US 5,006,288 AGranted

Molding method for stabilizing the location of a skin insert

AssigneeDavidson Textron Inc.

InventorsRichard D. Rhodes, Jr., W. David Fredericks

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A skin or shell for use in a mold process in which the skin or shell is placed in a mold in which foam precursors are directed onto the skin for reaction thereagainst to form a foam layer thereon; the skin includes integral connector features thereon adapted to be connected to the mold for stabilizing the location of the skin within the mold so as to prevent wrinkling of the skin during the mold process. Apparatus for stabilizing the location of the skin or shell in a mold cavity part includes recesses formed on the mold adapted to be interconnected with the integral skin connector features for producing the desired stabilization and a method is described which includes the steps of preforming a skin from dry cast thermoplastic or liquid plastisol material to have integral connector features thereon; providing a mold with recesses therein engageable with the cast integral connector features for producing the desired stabilization; closing the mold and foaming the shell to form a foam pad on the backside of the shell.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A process for molding a composite part by -lacing a shell insert on a mold cavity part and thereafter directing form precursors against the shell insert and reacting the precursors to form a layer of form bonded to the back of the shell insert, the process comprising the steps of:

precasting a shell from thermoformable plastic material to form a first surface portion thereon adapted to be smoothly supported across the surface of the mold cavity part and to form a plurality of connection features in a second surface portion of the shell external to the mold cavity at the periphery thereof;
providing a mold cavity part with a surface thereon for smoothly supporting the first surface portion of the shell;
preshaping the mold cavity part to have recesses external to the mold cavity at the periphery of the mold cavity part adapted to engage the connection features on the second surface portion;
engaging the connection features with the recesses to provide a stabilized peripheral connection between the mold cavity part and the shell;
and smoothly supporting the first surface portion of the shell on the mold at points inboard of the stabilized peripheral connection for positioning he shell within the mold cavity part so as to prevent it from being wrinkled with respect to the mold cavity part during the molding process.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/420,382Filed 12 Oct 1989
Granted: 9 Apr 1991
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B29C 33/14
With incorporated means for positioning inserts, e.g. labels: against the mould wall
B29C 44/04
For articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles: consisting of at least two parts of chemically or physically different materials, e.g.…
B29C 44/143
The preformed part being a lining: means for positioning the lining in the mould
B29C 41/04
For making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles: rotational or centrifugal casting, i.e. coating the inside of a mould by rotating…