Process for making a laminated sheet
AssigneeR.A. Investment Management S.A.R.L.
InventorsRay ARBESMAN, Nghi PHAM, Winston MACKELVIE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process is provided for making stiff, lightweight laminate materials. At least one sheet of textured lamina having raised pointed structures is forced against a softer plain lamina so as to embed the structures therein. The pointed structures raised from grooves carved into the surface of the sheet material by means of a set of teeth carried on a knife element. The pointed structures may pierce through the softer lamina such that the protruding tips may be bent over or clinched to prevent their easy withdrawal. Two such texturized lamina may be used to sandwich and pierce through the softer lamina and are co-clinched by the other. In this way a light and stiff laminate is created.
Claims20
A laminate sheet, comprising:
- a first sheet of metal and a second sheet of metal, each sheet of metal having a respective face textured with a plurality of piercing structures, wherein each of at least some of the piercing structures has a respective clinched tip;
- a core lamina sandwiched between the first sheet of metal and the second sheet of metal, the core lamina made from a material softer than the first sheet of metal and the second sheet of metal, wherein the piercing structures of the first sheet of metal and the piercing structures of the second sheet of metal pierce the core lamina, and the core lamina is locked to the first sheet of metal and the second sheet of metal by the clinched tips.
A multi-layer laminate sheet, comprising:
- a sheet of metal having first and second opposed faces, each face textured with a plurality of piercing structures;
- and
- a first outer lamina on the first face and a second outer lamina on the second face, the first outer lamina and the second outer lamina made from a material softer than the sheet of metal, wherein the piercing structures of the first face pierce the first outer lamina and the piercing structures of the second face pierce the second outer lamina.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.