GB2092829A

GB2092829A - Housing and Method of Production Thereof

Info

Publication number: GB2092829A
Application number: GB8202216A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ROSE ELEKTROTECH GmbH; Rose Elektrotechnik GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: ROSE ELEKTROTECH GmbH; Rose Elektrotechnik GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1981-01-31
Filing date: 1982-01-26
Publication date: 1982-08-18
Also published as: CH657687A5; DE3103687C2; BR8200504A; FR2499207B1; JPS57154893A; DE3103687A1; GB2092829B; FR2499207A1; ZA82592B

Abstract

A housing is formed of a tubular body with end covers. The body 14 is formed as an extruded strip having a cross-section corresponding to that of the walls of the desired housing body between the end covers. The extruded strip is cut to length and bent at right- angles to its length so that the ends contact one another. The ends are joined to one another at 16. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Housing and Method of Production Thereof The invention concerns a housing, consisting of a tubular housing body having end covers, and a method of manufacturing the housing body.

Housings are often manufactured from metal or plastic. They are used among other things for enclosing electrical, electronic, pneumatic or hydraulic components and are also used as switch cabinets, equipment cabinets, control panel housings or the like. For electronic and electrical applications in particular, at least one dust-proof and spray-water resistant version of the housing is required.

This requirement cannot be met or can be met only at considerable expense with previous housings. For reasons of cost, previous housings are normally manufactured from extruded profiles, which are cut to length according to the required depth of the housing and when fitted into each other give the desired format of the housing.

Often the extruded profiles are not fitted directly into each other but form the frame of the desired housing, which is then completed by the insertion or screw-fitting of cover plates or similar. The resultant sharp cut edges of the individual profile frames and the plates thus form the edge of the housing body and are normally covered by a plastic moulding or the like.

Such housings can be made to suit any desired housing format, but they possess too many seams and assembly joints which cannot be sealed without unjustifiable expense. In this respect, one piece injection-moulded plastics housings or housing bodies are better, but they have the disadvantage that for each format of housing a special injection-moulding tool is required and this makes production considerably more expensive.

An object of the invention is to provide housings which can be produced economically for all formats of housing and method of manufacture, which enables at least one dustproof and spray-water resistant version of the housing to be made without difficulty.

According to one aspect of the invention in a method of production of a tubular housing body to be used in an enclosed housing having end covers, a housing body strip is extruded having a sectional profile corresponding to the desired wall section of the housing body across the depth of the body between the end covers, the extruded housing body strip is cut to the desired length, and bent at right angles to a direction longitudinally of the direction of extrusion until the ends of the strip are in contact, and said ends are joined together.

By this method a housing body can be produced extremely economically, in which the extruded strip can form the cover of the housing body.

According to a second aspect of the invention a housing comprises a tubular housing body formed of an extruded strip having a sectional profile constituting the wall section of the housing body across the depth of the body, the strip being bent round to form a tube and the abutting ends being joined together, and the strip profile extending in the direction of the perimeter of the body, the housing also comprising end covers at the ends of the housing body.

One considerable advantage of the invention lies in the fact that only one profile tool is required for production of the extruded strip and various housing formats can be manufactured by appropriate cutting to length and bending of the strip. Due to the one-piece make-up of the body, the housing body has only one seam, which can be sealed without difficulty, for example by the use of suitable adhesives.

Preferably at least one of the end covers includes an extruded cover member extending in the direction of the end of the housing body and a closure member attached to the extruded member, the extruded cover member being bent to lie along the end of the housing body and being in sealing contact therewith.

The end covers or one of them may be in the form of a face plate fitted directly to the end or to the ends of the housing body by means of clamps, bolts, adhesive or the like in conjunction with a sealing element.

The end covers are capable of sealing all round the housing body and sealing can be optimised by the use of known flat or round section sealing means.

Conveniently the sealing surfaces of the housing body and of the cover member are of corresponding section, for example of tongue and groove section.

It will be appreciated that one advantage of the invention is that it is possible without any significant expense to provide the body with shaped mounting grooves, supporting flanges, protrusions and insets or the like extending in the direction of extrusion on the interior of the housing body. Such grooves, flanges or protrusions may fulfill several functions. For example they can be used for mounting equipment and components in the housing, whilst ancillary equipment such as sl-ide guides, mounting bases etc. can also be fitted. A suitable method of fixing is, for example, the use of sliding nuts running in the mounting grooves and thus able to be moved to any part of the perimeter of the housing.

Mounting grooves located adjacent the sealing faces of the housing body and the extruded cover member are suitable for the mounting of hinges, so that a hinged housing cover, at one or both ends of the housing can be fixed to the housing body with hinged links.

Mounting grooves can fulfill a further important function when the ends of the housing body strip and/or the ends of the extruded cover member butt against each other, clamp connections being inserted into the aligned mounting grooves thereby bridging and connecting the butt-joint.

Clamp connections of this type may include, for example, connection pieces which are oversize relative to the mounting groove dimensons and are forced into the opposed mounting grooves.

This ensures alignment of the abutting ends of the housing strip and the necessary securing action is obtained at the joint without the need for additional auxiliary tools, which may otherwise be necessary if adhesive is to be used at the joint.

Positive connections are also suitable for use as clamp connections, for example those with wedge notching. Removable shackles can also be inserted into the mounting grooves to bridge the butt-joint. In this case the casing profile joint can be re-opened, if necessary.

Further features of the invention will appear from the following description of an embodiment of the invention given by way of example only and with reference to the drawings, in which:~ Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a method of production of a housing body, Fig. 2 shows in end view a selection of housing formats which can be produced, Fig. 3 is a perspective representation of a housing body, Fig. 4 shows a cross-section through a cover member, Fig. 5 shows a cross-section through a housing body, Fig. 6 shows the cover member of Fig. 4 bolted to the housing body profile shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 7 shows the cover member of Fig. 4 with a -cover-plate bolted thereon, Fig. 8 shows an end cover attached by hinges to a housing body, and Fig. 9 shows a connector in the area of a buttjoint of a housing body.

In the method of production represented schematically in Fig. 1 a housing body strip 10 is extruded, the sectional profile of which corresponds to the desired cross-section of the wall of a housing body 1 1 across the depth of the housing between the end covers.

The strip 10 is then cut at a sawing station 12 to a pre-set length to match the size of the housing body 11. There then follows the normal deburring of the cut edges, e.g. by means of brushes, whereupon the strip 10 is bent by means of a suitable bending device 13 at right-angles to a direction longitudinally of the direction of extrusion until the ends of the strip contact one another. The ends of the strip are then joined together, by, for example, welding or the use of adhesives.

Fig. 2 shows various housing formats that can be produced in this manner without the profile cross-section, and consequently the extrusion tool, having to be changed or exchanged.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of housing body 14, produced by the method described having two extruded cover members 15 fitted in contact with opposite ends of the housing body.

The extruded cover members 15 can be made in a similar manner to the housing strip by extrusion, cutting into lengths and bending. The ends of the members 15 are butted together along a common join line 16 as seen in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4 is shown a cross-section of the cover member 15 and the member has an external groove 17 and an internal groove 18. The external groove can be used to secure a handle (not shown) or for fixing the housing in position, and the internal groove 18 can be used to locate hinges 21, as shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of the housing body 23 having an internal groove 19 at one end and an internal groove 32 at the other side. The portion 29 of the body between the ends is formed with mounting grooves, supporting flanges, protrusions and the like, as shown, on its internal surface for attachment of components within the housing, as may be required.

In Fig.8 a hinged cover is attached to one end of the housing and is associated with the cover member at that end. At the opposite end of the housing is a cover 22 which is bolted to the body 23, such as in the manner shown in Fig. 6, using a bolt 24 extending through the cover member 16 at that end. The bolt has a collar 25 which urges the member 16 into sealing engagement with the body 23, a sealing strip 26 assuring a good seal.

In Fig. 7 a cover plate 27 is attached to the cover member 16 by a screw, using a sealing strip 18 to aid sealing.

Fig. 9 shows the interior of the housing in the region of a joint 31 between the ends of the housing body strip. A connector 30 bridges the joint and is a force fit into the ends of the groove 32 to ensure lining up of the ends and a secure connection between the ends.

Claims

1. A method of production of a tubular housing body to be used in an enclosed housing having end covers wherein a housing body strip is extruded having a sectional profile corresponding to the desired wall section of the housing body across the depth of the body between the end covers, the extruded housing body strip is cut to the desired length, and bent at right angles to a direction longitudinally of the direction of extrusion until the ends of the strip are in contact, and said ends are joined together.

2. A housing comprising a tubular housing body formed of an extruded strip having a sectional profile constituting the wall section of the housing body across the depth of the body, the strip being bent round to form a tube and the abutting ends being joined together, and the strip profile extending in the direction of the perimeter of the body, the housing also comprising end covers at the ends of the housing body.

3. A housing according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the end covers includes an extruded cover member extending in the direction of the end of the housing body and a closure member attached to the extruded member, the extruded cover member being bent to lie along the end of the housing body and being in sealing contact therewith.

4. A housing according to claim 3 wherein the sealing surfaces of the housing body and of the cover member are of corresponding section.

5. A housing according to claim 3 or 4 wherein the cross-section of the housing body is arranged to define a slot, protrusion, groove or flange.

6. A housing according to claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the cross-section of the cover member is arranged to define a slot, protrusion, groove or flange..

7. A housing according to any one of claims 3-6 wherein the housing body and the cover member abut against one another and in crosssection define mounting grooves in which clamp connectors are engageable to connect the body and member together.

8. A housing according to any one of claims 2-7 wherein the abutting ends of the extruded strip of the housing body are joined with an adhesive.

9. A housing according to claim 3 wherein the cover member has ends which are butted together and joined by adhesive.

10. A housing according to any one of claims 2-9 wherein the housing body and the cover member are formed of aluminium alloy.

ii. A housing substantially as described with reference to Figs. 3-9 of the drawings.