Paint protection member and cubicle using the same

Abstract

This cubicle is an outdoor-installation-type cubicle comprising a surface part formed using a coated sheet metal that is exposed on the outside of the cubicle, and a coating protective member mounted on the edge of the surface part. The coating protective member is provided with a front cover part, a rear cover part, and an edge end cover part. The front cover part contacts the front side of the edge when mounted on the edge of the surface part. The rear cover part contacts the rear side of the edge when mounted on the edge of the surface part. The edge end cover part connects the front cover part and the rear cover part, and wraps around the tip of the edge when mounted on the edge of the surface part. The front cover part, the rear cover part, and the edge end cover part are integrally molded using ASA resin.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a paint protection member that is attached to the edge of a painted metal sheet, and to an outdoor-installed cubicle that uses the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Cubicles are made from multiple pieces of processed metal sheeting. The metal sheeting is painted to prevent rust corrosion. However, the paint on cubicles installed outdoors is susceptible to deterioration due to exposure to ultraviolet rays, ozone, dirt, rain, snow, etc. In particular, in areas prone to salt damage, salt adhering to the cubicle accelerates the deterioration of the paint.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional technique for protecting cubicles from rust. The conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 involves covering the entire cubicle with a protective cover to block the effects of the external environment that cause corrosion on the cubicle. The protective cover used in this conventional technique is made by assembling divided panel plates made of synthetic resin.

[0004] However, manufacturing a protective cover from synthetic resin large enough to cover the entire cubicle requires a considerable cost. If the cubicle size is fixed, mass production may be possible, but cubicles come in a variety of sizes on the market. For businesses that need to install a large number of cubicles outdoors, using a protective cover as a means of protecting the cubicles from rust is difficult, at least from a cost perspective. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-168078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that contributes to suppressing the occurrence of rust due to deterioration of paint in cubicles installed outdoors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present disclosure provides a paint protection member. The paint protection member of the present disclosure is a member to be attached to the edge of painted sheet metal and includes a front cover portion, a back cover portion, and an edge cover portion. The front cover portion is the portion that contacts the front side of the edge when the paint protection member is attached to the edge of the sheet metal. The back cover portion is the portion that contacts the back side of the edge when the paint protection member is attached to the edge of the sheet metal. The edge cover portion connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion and covers the tip of the edge when the paint protection member is attached to the edge of the sheet metal. The front cover portion, back cover portion, and edge cover portion are integrally molded from ASA resin.

[0008] In the paint protection member, the front cover portion may be a flat plate that fits tightly against the front side of the edge of the metal sheet. The back cover portion may be a curved or bent plate that is curved outward so that a gap is formed between the tip of the back cover portion and the back side of the edge when attached to the edge of the metal sheet. The inside of the edge cover portion may be filled with a caulking material.

[0009] The present disclosure provides an outdoor-installation cubicle to which the above-described paint protection member is applied. The cubicle of the present disclosure includes a surface component formed of painted sheet metal exposed to the outside of the cubicle, and the above-described paint protection member is attached to the edge of the surface component. The inside of the edge cover portion of the paint protection member may be filled with a caulking material.

[0010] The surface component may be a side panel. In this case, the paint protection member may be attached to the side edge of the side panel. For example, the paint protection member may be attached so that the front cover portion contacts the outer surface of the side edge of the side panel and the rear cover portion contacts the inner surface of the side edge of the side panel. The front cover portion may be formed in a flat plate shape so as to fit closely to the outer surface of the side edge of the side panel.

[0011] The surface component may be a door with at least the lower edge folded inward. In this case, the paint protection member may be attached to the lower edge of the door. For example, the paint protection member may be attached so that the front cover portion contacts the upper surface of the lower edge of the door and the back cover portion contacts the lower surface of the lower edge of the door. The front cover portion may be formed in a flat plate shape so as to fit closely to the upper surface of the lower edge of the door.

[0012] The surface component may be a visor attached to the top of the door. In this case, the paint protection member may be attached to the leading edge of the visor. For example, the paint protection member may be attached so that the front cover portion contacts the upper surface of the leading edge of the visor and the rear cover portion contacts the lower surface of the leading edge of the visor. The front cover portion may be formed in a flat plate shape so as to be in close contact with the upper surface of the leading edge of the visor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The edges of sheet metal are the areas where paint is most difficult to apply, making them the most susceptible to paint deterioration and rust. According to the paint protection member of the present disclosure, the front cover, back cover, and edge cover are integrally molded from ASA resin, which has excellent weather resistance, protecting the paint on the edges of the sheet metal, thereby preventing rust from forming on the edges of the sheet metal due to paint deterioration. Furthermore, according to the cubicle of the present disclosure, in which such a paint protection member is attached to the edges of the surface member, rust from paint deterioration can be prevented without incurring high costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a painted sheet metal edge. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a paint protection member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a paint protection member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure attached to the edge of a metal sheet. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cubicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a rear view of a cubicle door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a bottom portion of a cubicle door according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the top of the eaves and door of a cubicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Generally, the sheet metal used for the surface parts of cubicles is made of steel. For this reason, the surface of the sheet metal is painted to prevent rust and corrosion. Ideally, the thickness of the paint film should be uniform across the entire sheet metal. However, as shown in the cross-sectional view (A) of Figure 1, when the end of the sheet metal 2 is uncut without any processing and there are sharp edges at the corners 6A, the thinness of the paint film 4 at the corners 6A becomes a problem. Test results show that the thickness of the paint film at the sharp-edged corners 6A is only about 30% of that of the flat surface.

[0016] Methods for improving paint adhesion at the edges of sheet metal include applying R-chamfering to corner portion 6B, as shown in cross-sectional view (B) of Figure 1, and applying C-chamfering to corner portion C, as shown in cross-sectional view (C) of Figure 1. These methods improve the paint film thickness at corners to approximately 60 to 70 percent of that at flat surfaces. However, because the film thickness remains thinner than at flat surfaces, even with these methods, there is still a risk of rust due to paint deterioration in harsh environments. Furthermore, the sheet metal used for cubicles is often 1.6 to 2.3 mm thick for lengths of just under 2 meters. Maintaining a consistent edge finish is difficult when processing such sheet metal manually.

[0017] For the reasons described above, the paint on the edges of metal sheets used in the surface parts of cubicles is more susceptible to deterioration than on flat surfaces, and rust corrosion is more likely to occur from the edges where the paint has peeled off. However, looking at this from the other side, if the paint on the edges of the metal sheets can be protected, rust corrosion can be suppressed for the entire metal sheet. The paint protection member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a proposal based on this idea.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a paint protection member 20 according to this embodiment. The paint protection member 20 is a member shaped like a plate extending in one direction that has been bent along its length. The paint protection member 20 is attached to the edge of a painted metal sheet. When attached, the edge of the metal sheet is inserted into the groove 20a of the paint protection member 20. The length of the paint protection member 20 is adapted to the length of the edge of the metal sheet to which it is attached.

[0019] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the paint protection member 20 according to this embodiment attached to the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2. The paint protection member 20 comprises a front cover portion 21, a rear cover portion 22, and an edge cover portion 23 that connects the front cover portion 21 and the rear cover portion 22. The front cover portion 21, the rear cover portion 22, and the edge cover portion 23 are molded integrally, and have a uniform thickness from the tip of the front cover portion 21 through the edge cover portion 23 to the tip of the rear cover portion 22.

[0020] The front cover portion 21 is the portion that contacts the front side 12a of the edge 12 when the paint protection member 20 is attached to the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2. The front cover portion 21 has a flat plate shape that fits tightly against the front side 12a of the edge 12. The back cover portion 22 is the portion that contacts the back side 12b of the edge 12 when the paint protection member 20 is attached to the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2. The back cover portion 22 has a curved or bent plate shape that is curved outward. When the paint protection member 20 is attached to the edge 12, a gap is formed between the tip 22a of the back cover portion 22 and the back side 12b of the edge 12. The edge cover portion 23 is the portion that covers the tip 12c of the edge 12 when the paint protection member 20 is attached to the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2.

[0021] When the paint protection member 20 is not attached to the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2, the gap between the front cover portion 21 and the back cover portion 22 is smaller than the thickness of the metal sheet 2. Therefore, when the paint protection member 20 is attached to the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2, the gap between the front cover portion 21 and the back cover portion 22 widens, and a pressing force due to elastic deformation acts from the front cover portion 21 and the back cover portion 22 on the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2. The action of this pressing force prevents the paint protection member 20 from coming off the edge 12 of the metal sheet 2.

[0022] The inside of the edge cover portion 23 is filled with caulking material 30. The caulking material 30 prevents rainwater from entering the inside of the edge cover portion 23 through the openings at both ends of the paint protection member 20. The caulking material 30 may be filled along the entire length of the paint protection member 20 to fill any gaps inside the edge cover portion 23, or it may be filled only inside the edge cover portion 23 near the openings at both ends of the paint protection member 20 to cover them.

[0023] The paint protection member 20 is made of acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic ester (ASA) resin. The front cover portion 21, back cover portion 22, and edge cover portion 23 are formed by injection molding ASA resin. ASA resin is used as the material for the paint protection member 20 because of its excellent weather resistance. For example, consider the case where the paint protection member 20 is applied to the surface components of a cubicle. Outdoor cubicles are exposed to the environment, which is affected by ultraviolet rays, ozone, dirt, rain, snow, and, in some areas, salt damage. Therefore, the paint protection member 20 must also have the weather resistance to withstand such an environment. After extensive research into materials that would provide the necessary weather resistance for the paint protection member 20, ASA resin was selected as the most suitable material. ASA resin has better weather resistance than ABS resin, a general-purpose plastic. Therefore, the paint protection member 20 made of ASA resin can maintain its performance even in environments where paint protection members made of ABS resin would not last as long.

[0024] 4 is a perspective view of a cubicle 50 according to this embodiment. The paint protection member according to this embodiment is applied to the cubicle 50. In this disclosure, a cubicle refers to a housing that houses equipment such as a power conversion device, a control panel, a communication device, and a traffic light. In this disclosure, there is no limitation on the equipment that can be housed in the cubicle.

[0025] In this embodiment, the paint protection member is applied to surface components formed from painted sheet metal that are exposed to the outside of the cubicle 50. For example, the side panel 60, the door 70, and the eaves 80 attached to the top of the door 70 are such surface components. Paint protection member 20A is attached to the side panel 60, paint protection member 20B is attached to the door 70, and paint protection member 20C is attached to the eaves 80. Paint protection members 20A, 20B, and 20C are included in the paint protection member 20 shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0026] With respect to the side panel 60, the paint protection member 20A is attached to the side edges on both sides of the side panel 60. The paint protection member 20A is attached so that its front cover portion contacts the outer surface of the side edge and its back cover portion contacts the inner surface of the side edge. The inside of the edge cover portion of the paint protection member 20A is filled with caulking material.

[0027] Next, we will explain how to attach the paint protection member 20B to the door 70. Figure 5 is a rear view of the door 70, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lower part of the door 70. The door 70 has an outer frame 72 that is bent inward, and a packing 76 is affixed to the inside of the outer frame 72. When the door 70 is closed, the packing 76 abuts against the retaining frame 54 provided on the frame 52, sealing the inside of the cubicle 50.

[0028] The paint protection member 20B is attached to the lower edge 74 of the outer frame 72 of the door 70. The lower edge 74 of the outer frame 72 is a location where rainwater that has run down the gasket 76 is likely to accumulate, making it particularly susceptible to rust. For this reason, attaching the paint protection member 20B prevents rust from forming. The paint protection member 20B is attached so that the front cover portion 21B contacts the upper surface of the lower edge 74 and the back cover portion 22B contacts the lower surface of the lower edge 74. In other words, in this installation example, the upper surface of the lower edge 74 is the front side, and the lower surface of the lower edge 74 is the back side. Caulking material 30B is filled inside the edge cover portion 23B of the paint protection member 20B.

[0029] Next, we will explain how to attach the paint protection member 20C to the eaves 80. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the upper part of the door 70. The eaves 80 is installed to cover the top of the door 70 to prevent rainwater from entering the inside of the door 70. The eaves 80 is constantly exposed to rain during rainy weather, and rainwater flowing from the roof drips off the leading edge 82 of the eaves 80. As a result, the leading edge 82 of the eaves 80 is prone to becoming covered with rainwater and is particularly susceptible to rust. Therefore, attaching the paint protection member 20C prevents rust from occurring. The paint protection member 20C is attached so that the front cover portion 21C contacts the upper surface of the leading edge 82 and the back cover portion 22C contacts the underside of the leading edge 82. Caulking material 30C is filled inside the edge cover portion 23C of the paint protection member 20C.

[0030] According to the cubicle 50 of this embodiment, by applying the paint protection members 20A, 20B, and 20C to the surface members, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rust due to paint deterioration without incurring high initial costs, thereby reducing the maintenance costs of the cubicle 50. The paint protection member of this embodiment is also expected to contribute to preventing corrosion of sheet metal when applied to indoor cubicles that are installed in particularly poor surrounding environments, such as cubicles for chemical plant equipment or sewage equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 2. Sheet Metal 12. Relationship 12a Front side of edge 12b Back of the edge 12c Edge tip 20, 20A, 20B, 20C Paint protection material 21, 21B, 21C Front cover 22, 22B, 22C Back cover 23, 23B, 23C Edge cover part 30, 30B, 30C caulking material 50 cubicles 60 Side plate 70 Doors 74 Bottom edge of door 80 Eaves 82 Front edge of eaves

Claims

1. A paint protection member attached to the edge of a painted sheet metal, a front cover portion that contacts the front side of the edge when attached to the edge; a rear cover portion that contacts the rear side of the edge when attached to the edge; an edge cover portion that connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion and that covers the tip of the edge when attached to the edge; the front cover portion, the back cover portion, and the edge cover portion are integrally molded from ASA resin; the front cover portion is a flat plate that is in close contact with the front side of the edge, The rear cover portion is a curved plate that is curved or bent outward, and when attached to the edge, a gap is formed between the tip of the rear cover portion and the back side of the edge. A paint protection member characterized by:

2. In the paint protection member according to claim 1, The inside of the edge cover is filled with a caulking material. A paint protection member characterized by:

3. An outdoor installation cubicle, a surface part formed of painted sheet metal exposed to the outside of the cubicle; a paint protection member attached to an edge of the surface component; The paint protection member is a front cover portion that contacts the front side of the edge when attached to the edge; a rear cover portion that contacts the rear side of the edge when attached to the edge; an edge cover portion that connects the front cover portion and the back cover portion and that covers the tip of the edge when attached to the edge; the front cover portion, the back cover portion, and the edge cover portion are integrally molded from ASA resin; The surface part is a canopy provided on the top of the door, The paint protection member is attached to the leading edge of the eaves. A cubicle characterized by:

4. In the cubicle according to claim 3, The paint protection member is attached so that the front cover portion contacts an upper surface of the leading edge and the rear cover portion contacts a lower surface of the leading edge, The front cover portion is formed in a flat plate shape so as to be in close contact with the upper surface. A cubicle characterized by:

5. In the cubicle according to claim 3, The inside of the edge cover is filled with a caulking material. A cubicle characterized by:

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