Method for manufacturing a flexible skin having at least one insert adhered thereto

A method for manufacturing a flexible skin which has at least one insert adhered thereto,

• said flexible skin and said insert defining together a visible front surface;
• said flexible skin consisting of one or more skin layers and having a front face, forming a first portion of the visible front surface of the skin, and a back face;
• and
• said insert having a back face, which is fixed by means of an adhering layer to this flexible skin, and a front face, which forms a second portion of said visible front surface, which second portion is situated adjacent to said first portion of the visible front surface,
• said method comprising the successive steps of:
• providing a mould surface;
• moulding at least one of said one or more skin layers against said mould surface to obtain at least one moulded skin layer, which mould surface has a raised portion so that a recessed portion is produced in the front face of said at least one moulded skin layer;
• removing said at least one moulded skin layer from the mould surface;
• positioning said insert in said recessed portion with a portion of its back face against said at least one moulded skin layer;
• and
• adhering the back face of the insert by means of an adhering layer to said at least one moulded skin layer, wherein
• said at least one moulded skin layer is provided with at least one opening giving access to the back face of the insert;
• and
• after having positioned the insert with a portion of its back face against the front face of said at least one moulded skin layer, the back face of the insert is adhered to said at least one moulded skin layer by providing said adhering layer which is adhesively connected to at least a portion of the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer which surrounds the opening in said at least one moulded skin layer and, through this opening, to at least a portion of the back face of the insert, which adhering layer extends over the back face of the insert and the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer and covers a boundary between the back face of the insert and the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer to adhere the insert to said at least one moulded skin layer, said adhering layer being produced by applying a layer of a hardenable material onto the back face of the insert and onto the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer and by allowing this layer of hardenable material to harden;
• said hardenable material being either poured or sprayed onto the back face of the insert, onto the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer and onto the boundary between the back face of the insert and the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer and is allowed to harden in an open mould;
• or
• said hardenable material is injected in a mould cavity against the back face of the insert and onto the back face of said at least one moulded skin layer, the mould cavity being formed by a moulding tool by means of which a portion of said at least one moulded skin layer which surrounds said opening is pressed against the back face of the insert.