Method of manufacturing a one-piece tubular doorbeam
AssigneeShape Corp.
InventorRainer B. Nees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of rollforming one-piece tubular doorbeams. The method includes the steps of drawing a continuous metal strip, creating cut-outs in the edges of the strip at spaced locations, rollforming the strip into a tube so that the unindented edges engage one another, welding the engaged edges together, cutting the tube in the areas of the cut-outs to create pre-forms, and opening the ends of the pre-forms to create end brackets. Additional optional steps provide customization of the end brackets.
Claims28
A method of forming a metallic item comprising the steps of:
- trimming the opposed lateral edges of a continuous metal blank to create a plurality of cut-outs in the opposed lateral edges;
- forming the continuous metal blank into a tubular shape;
- welding along the length of the tubular shape, whereby the lateral edges are joined only in the areas between the cut-outs;
- cutting the welded tubular shape in the areas of the cut-outs thereby creating a plurality of items;
- and
- opening an end of each item to create a non-tubular portion on the item.
A method of forming an item comprising the steps of:
- trimming a continuous metal strip to form a plurality of indentations in the opposed lateral edges;
- rollforming the continuous metal strip into a continuous tubular shape wherein the opposed lateral edges engage each other;
- welding the engaging untrimmed lateral edges of the continuous tubular shape;
- cutting the welded continuous tubular shape in the area of the indentations thereby creating a plurality of items;
- and
- opening an end of each item to create a non-tubular end.
A method of forming doorbeams comprising the steps of:
- providing a continuous web of flat stock having a pair of opposed linear edges;
- trimming at least one of the linear edges at spaced locations along the length of the flat stock creating trimmed edges and leaving untrimmed edges;
- forming the trimmed flat stock into a generally tubular shape with the untrimmed linear edges engaging one another;
- welding the engaging untrimmed lateral edges of the generally tubular shape;
- severing the welded tubular shape in the area of the trimmed lateral edges thereby creating a plurality of tubular lengths;
- and
- opening at least one end of each tubular length in the area of the trimmed edges to create a bracket.
A method of forming doorbeams comprising the steps of:
- providing a continuous web of sheet stock having a pair of lateral edges;
- forming the continuous web into a generally closed configuration with at least portions of the lateral edges engaging one another;
- joining the engaging portions of the lateral edges in first longitudinal segments separated by unjoined portions of the lateral edges in second longitudinal segments;
- severing the joined closed configuration in the unjoined second longitudinal segments thereby creating a plurality of lengths;
- and
- opening at least one end of each length to create a bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.