US 6,004,498 AGranted

Method for molding resin to skin members

AssigneeToyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

InventorsTetsuya Fujii, Toshihiko Mori, Kenichi Furuta, Atsuo Kikuchi, Yasuo Mouri, Tadamasa Kidera, Tetsuaki Inaba, Akihiko Suzuki, Akiyoshi Nagano, Tatsuo Yamada, Katsuhiro Katagiri

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Abstract

A resin part such as an instrument panel, a console box or door trim has a substrate body made of hard resin and a skin mounted on a surface of the substrate. To produce the resin part, a preformed elastic sheet is set within a mold cavity. Then, a molten resin is injected into the cavity through gates. The molten resin is first injected into the cavity through gates that are opposed to the skin and after the passage of a predetermined time, the resin is injected through gates that are not opposed to the skin, thereby forming a substrate that has the skin thermally fused to a surface thereof.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method of molding a resin part having a substrate and a skin thermally fused to a surface of said substrate, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a mold having an inner surface and defining a cavity therein;
positioning the skin having an edge portion at a site within the cavity so that the skin is in contact with the inner surface, the skin further having a multi-layer construction including a heat fusible layer, a cushion layer formed on said heat fusible layer, and a solid skin layer formed on said cushion layer,
wherein said mold comprises:
(a) a first mold half having
(i) a first molding surface for forming part of said substrate;
and
(ii) a ridge, disposed in said site for forming a part of a groove structure in said substrate adjacent said edge portion;
and
(b) a second mold half, having a second molding surface for forming a remaining part of said substrate, having a recess disposed substantially opposite said ridge of said first mold half, for forming a different part of the groove structure of the substrate, at least one rib being provided in said recess extending across said recess, and
wherein said skin is positioned within said cavity so that at least a portion of said edge portion is in contact with said ridge, and said edge portion of said skin is in contact with and bent by said at least one rib;
providing a plurality of gates for injecting molten resin into the cavity, said plurality of gates comprising a first gate facing said site at which said skin is positioned and a second gate facing a portion of said mold not occupied by said skin;
injecting a molten resin into the cavity through the plurality of gates until the cavity is filled with said molten resin, thereby forming the substrate, thermally-fusing the heat fusible layer of said skin to the substrate and forming the resin part, wherein said step of injecting is carried out so that a first portion of said molten resin injected through said first gate substantially reaches said second gate before a second portion of said molten resin is injected from said second gate to form said substrate;
and
taking the resin part out of the mold.

11 more elements

A method of molding a resin part having a substrate and a plurality of skin members thermally fused to a surface of said substrate, each of said plurality of skin members comprising a multi-layer construction including a heat fusible layer, a cushion layer formed on said heat fusible layer, and a solid skin layer formed on said cushion layer, and having an edge portion, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a mold having an inner surface and defining a cavity therein;
setting each of said plurality of skin members at sites within the cavity so that each of said plurality of skin members is in contact with the inner surface,
wherein said mold comprises:
(a) a first mold half having
(i) a first molding surface for forming part of said substrate;
and
(ii) a ridge, disposed at said sites for forming a part of a groove structure in said substrate adjacent said edge portion;
and
(b) a second mold half, having a second molding surface for forming a remaining part of said substrate, having a recess, disposed substantially opposite said ridge of said first mold half, for forming a different part of the groove structure of said substrate;
providing a plurality of gates for injecting molten resin into the cavity, said plurality of gates comprising a first gate facing said site at which said skin is positioned and a second gate facing a portion of said mold not occupied by said skin;
forming each of said plurality of skin members so that the edge portion of each of said plurality of skin members conforms about said ridge and coupling conformed edge portions together to form coupled skin members;
injecting a molten resin into the cavity through the plurality of gates until the cavity is filled with said molten resin, thereby forming the substrate, thermally-fusing the heat fusible layer of said plurality of skin members to the substrate and forming the resin part, wherein said step of injecting is carried out so that a first portion of said molten resin injected through said first gate substantially reaches said second gate before a second portion of said molten resin is injected from said second gate to form said substrate;
and
taking the resin part out of the mold.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/966,566Filed 10 Nov 1997 · continuation
Priority: JP 6-0663144 Apr 1994
Granted: 21 Dec 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

B29C 45/14508
Joining articles or parts of a single article: joining juxtaposed sheet-like articles, e.g. for making trim panels
B29C 37/0057
Moulding articles characterised by the shape of the surface, e.g. ribs, high polish: moulding single grooves or ribs, e.g. tear lines
B29C 45/14778
Incorporating preformed parts or layers, e.g. injection moulding around inserts or for coating articles: the article consisting of a material with…
B29C 45/14811
The article consisting of a material with particular properties, e.g. porous, brittle: multilayered articles