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US 12,441,069 B2Granted
Method of manufacturing a trim panel
AssigneeCpK Interior Products Inc.
InventorsManthan Pareshkumar Patel, Bruce Arthur Giroux, Gregory James Farrar, Collin James Goody, Zachary Paul Fedak, Murali Mohan Reddy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An over-molded interior trim method and system are provided. In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a trim panel includes: injecting a liquid substrate polymer between molds to create a substrate, injecting a liquid urethane polymer into a cavity directly against the substrate to create a skin or cover, flowing or wrapping in a mold the urethane polymer around at least one peripheral edge of the substrate, and extending the urethane polymer onto a backside of the substrate.
Claims24
A method of manufacturing a trim panel, the method comprising:
- (a) injecting a liquid substrate polymer into a first mold cavity to create a substrate;
- (b) clamping a backside mold against a frontside mold to define a second mold cavity, the backside mold including a single-piece and continuous surface comprising a substrate-contacting section and a skin-contacting section, and a backside of the substrate created in step (a) being located against the substrate-contacting section in the second mold cavity;
- (c) injecting a liquid skin polymer into the second mold cavity to create a skin on the substrate created in step (a);
- (d) causing the skin polymer to directly adhere to a middle portion of a face of the substrate during step (c);
- (e) causing the liquid skin polymer to wrap around at least one peripheral edge of the substrate and adhere to the backside of the substrate during step (c);
- and
- (f) the wrap around portion of the skin polymer contacting against the skin-contacting section of the backside mold.
4 more elements
A method of manufacturing a trim panel, the method comprising:
- (a) injecting a liquid substrate polymer into a first mold cavity to create a substrate;
- (b) injecting a liquid skin polymer into a second mold cavity to create a skin on the substrate created in step (a);
- (c) causing the skin polymer to adhere to a face of substrate during step (b), including adhering the skin polymer to a middle portion of the face of the substrate;
- (d) causing the liquid skin polymer to wrap around at least one peripheral edge of the substrate and adhere to a backside of the substrate during step (b);
- (e) contacting the backside of the substrate with a single-piece skin mold which also contacts against the skin polymer;
- (f) flowing the substrate polymer to engage with a metallic fastener or metallic bracket to cause the fastener or the bracket to be attached to the backside of the substrate while the substrate is located in the first cavity;
- and
- (g) stopping a flow of the skin polymer within the second mold cavity by the skin polymer abutting against a wall integrally extending from and molded as part of the backside of the substrate.
5 more elements
A method of manufacturing a trim panel, the method comprising:
- (a) inserting a liquid polymeric material between substrate molds to create a substrate;
- (b) cooling the polymeric substrate in the substrate molds;
- (c) inserting a liquid urethane against the cooled polymeric substrate to create a cover;
- (d) applying vacuum pressure to retain the polymeric substrate during insertion of the urethane;
- (e) flowing the liquid urethane around at least a majority of a periphery of the cooled polymeric substrate and extending the liquid urethane onto a backside of the polymeric substrate;
- (f) stopping the flow of the urethane on the backside with a damming surface projecting in a continuous manner substantially parallel to the peripheral edge of the substrate;
- (g) cooling the liquid urethane after it has been inserted;
- (h) creating an over-molded, automotive vehicle, interior trim panel from the cooled cover and the cooled polymeric substrate;
- (i) causing the cover to have a Class-A appearance surface, a soft feel and be more compressible than is the polymeric substrate after the cooling;
- (j) performing a cycle of steps (a)-(i) within five minutes;
- (k) wherein the vacuum pressure is applied to the backside of the polymeric substrate, via multiple passageways in an associated one of the molds, between portions of the urethane located on the backside of the polymeric substrate;
- and
- (l) causing the cover to wrap around all peripheral edges of the substrate, adhere to a middle portion of a face side of the substrate, and adhere to the backside of the substrate during the flowing of the cover.
10 more elements
A method of manufacturing a trim panel, the method comprising:
- (a) injecting a liquid polymer between substrate molds to create a substrate;
- (b) cooling the substrate in the substrate molds;
- (c) injecting a liquid urethane into a cavity directly against the substrate to create a skin;
- (d) flowing the urethane around at least one peripheral edge of the cooled substrate and extending the urethane onto a minority portion of a backside of the substrate;
- (e) stopping a flow of the urethane within the cavity by the urethane abutting against a wall integrally extending from and molded as part of the backside of the substrate;
- (f) cooling the urethane after it has been injected into the cavity;
- (g) the cooled substrate being 1.5-4 mm thick;
- (h) the cooled skin being 0.5-1 mm thick;
- and
- (i) the cooled cover having a Shore A hardness=33−90, which is softer than the substrate.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.