Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European PatentBulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with theImplementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has beenpaid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention).

Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR)

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(12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION

(45) Date of publication and mention of the grant of the patent: 15.07.2015 Bulletin 2015/29

(21) Application number: 13182330.4

(22) Date of filing: 30.08.2013

(51) Int Cl.:E06B 9/15 (2006.01)

(54) Roller shutter slat, method of producing a roller shutter slat and apparatus for producing a roller shutter slat

Rollladenlamelle, Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Rollladenlamelle und Vorrichtung zur Herstellung einer Rollladenlamelle

Lame pour volet roulant, procédé et appareil de production d’une lame pour volet roulant

(84) Designated Contracting States: AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR

(43) Date of publication of application: 04.03.2015 Bulletin 2015/10

(73) Proprietor: Regazzi SA6596 Gordola (CH)

(72) Inventors: • Karagulian, Federico

28922 Verbania (IT)

• Baumann, Werner6616 Losone (CH)

(74) Representative: Gottschalk, MatthiasMaiwald Patentanwaltsgesellschaft (Schweiz) mbH Splügenstrasse 88002 Zürich (CH)

(56) References cited: EP-A1- 0 365 908 EP-A2- 0 806 541DE-A1- 3 305 677 FR-A1- 2 857 563JP-A- 2009 228 286

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Description

[0001] The invention relates to a roller shutter slat ac-cording to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the in-vention relates to a method and to an apparatus for pro-ducing a roller shutter slat.

Background of the invention

[0002] Roller shutters for solar protection of a buildingoften comprise a plurality of vertically moveable slats inorder to lower them down into a closed position or to liftthem up into an open position. The lowering and liftingaction can be performed manually or automatically. Com-monly known are roller shutter slats made from a coatedaluminum strip roll-formed into a hollow body profile hav-ing a male upper end and a female lower end for engage-ment with other slats when lowered down into the closedposition. The engagement of the slats prevents intrusionof surface water, in particular when the upper end of eachslat has a male, i.e. convex formed, configuration andthe lower end has a correspondingly female, i.e. concaveformed, configuration.[0003] When the roller shutter is lowered down, theslats contact each other thereby regularly producing, dueto the material and the hollow body profile of each slat,an annoying noise. In order to reduce the noise it is knownto fill the hollow body profile of each slat with an insulatingmaterial. Using an insulating material for filling the hollowbody profile of the slats has the additional effect that theshutter provides a thermal insulation when closed.[0004] EP 0 365 908 A1 discloses a roller shutter slatmade of an aluminum strip roll-formed into a hollow bodyprofile having a hooked and a G-shaped connecting end.For use in a soundproof shutter the slat has a plasticcoating extruded or laminated on the inner face of thehollow body profile such that a double-layer plastic coat-ing is formed in the area of the connecting ends for mutualsound isolation. In addition, the hollow body profile maybe filled with a plastic foam material.[0005] DE 33 05 677 A1 discloses a roller shutter slatconsisting of a metal shell and a plastic shell forming ahollow body profile filled with an insulating material. Thetwo shells are connected at each end by forming resultingin hook-shaped ends.[0006] A roller shutter slat made of an aluminum stripby roll-forming is further known from EP 0 806 541 A2.The front or back of the aluminum profile is covered bya plastic strap extending from one hook-shaped end tothe other. In order to improve weather-resistance of theslat the plastic strap is reinforced by a woven textile.[0007] JP 2009-228286 A shows roller shutter slatsmade of an aluminum plate having a surface coated witha film in order to improve scratch resistance and weath-erability. The coating may comprise a lubricating agentsuch as PTFE.[0008] FR 2 857 563 A1 further discloses roller shutterslats connected to each other by gasket joints having

end-caps made of PTFE.[0009] For the production of roller shutter slats it is wellknown to use coated aluminum strips. The coating is ap-plied on the aluminum strip before it is roll-formed. Ingeneral the function of the coating is to improve the ap-pearance and/or to increase the wear resistance of theslat made thereof. Thus the coating is applied to the sideof the aluminum strip forming the later outside of the hol-low body. For this purpose, very often coatings are used,that are prone to trap water in humid environments. Fur-thermore, it is common to use water-based coatings. Un-fortunately, roller shutter slats made of such coated alu-minum strips, in use, tend to stick together when exposedto high temperatures, e.g. temperatures of 35°C andmore. As a consequence, during lifting the shutter theslats at first stick together and than drop with a loud noise.[0010] It is an object of the present invention to improvea roller shutter slat roll-formed from a coated aluminumstrip so that it does not tend to stick to an adjacent slatwhen exposed to high temperatures.[0011] This object is achieved by a roller shutter slataccording to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the in-vention are specified in the depending claims. This objectis further achieved by a method for producing a rollershutter slat according to claim 6 and an apparatus forproducing a roller shutter slat according to claim 12.

Summary of the invention

[0012] Proposed is a roller shutter slat roll-formed froma coated aluminum strip to a hollow body profile havinga male upper end and a female lower end for engagementwith one or more other slats. According to the inventionat least one end, preferably the female lower end, of thehollow body profile comprises a coating based on a pol-ytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) solvent dispersion. PTFE isresistant against temperatures up to 300°C and has avery low friction coefficient against other solids. As a con-sequence, the coating based on a PTFE solvent disper-sion prevents the slats from sticking to each other whenexposed to high temperatures. Further advantages relateto a reduced wear of the surface on which the coating isapplied and of surfaces getting in contact with the coating.Accordingly, the coating may be applied to only one endof the hollow body profile.[0013] PTFE is available in form of micro-spheres withan average diameter of less than 10 microns. Dispersedin a solvent, such as naphtha or propanol, it can be ap-plied in a thin layer forming a colorless coating after dry-ing. The solvent evaporates quickly, so that a coatingbased on a PTFE solvent dispersion dries fast. Thus, theapplication of the coating can be easily implemented inthe current production process of a roller shutter slat with-out changing the production time.[0014] Preferably, the coating stretches across an in-wardly bent part of the female lower end of the hollowbody profile. This region forms the contact area by en-gagement with the male upper end of a further slat in a

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closed position of the roller shutter. The coating on thecontact area prevents that the two slats stick togetherwhen the roller shutter is lifted. Besides, due to the factthat the area is inwardly bent, the coating is not visible.[0015] The area of contact is the area most prone towear. Due to the low friction coefficient of the PTFE con-tained in the coating, wear is reduced as favorable sideeffect.[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention thecoating has a thickness of 5 mm to 20 mm, preferably of7 mm to 15 mm. Such a thin layer coating does not buildup, so that it is not necessary to change the dimensionsof the respective end of the hollow body profile in orderto fit the respective end of another slat for engagement.[0017] Advantageously, the hollow body profile is filledwith a thermal and/or acoustic insulation material, pref-erably with plastic foam material, most preferably withpolyurethane. The insulation material inside the hollowbody profile prevents the formation of a thermal bridgeand absorbs sound.[0018] Furthermore, a roller shutter for solar protectionis proposed, comprising at least two slats according tothe invention. The slats are vertically movable such, thatin a closed position a male upper end of a first slat en-gages with a female lower end of a second slat. Due tothe coating on at least one end of the hollow body profileof each slat, the slats won’t stick together when exposedto high temperatures. Accordingly, the loud noise, thatoccurs when the slats suddenly detach and drop downduring lifting, is avoided. Thus, the roller shutter proposedallows for quiet operation.[0019] In order to achieve the object named above, amethod is proposed for producing a roller shutter slatfrom a coated aluminum strip. The method comprisesthe following steps:

- roll-forming the coated aluminum strip to a hollowbody profile having a male upper end and a femalelower end and

- depositing a PTFE solvent dispersion on at least oneend, preferably the female lower end, of the hollowbody profile. The deposition of the PTFE solvent dis-persion follows the roll-forming process.

[0020] In order to achieve an anti-adhesion coating,preferably the PTFE solvent dispersion is deposited in athin layer of few microns. Preferably, the PTFE solventdispersion is deposited in a layer having a thickness of5 mm to 20 mm, most preferably of 7 mm to 15 mm.[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the in-vention, the PTFE solvent dispersion is deposited byspraying. Deposition by spraying facilitates the formationof thin layers. Besides, it enables an evenly spread coat-ing.[0022] The use of coated aluminum strips for the pro-duction of a roller shutter slat, may afford a further step,in particular by use of aluminum strips coated with a coat-

ing that tends to trap water in environments with highrelative humidity. In order to eliminate water moleculespresent in the coating of the aluminum strip, it is proposedto heat the coated aluminum strip before being roll-formed and/or before applying the PTFE solvent disper-sion. This action ensures permanent deposition of thePTFE solvent dispersion on the coated surface of thealuminum strip.[0023] Preferably, the coated aluminum strip is heatedup by infrared radiation to a temperature of 100 to 250°C,most preferably 150 to 200°C.[0024] Further preferably, the coated aluminum stripis cooled down to a temperature of 10 to 60°C, mostpreferably 20 to 40°C, directly after heating. Coolingdown the aluminum strip may be done by a cold air flow.[0025] As an optional step the method according to theinvention may comprise the step of filling the hollow bodyprofile with a thermal and/or acoustic material, preferablywith plastic foam, most preferably with polyurethane, be-fore deposition of the PTFE solvent dispersion. The op-tional step of filling the hollow body profile with an insu-lating material may comprise a further step of heating, inparticular when plastic foam is used as insulating mate-rial. Preferably, the slat is heated up to a temperature of30 to 50°C, most preferably 35 to 45°C, in order to liquefythe plastic foam material for injection. After injection, theplastic foam material undergoes an exothermic processand expands inside the hollow body profile until the hol-low space is completely filled with plastic foam.[0026] During expansion and hardening of the plasticfoam material, the PTFE solvent dispersion may be ap-plied. Hence, the production of roller shutter slats accord-ing to the present invention does not afford more produc-tion time. The step of depositing the PTFE solvent dis-persion on at least one end of the hollow body profile canbe easily implemented in the current method of produc-tion.[0027] In order to accelerate drying of the PTFE solventdispersion after deposition, the hollow body profile maybe exposed to an air flow preferably produced by a plu-rality of fans. The air flow boosts evaporation of the sol-vent.[0028] At the end, when the coating on at least oneend of the hollow body profile is dry and the insulatingmaterial inside has set - provided that the hollow bodyprofile has been filled - the slat is ready to be punchedand/or cut. For punching the slat a punch press can beused.[0029] Furthermore, an apparatus is proposed for pro-ducing a roller shutter slat from a coated aluminum strip.The apparatus comprises:

- a heating device for heating up the coated aluminumstrip, preferably by infrared radiation,

- a cooling device for cooling down the coated alumi-num strip directly after heating,

- a profiling unit comprising a plurality of rollers for roll-forming the coated aluminum strip into a hollow body

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profile having a male upper end and a female lowerend and

- a spraying device for depositing of a PTFE solventdispersion on at least one end, preferably the femalelower end, of the hollow body profile. The apparatusallows for production of a roller shutter slat accordingto the present invention.

[0030] Preferably, the components of the apparatusare arranged in the order of mention. Accordingly, thecoated aluminum strip for production of a roller shutterslat at first passes the heating device. Preferably, theheating device comprises means for the generation ofinfrared radiation in order to heat up the coated aluminumstrip to a temperature of 100 to 250°C, preferably 150 to200°C. After passing the heating device, the coated alu-minum strip passes the cooling device where the strip iscooled down, preferably to a temperature of 10 to 60°C,most preferably 20 to 40°C. The cooling device may com-prise one or more fans for the generation of a cold airflow. Shortly after, the strip reaches the profiling unit,where it is roll-formed into the hollow body profile havinga male upper end and a female lower end. The sprayingdevice for deposition of the anti-adhesion coating on atleast one end of the hollow body profile follows the pro-filing unit.[0031] The apparatus may further comprise a filling de-vice for filling the hollow body profile with a thermal and/oracoustic insulation material, preferably with plastic foam,most preferably with polyurethane. Preferably, the fillingdevice is arranged between the profiling unit and thespraying device.[0032] In addition, a further heating device may be pro-vided for heating up the hollow body profile, preferablyto a temperature of 30 to 50°C, most preferably 35 to45°C. This facilitates filling the hollow body profile withinsulating material, in particular with plastic foam materialdue to its liquefaction. Thus, the further heating devicemay be a component of the filling device.[0033] Optionally, an evaporating unit may be ar-ranged after the spraying device. The evaporating unitmay comprise one or more fans for generation of air flow.The air flow supports drying of the PTFE solvent disper-sion deposited on at least one end of the hollow bodyprofile.[0034] Advantageously, the apparatus allows for con-tinuous production of a plurality of roller shutter slats. Forthis reason, the apparatus may further comprise a con-veyer system for conveying the coated aluminum strip orthe hollow body profile respectively. A continuous pro-duction reduces production costs.[0035] Preferred embodiments of a roller shutter slat,a roller shutter and an apparatus for producing a rollershutter will be described in more detail hereafter. Thedescription refers to the accompanying drawings. In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross section of a slat according to the

invention,

Fig. 2a) is an elevational view and b) is a cross sec-tion of a lowered roller shutter comprising a pluralityof slats according to fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a partial cross section of two engaged slatsaccording to Fig. 2b),

Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus ac-cording to the invention,

Fig. 5 is a schematic elevational view of a sprayingdevice and

Fig. 6 is a schematic side view of the spraying deviceof fig. 5.

Detailed description of the drawings

[0036] As shown in fig. 1, the slat 1 has a hollow bodyprofile with a male upper end 2 and a female lower end3. The male upper end 2 has a convex shape, whereasthe female lower end 3 has a concave shape. Both ends2, 3 are adapted to engage when arranged one on thetop of the other. This is the case when a roller shuttercomprising at least two of these slats is lowered downas can be seen in fig. 2a) and fig. 2b), which show apartial elevational view and a partial cross section of aroller shutter in closed condition. By engagement, themale upper end 2 of first slat 1 contacts the female lowerend 3 of second slat 1. The area of contact is linear dueto the differently curved shapes of both ends 2, 3. Whenengaged, a hollow space remains between the male up-per end 2 of first slat 1 and the female lower end 3 ofsecond slat 1 preventing jamming of the slats 1.[0037] As shown in fig. 3, the female lower end 3 ofsecond slat 1 has a coating 4 in the area of contact withthe male upper end 2 of first slat 1. The coating is basedon a PTFE solvent dispersion serving as anti-adhesioncoating such that sticking of the slats 1 is prevented. Inorder to facilitate the deposition of the coating 4, the entireinwardly bent part of the female lower end 3 is coated.[0038] By means of fig. 4, which is showing a schematicillustration of an apparatus according to the invention,the production of a roller shutter slat 1 will be described.[0039] The present apparatus comprises a heating de-vice 5 for heating up the coated aluminum strip to a tem-perature of 180°C in order to eliminate water moleculescontained in the coating already deposited on the alumi-num strip. The heating device 5 is followed by a coolingdevice 6 for cooling down the coated aluminum strip toa temperature of 30°C. After the cooling device 6 a pro-filing unit 7 is provided comprising a plurality of rolls 8 forroll-forming the coated aluminum strip into a hollow bodyprofile. The apparatus further comprises a filling device10 for filling the hollow body profile with a thermal andacoustic insulation material. During filling the hollow body

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profile is heated up to a temperature of 40°C by a furtherheating device 11 arranged in proximity of the filling de-vice 10. After filling, the PTFE solvent dispersion is de-posited on one end of the hollow body profile by meansof a spraying device 9. The spraying device 9, as shownin fig. 5 and 6, uses compressed air 17 for the depositionof the PTFE solvent dispersion 19. The air facilitates thedeposition in a thin even layer. The spraying device 9 isfollowed by an evaporating unit 12 comprising a pluralityof fans 13 generating an air flow which boosts the dryingof the PTFE solvent dispersion. At the end, the apparatuscomprises a punching and/or cutting device 14 as wellas a storage device 15 for storing the finished slats1. Thepunching and/or cutting device 14 comprises a punchpress.[0040] The apparatus according to fig. 4 allows for con-tinuous production of roller shutter slats 1. The coatedaluminum strip material used for the production is coiledup (see coil 18), so it can easily be fed to the apparatus.[0041] The drawings refer to preferred embodimentsand therefore do not limit the scope of invention. Modifi-cations are possible which may relate to the shape of aslat 1 and/or the complexity of the apparatus shown inthe drawings.

Reference list

[0042]

1 slat2 male upper end3 female lower end4 coating5 heating device6 cooling device7 profiling unit8 roller9 spraying device10 filling device11 heating device12 evaporating unit13 fan14 punching and/or cutting device15 storage device16 PTFE solvent dispersion17 compressed air18 coil19 PTFE solvent dispersion

Claims

1. Roller shutter slat (1) roll-formed from a coated alu-minum strip to a hollow body profile having a maleupper end (2) and a female lower end (3) for engage-ment with one or more other slats (1),characterized in that at least one end (2, 3), pref-erably the female lower end (3), of the hollow body

profile comprises a coating (4) based on a PTFEsolvent dispersion.

2. Roller shutter slat according to claim 1,characterized in that the coating (4) stretchesacross an inwardly bent part (5) of the female lowerend (3) of the hollow body profile.

3. Roller shutter slat according to claim 1 or 2,characterized in that the coating (4) has a thicknessof 5 mm to 20 mm, preferably of 7 mm to 15 mm.

4. Roller shutter slat according to one of the precedingclaims,characterized in that the hollow body profile is filledwith a thermal and/or acoustic insulation material,preferably with plastic foam material, most prefera-bly with polyurethane.

5. Roller shutter for solar protection comprising at leasttwo slats (1) according to one of the precedingclaims, wherein the slats are vertically movable such,that in a closed position a male upper end (2) of afirst slat (1) engages with a female lower end (3) ofa second slat (1).

6. Method for producing a roller shutter slat (1) from acoated aluminum strip, comprising the steps

- roll-forming the coated aluminum strip to a hol-low body profile having a male upper end (2)and a female lower end (3) and- depositing a PTFE solvent dispersion on atleast one end (2, 3), preferably the female lowerend (3), of the hollow body profile.

7. Method according to claim 6,characterized in that the PTFE solvent dispersionis deposited by spraying.

8. Method according to claim 6 or 7,characterized in that the coated aluminum strip isheated before being roll-formed and/or before apply-ing the PTFE solvent dispersion in order to eliminatewater molecules present in the coating of the alumi-num strip.

9. Method according to claim 8,characterized in that the coated aluminum strip isheated up by infrared radiation to a temperature of100 to 250°C, preferably 150 to 200°C.

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9,characterized in that the coated aluminum strip iscooled down to a temperature of 10 to 60°C, prefer-ably 20 to 40°C, directly after heating.

11. Method according to any one of the preceding claims

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6 to 10,characterized in that the hollow body profile is filledwith a thermal and/or acoustic material, preferablywith plastic foam, most preferably with polyurethane,before deposition of the PTFE solvent dispersion.

12. Apparatus for producing a roller shutter slat (1) froma coated aluminum strip, comprising

- a heating device (5) for heating up the coatedaluminum strip, preferably by infrared radiation,- a cooling device (6) for cooling down the coatedaluminum strip directly after heating,- a profiling unit (7) comprising a plurality of roll-ers (8) for roll-forming the coated aluminum stripinto a hollow body profile having a male upperend (2) and a female lower end (3) and- a spraying device (9) for depositing of a PTFEsolvent dispersion on at least one end (2, 3),preferably the female lower end (3), of the hollowbody profile.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12,characterized by a filling device (10) for filling thehollow body profile with a thermal and/or acousticinsulation material, preferably with plastic foam,most preferably with polyurethane, whereby the fill-ing device (10) is arranged between the profiling unit(7) and the spraying device (9).

14. Apparatus according to claim 12 or 13,characterized by a further heating device (11) forheating up the hollow body profile and/or an evapo-rating unit (12) arranged after the spraying device(9).

15. Apparatus according to any one of the precedingclaims 12 to 14,characterized in that it allows continuous produc-tion of a plurality of roller shutter slats (1).

Patentansprüche

1. Rollladenleiste (1), die aus einem beschichteten Alu-miniumstreifen zu einem Hohlkörperprofil mit einemmännlichen Oberende (2) und einem weiblichen Un-terende (3) zur Ineingriffnahme mit einer oder mehranderen Leisten (1) gewalzt ist,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass zumindest ein En-de (2, 3), vorzugsweise das weibliche Unterende (3),des Hohlkörperprofils eine Beschichtung (4) um-fasst, die auf einer PTFE-Lösungsmitteldispersionbasiert.

2. Rollladenleiste nach Anspruch 1,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sich die Beschich-tung (4) über ein nach innen gebogenes Teil (5) des

weiblichen Unterendes (3) des Hohlkörperprofilsausdehnt.

3. Rollladenleiste nach einem der Ansprüche 1 oder 2,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Beschichtung(4) eine Stärke von 5 mm bis 20 mm, vorzugsweise7 mm bis 15 mm, aufweist.

4. Rollladenleiste nach einem der vorhergehenden An-sprüche,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Hohlkörper-profil mit einem Wärme- und/oder Geräuschdäm-mungsmaterial gefüllt ist, vorzugsweise mit Kunst-stoffschaummaterial, insbesondere bevorzugt mitPolyurethan.

5. Rollladen zum Sonnenschutz, umfassend zumin-dest zwei Leisten (1) gemäß einem der vorherge-henden Ansprüche, wobei die Leisten derart vertikalbeweglich sind, dass in einer geschlossenen Positi-on ein männliches Oberende (2) einer ersten Leiste(1) mit einem weiblichen Unterende (3) einer zweitenLeiste (1) in Eingriff tritt.

6. Verfahren zum Erzeugen einer Rollladenleiste (1)aus einem beschichteten Aluminiumstreifen, folgen-de Schritte umfassend:

- Walzen des beschichteten Aluminiumstreifenszu einem Hohlkörperprofil mit einem männli-chen Oberende (2) und einem weiblichen Un-terende (3), und- Ablagern einer PTFE-Lösungsmitteldispersionauf zumindest einem Ende (2, 3), vorzugsweisedem weiblichen Unterende (3), des Hohlkörper-profils.

7. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die PTFE-Lö-sungsmitteldispersion durch Sprühen abgelagertwird.

8. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 6 oder 7,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der beschichteteAluminiumstreifen vor dem Walzen und/oder vordem Aufbringen der PTFE-Lösungsmitteldispersionerhitzt wird, um Wassermoleküle zu beseitigen, diein der Beschichtung des Aluminiumstreifens vorhan-den sind.

9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der beschichteteAluminium durch Infrarotbestrahlung auf eine Tem-peratur von 100 bis 250 °C, vorzugsweise 150 bis200 °C, erhitzt wird.

10. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 8 oder 9,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der beschichtete

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Aluminiumstreifen direkt nach dem Erhitzen auf eineTemperatur von 10 bis 60 °C, vorzugsweise 20 bis40 °C, abgekühlt wird.

11. Verfahren nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprü-che 6 bis 10,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Hohlkörper-profil vor der Ablagerung der PTFE-Lösungsmittel-dispersion mit einem Wärme- und/oder Geräusch-dämmungsmaterial, vorzugsweise mit Kunststoff-schaum, insbesondere bevorzugt mit Polyurethan,gefüllt wird.

12. Vorrichtung zum Erzeugen einer Rollladenleiste (1)aus einem beschichteten Aluminiumstreifen, umfas-send:

- ein Heizgerät (5) zum Erhitzen des beschich-teten Aluminiumstreifens, vorzugsweise durchInfrarotbestrahlung,- ein Kühlgerät (6) zum Abkühlen des beschich-teten Aluminiumstreifens direkt nach dem Erhit-zen,- eine Profiliereinheit (7), umfassend mehrereWalzen (8) zum Walzen des beschichteten Alu-miniumstreifens zu einem Hohlkörperprofil miteinem männlichen Oberende (2) und einemweiblichen Unterende (3), und- ein Sprühgerät (9) zum Ablagern einer PTFE-Lösungsmitteldispersion auf zumindest einemEnde (2, 3), vorzugsweise dem weiblichen Un-terende (3), des Hohlkörperprofils.

13. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 12,gekennzeichnet durch ein Füllgerät (10) zum Fül-len des Hohlkörperprofils mit einem Wärme-und/oder Geräuschdämmungsmaterial, vorzugs-weise mit Kunststoffschaum, insbesondere bevor-zugt mit Polyurethan, wobei das Füllgerät (10) zwi-schen der Profiliereinheit (7) und dem Sprühgerät(9) angeordnet ist.

14. Vorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 12 oder 13,gekennzeichnet durch ein weiteres Heizgerät (11)zum Erhitzen des Hohlkörperprofils und/oder eineVerdampfungseinheit (12), die nach dem Sprühge-rät (9) angeordnet ist.

15. Vorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden An-sprüche 12 bis 14,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass sie die fortlaufen-de Produktion von mehreren Rollladenleisten (1) er-möglicht.

Revendications

1. Lamelle de volet roulant (1) profilée à partir d’une

bande d’aluminium enrobée en un profilé à corpscreux présentant une extrémité supérieure mâle (2)et une extrémité inférieure femelle (3) destinées às’engager avec une ou plusieurs autre (s) lamelle(s)(1),caractérisée en ce qu’au moins une extrémité (2,3), de préférence l’extrémité inférieure femelle (3),du profilé à corps creux comprend un revêtement (4)à base d’une dispersion de solvant PTFE.

2. Lamelle de volet roulant selon la revendication 1,caractérisée en ce que le revêtement (4) s’étend àtravers une partie courbée vers l’intérieur (5) de l’ex-trémité inférieure femelle (3) du profilé à corps creux.

3. Lamelle de volet roulant selon la revendication 1 ou2,caractérisée en ce que le revêtement (4) présenteune épaisseur de 5 mm à 20 mm, de préférence de7 mm à 15 mm.

4. Lamelle de volet roulant selon l’une des revendica-tions précédentes,caractérisée en ce que le profilé à corps creux estrempli avec un matériau d’isolation thermique et/ousonore, de préférence avec une mousse plastique,et mieux, avec du polyuréthane.

5. Volet roulant pour la protection solaire, comprenantau moins deux lamelles (1) selon l’une des revendi-cations précédentes, dans lequel les lamelles sontdéplaçables verticalement, de manière à ce quedans une position fermée, une extrémité supérieuremâle (2) d’une première lamelle (1) s’engage avecune extrémité inférieure femelle (3) d’une deuxièmelamelle (1).

6. Procédé pour la production d’une lamelle de voletroulant (1) à partie d’une bande d’aluminium enro-bée, comprenant les étapes suivantes :

- profilage de la bande d’aluminium enrobée enun profilé à corps creux présentant une extré-mité supérieure mâle (2) et une extrémité infé-rieure femelle (3), et- dépôt d’une dispersion de solvant PTFE surau moins une extrémité (2, 3), de préférence surl’extrémité inférieure femelle (3) du profilé àcorps creux.

7. Procédé selon la revendication 6,caractérisé en ce que la dispersion de solvant PT-FE est déposée par pulvérisation.

8. Procédé selon la revendication 6 ou 7,caractérisé en ce que la bande d’aluminium enro-bée est chauffée avant le profilage et/ou avant l’ap-plication de la dispersion de solvant PTFE, afin d’éli-

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miner les molécules d’eau présentes dans le revê-tement de la bande d’aluminium.

9. Procédé selon la revendication 8,caractérisé en ce que la bande d’aluminium enro-bée est chauffée par radiation infrarouge, à une tem-pérature de 100 à 250°C, de préférence de 150 à200°C.

10. Procédé selon la revendication 8 ou 9,caractérisé en ce que la bande d’aluminium enro-bée est refroidie à une température de 10 à 60°C,de préférence de 20 à 40°C, directement après lechauffage.

11. Procédé selon l’une quelconque des revendicationsprécédentes 6 à 10,caractérisé en ce que le profilé à corps creux estrempli avec un matériau d’isolation thermique et/ousonore, de préférence avec une mousse plastique,et mieux, avec du polyuréthane, avant le dépôt dela dispersion de solvant PTFE.

12. Appareil pour la production d’une lamelle de voletroulant (1) à partir d’une bande d’aluminium enro-bée, comprenant

- un dispositif de chauffage (5) pour chauffer labande d’aluminium enrobée, de préférence parradiation infrarouge,- un dispositif de refroidissement (6) pour refroi-dir la bande d’aluminium enrobée directementaprès le chauffage,- une unité de profilage (7) comprenant une plu-ralité de rouleaux (8) pour profiler la bande d’alu-minium enrobée en un profilé à corps creux pré-sentant une extrémité supérieure mâle (2) et uneextrémité inférieure femelle (3), et- un dispositif de pulvérisation (9) pour déposerune dispersion de solvant PTFE sur au moinsune extrémité (2, 3), de préférence sur l’extré-mité inférieure femelle (3) du profilé à corpscreux.

13. Appareil selon la revendication 12,caractérisé par un dispositif de remplissage (10)pour remplir le profilé à corps creux avec un matériaud’isolation thermique et/ou sonore, de préférenceavec une mousse plastique, et mieux, avec du po-lyuréthane, le dispositif de remplissage (10) étantagencé entre l’unité de profilage (7) et le dispositifde pulvérisation (9).

14. Appareil selon la revendication 12 ou 13,caractérisé par un dispositif de chauffage supplé-mentaire (11) pour chauffer le profilé à corps creux,et/ou une unité d’évaporation (12) agencée en avaldu dispositif de pulvérisation (9).

15. Appareil selon l’une quelconque des revendicationsprécédentes 12 à 14,caractérisé en ce qu’il permet une production con-tinue d’une pluralité de lamelles de volet roulant (1).

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REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader’s convenience only. It does not form part of the Europeanpatent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot beexcluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description

• EP 0365908 A1 [0004]• DE 3305677 A1 [0005]• EP 0806541 A2 [0006]

• JP 2009228286 A [0007]• FR 2857563 A1 [0008]