WO2020044274A1

WO2020044274A1 - Bottom profile of a frame of a window or door and method for the manufacture of such a bottom profile

Info

Publication number: WO2020044274A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/057273
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ben JOOSSEN
Original assignee: Reynaers Aluminium, Naamloze Vennootschap
Priority date: 2018-08-30
Filing date: 2019-08-29
Publication date: 2020-03-05
Also published as: EP3844364A1; LT3844364T; EP3844364B1; BE1026578B1; BE1026578A1

Abstract

Method to manufacture a composite bottom profile (6) of a frame (2) of a window or door (1) that is composed of hollow shells (6a, 6b, 6c) which are connected to each other by means of insulating bars (8), whereby the bottom profile (6) contains at least an outer and inner shell (6a, 6b), of which the walls facing away from each other, form an outer wall (9) and an inner wall (10) and at least one partition at a distance from these walls (9, 10) which is provided with at least one drainage hole (16), whereby the method contains the following steps: - providing at least one loose shell (6a, 6b, 6c) and/or insulating bar (8) with at. least one wall that is intended to form a partition (12) with drainage hole (16); - making one or more drainage holes (16) in this wall (12) without making a hole in the outer wall (9) or inner wall (10); - subsequently connecting the shell (6a, 6b, 6c) and/or insulating bar (8) in question with other shells by means of one or more insulating bars (8).

Description

Bottom profile of a frame of a window or door and method :or the manufacture of such a bottom profile

The present invention relates to a bottom profile of a frame of a window or door and method for the manufacture of such a bottom profile.

In particular,, the invention relates to a window or door with a leaf which is slideably or rotatably mounted in a fixed frame intended to be mounted in a fapade or the like, whereby the frame is made up of hollow multi-chamber profiles . The profiles in question are composite profiles which are composed of two or more hollow shells made from aluminium or the like, more specifically an outer shell on the outside of the window or door and an inner shell on the inside and possibly also intermediate shells, whereby the shells are connected with each other by means of insulating bars for the thermal insulation between the outer shell and the inner shell.

It is known that in the bottom profile of such frame, drainage holes are provided for the evacuation of water that, when the window or the door are used, inevitably ends up between the frame and the leaf and which together form a drainage channel to the outside. The drainage channels extend at least partially horizontally through one or more chambers of the bottom profile, for which drainage holes must be provided through the outer wall of the composite profile and through one or more upstanding walls of said chambers, more specifically through upstanding partitions located between the outer wall and the inner wall of the composite bottom profile.

It is known that the bottom profiles can have several chambers on top of each other:, whereby in that case the water can be led to the outside via several horizontal levels.

Additionally, holes can be made in a vertical direction in said chambers to evacuate the water to the outside in a vertical direction connecting to the horizontal channels,

Typically, these horizontal channels are realised by drilling, milling punching the composite bottom profile, whereby with the drill, milling cutter or punch, holes are subsequently made in a straight line through the outer wail of the sill profile and then through one or more partitions ,

This is done in finished profiles after assembly and thus after the shells are connected to each other by means of insulating bars and typically also after the composite profiles are lacquered or anodised.

This method results in there being holes in the outer wall of the composite profile which are visible along the outside and disfigure the whole of the window and the door, especially also because the "naked" unlacquered or anodised aluminium then becomes visible.

A cover is usually placed over these holes so that all ’naked’ aluminium is covered. Where the water moves from the "dry” (inside) to the "wet” (outside) zone, the cover is provided with a membrane/valve so that the water can only move in one direction. This cover or membrane/valve is not aesthetically appealing either.

In some known sill profiles, the outer wall does not extend to the sill, but has an inwardly recessed section at the bottom along which the horizontal channels are drilled, milled or punched, so that the drainage hole in this recessed section is less visible on the outside, but still visible from a distance from the window or door.

A disadvantage of the known method is that it is therefore impossible to have drainage through the partitions of a composite cross profile without creating visible holes in the outer wall or by extension in the inner wall.

Although covering can be done afterwards, this is an extra cost for an extra profile and involves extra manufacture/assembly time and it may also come loose and increases the risk of leaks.

'p r_‘ ø trend is to make ever wider profiles which, inpr { cipie, also have to be machined deeper for the purpose of drainage . An additional disadvantage in this is that relatively long tools are required for drilling, milling or punching the drainage holes in the partitions, as these partitions can be located at a relatively long distance from the outside wail, which makes making the holes, either with a CNC machine at the supplier of the profiles or manually by the manufacturer of windows and doors, quite difficult to impossible , Indeed, CNC machining requires a long and extended tool, which implies the risk that a slightly slanted deviation from the position of the tool, due to unavoidable manufacturing tolerances, will cause the position of the holes in the partitions to deviate from the desired position. For example, if several holes have to be made next to each other at regular intervals, these holes in the furthest partitions can result in a jagged pattern whereby the holes overlap each other, for example, and/or are shifted in height in relation to each other .

If a partition with such a jagged hole pattern is visible, it gives a poor impression in terms of the quality of finish . If the holes in the partitions are located higher than desired, this can cause the holes to be at a distance above the bottom of the chamber through which the water is to be drained, so that the. drainage flows poorly and water always remains on this bottom. If the holes are drilled too low, said bottom can be pierced, allowing the water to end up in an underlying chamber that is not designed to allow water to flow through it and allowing unwanted water to accumulate in this chamber .

The use of a long tool to realise the drainage holes

increases the risk of tool breakage. Moreover, milling cutters are usually not long enough which is why with deeper composite bottom profiles, a switch to drilling is made sooner, which means in that case no elongated holes can be realised if this is desired. CNC machines have one space to clamp a profile and move around it with the tool.

Due to the trend to make ever wider profiles, an increasing part of the space available in the CNC machine is taken up by the composite sill profile to be machined, leaving less and less space for the tool to move in.

Sven a drill or milling cutter that is extended limits the available space for a profile in the CNC machine and thus the width of the composite profile that can be machined in it .

The current solution to this problem is not to make these deep holes with the CNC, but only to indicate them with the CNC, for example with a 3 mm drill in the outer wall and to have the manufacturer of the windows and doors to manually finish the hole after the CMC operations,

However, the maniaa 1 operations also have some disadvantages

The disadvantage of manual drilling is that each profile usually has to be manipulated several times and that each additional step in the production process is time- consuming,

Another disadvantage of manual drilling is that the risk of errors is even greater than is the case with CNC machines , for example because the drill deviates during the drilling process, and therefore there is a greater risk of a jagged hole pattern of overlapping holes, of which the surface is smaller than intended and therefore also the water drainage capacity.

Manual milling is also possible, but for this you also need machines such as a copy milling machine.

Normally the manual operations take place in the workhouse and the profile can be sufficiently debarred before the composite profiles are assembled into a frame. However, it also happens that further machining is done on site, such as holes for attaching fittings or the like, which produce drilling dust and burrs, 'which have a hard time getting past the internal drainage holes, which impede the drainage of water. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to one or more of the aforementioned and other disadvantages . To this end, the invention relates to a method to manufacture a composite bottom profile of a frame of a window or door with a moveable leaf, whereby the bottom profile is composed of two or more hollow shells which are connected by means of insulating bars, whereby the bottom profile contains at least an outer shell and an inner shell, of which the upstanding sides, which face away from each other, form an outer wall and an inner wall of the composite profile and whereby the composite profile has at least one upstanding partition at a distance of said outer- wall and inner wall, said at least one partition being provided with at least one drainage hole for the drainage of water, characterised in that the method comprises the following steps:

- providing at least one loose shell of the composite bottom profile with at least one wall intended to form said partition with drainage hole of the composite bottom profile, whereby this loose shell in other words is not yet connected to the other shells;

- making one or more drainage holes in said wail of the loose shell without making a hole in the walls which are intended, where applicable, to form said outer wall or an inner wall of the composite bottom profile;

- subsequently connecting the relevant loose shell to one or more other shells of the composite profile by means of one or more insulating bars, Because the drainage holes can be made before the bottom profile is assembled, this has the advantage that the drainage holes can be drilled, milled or punched directly into the partitions without having to make a hole in the outer wall first and that in addition, in this way partitions or parts of them can be accessed which would otherwise be inaccessible with an assembled bottom profile without making a hole in the outer wall, so that after assembly of the composite bottom profile no hole is visible in the outer wail either, which results in a bottom profile with a hidden drainage system without visible covers or the like .

Because the drainage holes do not necessarily have to be in line, the positions of the drainage holes can be chosen with greater freedom, whereby for example the exit of a drainage channel does not necessarily have to be positioned oppos11e an entrance .

Another advantage is that it also allows shorter tools to be used with less risk of error or breakage, so that precise patterns of holes can also be realised perfectly according to plan in the wails that in the assembled condition of the bottom profile are located far from the outer wall, for example in the form of round holes in the correct relative position and just above the bottom of a chamber of the bottom profile along which the water must be drained away, or in the form of elongated cut-outs that can more easily allow residual burrs or other dirt to pass through. Another advantage linked to the use of shorter tools is that the method allows wider composite bottom profiles to be manufactured with one and the same CMC machine because in the CMC machine only the separate shells have to be machined instead of the complete assembled bottom profile or that for the manufacture of the same bottom profile a smaller CMC machine can suffice.

The method also:· results in shorter production times and fewer manual finishing operations.

Preferably, only the drainage holes in the partitions of the bottom profile are realised at the supplier of the composite bottom profile before the frame of the door or window is assembled at the manufacturer of the doors or windows .

The invention also relates to a composite bottom profile of a frame of a window or door with a moveable leaf, whereby the bottom profile is composed of two or more hollow shells which are connected to each other by means of insulating bars, whereby the bottom profile contains at least an outer shell and an inner shell, of which the upstanding sides, which face away from each other, form an outer wall and an inner wall of the composite profile and whereby the composite profile has at least one upstanding partition at a distance from said outer wall and inner wall, said at least one partition being provided with at least one drainage hole for the drainage of water or a hole that is intended for this, characterised in that not a single drainage hole, or hole intended for that purpose, is provided in said outer wail and inner wail,

The invention also relates to a frame for a window or door, characterised in that it is provided with a bottom profile according to the invention and on a window or door with at least one moveable leaf therein, characterised in that the window or the door is provided with such fixed frame. With the intention of better showring the characteristics of the invention, a rev; preferred embodiments of a bottom profile according to the invention and a method to manufacture such bottom profile are described by way of an example, without any limiting nature, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a sliding door according to the invention;

figures 2 and 3 show a cross-section, respectively according to the lines II-II and Ill-Ill in figure 1; figure 4 schematically shows a known method for making drainage holes in a bottom profile as indicated by F4 in figure 3;

figure 5 shows a view according to the arrow F5 in figure 4;

figures 6 and 7 show a cross-section, respectively according to the lines VI-VI and VII-VII in figure 5 and this after making the drainage holes;

figure 8 illustrates a step of the method according to the invention for making drainage holes in a bottom orofile as indicated by F8 in figure 2; figure 9 shows a next step in the method for making drainage holes;

figure 10 shows a cross-section according to line X-X in figure 9;

figure 11 shows an alternative embodiment of a bottom profile with drainage holes according to the method of the invention;

figures 12 and 13 show consecutive realisation steps of a bottom profile with drainage holes according to a method of the invention;

figures 14 and 15 show consecutive steps during a method according to the invention for yet another variant of a bottom profile;

figures 16 and 17 show yet other variants of a bottom profile and of a method according to the invention,

The window shown in figure 1 is, by way of example, a sliding window 1 with a fixed frame 2 with in this case two leaves 3 which are separately slidably mounted in the fixed frame 2.

The window is intended to be built into an opening of a faga.de or the like with an outside 4 and an inside 5. The frame 2 and the leaves 3 are composed of hollow profiles, for which figures 2 and 3 show a cross-section of the bottom profile 6 of the frame 2 and a bottom profile 7 of the leaves 3. For the sake of simplicity, certain components have been left out of the figures, such as the wheels mounted between both bottom profiles 6 ana 7 to support the leaf 3 in the fixed frame 2.

The bottom profile 6 is a composite profile which in the example is composed of two hollow shells 6a ana 6b, respectively an outer shell 6a on the outside 4 and an inner shell 6b on the inside 5, which are connected to each other by means of insulating bars 8.

W11h the directions inside and outside, top and bottom, vertical, horizontal, etc. the directions are indicated here for a window mounted in a facade or the like.

The outer shell 6a shows an outer wall 9 facing the outside 4, whereas the inner shell 6b shows an inner wall 10 facing the inside 5.

Both the outer shell 6a and the inner shell 6b are subdivided into chambers 11 by means of upstanding partitions 12 which are located at a horizontal distance from said outer wail 9 and inner wall 10 and by horizontal connecting walls 13.

The insulating bars 8 are provided -with a dovetail-shaped thickening 14 along their opposite edges in the known way, with which they are attached to the facing partitions 12 of the outer shell 6a and inner shell 6b by rolling in or the like in profilings provided for this on these partitions

12. Between the insulating bars 8 and the outer shell 6a and inner shell 6b as well, a chamber 11 is delimited through which the water can be drained if desired. Water may end up on top of the bottom profile 6, which must be able to be drained to the outside 4. To this end, the composite bottom profile 6 is provided 'with drainage holes as shown in the figures 2 and 3, particularly with drainage holes 15 for the vertical drainage and drainage holes 16 for the horizontal drainage of the water as shown with arrows P and Q in the figures 2 ana 3, respectively via a bottom level through the bottom chambers 11 and via a level located higher through the upper chambers 11, Figure 4 is an illustration of a known method for the realisation of the drainage holes 15 and 16 in the assembled bottom profile 6a, i.e. by means of horizontal and vertical drilled holes as shown, respectively using a horizontal drill 17 with which successively the drainage holes 16 in the outer wall 9 and then the drainage holes 16 in the deeper partitions 12 are made and using a vertical drill 17 for the drainage holes 15,

It is clear that in this case the drainage holes 16 in the outer wall S are intrusively visible from the outside 4 for an observer.

In the example of figure 4 the outer wall 9 contains an upper section 9a and a lower section 9b located deeper. The drainage holes 15 in the upper, most outward located section are traditionally covered by means of a cover or the like which is not shown, The drainage holes 15 in the section located deeper can he covered with a cover that is provided with a membrane or air valve intended to stop water from the outside 4 penetrating to the inside 5. In this known method the drainage holes 15 and 16 are provided by punching, drilling or milling after the bottom profile is assembled by composing the outer shell 6a, inner shell 6b and insulation profiles 8 and after lacquering the composite bottom profile 6.

Typically, several drainage holes 16 are drilled next to each other as shown in the figures 5 and 6 to allow a greater drainage capacity, As appears from figure 4, long drills 17 are needed for the horizontal drainage which in the known method, -with the slightest wrong setting in a tool, can result in an unintentionally jagged hole pattern of overlapping holes 16, as shown in figure 7, for a partition 12 located deeper.

Figure 8 shows a method according to the invention whereby the drainage holes 16 for the horizontal drainage are realised at the supplier of the bottom profile 6 before the outer shell 6a and the inner shell 6b are connected to each other by means of the insulating bars 8, This makes it possible to use shorter drills or other tools than in the traditional case because such method according to the invention does not necessarily require drilling through the outer wall 9 to reach the deeper partitions 12.

At the supplier of the assembled bottom profiles it 13 possible to make only those holes 15 and 16 in adva

which after assembly are more difficult to access, for example only the holes 16a in the partitions 12 as shown in figure 8, and some holes in the connecting -walls 13 and other holes which are difficult to realise later by the manufacturer of windows 1 , After making the drainage holes 16a of figure 8 and the removal of burrs and the like, the bottom profile 6 of the fixed frame 2 can be assembled and lacquered or anodised if necessary.

It is clear that with only the drainage holes 16a of figure 8, the drainage of the bottom profile 6 of the fixed frame 2 is still incomplete.

For the completion of through drainage channels on two levels of the bottom profile 6, the remaining drainage holes 15b and 16b can then be realised by the manufacturer of the windows by means of the additional drilling operations as shown in figure 8.

Because, thanks to the invention, shorter tools 17 can be used, adjacent holes 16 can also be drilled with greater accuracy at measured distances from each other, as shown in the left-hand section of figure 10, or accurate elongated holes 16 can be milled as in the right-hand section of this figure 10, whereby the holes 16 can be realised at an exactly correct position just above a connecting wall 13 without a raised edge behind which water and dirt 18 could accumulate .

The milling of elongated drainage holes 16 is preferred as they allow bigger pieces of dirt 18 to pass through without restricting the drainage capacity.

Figure 11 shows a variant of a bottom profile 6 made according to the method of the invention,, whereby the drainage holes 15a and 16a were made before assembly, as shown in figure 12, whereas the holes 15b and 16b were made after assembly as shown in figure 13.

In this case, the bottom profile 6 is composed of three shells which are connected to each other by means of insulating bars 8, whereby between the outer shell 6a and the inner shell 6b an extra intermediary shell 6c is provided .

In figure 14, a simpler variant of a bottom profile 6 of a frame 2 is provided whereby drainage is only provided on one single level and whereby the drainage holes 16a are made before assembly as shown in figure 14 and the other holes 15b are realised after assembly as shown in figure 15. Figure 16 shows yet another variant with holes 16 made before assembly and holes 15b made after assembly,

Figure 17 shows yet another variant whereby in tnis case drainage holes 16a are also provided in partitions 12 which are part of the insulating bars 8 and which in this case should also be made before assembly to avoid that they have to be drilled through holes in the outer wall 9. it is clear that the method according to the invention also avoids that holes must be provided in the inner wail 10.

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described as an example and shown in the figures, but a bottom profile according to the invention and a method to manufacture such profile can be realised in all kinds of forms and variants, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

l.~ Method to manufacture a composite bottom profile (6) of a frame (2) of a window or door (1) with a moveable leaf (3), whereby the bottom profile (6} is composed of two or more hollow shells (6a, 6b, 6c) which are connected to each other by means of insulating bars (8) , whereby the bottom profile (6) contains at least an outer shell (6a) and an inner shell (6b), of which the upstanding walls, which face away from each other, form an outer wall (9) and an inner wail (10) of the composite bottom profile (6) and whereby the composite bottom profile (6) has at least one upstanding partition (12) at a distance from said outer wall (6) and inner wall (10), said at least one partition (12) being provided with at least one drainage hole (16) for the drainage of water, characterised in that the method comprises the following steps:

- providing at least one loose shell ( 6a, 6b, 6c) and/or one loose insulating bar (8) of the composite bottom profile

(6) with at least one wall intended to form said partition (12) with drainage hole (16) of the composite bottom profile (6);

- making one or more drainage holes (16) in said wall (12) of the loose shell (6a, 6b, 6c) and/or loose insulating bar

(8) without making a hole in the walls which, where applicable, are intended to form said outer wall (9) or an inner wall (10) of the composite bottom profile;

subsequently connecting the loose shell (6a, 6b, 6c) and/or loose insulating bar (8) in question with one or more other shells of the composite bottom profile (6) by means of one or more insulating bars (8) .

2.- Method according to claim 1, characterised in that said drainage holes (16; are drilled, milled or punched.

3.- Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the shells (6a, 6b, 6c) are hollow shells which delimit internal chambers (11) with an outside and an inside and that the tool (17) for the drilling, milling or punching is oriented from the outside to the inside of the chamber (11) .

4. - Method according to any one of the previous cl3 ims _f characterised in that the drainage holes (16) or a part thereof are elongated horizontal holes (16) .

5.- Method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that all drainage holes (16) in said partitions (12) are made before the shells (6a, 6b, 6c) are connected to each other for the assembly of the composite bottom profile (6) .

6, Method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that said at least one said partition (12) of a relevant shell ( 6a, 6b, 6c) to be connected is a partition (12) with at least two profilings at a distance from each other which are each intended for the connection of the wall (12) in question with an insulation profile (8) and that one or more drainage holes (16) are made between these profilings.

7.- Method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that after realising said drainage holes (16) and after assembly, the composite bottom profile (6) is lacquered or anodised,

8. - Method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that only the drainage holes (16) in the partitions (12) are realised partitions at the supplier of the composite bottom profiles (6) before the frame (2) of the door or window (1) is assembled at the manufacturer of the doors or windows (1),

9.- Method according to claim 8, characterised in that only those drainage holes (16a) are made at said supplier which are necessary on said partitions (12) and that other drainage holes (16b) which are needed in the composite bottom profile (6) to create a through drainage channel are made by the manufacturer of the windows or doors (1) .

10. Composite bottom profile of a frame (2) of a window or door (1) with a moveable leaf (3) , whereby the bottom profile (6) is composed of two or more hollow shells (6a, 6b, 6c) which are connected to each other by means of insulating bars (8) , whereby the bottom profile (6) contains at least an outer shell (6a) and an inner shell (6b), of which the upstanding walls, which face away from each other, form an outer wall (9) and an inner wall (10) of the composite bottom profile (6) and whereby the composite bottom profile (6) has at least one upstanding partition (12) at a distance from said outer wail (6) and inner wall (10), said at least one partition (12) being provided with at least one drainage hole (16) for the drainage of water or a hole intended for that purpose, characterised in that not a single drainage hole (16), or hole intended for that purpose, is provided in said outer wall (9) and an inner wall (10) .

11,- Frame for a window or door, characterised in that it is provided with a composite bottom profile (6) according to claim 10.

12. - Window or door with at least one moveable leaf therein, characterised in that the window or the door (1) is provided with a fixed frame (2) according to claim 11,