Marine windshield frame and method of manufacture

Abstract

A marine windshield frame for curved or straight windshield glass having a top frame rail mounted inward of the windshield glass and substantially flush with frontal surface of the windshield glass. The top frame rail is mounted onto the windshield glass edge by adhesive. The windshield frame may also include a pair of vertically oriented corner posts. The corner posts are preferably manufactured by die-cast molding. An alternate manufacturing method is to stretch-form an aluminum alloy extrusion, machining vent holes therein, and machined a taper thereon an edge.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The invention relates to a marine windshield frame and method of manufacture, and more specifically to a narrow adhesive mounted top frame rail, substantially flush with the frontal surface of the windshield glass and may also employ a pair of dramatically tapered corner posts.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Mounting, trimming or finishing the edges of marine windshields has become more complex over the years as the windshield shapes have progressed from simple rectangular panes to complexly gently curved, dramatically curved and obliquely oriented windshields, some of which are segmented and also allowing access to a forward seating area through a windshield hatch.[0003]The most common approach currently in use is to employ an extrusion, which is stretch-formed on a die set to the curved shape of the edge of the windshield glass to be mounted. Usually the mounting and edge trimming extrusions are formed from aluminium extrusions and usually have a windshield r...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]When the windshield frame includes a hatch to access the front deck of a boat, a corner connector is used to improve rigidity of the connection of the top windshield frame rail and vertically oriented hatch rail. The connector is made of plastic or other material. The corner connector block includes tabs, where the tabs insert into both the top windshield frame rail and the vertically oriented hatch rail during assembly.

[0017]In another aspect of the present invention, the manufacturing process, where the corner post is made of an aluminium alloy extrusion. The extrusion is then stretch-formed, and trimmed to length. To finished the shape a taper is created on at least one upper edge by machining off material. This trimming process is preferably executed robotically, and is done after the stretch-forming process. Thereby allowing a complex shaped part to be relatively inexpensive for smaller manufacturing runs.

[0018]It should be noted that the inward shape—towards the cockpit area—of the top rail can change depending on the angle of the windshield glass and the desired appearance, without the need to change the connection area and connection means, as well as the uppermost of the frontal area—towards the windshield glass—of the top rail.

Problems solved by technology

Mounting, trimming or finishing the edges of marine windshields has become more complex over the years as the windshield shapes have progressed from simple rectangular panes to complexly gently curved, dramatically curved and obliquely oriented windshields, some of which are segmented and also allowing access to a forward seating area through a windshield hatch.

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