Removable defined flange for in-mold coating containment
AssigneeOMNOVA Solutions Inc.
InventorsElliott J. Straus, John A. Thompson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Molded articles or substrates having an in-mold coating thereon are disclosed. The in-mold coated substrates are produced by a method wherein the flow of the in-mold composition onto the substrate can be selectively controlled. The molded articles can be preferentially coated in desired or predetermined areas with in-mold coating compositions by controlling the thickness or depth of various sections of the substrate. A molded article or substrate is provided with a removable in-mold coating containment flange which extends completely around the perimeter of a surface to be coated in order to substantially contain the in-mold coating within the mold cavity and on the desired area of a part before the coating has been cured.
Claims32
An in-mold coated substrate having a removable flange for in-mold coating containment, comprising:
- a molded thermoplastic substrate having a main portion including a show surface and a second surface substantially opposite said show surface, said substrate having a cured in-mold coating on at least a portion of said show surface, said substrate including a flange preventing the in-mold coating before curing from flowing off of the show surface or said flange, said flange extending at least 50% of the distance around the perimeter of said substrate main portion in a plane offset from said show surface, said flange having a width and a depth, said flange being flexibly removable from said substrate.
An injection molded thermoplastic substrate;
- comprising:
- said substrate;
- and
- an in-mold coating confinement flange, said confinement flange substantially extending around the periphery of said substrate,
- said flange having a thin section adjacent to said thermoplastic substrate so that said flange is readily breakable from said substrate.
A method for molding and in-mold coating a substrate having a removable in-mold coating containment flange, comprising the steps of:
- introducing a substrate composition above a melting point into a mold cavity thereby forming said substrate having a main body and a flexibly removable in-mold coating containment flange, forming a perimeter extending completely around a predetermined area of said substrate main body, and
- injecting said in-mold coating into said mold cavity onto a show surface of said substrate, wherein said in-mold coating is confined to said substrate show surface by said in-mold coating containment flange.
An in-mold coated substrate having removable flange for in-mold coating containment, comprising:
- a molded thermoplastic substrate having a main surface, a back surface, and at least one area of thickness therebetween, said substrate including at least one removable in-mold coating containment flange for containment of an in-mold coating, said flange forming a continuous boundary around a portion of said substrate;
- and
- said in-mold coating located on said substrate within said boundary formed by said removable flange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.