in which lamellas are also folded from a punched strip.

The present invention has for its object to provide a method for producing an outside air grille, in which all folding processes are carried out more cost-effectively, environmentally friendly, energy-saving and more precisely.

To achieve this object, the bending lines for the lamellae and bending lines for a circumferential edge strip are embossed into the sheet and the edge strips are also bent when the lamellae are bent, before they are bent.

A steel sheet, a sheet metal or the like or a plate of a desired material is required for production, the contours of which correspond to the shape of the later outlet grille, with the amount of material that may still be taken into account at the edge as necessary for the later folding of an edge strip is.

This sheet is then embossed by means of a special and special manufacturing process, at the connection points of lamella and sheet, the remaining contour is cut out or punched and, if necessary, licked out. The contours of the slots circumscribe the sides of the slats that will later be bent. Slats of this type preferably have an approximately rectangular, strip-like shape. The size of the possible cutouts depends on the width of the edge strips provided.

In a further step, the punched-out slats and, if necessary, the edge strips are angled around the respective embossing or crease lines using a specially provided tool. The special tool is adjustable so that both the angle at which the slats are to be angled and the angle at which the edge strips are to be bent can be set beforehand.

In the stamping step, holes or bores for receiving fastening elements can also be made, preferably.

A method of this type for producing outside air grilles is very quick and inexpensive. By using a single sheet there is hardly any waste so that an enormous saving in raw materials is guaranteed. Since there are no individual parts that have to be welded, glued or screwed, on the one hand a considerable part of the energy costs are eliminated, and on the other hand there is no need for expensive machines that would be necessary to manufacture the individual parts.

In addition to the saving of working time, the saving of work steps also reduces the risk of injury and thus injury-related work losses, which also have an impact on other process technologies.

Because no welding seams, gluing or the like occur in such a manufacturing process, an outside air grille manufactured in this way can be painted, for example, by powder coatings. A process that is also environmentally friendly, as compared to conventional spray painting, significantly fewer vapors or gases are released. Due to the lack of welds, gluing or the like and thus through a homogeneous color-coated surface, a qualitative upgrading of a corresponding outside air grille is guaranteed at the same time.

Figur 1

eine teilweise dargestellte Draufsicht auf ein Außenluftgitter;

Figur 2

einen Länsschnitt durch das Außenluftgitter entlang Linie II-II in Figur 1.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention emerge from the following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment and from the drawing; this shows in

Figure 1

a partially shown plan view of an outside air grille;

Figure 2

a longitudinal section through the outside air grille along line II-II in Figure 1.

According to FIG. 1, an outside air grille R has a flat sheet 1, from the plane of which rectangular slats 3 are preferably bent out. These fins 3 are produced by an embossing and subsequent punching process and a subsequent bending. In a first step, bend lines 4 are embossed into the sheet metal 1, which define the connection of the lamellae 3 to the sheet metal 1. The three free sides of the lamellae 3 are then produced by a stamping process, a U-shaped slot 2 being cut into the sheet metal 1 by this stamping process. This U-shaped slot 2 is closed by the crease line 4.

In a further step, the slats 3 slotted on three sides are pressed with a special tool in a corresponding manufacturing process in the direction x and bent at a predetermined angle w to the plane of the sheet 1. The angle w at which the lamellae 3 protrude from the plane of the steel sheet 1 can be determined in each case before machining.

The folding tool can be adjusted accordingly.

During the same work steps, edge strips 7 are also preferably bent at an angle v that can also be predetermined. First, preferably during the same embossing process of the fold lines 4, fold lines 5 are stamped into the edge 1 of the sheet metal, each of which marks an edge strip 7. With the above Special tools can then also be used to fold the edge strips 7 at the same time. Of course, it is also conceivable to carry out the folding of the edge strips 7 in a separate work step.

So that the edge strips 7 meet again in their lateral corner areas and can be closed, this corner area should be lined out to a desired extent.

The outside air grille R thus produced is placed in a further work step, a connecting piece 8 to an air guide system, not shown in detail. The outside air grille R is fastened via fastening elements, not shown, such as screws, rivets, clips or the like.

The connecting piece 8 itself is housing-shaped, the outside air grille R abutting a circumferential flange 9. Side walls 10 run from this flange 9 to a rear wall 11, which, as is only indicated schematically, has corresponding passages 12. The design of these passages 12 is at the discretion of the user, and these passages can be slot-shaped, perforated plate-like or can also be covered with lamellae.

Claims (3)

1. Method of producing an external air grid (R) with slats (3) which forms the closure of an air conveying system wherein a metal sheet, in particular a steel sheet, is cut from the size of the subsequent external air grid (R) and slots (2) which circumscribe the other sides apart from the kink side of the slats (3) are cut or punched out and in that, in a further operating stage, each slat (3) is folded at an angle (w) round a kink line (4), characterised in that, prior to bending, the kink lines (4) for the slats (3) and kink lines (5) for a peripheral marginal strip (7) are impressed into the metal sheet (1) and the marginal strips (7) are also bent during the folding of the slats (3).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that during the cutting or punching out of the slats (3), holes or perforations for fastening elements are shaped into the metal sheet.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the slats (3) are tilted at different angles (w).

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