Methods For Determining Mold Replacement Timing In Slush Mold Processing

A method for replacing a degraded slush mold with a non-degraded slush mold, the method comprising:

• monitoring a sample media while repeatedly contacting a surface of the sample media with an abrasive solution to determine the number of contactings required to reduce a grain height of the surface of the sample media to a threshold grain height, wherein:
• the repeated contactings of the abrasive solution with the surface of the sample media reduces the grain height of the sample media;
• the surface of the sample media comprises a material substantially identical to the material of at least a portion of a forming surface of the slush mold;
• and
• the grain height of the surface of the sample media prior to contactings with the abrasive solution is about equal to the grain height of the forming surface of a non-degraded slush mold;
• and
• replacing the degraded slush mold with a non-degraded slush mold when the slush mold has undergone a number of cleanings about equal to the number of contactings required to reduce the grain height of the sample media to the threshold height.

A method for selecting a grain pattern for an interior part of a vehicle, the method comprising:

• monitoring a sample media with a given grain pattern while repeatedly contacting a surface of the sample media with an abrasive material to determine the number of contactings required to reduce a grain height of the surface of the sample media to a threshold grain height, wherein:
• the interior part of the vehicle is produced by slush mold processing, the slush mold processing utilizing a slush mold;
• the repeated contactings of the abrasive solution with the surface of the sample media reduces the grain height of the sample media;
• the surface of the sample media comprises a material substantially identical to the material of at least a portion of a forming surface of the slush mold;
• and
• the grain height of the surface of the sample media prior to contactings with the abrasive solution is about equal to the grain height of the forming surface of the non-degraded slush mold;
• and
• repeating the monitoring with a sample media having a different grain pattern;
• and
• selecting the grain pattern based on the how many contactings are necessary to reduce the grain height to the threshold grain height, wherein the selected grain pattern is the pattern which requires the most contactings to reduced the grain height to the threshold grain height.