Thermoplastic tailgate panel reinforcing flange design for automated bonding process

A tailgate for a vehicle, comprising:

• an inner panel having a bonding surface,
• an outer panel having an exterior surface and an inner surface;
• at least one light cavity formed in the outer panel and having an aperture of the at least one light cavity having a perimeter edge formed at the exterior surface and a plurality of side walls extending between the perimeter edge of the aperture and back wall of the at least one light cavity;
• a styling feature formed on the exterior surface of the outer panel;
• and
• at least one styling line reinforcement flange connected at one end to the inside surface of the outer panel at a location opposite the styling feature located on the exterior surface of the outer panel and at a second end to one of a plurality of side walls of the at least one light cavity, wherein there is a connection between the at least one styling line reinforcement flange and the bonding surface of the inner panel.

A tailgate for a vehicle, comprising:

• an inner panel having a bonding surface,
• an outer panel having an exterior surface and an inner surface;
• at least one light cavity formed in the outer panel and having an aperture of the at least one light cavity having a perimeter edge formed at the exterior surface and a plurality of side walls extending between the perimeter edge of the aperture and back wall of the at least one light cavity;
• a styling feature formed on the exterior surface of the outer panel, and
• at least one styling line reinforcement flange connected at one end to the inside surface of the outer panel at a location opposite the styling feature located on the exterior surface of the outer panel and at a second end to one of a plurality of side walls of the at least one light cavity, wherein there is a connection between the at least one styling line reinforcement flange and the bonding surface of the inner panel;
• a non-visual surface region on the outer panel that has an outer surface that is part of the exterior surface of the outer panel and an inner region that is a portion of the inner surface of the outer panel;
• and
• at least one non-visual reinforcement flange formed on the inner surface of the inner panel, the at least one non-visual reinforcement flange has is connected to the inner region of the non-visual surface region of the outer panel and to a backside surface of one of the plurality of side walls of the at least one light cavity the backside surface is a portion of the inner surface of the outer panel, wherein there is a connection between the at least one non-visual reinforcement flange and the bonding surface of the inner panel.

A method of forming an outer panel for a vehicle comprising the steps of:

• providing a mold tool having a mold surface having a forming cavity for forming an outer panel with an exterior surface and an inner surface;
• providing at least one slider tool for sliding into the forming cavity and forming a non-visual reinforcement flange and a styling line reinforcement flange on the inside surface of the outer panel;
• providing at least one rib forming surface in the forming cavity;
• closing the mold tool and positioning the at least one slider tool in the forming cavity;
• injecting resin that is uncured into the forming cavity and waiting for the resin to cure and form the outer panel;
• retracting the at least one slider tool and opening the mold tool;
• and
• removing the outer panel.