Method of manufacturing a side door for a walk-in tub
View Patent ↗The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a door for a walk-in bathtub, which comprises forming a tub door cap from an acrylic sheet, wherein the tub door cap has an outer shape defining a door for a walk-in tub; forming a channel into a surface of the tub door cap along a peripheral area thereof; forming a threshold portion configured to mate with the channel in the tub door cap and extend outwardly from the tub door cap; and the tub door cap is then adhered to the threshold portion of the door to form a walk-in tub door. The acrylic sheet that forms the tub door cap may be cast acrylic or it may be reinforced by co-extruding with thermoplastic, adding a reinforcing filler and/or fiberglass. A walk-in bathtub door made by the method described above and a walk-in bathtub assembly having a door made by the method described above are also provided herein.
1. A method for making a walk-in bathtub door, comprising:
(a) forming a tub door cap from an acrylic sheet, wherein the tub door cap has an outer shape defining a door for a walk-in tub;
(b) forming a channel into a surface of the tub door cap along a peripheral area thereof;
(c) forming a threshold portion configured so as to have a peripheral edge to mate with the channel in the tub door cap and to extend outwardly in a thickness direction from the tub door cap and fitting the peripheral edge into the channel in the tub door cap; and
(d) adhering the tub door cap to the threshold portion of the door to form a walk-in tub door.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising adhering the tub door cap to the threshold portion of the door using putty adhesive.
3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising forming the acrylic sheet of cast acrylic.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (a) further comprises:
reinforcing the acrylic sheet by co-extruding the acrylic sheet with a thermoplastic;
adding a reinforcing filler; and/or fiberglass.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the thermoplastic is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.
6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the acrylic sheet is reinforced by a fiberglass spray.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step (a) further comprises:
forming a tub door cap from a reinforced acrylic sheet by casting.
8. A walk-in bathtub door made according to the method of claim 1 .
9. A walk-in bathtub assembly comprising a walk-in bathtub having an opening for receiving a bathtub door and a walk-in bathtub door attached to the walk-in bathtub via a hinge, wherein the bathtub door is formed according to claim 1 .
10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising machining the channel into the surface of the tub door cap.
11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising routing the channel out of the surface of the tub door cap.