Semi-finished product comprising an active boundary element having a functional element
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- VOESTALPINE STAHL GMBH
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-30
Smart Images
Figure EP2026050325_30072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Semi-finished product with an active boundary element having a functional element
[0002] Technical field
[0003] The invention relates to a semi-finished product with an active limiting element having a functional element, as well as to a component made from this semi-finished product and a corresponding manufacturing process.
[0004] State of the art
[0005] EP2871299B1 discloses a component with two opposing metal plates as boundary elements, forming a cavity that encloses a PV module as a functional element and is filled with a foamed insulating material to prevent heat transfer. The PV module is positioned within the cavity and absorbs incident light through an opening in the immediately adjacent boundary element. A junction box is located in the other boundary element, through which the PV module is connected via the insulating material. The connecting cables are routed through the cavity during manufacturing and embedded in the insulating material.
[0006] A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the insulation material comes into contact with the connecting cables and their contact points, which necessitates that the connection components be sufficiently resistant to the insulation material. Furthermore, the junction box located on the back of the component is no longer easily accessible during installation. Finally, the exposed structure requires discontinuous manufacturing, resulting in a correspondingly slow production process.
[0007] Description of the invention: The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a semi-finished product from which an insulating component with an integrated functional element can be manufactured at high production speeds in such a way that the connection components are protected during manufacturing, particularly from the insulating material, and yet the connection of the functional element is more easily accessible during assembly.
[0008] The invention solves the stated problem by providing that, in the semi-finished product of the type described above, the active limiting element has an outwardly directed connection for the functional element, wherein a limiting element forming a connection area is attached to the active limiting element with a protective section in the area of the connection, projects at least partially beyond a contact surface of the active limiting element with a separating section and is severable in the area of the separating section in order to be shortened to the dimension of the active limiting element.
[0009] As a result of these features, the separating element, with its protective section, keeps the connection free of insulation material. Its separating section extends beyond the butt surface of the active separating element, thus allowing access to the connection from the butt surface, and forms a connection area that eliminates the need for connecting lines to pass through the insulation material. In a continuous manufacturing process, another semi-finished product according to the invention can be attached to the butt surface. The separating element forms a barrier for the insulation material, which, after manufacturing, rests against both the separating element and the separating element and therefore cannot penetrate the connection area. The insulation material can be, for example, a liquid-applied, polymerizing foam such as PUR or PIR foam, or mineral wool.Once the boundary element has fulfilled its function as a barrier for the insulation material, it can be cut in the area of the separation section and thus shortened to the dimensions of the active boundary element. The boundary element is thereby shortened by at least part of the separation section, making the connection from the butt joint more easily accessible. The active boundary element can have a metal support, particularly made of steel. The functional element can, in particular, be a photovoltaic coating. In a preferred embodiment, the support is a steel plate and the functional element is a PV-active coating applied to the support. The boundary element can have an adhesive surface via which it is connected to the active boundary element. For example, the boundary element can have a hat profile.To prevent deformation of the separating element during separation and thus the risk of a gap forming between the insulation material and the separating element, as well as the ingress of insulation material into the connection area, stiffening ribs can be provided in the area of the separation section.
[0010] If the carriers are manufactured in a continuous production process, for example from a strip, the difficulty arises that either the functional elements must be applied discontinuously or, after application, exhibit only a small bending tolerance, making continuous processing difficult, as, for example, winding must be omitted. To nevertheless enable continuous processing, the semi-finished products can be arranged sequentially in a conveying direction, with the separating element forming an alignment stop for the next semi-finished product. To improve the combined conveying of the semi-finished products in a processing line, the separating element can have a connecting section projecting beyond the contact surface for attachment to another semi-finished product, particularly to its active limiting element.The connecting section can be attached to the side of the separating section opposite the protective section, so that the fastening is released again when the separating element is detached. The fastening can be particularly tensile-resistant and / or positive-locking and can be formed, for example, by a hook or an adhesive surface. Since some functional elements must be arranged on the exposed outer surface of the semi-finished product, but the connection of these functional elements must be protected from weather-related damage, it is proposed that the functional element be arranged on a support and connected to the connection through the support.This allows the functional element located on the outside to be connected via the opposite inside, whereby the connection is not only protected from weather influences, but also damage from the internal insulation material is avoided due to the measures according to the invention.
[0011] To prevent damage or contamination of the connection components during the manufacturing process, a protective element for the connection and / or a connecting cable associated with the connection can be provided between the protective section and the separation section. The connection components comprise the connection and the connecting cable. The connecting cable allows the connection to be made at the time of manufacturing, when the connection is still freely accessible, so that the cross-section of the connection area can be dimensioned accordingly small. On the one hand, the protective element prevents contaminants from entering the protective section; on the other hand, the protective element can retain the connection components within the protective section, preventing them from entering the separation section, where they could be damaged or even severed when the separating element is removed.Advantageously, the protective element is connected to the boundary element via a predetermined breaking point. After the boundary element is detached, and if necessary after removing the protective element, the connecting cable can be led out of the connection area at the butt joint. The protective element can also be designed as a baffle that narrows the cross-section of the connection area. This has the advantage that the protective element does not necessarily have to be removed after manufacturing, but the baffle still provides a stop for the connecting cable during manufacturing. To allow the semi-finished product to be easily manipulated or connected to another boundary element in a subsequent manufacturing process without damaging the functional element or the connection, the functional element and the connection can be arranged outside the edge areas extending between the two butt surfaces.This means that the two butt surfaces are opposite each other and, together with two opposing side surfaces, define the semi-finished product, with the edge areas running along the side surfaces. This allows a conveying device to engage the semi-finished product in the edge area and / or another limiting element to be connected to the semi-finished product, for example by forming or welding.
[0012] Although the sealing element can remain open at the joint if the separation section protrudes from the cavity filled with insulation material, for a shortened construction and continuous insertion of the insulation material, it is recommended that the sealing element be open only towards the active boundary element. This reliably prevents the ingress of insulation material into the connection area, regardless of the type of insulation material. By cutting off the sealing element in the area of the separation section, particularly parallel to the joint surface of the boundary element, the connection can be accessed from the joint surface after it has been filled with insulation material.
[0013] An insulating component manufactured from a semi-finished product according to the invention, which provides a connection area that is easily accessible yet protected during assembly, has two boundary elements opposite each other with respect to an intermediate space. One of the boundary elements has a functional element that is connected to a connection located on the inner side facing the intermediate space. The intermediate space comprises a filled insulating area and a connection area separated from the insulating area by a boundary element. The boundary element has a protective section for the connection and a separating section open towards a butt surface. As a result of this design, the insulating components can be connected during assembly via the connection area accessible at the butt surface, while the outer side exposed to the weather remains free of connection components.The functional element's connection is located on the inside of the active boundary element and is protected from penetrating insulation material by the connection area formed by the boundary element. The boundary element forms a connection area that, after the separation section is cut, is accessible towards the butt joint, allowing the connection to be easily integrated with building infrastructure connections or other components of a structure. In particular, the component can form a facade element that is assembled with other components to create a facade. If the connection components are to remain protected until shortly before installation, the component can have a protective element between the protective section and the separation section, as described in the semi-finished product, which preferably closes the protective section during manufacturing and transport.The boundary elements can have a metal support, in particular made of steel. As already explained with regard to the semi-finished product, the functional element can in particular be a photovoltaic coating. In a preferred embodiment, the supports are steel plates and the functional element is a PV-active coating applied to one of the supports. The two boundary elements can be connected to each other along the edge regions extending between the two opposing abutment surfaces. Therefore, it is recommended that the functional element and the connection be arranged outside the edge regions extending between the two abutment surfaces. The same preferred embodiments apply to the boundary element as to the semi-finished product according to the invention.
[0014] Since some functional elements must be arranged on the outside of the component, but the connection of these functional elements must be protected from weather-related damage, it is proposed that the functional element be arranged on a support and connected to the connection through the support. This allows the functional element located on the outside to be connected via the opposite inside, whereby the connection is not only protected from weather influences, but damage from the internal insulation material is also avoided due to the measures according to the invention.
[0015] In order to produce a component according to the invention from a semi-finished product according to the invention at high production speeds, whereby the functional elements and / or the connection components are protected from damage, it is proposed that a semi-finished product and a further limiting element located on the side of the limiting element of the semi-finished product are arranged in a space, wherein the space is filled with an insulating material, after which the limiting element is separated in the area of its separation section.
[0016] This ensures that the connection is protected by the boundary element when the gap is filled with insulating material, eliminating the need to lay connecting cables during manufacturing. After the gap is filled, the portion of the boundary element extending beyond the butt surface of the active boundary element is cut in the area of the separation section, thereby shortening the component to the desired dimensions, particularly those of the active boundary element. Following this separation, a protective element for a connecting cable, if present between the protective section and the separation section, can be removed, exposing the connection area of the component at the butt joint and allowing the connecting cable to be routed out.
[0017] In principle, an insulation material can be selected so that the two boundary elements adhere to it. If this is not the case, or if the adhesion is insufficient, the semi-finished product can be joined to the additional boundary element after the gap has been filled. The connection is preferably made at the edges extending between the two abutting surfaces, in particular by welding or gluing. To create a leak-proof enclosure for the insulation material and / or to facilitate the subsequent connection with the additional boundary element, the edges of the semi-finished products extending between the two abutting surfaces can be reshaped before the gap is filled. Suitable methods for this include roll forming, flanging, deep drawing, bending, or press brake forming.
[0018] To enable particularly fast and yet highly accurate assembly of the components, several semi-finished products can be arranged sequentially in a conveying direction, with the boundary element of each semi-finished product projecting beyond the adjacent contact surface of a neighboring semi-finished product. The boundary element thus forms an alignment stop for the next semi-finished product, and the semi-finished products can be transported on a conveyor line in a continuous manufacturing process. In this case, the additional boundary element is preferably fed continuously on the side of the boundary elements of the semi-finished products to create the gap. This gap can also be continuously filled with insulating material, which is preferably injected into the gap as foam.In such a continuous manufacturing process, an endless assembly is produced, which is separated into individual components by cutting the separating element in the area of its separation section, preferably transversely to the conveying direction. During this separation, the insulating material and / or the further separating element are also cut to obtain a flat butt surface.
[0019] To avoid transition problems between multiple successive semi-finished products in a continuous manufacturing process, to further increase alignment accuracy, and to facilitate conveying, a connecting section of the boundary element of one semi-finished product can be tensile-strengthened to the adjacent semi-finished product. In the case of a gap-free connection between two successive semi-finished products, so that they form a continuous receiving surface for the insulating material, the gap can be filled with exceptional process cleanliness in a continuous process. To remove any remaining connecting section in the adjacent semi-finished product, which could reduce the insulating effect there, the continuous bond can also be cut in the conveying direction behind the connecting section.
[0020] To further accelerate and simplify the continuous manufacturing process, the additional limiting element can be a limiting strip spanning several semi-finished products, which is separated together with the limiting element. The limiting strip is fed onto the side of the limiting elements of the semi-finished products to form the gap. When the limiting element is separated, the insulating material is also separated. The limiting strip is typically a steel strip.
[0021] To assemble the components according to the invention in the form of a structure, such as a facade cladding, several adjacent components are connected to each other via the open connection areas at the butt joints. No overlapping of the components is necessary to protect the connection points, and the connections can be easily made, maintained, and repaired.
[0022] Brief description of the invention
[0023] The invention is illustrated in the drawing as an example. It shows
[0024] Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-section through a semi-finished product according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows a schematic top view of the semi-finished product of Fig. 1 ,
[0025] Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-section through a component according to the invention and Fig. 4 shows a schematic sequence of a continuous process for manufacturing a component according to the invention.
[0026] Ways to Implement the Invention: A semi-finished product according to the invention has an active limiting element 2 provided with a functional element 1. The active limiting element 2 comprises a carrier 3, for example a steel plate, on which the functional element 1 is applied as a coating. The functional element 1 is connected through the carrier 3 to a connection 4, which can, for example, be led to the outside via a connecting line 5, as can be seen in particular in Fig. 3. A limiting element 6 is connected to the active limiting element 2 via an adhesive surface 7 and forms a connection area 8. The limiting element 6 surrounds the connection 4 with a protective section 9 and partially projects beyond a butt surface 11 of the active limiting element 2 with a separating section 10.The boundary element 6 further has a connecting section 12 projecting beyond the impact surface 11 of the active boundary element 2, which can serve for fastening to another boundary element 2.
[0027] Between the protective section 9 and the separation section 10 is a protective element 13 for the connection 4 and the connecting cable 5, so that the connection components are protected during the manufacturing process and cannot enter the separation section 10. The demarcation element 6 shown is open only towards the active boundary element 2 and closed at the butt joint.
[0028] As can be seen in particular from Fig. 2, the functional element 1 and the connection 4 are arranged outside the edge areas 15 extending between the two butt surfaces 11, 14. The connection 4 and the connecting line 5 are located inside the boundary element 6 and are thus protected by it.
[0029] Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-section through a component according to the invention with two opposing boundary elements 2, 16, wherein the lower boundary element 2 is active and has functional elements 1 mounted on a support 3. The two boundary elements 2, 16 enclose a cavity 17 with a filled insulating area 18, which is separated from the connection area 8 by the boundary element 6. The connection 4 is located within this connection area 8, on the inner side 19 of the active boundary element 2 facing the cavity 17. The protective section 9 opens into a separation section 10, open towards a butt surface 11, through which a connection line 5 is led out. All other connection components are located inside the component and are thus protected from the elements.
[0030] Figure 4 shows a schematic sequence of a continuous manufacturing process for a component according to the invention. Several semi-finished products from Figure 1 are arranged successively on a conveyor line 21 in a conveying direction 20, with each boundary element 6 of a semi-finished product projecting over an adjacent butt surface 14 of a neighboring semi-finished product. In the figure shown, a connecting section 12 of the boundary element 6 is connected to an adjacent semi-finished product. Another boundary element 16 is designed as a boundary strip and is continuously fed to the side of the boundary elements 6 of the semi-finished products to form a gap 17. The resulting gap 17 is continuously filled with an insulating material 18, with the boundary element 6 forming a connection area 8 and thus protecting all connection components 4, 5 from the insulating material 18. This creates a continuous assembly 22.After filling the gap 17, the portion of the boundary element 6 projecting beyond the butt surface 11 of a semi-finished product is shortened to the desired dimension by a cut 23 through the separation section 10. The insulating material 18 and the two boundary elements 2, 16 are also shortened to form a flat butt surface 11. After shortening, a retaining device 13 can be removed, if necessary, to expose the connection area 8 of the component at the butt joint and to allow a connecting line 5 to be routed out. Additionally, the continuous assembly 22 is cut in the conveying direction 20 behind the connecting section 12 by a cut 24, so that the connecting section 12 does not remain in the component.
Claims
Patent claims 1. Semi-finished product with an active limiting element (2) having a functional element (1), characterized in that the active limiting element (2) has an outwardly extended connection (4) for the functional element (1), wherein a limiting element (6) forming a connection area (8) with a protective section (9) in the area of the connection (4) is attached to the active limiting element (2), with a separating section (10) projects at least partially beyond a butt surface (11) of the active limiting element (2) and is severable in the area of the separating section (10) in order to be shortened to the dimension of the active limiting element (2).
2. Semi-finished product according to claim 1, characterized in that the demarcation element (6) has a connecting section (12) projecting beyond the impact surface (11) for attachment to a further active demarcation element (2).
3. Semi-finished product according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the functional element (1) is arranged on a carrier (3) and is connected to the connection (4) through the carrier (3).
4. Semi-finished product according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a protective element (13) for the connection (4) and / or a connecting line (5) connected to the connection (4) is provided between the protective section (9) and the separating section (10).
5. Semi-finished product according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the functional element (1) and the connection (4) are arranged outside the edge regions (15) extending between the two butt surfaces (11, 14).
6. Semi-finished product according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the boundary element (6) is open exclusively towards the active boundary element (2).
7. Component with two boundary elements (2, 16) opposite each other with respect to an intermediate space (17), wherein one of the boundary elements (2) has a functional element (1) which is connected to a connection (4) located on the inside (19) facing the intermediate space (17), wherein the intermediate space (17) comprises a filled insulation area (18) and a connection area (8) separated from the insulation area (18) by a boundary element (6), characterized in that the boundary element (6) has a protective section (9) for the connection (4) and a separating section (10) open towards a buttress surface (11).
8. Component according to claim 7, characterized in that the functional element (1) is arranged on a carrier (3) and is connected to the connection (4) through the carrier (3).
9. Method for producing a component from a semi-finished product according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a semi-finished product and a further limiting element (16) located on the side of the limiting element (6) of the semi-finished product are arranged forming an intermediate space (17), wherein the intermediate space (17) is filled with an insulating material (18), after which the limiting element (6) is separated in the area of its separation section (10).
10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the semi-finished product is connected to the further limiting element (16) after the gap (17) has been filled.
11. Method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the edge regions (15) of the semi-finished products extending between the two impact surfaces (11, 14) are reshaped before the gap (17) is filled.
12. Method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that several semi-finished products are arranged successively in a conveying direction (20), wherein the boundary element (6) of each semi-finished product projects beyond the adjacent impact surface (14) of a neighboring semi-finished product.
13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that a connecting section (12) of the boundary element (6) of a semi-finished product is connected to the adjacent semi-finished product in a tensile-resistant manner.
14. Method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the further limiting element (16) is a limiting band spanning several semi-finished products, which is separated together with the limiting element (6).
15. Structure made of several adjacent components according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the components are connected to each other via the butt-side open connection areas (8).