Method of making bright-faced reinforced plastic bumper

Abstract

A structural article such as an automobile bumper includes a plastic body portion having an outer surface and a single metal sheet stretched to be completely disposed about and fixedly secured to the outer surface. The body portion provides a structural member and the metal sheet provides a continuous metal trim thereon. A method of forming the structural article includes the steps of compressing a sheet of metal and a sheet of heated softened plastic material within a mold so as to simultaneously cool the plastic material during the compression to set the molded plastic and stretch the metal about the outer surface of the molded plastic. An apparatus for forming the structural article includes a female mold portion including a clamping frame disposed about the periphery thereof. The clamping frame includes toggle clamps for clamping the peripheral edges of the sheet of metal to the periphery of the female portion. A male compression member is adapted to compress the sheet of heated softened plastic, the sheet of metal, and an adhesive disposed therebetween, so as to simultaneously cool the plastic during the compression to set the molded plastic, cure the adhesive between the sheets of metal and plastic, and to stretch the metal about the outer surface of the molded plastic.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.