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US 6,146,072 AGranted
Press form element, method of installation and assembly
AssigneeProfil Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG
InventorRudolf Muller
Life of this patent
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AssigneeProfil Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG
InventorRudolf Muller
Estimating the term…
A functional element comprising a shaft part and a head part, or a hollow body part, for attachment to a sheet metal part, in particular for liquid-tight and/or gas-tight attachment to the sheet metal part, without penetrating or perforating the sheet metal part, is characterized in that the head or body part has at least one undercut feature either in an open hollow cavity at its end face confronting the sheet metal part and/or at its outer periphery and is formed in the regions which enter into contact with the sheet metal part with exclusively rounded shaping edges which, during the insertion of the element, cooperate with a shaping die button in order to provide a hooked engagement in form-fitted manner of the sheet metal material, with the undercut feature or with the undercut features. A method of attaching a functional element to a sheet metal part, a component assembly and also at least one die button and a setting head are disclosed and claimed.
A functional element for attachment to a sheet metal component without penetrating or perforating the sheet metal component, the functional element comprising a shaft part and a coaxially aligned head part defining a longitudinal axis, said head part having at least one radially outer side, a component contacting end face, a recess in said head part and component shaping edges, wherein said recess extends at least partly through said head part from said component contacting end face toward said shaft part, has an inner side wall spaced from said radially outer side of said head part and a plurality of radially inwardly projecting noses defining a plurality of undercuts in said inner side wall, wherein a plurality of generally radial inclined notches is provided in said component contacting end face, each said notch being provided at a radial position around said component contacting end face corresponding to a radial position of a respective one of said noses on said inner side wall of said recess, wherein said recess has a base surface spaced from said component contacting end face and wherein an integral cylindrical projection is provided at said base surface projecting towards said component contacting end face, but terminating at an end spaced axially inwardly from said component contacting end face, and wherein said component shaping edges are exclusively rounded shaping edges preventing piercing of said sheet metal part.
A functional element for attachment to a sheet metal component without penetrating or perforating the sheet metal component, the functional element comprising a shaft part and a coaxially aligned bead part defining a longitudinal axis, said head part having at least one radially outer side, a component contacting end face, a recess in said head part and component shaping edges, wherein said recess extends at least partly through said head part from said component contacting end face towards said shaft part and has an inner side wall spaced from said radially outer side of said head part, a radially inwardly projecting ring nose defining a ring recess in said inner side wall and a base surface spaced from said component contacting end face, wherein an integral cylindrical projection is provided at said base surface projecting towards said component contacting end face, but terminating at an end spaced axially inwardly from said component contacting end face and axially inwardly of said ring nose, and wherein said component shaping edges are exclusively rounded shaped edges preventing piercing of said sheet metal part.
A functional element for attachment to a sheet metal component without penetrating or perforating the sheet metal component, the functional element comprising a shaft part and a coaxially aligned head part defining a longitudinal axis, said head part having at least one radially outer side, a component contacting end face and part shaping edges, wherein said head part has a radial flange at a transition from said head part to said shaft part, wherein an outwardly projecting ring nose is provided at said radially outer side of said head part adjacent said component contacting end face, and wherein an undercut is provided in said radially outer side between said outwardly projecting ring nose and said flange, wherein a ring bead is provided at said radially outer side between said undercut and said flange, and wherein said component shaping edges are exclusively rounded shaping edges preventing piercing of said sheet metal part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.