Innovative doors for recreational vehicles: from the idea to the first prototype

Market analysis shows that service doors for recreational vehicles, such as camper vans and motorhomes, are realized in two different typologies: doors with plastic frames obtained by injection moulding and doors with aluminium frames obtained by cutting and bending extruded bars. The first ones are produced in standard dimensions so the number of possible measures is really limited; on the other hand these doors are often equipped with concealed hinges (integrated in the frame) that are aesthetically pleasing. Regarding the second type, any door dimension can be obtained simply by adjusting the bars length; however, one of the main problems is the need of periodically tuning the cutting and bending machines in order to take into account possible environmental thermal variations. Moving from these considerations, this work proposes a new door type capable to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks by a modular plastic door design. According to this the new system, the frames consist of extruded plastic bars, cut in required length, which are capable to house concealed hinges and are subsequently glued with plastic moulded curves.