Shower assembly and method for manufacturing and installing the shower arrangement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shower arrangements face challenges in being manufactured and installed easily and inexpensively, with complex deep-drawing processes and potential leaks due to uneven component settings and transitions.
Innovation Solution
A shower arrangement featuring a steel enamel shower surface with a thickness between 0.5 mm and 5 mm, a sealing material, and a drain fitting with a completely rimmed drain opening offset from the edge, allowing for easy formation and assembly without deep-drawing tools, and ensuring a tight connection using conventional sealing flanges and a removable cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a deep-drawing process is used to form shower trays from layered material, then the trough shape allows controlled water direction to drainage, but the process becomes complex and requires specially adapted deep-drawing tools
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the shower tray into two functional zones: a flat area for water collection and an inclined drainage area. This segmentation allows water to be directed to the drain through gravity on the inclined portion while maintaining a large flat collection area, eliminating the need for complex deep-drawing tools while achieving reliable water management
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forming a deep trough shape through complex deep-drawing, the invention inverts the approach by creating a mostly flat surface with a localized inclined drainage area. This inversion simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining effective water direction to the drainage opening
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional tubs are formed in a mold with primary molding process, then shower trays can be made from ceramic or plastic, but the material thickness varies strongly locally
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by creating a selectively inclined drainage area with specific thickness characteristics only where needed for water direction, while the rest of the shower tray maintains uniform thickness. This localized modification achieves effective drainage without compromising the overall manufacturing simplicity and thickness uniformity
3Device complexity
If shower surfaces are made flat without deep-drawing, then manufacturing is simpler, but water drainage control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces dynamics by creating a selectively inclined drainage area that actively directs water flow through gravity, while the rest of the surface remains flat for water collection. This dynamic drainage zone ensures reliable water control without requiring complex deep-drawing manufacturing processes
4Productivity
If a lateral drain opening is used next to a wall drain, then drainage capacity is sufficient, but the transition from drain to drain opening becomes a weak point requiring careful sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the drain opening directly with the drainage system by positioning it at the end of the inclined drainage area, eliminating the transition zone between lateral drain and wall drain. This integration maintains sufficient drainage capacity while eliminating the sealing weak point that plagues lateral drain configurations
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
The invention relates to a shower arrangement with a support (1), a shower surface (2) arranged on the support (1) and made of a layered material with a thickness of less than 10 mm, a sealing material ( 3) and a drain fitting (4), wherein a completely bordered drain opening (7) for connecting the drain fitting (4) is formed within the shower surface (2) with an offset in the direction of an edge (8a) of the shower surface (2), wherein the shower surface (2) is flat, starting from an edge (8b) opposite the drain opening (7) up to the drain opening (7) along a longitudinal direction (I) and transversely thereto up to side edges (9) in a transverse direction (q). The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing and assembling the shower arrangement.