Trim articles with invisible tear seams and methods of making the same

A method of forming a multi-layered trim panel for a vehicle with an invisible tear seam formed in the outer layer which method comprises:

• providing a mold surface that conforms to the shape of a vehicle trim panel;
• forming a bi-layer of a polymeric material on the mold surface;
• providing a support substrate;
• and
• attaching the bi-layer of polymeric material to the support substrate using an elastomeric foam, said bi-layer of polymeric material being formed by:
• i) applying a first layer of polymeric material to at least a portion of the mold surface by a spraying process;
• ii) providing a jig or mask that is configured in the shape of a desired tear seam pattern;
• iii) positioning the jig or mask onto the first layer of polymeric material;
• iv) applying a second layer of polymeric material onto the first layer of polymeric material by a spraying process with the jig or mask positioned on the first layer of polymeric material so that the polymeric material applied as the second layer does not overlap an upper portion of the jig or mask;
• and
• v) removing the jig or mask to form a tear seam in the resulting bi-layer.