Coordinated texture harmony between formed material and molded components
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsPamela S. Greenwald, Charles P. Albert, Allan R. Hartman, Spidola Osborn, Paul A. Haines
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Abstract
The invention provides a method by which the mold for a molded vehicle component can be engraved with a grain pattern to match the stretched grain pattern of an adjacent vehicle panel covered by a stretched vinyl sheet. According to the method, a grained vinyl sheet is stretched over a model of the vehicle panel so that the grained pattern of the vinyl is distorted. A portion of the vinyl sheet is then severed at the region to be occupied by the molded component and this severed portion of the vinyl sheet is used as a master for engraving the mold for the molded component.
Claims2
A method for matching of a grain pattern between a grained vinyl skin vacuum stretched over a vehicle panel of predetermined shape and a grained molded plastic component of predetermined size and shape installed within an opening of the vehicle panel comprising the steps of:
- selecting a vinyl sheet having a grain pattern of desired uniformity of appearance;
- providing a model shaped to the shape of the vehicle panel and having a component portion thereof sized and shaped to simulate the size and shape of the molded plastic component;
- stretching and securing the sheet vinyl over the model so that the grain pattern is distorted to varying degrees of non-uniform appearance at various locations on the vehicle panel and on the component portion simulating the molded components;
- severing the vinyl sheet around the component portion to enable removal of the stretched vinyl sheet covering the component portion;
- and engraving the mold for molding the molded component using the stretched vinyl sheet which has been severed around the component portion as a master for engraving the mold so that the molded component for installation into the opening of the vehicle panel has a grain pattern stretched to precisely match the stretched grain of the vinyl sheet surrounding the molded component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.