Unitary extruded shell for assembling non-insulated and insulated slats for rolling doors and method of forming same

A method of forming a longitudinal slat for a rolling door comprising the steps of forming first and second substantially identical elongate shells, each shell comprising a planar portion defining a plane and longitudinal and transverse directions within said plane and having opposing first and second surfaces facing in opposing first and second directions normal to said plane and having parallel first and second longitudinal edges extending along said longitudinal direction of said planar portion, each elongate shell being formed along said first longitudinal edge with a first arcuate segment open in a direction of said first normal direction and formed along said second longitudinal edge with a second arcuate segment also open in a direction of said first normal direction, said first and second arcuate segments of each shell being positioned on a same side of said planar portion and offset from said planar portion in said second normal direction and configured and dimensioned to enable the second arcuate segment of said first shell to be received within said first arcuate segment of said second shell when said shells are angularly offset or displaced 180° from each other in planes parallel to said planar portions of said first and second shells to form an interior space or cavity defined by said second surfaces of said first and second shells to form substantially coextensive distal edges of said first and second arcuate segments;

• and initially applying a thermally insulating tape of substantially uniform thickness to only one of said opposing interior surfaces such that the thermally insulating tape is retained by the respective interior surface prior to interlocking said first and second arcuate segments to physically separate said arcuate segments to provide a thermal break between the interlocked first and second arcuate segments, whereby said first and second shells form said longitudinal slat providing thermal insulation between said first and second shells.

A rolling door slat comprising first and second substantially identical elongate shells, each shell comprising a planar portion defining a plane and longitudinal and transverse directions within said plane and having opposing first and second surfaces facing in opposing first and second directions normal to said plane and having parallel first and second longitudinal edges extending along said longitudinal direction of said planar portion, each elongate shell being formed along said first longitudinal edge with a first arcuate segment open in a direction of said first normal direction and having a free first distal edge and formed along said second longitudinal edge with a second arcuate segment also open in a direction of said first normal direction and having a free second distal edge, said first and second arcuate segments of each shell being configured and dimensioned to enable said second arcuate segment of said first shell to be received within said first arcuate segment of a second shell when said first and second shells are angularly offset or displaced 180° from each other in planes parallel to said planar portion to form substantially coextensive distal edges of said first and second arcuate segments when interlocked;

• and a thermally insulating tape of substantially uniform thickness initially applied to one of said opposing interior surfaces prior to interlocking said arcuate segments to physically separate and provide a thermal break between the interlocked arcuate segments of said first and second shells, whereby said first and second shells when interlocked form a longitudinal slat in which said first and second shells are thermally insulated from each other, wherein the insulating tape is substantially coextensive with the coextensive distal edges of the arcuate segments.