GB2477587A

GB2477587A - Cladding panels made to resemble tiling

Info

Publication number: GB2477587A
Application number: GB1012581A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ken Hodges
Original assignee: ARCHITECTURAL FACADES AND SOFFIT SYSTEMS Ltd
Current assignee: ARCHITECTURAL FACADES AND SOFFIT SYSTEMS Ltd
Priority date: 2010-07-28
Filing date: 2010-07-28
Publication date: 2011-08-10
Also published as: GB2482355B; GB201012581D0; GB2482355A; GB201015004D0

Abstract

A building panel has a major planar surface and an edge flange. The flange 18 of a building panel 10 is coated with polyester and heated. The panel is then cooled and then masking tape 36 is applied over the flange. The major surface 12 of the panel is then coated with polyester with the panel being subsequently heated and with the masking tape 36 being removed with the temperature is 60C. A plurality of panels inter-engage each other so that part of the previously masked flange is visible. An array formed by the assembled panels resembles or imitates tiles or tiling. The masked strips resemble grout lines.

Description

PANELS

The present invention relates to a method of forming a panel suitable for use in cladding a building, panels made according to that method, a plurality of adjacent panels made according to that method and a building incorporating panels made according to the method.

Buildings are often clad with ceramic tiles. There is often a space between adjacent tiles which is filled with a different colour of material from that of the tiles in order to create a pleasing grid pattern. However, such ceramic tiles are expensive to manufacture and are time consuming to apply.

It is an aim of the present invention to attempt to overcome at least one of the above or other problems.

1 5 The present invention is defined in the claims and elsewhere in this specification.

The present invention can be carried into practice in various ways and one example will now be described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a panel 10; Figure 2 is a side view showing panels 1OA and lOB engaged with each other; Figure 3 is a detailed view of a side region of a panel during the manufacturing process and Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of a wall using the panels.

Figure 1 shows an extruded aluminium panel 10.

The panel comprises a main planar surface 12 and a male 14 and female 16 inter-engaging portions at opposite side regions.

The male portion 14 is formed by a minor planar flange 18 connected to the edge of the main surface 12 by a rib 20. The plane of the minor flange 18 is parallel to the plane of the main surface 12 and coincident with the underside of the main surface.

The female portion 16 is formed by a channel 22 having an upwardly facing opening 24. The channel is formed by a first wall 26 extending downwardly from the main surface 12 at a distance spaced from the edge 28 of the main surface. A second wall 30 extends from the end of the wall 26 spaced from the main surface 12, and beyond the edge 29 before a third wall 32 extends upwardly, ending in the plane defined by the under surface of the main surface 12.

The first wall 26 is perpendicular to the main surface 12 and the second wall 30 extends perpendicular to the first wall 26 and the third wall 32 is perpendicular to the second wall.

In use a first panel 1 OA will be secured to a building and a second panel 1 OB will then be tilted relative to the first panel to allow the make flange 18 to enter the channel 22 before the second panel is tilted in the opposite direction such that the upwardly facing surface of the flange 18 abuts the downwardly facing surface of the main surface 12 and the downwardly facing surface of the main surface 12 of the panel lOB abuts the top of the third waIl 32. The second panel is then secured to the building.

It can be seen that about half the width of the flange 18 is exposed to define a section 34 that is approximately 10mm wide.

Figure 4 shows the vertical support flanges 40 to which the panels 10 are secured. Also secured to the flanges 40 are dividers 42 that include an outwardly facing wall 44 separating the horizontally aligned panels. The wall 44 may project to the same distance as the main surface 12 of the panels and may have the same coating as that of the minor flange 18 and may have the same width as that expected by the minor flange 18. This provides a simulation of a tile effect.

In an alternative embodiment (not shown) the view of Figure 4 could be rotated through 90° to have the flanges 40 extending horizontally together with the walls 44. In this arrangement the ends of the panels also extend horizontally.

The method of manufacture of the panels will now be described.

Step 1 The aluminium panel is first cleaned by spraying or passing the panel through an alkaline or acid solution.

Step 2 The panel is rinsed with water.

Step 3 The panel is sprayed or dipped in an acid based solution to de-smut the panel.

Step 4 The panel is then rinsed with water again.

Step 5 The panel is then passed through a tank containing chromate ions or chromate and phosphate ions as the active component having a weight of 2.25g1m2.

Step 6 The panel is then subjected to two further rinses with demineralised water.

Step 7 The minor flange 18 and the adjacent portion of the main surface 12 are then powder coated with a first polyester.

Step 8 The panel is heated to 200°C or more for at least 10 minutes.

Step 9 The panel cools to room temperature.

Step 10 Masking tape 36 is applied over the minor flange 18. The masking tape is a SOp thick polyester film having a silicone adhesive giving a total thickness of 83p. The tape can withstand 200°C.

Step 11 The complete panel is then powder coated with a second polyester, Step 12 The panel is then heated to 200°C for at least 10 minutes.

Step 13 The panel is then cooled but not to room temperature. Instead the panel is cooled to a temperature of 60°C or more and the masking tape is removed. It is important that the masking tape is removed at a temperature of 60°C or more as tests have shown that if the tape is left on until the panel has cooled to room temperature a residue from the tape is deposited on the flange.

The first and second polyesters may be of different colours or of different textures or both.

Whilst the invention has been described with first and second polyesters different materials could be used to provide the different colours or textures. Further it is possible that only one coating is polyester. Further, it is possible that only the major portion of the panel is coated with the masked part remaining uncoated.

With the section 34 of the flange 18 being exposed it can be send that a plurality of panels that are connected together can give a similar visual effect to that of ceramic tiles with the section giving a visual distinction between that part and the remainder of the visible panel. Many panels can be connected in this way to cover a major surface of at least one wall of a building.

The panels may clad the inside or outside of a building.

It will be appreciated that the panels could be of any formation or width. Further it is possible that in some embodiments the panels may not engage with each other or may engage with a different formation.

Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of forming a panel suitable for use in cladding a building comprising masking a first surface of the panel on a first side of the panel and coating a second surface of the panel on the first side.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising heating the coating.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising heating the coating to more that 150°C.
4. A method as claimed in claim 3 comprising heating the first coating to more that 200 °C.
5. A method as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 comprising removing the masking when the temperature of the panel is above 40°C.
6. A method as claimed in claim 5 comprising removing the masking when the temperature of the panel is more than 50°C.
7. A method as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 comprising removing the masking when the temperature is less than 100°C.
8. A method as claimed in claim 7 comprising removing the masking when the temperature is less that 80°C.
9. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising removing the masking when the temperature of the panel is 60°C.
10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising masking the first surface which is a minor part of the panel and coating the second surface which is a major part of the panel.
11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising applying a coating to the first surface and masking that coating wherein the masked coating is different to the coating subsequently applied to the second surface.
12. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising applying a coating to the first surface, heating the panel and subsequently cooling the panel and then masking the first surface and then coating the second surface, heating the panel and then cooling the panel before removing the masking.
13. A method as claimed in claim 12 comprising removing the masking when the temperature is more than 40°C.
14. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising making the first and second surfaces of different colour.
15. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising making the first and second surfaces of different texture.
16. A method as claimed in any preceding claim in which at least one coating is a polyester coating.
17. A method as claimed in any preceding claim comprising forming the panel with inter-engaging members on each side whereby a plurality of adjacent panels can engage each other.
18. A panel suitable for use in cladding a building when the panel has been made in accordance with any preceding claim.
19. A panel as claimed in claim 18 in which the panel comprises an extruded panel.
20. A plurality of adjacent panels as claimed in claim 18 or 19 in which at least part of the first surface of the panels is arranged to be visible when the panels clad a building.
21. A plurality of adjacent panels as claimed in claim 20 in which part of the first surface of one panel is obscured by part of a second surface of an adjacent panel.
22. A plurality of adjacent panels as claimed in claim 21 in which part of the first surface of one panel is obscured by part of the second surface of an adjacent panel.
23. A plurality of adjacent panels in which the ends are separated by a divider.
24. A plurality of adjacent panels as claimed in claim 24 in which the divider has the same surface as that of the previously masked surface.
25. A plurality of adjacent panels as claimed in claim 24 in which the width of the dividers is the same as the exposed part of the previously masked surface.
26. A plurality of panels as claimed in any of claims 20 to 25 in which adjacent panels engage each other.
27. A method of cladding a building using a plurality of panels as claimed in claim 18 or 19 comprising locating panels adjacent to each other on the wall of a building to thereby clad the building such that at least a part of the panel that has been masked is visible.
28. A method as claimed in claim 27 in which the panels are located adjacent to each other such that an end edge of the panel that has been masked is obscured by an adjacent panel.
29. A building when clad with a plurality of panels as claimed in any of claims 20 to 26 or when clad in accordance with the method of claim 27 or 28.