Foil-covered plastic part and method of making same

Abstract

A foil-covered plastic part is provided including a hot stamping foil having a foil top layer disposed on a plastic bottom layer which, in turn, is bonded to a plastic outer surface of a decorative preform at foil-receiving portions of the plastic outer surface. A hot stamping machine is operated for a time sufficient to generate a pressure and temperature sufficient to melt and combine the top surface of the at least one foil-receiving portion and the plastic bottom layer of the hot stamping foil to form the foil-covered plastic part. The at least one foil-receiving portion includes a plurality of raised design portions having top and side surfaces. The foil layer completely covers the top surfaces but not the side surfaces of the raised design portions. Preferably, the raised design portions represent graphical information. The decorative preform is bonded to an outer surface of a plastic structural substrate which may be a plastic front panel of an automotive air bag cover adapted to enclose an uninflated automotive air bag.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.