Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Assembling or joining
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-30
2004-06-15
Bryant, David P. (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Assembling or joining
C029S469500, C029S460000, C029S527400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748641
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a car body having a shell body or car parts formed by using patterned metal plates covered by a patterned plastic film at the main outer surface portion of the car body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a car body of a normal or small passenger car, the body constituted mainly with sheet metal without riggings such as engine or chassis is called shell body. Usually the shell body consists of a “main body”, consisting of underbody, side member, roof, cowl, upper back, lower back etc., and “outer cover parts” such as hood, front balance, fender, cowl louver, door, luggage (back door) etc.
Up to the present, these main body and outer cover parts are formed in such a way that a metal plate, which has been suitably degreased or surface treated, is cut and shaped in the size and shape of each part and the parts are assembled and combined, and a shell body, which is assembled with them, is dipped into a cationic electrodeposition paint bath, through which the current is passed, to form an undercoat coating film by coating on the surface, backside, edge surface etc. of the metal plate. Among them, mainly the portions corresponding to the outer surface are coated suitably with intermediate paint, topcoat paint etc.
Recently, however, in the field of car body coating, economical operation, energy saving and reduction of CO
2
gas generation in the coating line are strongly desired. Moreover, further improvement in throwing power of electrodeposition paint to edge surface portion, and chipping resistance, corrosion resistance etc. of the total multilayered coating film is demanded. Furthermore, in order to give a color design to the outer panel of a car body, 2-tone finish by painting with color paints with different color tones, sticking a colored adhesive tape etc. are practiced. However, it is difficult for these methods to respond to various individual and diversified demands due to their simplicity in pattern and lack of variation.
The present inventors have repeatedly conducted intensive studies to solve the problems in the coating of a car body as mentioned above. As a result, they found that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by forming a part or total of the shell body by using a metal plate covered with plastics, made by covering a desirably patterned plastic film on a metal plate and completed the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, according to the present invention there is provided a car body characterized by using for the main outer surface portion of a car body a metal plate covered with a patterned plastic film, which is cut, shaped and combined to form a shell body.
According to the present invention there is provided also a car body characterized by using for the main outer surface portion of a car body car parts, made by cutting, shaping and combining a metal plate covered with a patterned plastic film, which are fit up to the main body, which has been previously assembled, to form a shell body.
Then, the car body of the present invention is described in more detail.
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT
The present invention can be applied preferably to a car body of a car such as normal and small passenger car, but can be applied also to a car body of truck, bus, motorcycle, vehicle with special kind of equipment etc. in the same manner.
In such a car body the portion constituted mainly with sheet metal without riggings such as engine or chassis is called shell body which consists mainly of a main body and outer cover parts.
Main body means the fundamental part including the car room, combined, for example, by welding etc. and consists mainly of underbody, side member, roof, cowl, upper back, lower back etc. Underbody means the floor portion of the cabin, trunk room etc. and is named generically, including front underbody, front floor, rear floor etc. Side member forms the side of a cabin joining with a front body, roof panel, underbody etc. and prevents the car from bending and/or twisting. Cowl is a panel combining left, right, front and rear pillars. Upper back is a panel combining left and right quarter panels (rear fenders) at the back portion of a car body and forming outer surface of the car body. On the other hand, outer cover parts are “car parts” made by shaping sheet metal to be fitted up to the main body and consists specifically of hood, front balance, front fender, cowl louver, door, luggage (back door) etc.
The present invention is characterized by forming a shell body by using a metal plate covered with a patterned plastic film (hereinafter referred to as patterned covered metal plate) in the main outer surface portion of a car body, or by forming a shell body by fitting up the car parts, which have been formed by using patterned covered metal plate mainly for outer cover parts, to the main body which has been assembled according to a conventional method.
Metal plate used for the preparation of patterned covered metal plate can be those which are usually used for a car body. As the material, there may be mentioned, for example, iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass and alloys containing these metals, and further metal plates made by plating the surface of the plates consisting of these metals or alloys with zinc, zinc
ickel, iron etc. They can be used in coils or in cut plates. The thickness of these metal plates is suitably in the range of generally 0.3-2 mm, particularly 0.5-1 mm and it is preferable that the surface of these metal plates is treated suitably by grinding, alkali degreasing, electrolytic cleaning, chemical treatment with zinc phosphate, chromate etc. in order to improve the adhesivity with a plastic film, corrosion resistance etc.
As materials of plastic film to cover the above-mentioned metal plates, there can be mentioned known thermoplastic resins, for example, polyolefin resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene etc., polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) etc., polycarbonate resin, epoxy resin, vinyl acetate resin, vinyl chloride resin, fluorine-containing resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, nylon, polyamide resin, polystyrene resin, acrylic resin, polyurethane resin, phenolic resin, polyether resin, cellulose type resin such as cellulose acetate etc. They may be colored in solid color tone, metallic tone or iridescent tone.
Plastic film can be prepeared by molding the above-mentioned resin material into film shape by, for example, extrusion molding, injection molding, calender molding, compression molding etc. and its thickness is preferably in the range of usually 1-100 &mgr;m, particularly 3-75 &mgr;m, more particularly 5-50 &mgr;m. Said plastic film is preferably non-electroconductive. Moreover, it is possible to treat the surface of said plastic film by corona discharge, plasma, flame etc. before or after the covering onto the metal plate. In the present invention a colorless-transparent, colored-transparent, or colored-non-transparent plastic film can be used according to the application purpose.
The present invention it is characterized by covering the metal surface by using the above-mentioned plastic film which has been previously patterned. Here “pattern” is not particularly restricted, as long as it expresses designability, good outlook, originality, discrimination etc. at the outer portion of the shell body of a car body. Its tone may be colored and/or colorless and as its form there can be mentioned letters, modified letters, marks, symbols, illustrations, pictures, picture patterns and their combinations etc. These can be constituted in single color, mixed color, compound color, gradation, shades of color etc.
These patterns can be formed on either one side, surface or back, or both sides of the plastic film.
In the present invention it is characterized by covering the metal surface by using the above-mentioned plastic film which has been previously patterned. Here “pattern” is not particularly restricted, as long as it expresses designability, good out
Inomata Keiji
Inoue Haruo
Masuda Hideki
Watanabe Tadashi
Bryant David P.
Kansai Paint Co. Ltd.
LandOfFree
Method of producing a car body having an outer surface... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of producing a car body having an outer surface..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of producing a car body having an outer surface... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3310193