Process of making B-pillar covers for automotive vehicle

A method of making a plurality of thin walled pillar covers at a plurality of successive stations, one of which is a molding station having a vacuum mold assembly thereat, each of said plurality of thin walled pillar covers being shaped to fit over a vehicle pillar part having an exterior surface configuration defined along an elongated peripheral extent thereof by a thin sheet metal marginal edge and along an opposed elongated peripheral extent thereof by an inturned surface, said vacuum mold assembly including a plurality of rigid molding horns arranged in generally parallel relation with respect to one another, each of said plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns having a surface configuration molding surface corresponding in shape substantially to the shape of a vehicle pillar part surface configuration, a thin marginal edge molding surface corresponding in shape substantially to the shape of a vehicle pillar part thin marginal edge and an inturned flange molding surface corresponding in shape substantially to the shape of a vehicle pillar part inturned surface, said vacuum molding assembly including vacuum channels in communication with a vacuum source, said plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns being movably mounted in said vacuum mold assembly for similarly directed movements away from and toward respective molding positions, said method comprising the steps of:

• feeding from a continuous roll a continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material of generally uniform thickness through the plurality of successive stations;
• and
• repetitively performing the following steps substantially simultaneously at said plurality of successive stations on successive predetermined lengths of said continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material:
• heating a predetermined length of the continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material at a heating station adjacent said molding station;
• forming a plurality of pillar covers in a predetermined length of the continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material at said molding station;
• cooling a predetermined length of the continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material having a plurality of pillar covers formed therein at a cooling station;
• and
• cutting a plurality of individual pillar covers from a predetermined length of the continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material having a plurality of pillar covers formed therein at a cutting station,
• wherein said forming step comprises:
• placing a heated predetermined length of the continuous thin sheet of thermoplastic material in operative relation with the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns of said vacuum mold assembly with the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns oriented in their respective molding positions so that said heated predetermined length is disposed in spaced coextensive relation with the surface configuration molding surfaces of the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns,
• effecting a relative movement between said heated predetermined length and said vacuum mold assembly sufficient to form a peripheral seal with a surface area of the heated predetermined length, and thereafter applying a vacuum to said vacuum channels of said vacuum mold assembly, said vacuum channels being constructed and arranged to draw the heated predetermined length about the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns to conform to (1) the surface configuration molding surfaces, (2) the thin marginal edge molding surfaces, and (3) the inturned flange molding surfaces of the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns so as to form within the peripheral seal of the heated predetermined length a plurality of thin walled pillar covers in generally parallel relation with one another, each comprising a main body portion having an exterior surface presenting a substantially dimple-free class A surface and having a U-shaped marginal edge along one elongated peripheral extent thereof of a shape to snugly receive therein the sheet metal marginal edge of a vehicle pillar part and an inturned flange along an opposed elongated peripheral extent thereof of a shape to be presented to the inturned surface of the vehicle pillar part, and
• separating the predetermined length with the plurality of thin walled pillar covers formed in generally parallel relation therein in a cooled condition from the vacuum mold assembly during which the molding horns move from the respective molding positions so that the plurality of thin walled pillar covers formed in generally parallel relation in the predetermined length engaged with the surface configuration molding surfaces of the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns move relatively away from the surface configuration molding surfaces of the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns such that the plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns move away from their respective molding positions in an angular direction having a component in a direction to withdraw the thin marginal edge molding surfaces of said plurality of rigid, generally parallel molding horns relatively out of the U-shaped marginal edges of the plurality of thin walled pillar covers formed in generally parallel relation in the predetermined length.