GB2194926A

GB2194926A - Sealing, trimming, guiding and finishing strips and the like

Info

Publication number: GB2194926A
Application number: GB08622000A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerd Niemanns
Original assignee: Draftex Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Laird Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 1986-09-12
Filing date: 1986-09-12
Publication date: 1988-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2006-09-12
Also published as: IT1213828B; FR2603840A1; DE3729108A1; ES1003359U; GB8622000D0; FR2603840B1; GB2194926B; ES1003359Y; IT8709484A0

Description

1 GB2194926A 1

SPECIFICATION

Sealing, trimming, guiding and finishing strips and the like The invention relates to sealing, trimming, guiding and finishing strips. Such strips may be used in motor vehicle body construction for example, though are not limited to such use.

According to the invention, there is provided a strip, comprising a relatively stiff member having a decorative surface and partially cov ered in extruded material so as to leave part of the decorative surface exposed.

According to the invention, there is further provided a strip, comprising a metal blank of which part only of at least one of its surfaces is covered with a peelable protective covering, and extruded material extruded over the metal blank and the protective covering, so as to enable at least part of the protective covering subsequently to be peeled off together with the extruded material carried by it whereby to leave exposed the corresponding part of the surface of the metal strip.

According to the invention, there is also provided a method of making a sealing, trimming, finishing, decorative or guiding strip, comprising the steps of providing a metal blank, covering at least part of it with a peela ble protective covering, and extruding plastics or rubber material over the metal blank and the protective covering.

Sealing, trimming, guiding and finishing 100 strips embodying the invention, and methods according to the invention for making such strips, will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accom panying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective sec tional view showing one of the strips in posi tion on a motor vehicle body; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic perspective sec tional view of another of the strips; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic perspective sec tional view of a further one of the strips; Figures 4 to 8 illustrate stages in the method of manufacture; and Figure 9 is an enlarged end view of the strip 115 shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1 shows a waist seal 10 for a motor vehicle, that is, a seal fitted to the waistline of the outside of a vehicle door, bordering the lower horizontal edge of the window opening. The seal 10 is fitted onto a flanged joint 12 formed in the metal of the door 14 along this edge. The seal is in the form of a channelshaped part 16 which embracingly grips the flanged joint 12 and carries a flexible double lip arrangement 18 which sealingly bears against the window glass 20, the window glass 20 being of course raised and lowered to close and open the window. The surface of' the lip arrangement 18 in contact with the glass carries flock to provide a low friction seal. A seal (not shown) bearing against the surface of the window glass 20 on the inside of the door is also provided so that, between them, the seals on the inside and outside of the door define a channel through which the glass 20 sealingly slides.

In the manner to be explained, the waist seal 10 is provided with a decorative bright trim 22 of stainless steel or anodized aluminium for example.

Figure 2 shows another form of waist seal 23. Here, the seal is in the form of a relatively stiff part 24 manufactured in a manner to be explained and comprising a shaped metal strip covered in extruded plastics or rubber material the extruded plastics or rubber material being extended to provide flexible longitudinal lips 26 and 28, together with a channel-shaped part 30. This form of waist seal 23 is fitted onto the door of a motor vehicle body in a generally similar position to that shown in Figure 1, the fitting being by means of the part 30 which grips a flange not shown. As with the lip arrangement 18 of the seal of Figure 1, the lip 26 carries flock 31 for providing a relatively low friction seal against the window glass. The seal 23 of Figure 2 is also provided with a bright trim 22 of the same gen- eral form as the trim 22 for the strip 10 of Figure 1.

Figure is made 3 shows a window channel 32. This of extruded plastics or rubber material which defines two channels 34 and 36 facing in opposite directions. Channel 34 grips a flanged joint 38 in a door 40, the extruded material having integral gripping lips 42 for this purpose. Channel 36 receives a slidable window glass 44. The underside of the material defining the channel 36 has a sealing lip 44 and channel 36 also defines two lips 46 and 48 which may have flocked surfaces and which seal against the window glass 44. The surface of the outside wall of the channel 36 is also provided with a bright trim 22 of the same general form as the trim 22 for the strips shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The method of manufacturing the strip 23 of Figure 2 will now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 8. The seal 10 of Figure 1 and the seal 32 of Figure 3 may be manufactured in generally similar ways.

The first stage in the manufacturing process is the forming, as by cutting or stamping, of a metal blank 50 as shown in Figure 4, the blank being of the appropriate length, width and thickness and having a clean unmarked surface. The blank 50 may be made of stainless steel or anodized aluminium for example.

As shown in Figure 5, s length of plastics foil 52 is then fixed along the length of the blank 50 in a predetermined position by means of adhesive. A bonding agent is then applied over all surfaces of the blank 50 and over the plastics foil 52, all as shown in Fig- 2 GB2194926A 2 ure 6 where the now-covered plastics foil 52 is shown dotted.

The blank 50 (with the foil 52 in position and covered with the bonding agent) is then rolled by a metal-rolling process to a particular desired shape as shown in Figure 7.

The rolled blank is then passed through an extruder which covers it in plastics or rubber material so as to produce the form shown in Figure 8 (and also in Figure 2). The extrusion process not only covers the metal blank 50 with the extruded material but also forms the additional lips 26 and 28 which are of course free of the metal strip.

The final step in the process is the step necessary to produce the bright trim 22. This step comprises the formation of a cut 54 through the surface of the extruded plastics or rubber material, this cut being positioned at the point where the beginning of the bright trim 22 is required. The cut will pass through the extruded material and through the plastics foil 52 (Fig. 5) to the surface of the metal. By means of a suitable tool, the cut end of the plastics foil 52 is levered away from the metal blank and it is then peeled off as shown in Figure 8, carrying with it the plastics or rubber material. In this way, a predetermined length of the surface of the metal 50 is exposed, producing the required bright trim. In order to assist this process, the extrusion step may be arranged to produce longitudinal indentations 56 as shown in Figure 9 which run along the length of the strip aligned over the edges of the foil 52. These aid the peeling off of the 100 extruded material.

It will be apparent that the method de scribed with reference to Figures 4 to 9 can be easily adapted to suit any other shape of strip, such as the strip 10 shown in Figure 1. 105 The method is not of course applicable merely to waist seals but may be applied to any other similar type of longitudinal strip.

Examples of such other strips are flange fin- ishers such as for fitting around vehicle door 110 openings, door seals and window channels.

Figure 2 shows tle metal blank 50 in the extruded material. The corresponding metal blanks in the seals 10 and 32 of Figures 1 and 3 are indicated at 50A and 50B respec- 115 tively. The metal blank 50B is formed into an "S" shape in cross-section.

The method and arrangement described are advantageous becuase they enable a strip to be produced in a simple and economical man- 120 ner and permit the vehicle manufacturer to use the same strip whether or not he wishes to produce the bright trim effect. Thus, on some models of a particular vehicle, he may decide that a bright trim effect is not required-according to the class and styling of the vehicle for example. In that case, therefore, he does not strip off the plastics foil 52 and the ex truded material in the manner shown in Figure 8, and the resultant finished strip is entirely covered with the extruded material. In other cases, however, where he desires to produce the bright trim effect, he strips off the plastics foil and extruded material in the manner de- scribed and for any selected length of the strip.

The plastics foil 52 protects the metal against scratching or other types of surface damage during the subsequent processes so that it is undamaged when finally revealed as illustrated in Figure 8. The bonding agent applied as described with reference to Figure 6 ensures that the extruded material effectively bonds not only to the metal itself but also to the plastics foil 52.

Claims

1. A strip, comprising a relatively stiff member having a decorative surface and partially covered in extruded material so as to leave part of the decorative surface exposed.

2. A strip according to claim 1, in which the decorative surface is a bright surface.

3. A strip according to claim 1 or 2, in which the relatively stiff member is a metal blank.

4. A strip according to any preceding claim, in which the extruded material is extruded plastics or rubber material.

5. A strip, comprising a metal blank of which part only of at least one of its surfaces is covered with a peelable protective covering, and extruded material extruded over the metal blank and the protective covering, so as to enable at least part of the protective covering subsequently to be peeled off together with the extruded material carried by it whereby to leave exposed the corresponding part of the surface of the metal strip.

6. A strip according to claim 5, in which the metal blank is stainless steel or anodized aluminium.

7. A strip according to any preceding claim, in which the relatively stiff member or metal blank is formed to have a predetermined non planar shape.

8. A method of making a sealing, trimming, finishing, decorative or guiding strip, compris ing the steps of providing a metal blank, covering at least part of it with a peelable protective covering, and extruding plastics or rubber material over the metal blank and the protective covering.

9. A method according to claim 8, including the subsequent step of peeling at least a por tion of the peelable covering from the metal blank and removing therewith the extruded plastics or rubber material on the said portion of the covering.

10. A method according to claim 8 or 9, including the step of applying a bonding agent over the exposed surfaces of the metal strip and the peelable covering before the extruding step.

11. A method according to any one of ?A 3 GB2194926A 3 <l claims 8 to 10, including the step of forming the metal blank, with the pealable covering thereon, into a predetermined desired shape, before the extruding step.

12. A strip, manufactured by a method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. A strip, substantially as described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

14. A strip, substantially as described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A strip, substantially as described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A method of manufacturing a strip, substantially as described with reference to Figures 4 to 9 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A strip, made by a method according to claim 16.

Published 1988 at The Patent Office, State House, 66/71 High Holborn, London WC 1 R 4TP. Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Burgess & Son (Abingdon) Ltd. Con. 1/87.