Aluminium profile rail Mini Rail 380mm

It is a short piece of aluminium profile that is fastened directly on the sheet metal roof and becomes the point on which the panel rests. Instead of covering the whole roof with long rails, you install several such small pieces, exactly where the edges of the panels come. The result is a lighter and cheaper structure, with less material carried up onto the roof.

The length of 380 mm makes it lighter and cheaper per fixing point than the 540 mm version, but the force is distributed over fewer sheet ribs, so it is used on sheets with a rigid profile and in areas with moderate wind and snow loads. Usually two mini-rails are installed per module, respectively four for large modules or exposed sites. Each piece is placed on the rib crest and fastened with self-drilling screws with an EPDM sealing washer, with a sealing layer between the profile and the sheet. The channel on top receives the clamps that grip the panel frame, so the panel is never drilled. It requires no maintenance as such, only periodic checking of the tightening and of the sealing at the screws.

Extruded aluminium profile, length 380 mm, with an upper channel for mid and end clamps and fixing holes or slots in the base. Fixing on the rib crest with self-drilling screws sealed with an EPDM washer; the positioning of the mini-rails is correlated with the permitted clamping zones on the module frame, indicated by the panel manufacturer. The number of fixing points and of screws per rail results from the load calculation for the location, the terrain category and the roof zone, the edge and corner zones requiring a higher density of fixings.

Who it suits

Suitable for halls, outbuildings and agricultural constructions with a rigid trapezoidal sheet roof, in areas with moderate wind and snow loads, where a light structure is desired.

Terms explained

• Trapezoidal sheet: Roof sheet bent in waves with a trapezium shape, with high crests and valleys; fixing is done on the crest, so that water does not stand around the screw.
• Mid and end clamp: The small parts that press on the panel frame and hold it on the rail: the mid one grips two neighbouring panels, the end one grips the panel at the edge of the row.
• EPDM washer: A washer with a rubber gasket that is compressed under the screw and seals the hole in the sheet, so that water does not get in.

Technical specifications

Recommended applications

• Fixing photovoltaic panels on industrial corrugated sheet roofs
• Point fixing, as an alternative to continuous rails
• Small-sized systems on outbuildings and light halls
• Retrofits on existing roofs with limited load-bearing capacity

Technical details

Generic product — standard specifications

A short aluminium profile of the Mini Rail type, with a length of 380 mm, used as a point load-bearing element for photovoltaic panels installed on trapezoidal sheet roofs. Compared with the 540 mm version, the shorter length reduces the cost and the weight per fixing point, but distributes the force over fewer ribs, which is why it is used on sheets with a rigid profile and in areas with moderate wind and snow loads.

The rail has an upper channel for mid and end clamps and fixing holes or slots in the base. Installation is done on the rib crest with self-drilling screws sealed with an EPDM washer, with a sealing layer between the profile and the sheet. The positioning of the mini-rails must be correlated with the permitted clamping zones on the module frame, indicated by the panel manufacturer.

The solution is common for installation in portrait or landscape orientation on industrial halls and agricultural constructions, where two mini-rails are used per module, respectively four for large modules or exposed sites. The number of fixing points and of screws per rail results from the load calculation for the location, the terrain category and the roof zone (the edge or corner zone requires a higher density of fixings).