Automotive trim with clear top coat and method of making same
AssigneeGuardian Automotive Trim, Inc.
InventorHenry H. Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exterior automotive trim product, and method of making the same. In certain embodiments, a color pigmented thermoplastic layer is provided. A transparent clear coat is calendared to the color pigmented layer to form a composite or laminate. The laminate is subsequently vacuum-formed into a three dimensional shape approximating the desired shape of a final trim product. The vacuum-formed laminate is then inserted into an injection molding device, and semi-molten resin injected into the mold cavity behind the laminate. The resin fuses with the vacuum-formed laminate with the result being the final automotive trim product. Thus, no spray painting or spraying of solvents is required, and burdensome dry paint transfer techniques may be avoided.
Claims17
An automotive trim product comprising:
- an opaque extruded color layer comprising polyolefinic thermoplastic resin and including color pigment material, the color layer being formed by extrusion, wherein only one opaque extruded color layer comprising polyolefinic thermoplastic resin is provided;
- a substantially transparent layer, that is at least 90% transparent to visible light, provided over said extruded color layer, wherein said substantially transparent layer comprises a thermoplastic fluorinated polymer, and wherein only one substantially transparent layer comprising a thermoplastic fluorinated polymer is provided in the trim product;
- and
- wherein said substantially transparent layer and said extruded color layer are thermoformed into a shape useable in an automotive trim product.
An automotive trim product comprising:
- a bright metallic foil layer;
- an extruded substantially transparent layer, that is at least 90% transparent to visible light, provided over said foil layer;
- and
- wherein said extruded substantially transparent layer and said foil layer are thermoformed together into a shape useable in an automotive trim product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.