Insulation And Facade Mounting System

Abstract

A complete insulation and panel mounting system utilizing a means to quickly install and hold insulation In place against a substrate with minimal materials and costs which includes an adjustable sub-girt mounting system. A panel system that quickly mounts to the sub-girts of the insulation mounting system to minimize labor at installation and degree of precision and skill required, and which allows for non-progressive (non-sequential) installation while allowing any panel to be removed and replaced without disturbing adjacent panels.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/939,744 fifed Nov. 25, 2019.

BACKGROUND Of THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to novel and useful products and methods for mounting rigid insulation and facade panels to the exterior of buildings in order to provide for faster installation of both, to have less penetrations through the weather barrier and to use minimal materials and labor without loss of structural integrity or appearance.

In the past, insulation installation and panel installation systems and methods of attachment have been two completely separate systems and processes during installation. Rigid insulation has been friction fit between thermal clips with multiple pins attached through the insulation to hold it in position on the wall, and the pins having a non-reversing cap to ensure the insulation remains close to the wall. Each pin will penetrate the weather barrier on the wall as well as the screws holding the thermal clips. There are a good number of ways that façade panels attach to the sub-gifts that are mounted over the thermal clips, however they all utilize numerous screw attachments each and take considerable time to install.

In the past, rigid insulation being installed with thermal clips has been accomplished using pins and other devices that don't attach to a structural part of the building's substrate, such as densglass which means that the rigid insolation is not well supported like the present invention will provide. This can cause the insulation to sag overtime, especially when encumbered with water and moisture that gets behind a rainscreen system.

The present invention is an Insulation and Panel Mounting System providing less penetrations through the weather barrier while providing an extremely fast installation, and less mechanical mounting fasteners along with an extremely fast installation process. Both of these would be a notable advance in these fields.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present application, a novel and useful Insulation and Panel Mounting System are herein provided that include a thermal break, mounting pins, non-reversing caps, thermal clips, sub-girts, and façade mounting base and panel extrusions for use with façade materials.

The thermal break will have holes, slots, cervices, curved and straight openings, all of which may be through, in or on the surface of the thermal break. The thermal clip and mounting pins will be mounted to this thermal break. The thermal break may have anti-reversal barbs and shapes that help prevent the mounting pins from backing out once inserted. The thermal break will have holes that will align with the thermal break for the purpose of installing mechanical fasteners into. At one end of the holes in the thermal break the material will become constricted so as to contact the mechanical fasteners with considerable friction. This friction will help prevent the mechanical fastener from backing out once installed into the sub-girt or building substrate if mounted directly over a building substrate. The thermal break when used with or without the thermal clip may provide arched openings/crevices/slots that allow for the insertion of the mounting pins which will also prevent the twisting of the mounting pins once inserted because the pins are shaped to closely match the arched opening/crevice/slot.

The mounting pins will have various shapes, bends, curves and lengths that will be positioned onto, within, through, between and/or around the thermal break and/or thermal clip. They may be smooth or have barbs on them that will prevent reversal once inserted into the thermal break, thermal clip and/or insulation. They may or may not require non-reversing caps to hold the insulation in place.

The non-reversing caps will be shaped to be pushed onto the ends of the mounting clips to hold the insulation against the wall. The openings that allow for this will be shaped to allow for easy insertion of the mounting pins but very difficult to remove them once installed. They may be shaped to accommodate pins that protrude from the insulation perpendicular to it, curved pins that protrude from the Insulation at angles, etc. They may also include bendable arms to hold other materials such as conduits or conductors for solar arrays, and/or have surfaces that allow for the mourning of other components to via mechanical fasteners or adhesives.

The thermal clip will be configured to mount directly over the thermal break, and it may be used in conjunction with the thermal break to provide surfaces that together allow for the guiding and positioning of the mounting pins though the thermal break and/or thermal break. The thermal clip will be used structurally to mount over and through the thermal clip using mechanical fasteners that engage the structural portions of the building's substrate. The thermal clips will also have arms protruding from it that will help hold the sub-girts in position allowing for more adjustability of the sub-gifts for leveling and plumbing purposes prior to permanent mechanical fastening. These arms will be positioned at angles in order to help prevent some thermal transfer through the thermal clip and towards the building by creating a space to help reduce the amount of thermal bridging within the clip itself. The arms will be sized and positioned in a manner that allows for the greatest amount of structural strength to the sub-girts utilizing triangulated, circular/oval/elliptical or other shapes for the arms. The arms will have a bent out end that allows for guiding of the sub-girts into them and they will be positioned in a manner to cause friction for holding the sub-girts temporarily. The thermal clip may have mounting holes in various locations to provide quick and easy attachment to the sub-girts via mechanical fasteners. The thermal clip will also have holes of various shapes to allow for mounting pins to be inserted into to hold insulation as needed, allowing for snapping or mechanically fastening to mounting pins. The thermal clip may have formed gussets in the corners to strengthen the shape to prevent temporary or permanent distortion of it as well as to provide a slot for the mounting pins to nestle into that will help prevent the movement of the mounting pins once fully inserted into the thermal break and/or clip.

The sub-girts may be a shape such as an angle per current common practices, and allow for additional adjustment ability when having various length legs that can be mounted to the thermal clip. So when the longer length leg of an angle is attached to the thermal clip, the shorter leg length is used to mount to the base extrusions. The opposite is true when the short leg length is attached to the thermal clip.

The façade mounting extrusions will consist of base extrusions that attach to the sub-girts via mechanical fasteners. These mounting extrusions will be shaped as a starter extrusion, a double starter extrusion, or a head extrusion. It is these base extrusions that will allow for extremely fast installation of assembled panels and allow for minimal mechanical fasteners to hold these panels onto the base extrusions. Because these base extrusions will hold the assembled panels in a way that positively combines them, only one mechanical fastener and clip would be required to hold a panel to the base extrusions. Because of the shapes and configuration of all of the mounting extrusions, this panel mounting system allows for a very wide amount of variance in panel reveal widths froth in vertical and horizontal positions. The panels simply need to be positioned in the location desired and install the single mechanical fastener and clip to hold the panel in that position. The mechanical fastener and clip may be installed at one end of the panel or in the middle of it to allow for thermal expansion beginning from the clip's position on the panel. The panel will thermally expand and contract to and from the location of the clip.

The panel extrusions will attach to the facade material in short pieces, long pieces, or both. Because the panel extrusions are fully engaged into the base extrusions, the panels will have a much higher ability to withstand dead and dynamic loads as well as positive and negative pressures on the panel from hazardous weather conditions such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wind storms. Currently the only time a starter extrusion is used is at the very bottom of a panel array and in some cases in minimal other locations. The panel extrusions will also consist of stiffeners that will also be used as panel perimeter extrusions for the purpose of adding strength to the edges of the panel to minimize deflection in order to maintain industry standards over much longer lengths that currently possible. This will allow for little to no cross bracing and use of base extrusions at intermediate locations on the vertical portions of the panels.

It may be apparent that a novel and useful Insulation and Panel Mounting System has been hereinabove described which will work and be used in a manner not consistent with conventional products and methods.

It is therefore an object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System that is capable of mounting insulation to a building vertically or horizontally positioned with minimal labor and minimal materials to greatly reduce overall costs.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System that penetrates the weather barrier and building substrate as minimally as possible to prevent water, thermal, vibration (noise) and/or electrical energy transfer from getting behind the weather barrier.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System that provides a true structural connection of the insulation to the building's structural substrate to prevent sagging or movement of the insulation.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System to provide mounting pins that don't require a non-reversing cap due to the arched angle of the mounting pin configuration and the way it interacts with the insulation material once inserted which does not allow the insulation to move in any direction.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System that helps minimize the amount of insulation dust by eliminating drilling required to install pins through the insulation and into the building's substrate.

It's another object of the present application to provide an insulation and Panel Mounting System that provides various shaped mounting pins with different features to hold the insulation in a specific orientation or position.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System usable with multiple different façade mounting systems with all components either re-usable or recyclable.

It's another object of the present application to provide an insulation and Panel Mounting System to provide for a panel system with low system depth with non-progressive (non-sequential) installation capabilities and multiple reveal widths to be obtained both vertically and horizontally.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System that allows for any panel to be removed and replaced without disturbing the panels surrounding it.

It's another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System to provide indicator locations on the base extrusions such as structural features or at least one built in pencil line per reveal width option to show centerline of reveals and to take measurements in order to obtain field measurements for panel fabrication.

Yet another object of the present application to provide an Insulation and Panel Mounting System is to provide mounting pins that engage all layers of the rigid insulations for maximum strength supporting it when wet or dry.

Yet another object of the present application is to provide mounting pins that have thermal breaks attached directly to them via slide-on, snap-on or other mechanical means independent of the thermal break of the insulation and sub-girt mounting system.

It's yet another object of the present application to provide mounting pins that attach to thermal clips of all shapes and sizes such as Cascadia and ISO clips that may snap in, twist-lock in, slide through, drape over the top and/or sides and down to the substrate, and/or mechanically fasten or adhere to via any other known fastening means.

Another object of the present application is to provide mounting pins of various shapes and sizes that attach to various shaped sub-girts that may snap in, twist-lock in, slide through, drape over the top and/or sides and down to the substrate, and/or mechanically fasten or adhere to via any other known fastening means.

Another object of the present application is to provide mounting pins of various shapes and sizes that attach to a thermal break and a thermal clips and/or sub-girt via any known mechanical or adhesives methods and means possible.

This invention possesses other objects or advantages especially as concerning particular characteristics and features thereof which will become apparent as the specification continues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an upper isometric view of the thermal break.

FIG. 2 is an isometric elevation view of the mounting pin.

FIG. 3 is an upper isometric view of the thermal clip.

FIG. 4 is an upper isometric view of the non-reversing caps

FIG. 5 is an upper isometric view of the backside of the mounting clip about to enter into the radius-matching space between the thermal break and thermal clip. The gusset cavity in the thermal clip helps guide the mounting pin into the correct location.

FIG. 8 shows an upper isometric view of the mounting pin fully inserted into the slot between the thermal break and thermal clip.

FIG. 7 shows an elevation isometric cross-section view of the mounting clip inserted into the rigid insulation from both sides.

FIG. 8 further shows an upper isometric cross section view of the sub-girt attached to the thermal clip and the non-reversing cap attached to the mounting pin.

FIG. 9 shows an upper isometric view of an alternate thermal break with multiple optional mounting pins.

FIG. 10 shows an upper isometric view of the various mounting pins installed into the alternate thermal break at the same time and with the thermal clip mechanically fastened to the alternate thermal break.

FIG. 11 shows a cross section view of the base extrusion.

FIG. 12 shows a cross section view of the top panel frame.

FIG. 13 shows a cross section view of the bottom panel frame.

FIG. 14 shows a cross section view of the panel stiffener.

FIG. 15 shows a cross section of the holding clip.

FIG. 16 shows a cross section of the wear plate.

FIG. 17 shows a cross section view of a horizontal joint detail.

FIG. 18 shows a cross section view of a vertical joint detail.

FIG. 19 shows an elevation isometric view of the cross section of the horizontal joint with the panel system attached to the insulation mounting system.

FIG. 20 shows an alternate panel system that includes an alternate base and alternate top panel frame.

FIG. 21 shows an alternate holding clip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OP THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the present application will evolve from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof which should be taken in conjunction with the prior described drawings.

Embodiments end elements of the invention are identified by reference capital letter A followed by another capital letter to denote each variation of a component. Assembled embodiments and elements are identified similarly.

With reference to FIG. 1, it may be observed that thermal break A is depicted. This component may be made of a rigid material that has good resistance to thermal energy transfer such as various plastics which can be made using a plastic injection moulding process. Body 10 includes radiused slots 12 with ledges 14 supporting snaps 16. Holes 18 allow for screws (not shown here) to pass through and contain locking ledges 20 that help prevent screws (not shown) from backing out once installed. Once mounting pin B (not shown in this drawing) is inserted into radiused slot 12, it is difficult for mounting pin to rotate. Thermal break A may have more than one radiused slot 12 which may have different radii in order to provide a means of using the same thermal break A with multiple insulation widths (16″ insulation batts may utilize a smaller radius than 24″ insulation batts). Thermal break A may be made with a rigid material with low thermal transfer such as various plastics using an injection moulding process.

Referencing FIG. 2 which shows mounting pin B, a penetrating tip 22 is at the end of radiused arm 24 which is connected substantially perpendicular to arm 26, which is then connected substantially perpendicular to decline arm 28, which in turn in connected substantially perpendicular to impaling arm 30 with impaling tip 32. Mounting pin B may be made with a rigid material such as pre-galvanized steel and formed using CNC wire bending machines.

Referencing FIG. 3 which shows thermal clip C, base 34 includes mounting holes 36 and attaches perpendicular to leg 44. Leg 44 consists of helping hands 40 and 48 which contain arm 38 which are substantially parallel to leg 44 but spaced far enough away to allow for a sub-girt (not shown) to fit with friction within space 38. Ramp 42 allows for guidance of the sub-girt (not shown) to be inserted into either helping hand 40 or 48. Hole 46 is for passing a screw (not shown) through to attach into the sub-girt (not shown). There may be concave end convex shapes 50 positioned in various places on base 34 and/or leg 44, creating half-hole 52 which may pair up with a similar half-hole in thermal break A to allow for a specific shape of mounting pin B to be inserted into. Concave and convex shapes 50 may also start and stop (not shown) within the middle of base 34 and/or leg 44 with additional apertures (not shown) made at both ends of convex or concave shapes 50 as a result. These apertures (not shown) allow for components like mounting pins B to be inserted into them as part or all of the mechanical fastening means to the thermal clip C. Holes 54 are for friction fit and/or snap fit of male appendages (shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 as #86) of thermal brake A. Gusset 56 allows for stiffening of the perpendicular base 34 and leg 44 as well as to provide a concave area (shown in FIG. 5 as #72) for specially shaped mounting pins B to nest within and against which help prevent mounting pin B from rotating easily. Thermal clip C is made of a rigid material such as pre-galvanized sheet and formed using turret and brake presses.

With reference to FIG. 4, it shows non-revering cap D which includes a base 60 having holding pins 62 end aperture 66 which allow for impaling arm 30 to pass through. Teeth 64 ere shaped to allow impaling arm 30 to enter easily but not able to be pulled out easily. Teeth 64 are spaced at a distance less then the size of impaling arm 30 so that pressure is put onto impaling arm 30. If impaling arm 30 is to be removed, the teeth will “dig in” to impaling arm 30 greatly resisting non-reversing cap D from being pulled off. Folding arm 58 may be used to wrap and hold onto anything required including conduits and conductors (not shown) if necessary, and when folded create opening 68 for such materials (not shown). Non-reversing cap D may be made with a rigid material such as stainless steel and formed using turret and brake presses.

FIG. 5 shows how mounting pin B is inserted between thermal break A and thermal clip C by entering concave area 72 and guided into radiused slot 12. Mounting pin B is guided between portions of the bottom (not shown) of base 34 and within radiused slot 12 to that mounting pin B keeps the same rotation projection until it is fully inserted in order to allow for proper impaling and holding ability of the insulation (not shown here). Screw 70 is used to attach the depicted assembly to the substrate (not shown).

Going now to FIG. 6, mounting pin B of FIG. 5 is shown fully inserted between thermal break A and thermal clip B. Once fully inserted, arm 26 snaps into snaps 16 so that it cannot easily back out because it is trapped when considering thermal clip C being installed on top.

FIG. 7 further shows a cross section of the assembly of FIG. 6 with insulation 75 impaled by radiused arm 24 and impaling arm 30. Gap 74 is created because of the insulation being directly on top of thermal clip C, and so insulation 75 creates taper 76 down to the substrate (not shown). Gap 74 allows for mounting pin B's radiused arm 24 to then pass through all layers of insulation 75 providing the most holding strength possible. Because mounting pin B passes through insulation 75 both horizontally and substantially vertically at the same time, insulation 75 is not able to move in any direction and so non-reversing cap D is not required to be installed onto radiused arm 24 on this side. One or more mounting pins B can be used in each thermal break A, and more than one mounting pins B may be made as one piece so that they can be inserted as one piece which will also strengthen each other.

FIG. 8 further shows the components of FIG. 7 with screw 78 holding sub-girt 80 in place. Non-reversing cap D is also shown installed onto impaling arm 30 of mounting pin B. Although not shown, sub-girt 80 would pass from one set of the insulation mounting system components to the next and becoming mechanically attached at each in similar fashion. There may be more or less than one set of the insulation mounting system components every 24″ apart on center, and sub-girts 80 may be any length generally net exceeding 24 feet.

FIG. 9 shows alternate thermal break A-A which depicts other forms of attachment means of alternate mounting pins B-A, B-B, B-C and B-D. Alternate thermal break A-A has impaling pin 82 which has holding arms 84 which are pushed in when installing through insulation 75, but then open up and don't easily bend backwards to hold insulation 75 in place preventing it from being pulled away from or off of the building's substrate. Friction and/or snap male appendages 86 allow alternate thermal break A-A to easily attach to thermal clip C so that they don't easily come apart, holding them together until they can be mechanically fastened to the building's substrate or sub-girts 80. There may be holes 88 of various shapes within thermal break A-A that are straight for insertion of mounting pins such as B-B and/or radiused and may terminate within or pass completely through thermal break A-A when used with mounting pins such as B-D. Slot 89 works in conjunction with half-hole 52 to allow for passage of a mounting pin such as B-C. Slot 90 is on the bottom surface of alternate thermal break A-A having only 3 sides and allows for mounting pins such as B-a to be placed into it and held in place by friction or snap-in temporarily until the assembly is installed with mechanical fasteners. Materials and manufacturing processes The same as thermal break A. Alternate mounting pins materials and fabrication processes will be the same as mounting pin B and thermal break C.

FIG. 10 shows the various mounting pins B, B-A, B-D, B-C and B-D fully inserted into alternate thermal break A-A showing that insulation 75 may be held in position by any number of ways and from any number of directions.

FIG. 11 shows base E with platform 92 having pencil mark 94 which shows the centerline of the reveal (not shown) and also helps guide the screw (not shown) to center up on that line. Leg 96 helps keep base E parallel to sub-girt 80 in conjunction with platform 92. Cavity 98 may be used to house other components not shown such as conduits or conductors if necessary. Female slot 100 is formed between inner arm 99 and outer arm 102 as well as bottom 101. Outer arm 102 has ledge 106 to help guide upper panel frame F's leg 116 into female slot 100. Nub 104 helps prevent fog 116 from coming out once inserted into female slot 100. Bevel 108 allows for upper panel frame F to be inserted end if needed removed more easily. Arm 110 has bulges 112 that allow for minimal screw (not shown) to be concealed below the reveal strip 260 (shown in FIGS. 17 and 19). Base E is made with a rigid material such as extruded aluminum.

FIG. 12 shows upper panel frame f having leg 116 with bulges 118 creating slot 120 between top 146 and side 138. Ledge 122 is used to help install upper panel frame F via leverage or hold in position by pressure stiffener H (shown in FIG. 14) so that no mechanical fasteners or adhesives are required between stiffener H and panel materiel 258 or upper panel frame F. Barb 124 and ramp 126 are used to snap-assemble to wear plate J of FIG. 16. Platform 128 is used to allow for over-bending of upper panel frame F in order to snap together with wear plate J, but also to prevent wear plate J from excessive bending movement once snap-attached together. Finger 180 is used to insert into the inside comers of panel material 258 (shown in FIG. 17 through 20). Finger 130 and arm 134 all create slot 132 for insertion of a portion of panel material 258. Slot 136 is for insertion of reveal 260 (shown in FIG. 17-20). Radius 138 is used to help guide reveal 260 into slot 136. Thumb 140 in conjunction with slot 242 frictionally hold and firmly affix to holding clip I of FIG. 15 when inserted and mechanically fastened to base E. Segment 144 helps ensure that slot 142 maintains if s shape when pressed against inner arm 99 of base E. Ledge 222 may be used to help hold materials such as rigid insulation (not shown) between it and panel material 258. Upper panel frame F is made with a rigid material such as extruded aluminum and may be placed onto panels in full length or in shorter segments.

FIG. 13 shows lower panel frame G having guide arm 148 and ramp 150 to help installation of arm 110 of base E into slot 152. Opening 154 assists with this installation and is terminated on one side by finger 155. Reveal slot 158 is formed between ramp 156 on finger 155 and arm 260. Arm 260 and finger 162 create slot 164 which fits inside comer of panel material 258. Platform 166 is used to allow for over-bending of upper panel frame F in order to snap together with wear plate J, but also to prevent wear plate J from excessive bending movement once snap-attached together. Ramp 158 allows wear plate J to slide and bend for a snap-in connection to barb 170. Wear plate J will snap into place and rest with tension in groove 172. Ledge 174 is used to help install lower panel frame G via leverage as well as to hold in position by pressure stiffener H (shown in FIG. 14) so that no mechanical fasteners or adhesives are required between stiffener H and panel material 258 or lower panel frame G. Reveal slot 152 is formed between bottom 178, arm 176 and finger 155. Ledge 174 may be used to help hold materials such as rigid insulation (not shown) between it and panel material 258. Lower panel frame G is made with a rigid material such as extruded aluminum and may be placed onto panels in full length or in shorter segments.

FIG. 14 depicts stiffener H having slot 202 being formed by finger 200 and arm 204. Arm 204 and arm 208 form reveal slot 206 which has ramp 210 to help with ease of installation of reveal 260. Stiffener arm 180 provides additional strength to resist defection of the panel material 258, as does arm 182 which also completes slot 206. Arm 184 also adds to deflection resistance of panel material 258 and includes ledge 186 for mechanical attachment to or pressure holding in place by upper panel frame F and lower panel frame G onto surface 188. Gap 212 is formed by ledge 186, arm 184 and thumb 190 as a location for the insertion end of mechanical fastener (not shown) to prevent mechanical fastener from contacting back surface of panel material 258 to prevent damage of finished surface of panel material 258. Surface 192 may be used for caulk adhesives (not shown) to be placed to help hold stiffener H to the back of panel material 258. Ridge 194 and ridge 198 are elevated above surface 196 to allow for double sided tape adhesives (shown as #262 in FIG. 28) to be attached between surface 196 and back of panel material 258 for permanent fixing. The thickness of double sided tape adhesives 262 will extend beyond the height of ridge 194 and ridge 198 so that double sided tape adhesives 262 can contact and compress for maximum hold on to back of panel material 258. Double sided tape adhesive 262 and caulk adhesives (not shown) may be used together or independent of each other to hold stiffener H to the back of panel material 258, if used at all. Stiffener H is made with a rigid material such as extruded aluminum.

FIG. 15 shows holding clip I which consists of surface 226 of arm 214. Surface 224 of arm 216 works with bottom 218 and thumb 220 to create gap 222. Thumb 220 will tightly friction fit into slot 142 of upper panel frame F as will thumb 140 of upper panel frame F tightly friction fit into slot 222 of holding clip I. Holding clip I may be used to control thermal horizontal thermal movement beginning at it's location, and can be positioned anywhere on the panel assembly. Holding Clip I is made with a rigid material such as extruded aluminum and may be placed onto panels in full length or in shorter segments.

FIG. 16 shows wear plate J having ledge 228 to be able to manipulate spring action of wear plate). Ramp 232 of arm 230 and barb 234 act together to bend around and snap into position into groove 172 of lower panel frame G and groove (not numbered) of upper panel frame f and held in place by tension and friction. Bend 238 and bend 254 help to allow distance and shape to provide for spring action of wear plate i and provides space 252 to move bend 238 toward back of panel material 258 in order to allow for spring action. Space 252 may then be used to insert other materials into such as flexible solar sheets (not shown) after assembly to panel material 258. Wear plate J is made with a rigid material suds as extruded aluminum and may be placed onto panels in full length or in shorter segments.

FIG. 17 depicts a cross section view of a horizontal detail of the components as they would be assembled onto a substrate (not shown). Multiple base E are first mounted to the substrate (not shown) via mechanical fasteners. An assembled panel made of panel material 258 with upper mounting frame F, lower mounting frame G and wear plates J attached to it is shown. Wear plate J may be affixed to panel material 258 via adhesive 262. Lower panel frame G is first guided into position over arm 110 of base E. Upper panel frame F is then placed into position over female slot 100 of base E. Leg 116 of the assembled panel is then dropped completely into female slot 100 of base E and slot 152 is dropped onto arm 110 of base E simultaneously. Reveal 260 width is determined by the size of the panel so that it is easily adjustable. Once the assembled panel is located in it's permanent position, holding clip I is then installed to maintain that position via mechanical fastener 256. Only one holding clip I is required which will allow the remainder of the assembled panel to freely expand and contract thermally. Nub 104 of base E will help prevent the panel from excessive movement other than laterally. Reveal 260 conceals the mechanical fastener 256. No mechanical fastener 256 or holding clip I are actually required to mount panels to bases E. Their main function is to maintain control of thermal expansion.

FIG. 18 depicts a cross section view of a vertical detail of the components as they would be mounted onto a substrate (not shown). Panel materials 258 are formed with stiffeners H on each side of the assembled panel's vertical sides with reveal 260 positioned to prevent direct access of exterior conditions behind the assembled panels. Double sided tape adhesive 262 may be used to firmly affix stiffener H to the back of panel material 258, however it is not needed to prevent deflection of the panel material 258 although it would help. Ledge 186 has surface 188 which may be used to hold stiffener H against the back of panel material 258 by mechanical attachment or by pressure by contact only which occurs during assembly.

FIG. 19 further shows the assembly of FIG. 18 mechanically fastened to sub-girt 80 which is mechanically fastened to thermal clip C which is embedded in insulation 75.

FIG. 20 shows an alternate base E-A and an alternate upper panel frame F-A in a cross section horizontal joint detail. Mechanical fastener 264 holds base E-A to the substrate at common intervals of 16″ or 24″. Flexible arm 266 is allowed to flex in and out depending on the substrate conditions with minimal effect on the more consistent position of arm 279, mounting arm 276 and ledge 274 which will more easily maintain their linear consistency and parallel-ness to the substrate (not shown) because of horizontal leg 282 working against pressures created from flexible arm 266. This will allow for little to no shimming of base E-A. Arm 268 is used to mechanically fasten to the substrate (not shown) every 4 to 6 feet, and only at locations where no shimming is required. If such a condition does not exist, shimming arm 268 will be needed to maintain the linear consistency and parallel-ness to the substrate (not shown) of base E-A. Nubs 270 show where to attach the mechanical fasteners (not shown). Ramp 278 helps position arm 279 with bulges 231 as well as allow for easier installation and removal of upper panel frame F-A by providing surface 280 to slide against during installation. Upper panel frame F-A has differences to upper panel frame F in that it replaces the attachment portion with nub 286 and mounting arm 284 for mechanical attachment directly to mounting arm 276 of base E-A. Nub 286 will be placed and rest in groove 272 so that the assembled panel does not need to be held during mechanical fastening procedures. Alternate base E-A and upper panel frame F-A may be made with the same materials and processes as base E and upper frame F.

FIG. 22 shows an alternate holding clip I-A which has body 288 having slot 290 which wraps around shorter segments of upper panel frame F with legs 294 to prevent both from moving in any direction when Hole 292 is used for a mechanical fastener to install through to connect to base E. Holding clip I-A maybe positioned anywhere on the panel where upper panel frame F has a short clip to control horizontal thermal movement of the assembled panel from it's location. Upper holding clip I-A may be made with a rigid material such as from aluminum and fabricated on a turret press.

What has been descried and illustrated herein is a preferred embodiment of the invention along with some variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention in which all terms are meant in their broadest, reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.

Claims

1. A device for attaching a panel to a façade, comprising an extrusion having:

an arm, said arm terminating in an end, said end constructed to contact the panel and permit bending of the panel thereover;

a platform, said platform being contiguous with said arm and extending from said arm, said platform further being spaced from said arm for forming a ledge, said ledge being configured to capture a portion of the panel;

2. The device of claim 1 in which said end portion of said arm further comprises a prong for contacting said panel and permitting bending of the panel about said prong.

3. The device of claim 1 which further comprises a shelf, said shelf positioned outwardly from said slot and lying closer to said base then said slot.

4. The device of claim 3 which further comprises a reveal strip mounted on said shelf.

5. The device of claim 3 which further comprises a flange connected to and extending from said leg in opposition to said shelf.

6. The device of claim 1 in which said end portion of said arm comprises an enlargement.

7. A device for forming a covering on a façade, comprising:

a panel, said panel comprising a surface possessing a removed portion;

an arm, said arm terminating in an end, said end constructed to contact said panel surface at said removed portion and to permit bending of said panel thereover,

a platform, said platform being contiguous with said arm and extending from said arm, said platform further being spaced from said arm for forming a ledge, said ledge being configured to capture a portion of said panel;

a leg, said leg being contiguous with said platform and extending outwardly therefrom;

a base;

a first fastener for holding said leg to the façade; and

a second fastener for holding said leg to said base.

8. The device of claim 7 in which said end portion of said arm further comprises a prong for contacting said panel and permitting bending of said panel about said prong.

9. The device of claim 7 which further comprises a shelf, said shelf positioned outwardly from said slot and tying closer to said base than said slot.

10. The device of claim 9 which further comprises a reveal strip mounted on said shelf.

11. The device of claim 13 in which said slot is formed by a wall, said wall extending into said slot.

12. The device of claim 7 which further comprises a flange connected to and extending from said leg in opposition to said shelf.

13. The device of claim 7 in which said end portion of said arm comprises an enlargement. 14. The device of claim 1 in which said end portion of said arm is configured as a bending tool.

15. A method of forming a covering on a facade utilizing the steps of:

providing a panel, said panel having a surface possessing a removed portion;

providing an arm supported by said façade, said arm terminating in an end constructed to contact said panel removed portion;

bending said panel over said arm end; and holding said panel adjacent said arm.

16. The method of claim 15 which additionally comprises the step of again bending said panel over said second arm following said step of bending said panel over said first arm.