METAL LATH HAVING INTEGRAL HEM STRUCTURE
A metal lath having an integral hem structure includes a main body. The main body is formed by enclosing the metal lath so that the main body has a ring-shaped side wall. The side wall defines an accommodating space therein. Two ends of the main body are formed with openings to communicate with the accommodating space, respectively. One of the openings is integrally formed with a hem around an end edge of the opening by bending. The hem is integrally formed with the metal lath, which can reduce production time and cost effectively and can prevent the user from being cut by the metal lath.
The present invention relates to a hemming structure of a metal lath, and more particularly to a metal lath having an integral hem structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA metal lath of metal sheets (or expanded-metal lath) has the advantages of being flexible and extensible, so it can be used for making a variety of high-quality metal products, such as a meshed supporting plate and a storage basket. However, the metal lath has a problem that its edge is too sharp. The user may be cut by the edge of the metal lath by accident. Therefore, in general, a strip is additionally clipped or welded to the edge of the metal lath so that the sharp edge of the metal lath can be covered or blocked by the strip to prevent the user from being cut. However, in such a structure that the edge of the metal lath is covered by the strip, in production, it is necessary to manufacture an additional strip matching the edge of the metal lath and then to perform a hemming operation separately. Therefore, the production cost and production time cannot be reduced effectively. The hemming structure of the external strip has a problem of falling off easily. There is still room for improvement in the hemming structure of the conventional metal lath.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe primary object of the present invention is to provide a metal lath having an integral hem structure, which can reduce production time and cost effectively and can prevent the user from being cut by the metal lath.
In order to achieve the aforesaid object, the metal lath of the present invention comprises a main body. The main body is formed by enclosing the metal lath so that the main body has a ring-shaped side wall. The side wall defines an accommodating space therein. The side wall has an inner side surface facing the accommodating space and an outer side surface opposite to the inner side surface. The side wall has a plurality of through mesh apertures. Two ends of the main body are formed with a first opening and a second opening to communicate with the accommodating space, respectively. An end edge of the first opening is bent to form a hem. The hem has a curved section which is bent in a circular shape toward the side wall. A space is defined between the curved section and the side wall. The curved section is not in contact with the side wall. A distal end of the curved section has a plurality of ribbed portions that form the mesh apertures.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described portioned, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
As shown in
Because the end edge of the first opening 14 of the main body 11 is integrally formed with the hem 21 by bending, so that the sharp edge of each ribbed portion 161 on the end edge of the opening can be bent and hidden to the inside of the hem 21. The curved portion 22 of the hem 21 and the ribbed portions 161 are not in contact with the outer side surface 122 of the side wall 12, thereby ensuring that the ribbed portions 161 do not extend out to the inner side surface 121 of the side wall 12 via the mesh apertures 161 of the side wall 12. Therefore, even if the user's hand stretches into the accommodating space 13 and touches the inner side surface 121 of the side wall 12, it does not feel a tingling sensation. There is no need for additional trimming or hemming work, thereby effectively preventing the user from being cut to ensure the safety of subsequent use. In actual production, it is no longer necessary to make additional strips matching the end edge of the opening, so that the manufacturing cost and time can be reduced greatly. Furthermore, the outer side surface 122 of the side wall 12 is bent to form the hem 21 in a circular shape. The hem 21 may directly form a lug structure to facilitate the use of this invention.
Furthermore, in the metal lath provided by the present invention, the hem 21 is integrally formed with the metal lath of the main body 11 by bending. Therefore, there is no problem of falling off, and the metal lath product has an excellent appearance and texture.
However, it should be emphasized that the shape of the side wall 12 of the main body 11 of the present invention is not limited to a circular shaped. The present invention may bend the side wall 12 of the main body 11 into a square shape (as shown in
Furthermore,
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Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described portioned in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A metal lath having an integral hem structure, comprising:
- a main body, the main body being formed by enclosing the metal lath so that the main body has a ring-shaped side wall, the side wall defining an accommodating space therein, the side wall having an inner side surface facing the accommodating space and an outer side surface opposite to the inner side surface, the side wall having a plurality of through mesh apertures, two ends of the main body being formed with a first opening and a second opening to communicate with the accommodating space respectively, an end edge of the first opening being bent to form a hem, the hem having a curved section which is bent in a circular shape toward the side wall, a space is defined between the curved section and the side wall, the curved section being not in contact with the side wall, a distal end of the curved section having a plurality of ribbed portions that form the mesh apertures.
2. The metal lath as claimed in claim 1, wherein the curved section is bent toward the outer side surface of the side wall, the ribbed portions of the curved section are curvedly tangential to and in contact with the outer side surface of the side wall, the ribbed portions do not extend out to the inner side surface of the side wall via the mesh apertures of the side wall.
3. The metal lath as claimed in claim 2, wherein after the ribbed portions are tangential to the outer side surface of the side wall, they are bent along an inner edge of the hem with a same curvature.
4. The metal lath as claimed in claim 1, wherein the curved section is bent toward the inner side surface of the side wall, the ribbed portions of the curved section are curvedly tangential to and in contact with the inner side surface of the side wall, and the ribbed portions do not extend out to the outer side surface of the side wall via the mesh apertures of the side wall.
5. The metal lath as claimed in claim 4, wherein after the ribbed portions are tangential to the inner side surface of the side wall, they are bent along an inner edge of the hem with a same curvature.
6. The metal lath as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second opening is connected with a supporting plate for closing the second opening.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 27, 2018
Publication Date: May 28, 2020
Inventor: PING KUN WANG (KAOHSIUNG CITY)
Application Number: 16/200,815