Method of making a combination speaker grill and automotive interior trim panel
AssigneeMeridian Automotive Systems, Inc.
InventorDick Van Manen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of manufacturing a rear shelf trim and speaker grill panel (12) for an automotive vehicle (10) includes steps of punching a substrate layer (16) of a polypropylene and flax material with a punch set (46) to form a grill section (60) and placing a decorative carpet layer (18) over the substrate layer (16) and molding the two layers into a combined speaker grill and rear shelf trim panel (12).
Claims23
A process for forming a combined speaker grill and automotive interior trim panel characterized by the steps of:
- providing a substrate layer of a heated mat material having a content of thermoplastic material such that it is moldable under heated conditions;
- punching a plurality of apertures in said heated substrate to form a grill section;
- providing a decorative layer onto said substrate;
- molding said substrate and said decorative layer into said automotive interior trim panel of a desired shape such that said apertures form an integral speaker grill with said panel.
A process for forming a combined speaker grill and automotive interior trim panel characterized by the steps of:
- providing a decorative layer that is capable of being bonded to said substrate layer;
- placing the heated substrate layer and decorative layer into an open mold;
- closing the mold and molding said substrate layer and said decorative layer into a formed automotive interior panel under pressure between two closed mold dies with a first mold die section of said mold having a section with a plurality of holes therein and a complementary mold die section having a plurality of punches that mate with said plurality of holes to punch a plurality of apertures in the formed panel to form an integral speaker grill with said panel;
- opening said mold dies and cooling said panel to be resolidified with the substrate and decorative layers being bonded together and removing the molded formed combined speaker grill and automotive interior trim panel from said mold.
A process for forming a combined speaker grill and automotive interior trim panel characterized by the steps of:
- providing a grill section and a substrate layer of a heated mat material having a content of thermoplastic material such that it is moldable under heated conditions;
- punching out a plurality of aperture in said grill section of said substrate layer;
- positioning said grill section such that a pin is received in each respective aperture with an end of the pin substantially coplanar with one side of the grill section;
- providing a decorative layer that is capable of being bonded to said substrate layer and said grill section;
- molding said substrate layer, grill section and said decorative upper layer into a formed automotive interior panel under pressure between two closed mold dies with said decorative layer spanning over said pins in said holes in said substrate to form an integrated speaker grill with said panel;
- removing the molded formed panel and speaker grill after said thermoplastic material in said panel is, cooled to allow said panel to be resolidified and said substrate, grill section and decorative upper layers are bonded together.
A molded interior automotive panel and speaker grill combination characterized by:
- a molded substrate layer having thermal plastic content and a flax fiber content;
- a plurality of apertures through said substrate to be aligned with a speaker mounted therebehind;
- a decorative layer on top of the substrate material and molded thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.