Reusable support for a contoured surface of a part allowing machining of an opposite side of the part

A process for supporting a series of blocks of polymeric foam material each having at least one non-planar contoured surface while machining an opposite surface of each block of polymeric foam material, the process comprising the steps of:

• processing a block of polymeric foam material on a machine to form a cavity having the at least one non-planar contoured surface therein;
• inserting a support having into the formed cavity, the support having a contour complementary to the non-planar surface in the cavity to support the at least one non-planar contoured surface, the support having a planar surface opposed to the complementary contour, the support made of an expandable polymeric foam material,
• wherein the support is formed by a process comprising the steps of:
• a. introducing an expendible foam material the cavity formed in the block of polymeric foam material;
• b. permitting the introduced foam material to cure in the cavity formed in the block of polymeric material to form the support;
• and
• rotating the block of material onto the opposed planar surface of the support and machining the opposite side of the block of material;
• releasing the support along a parting line defined by the complementary contour;
• removing the support composed of cured expandible foam material from the suitable configured cavity;
• and
• reusing the support for the next block of polymeric foam material having the same contour configuration.

A process for manufacturing prototype polyurethane automotive interior parts using a computer numeric controlled (CNC) machine to form part contours from a block of high density polyurethane foam while using a removable polyurethane foam support for supporting a first contoured surface, while machining an opposite contoured surface of the block of high density polyurethane foam, the process comprising the steps of:

• processing a block of high density polyurethane foam material on a CNC machine to cut a first contoured surface in a first face of the block of high density polyurethane material, the first contoured surface communicating with an opening defined in the block of high density polyurethane foam material;
• placing a release layer of material over the contoured surface defined in the first face of the block of high density polyurethane material;
• applying expandable foam material over the release layer of material;
• allowing the expandable foam material to cure and expand beyond the opening defined in the block of high density polyurethane foam material;
• cutting at least a portion of the cured expandable foam material applied over the release layer of material that has expanded beyond the opening defined in the block of high density polyurethane foam material to form a level planar surface opposed to the contoured surface defined in the block of high density foam material;
• rotating the block of high density polyurethane foam material to be supported on the level planar surface defined in the cured expandable foam material in order to support the block of high density polyurethane foam material with the opposite face presented for processing by the CNC machine;
• processing the opposite face of the block of high density polyurethane foam material on the CNC machine to cut a second contoured surface opposite from the first contoured surface;
• removing the machined block of high density polyurethane foam material from the CNC machine with the cured expandable foam material in position therein;
• releasing the cured expandable foam material supporting the first contoured surface of the block along a parting line defined by the release layer of material;
• and
• reusing the removed cured expandable foam material as an insertable support for another block of high density polyurethane foam material to be machined with an identical configuration.