Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Random variegated coloring during molding – By extrusion
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-13
2001-11-20
Dixon, Merrick (Department: 1774)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Random variegated coloring during molding
By extrusion
C264S173170, C264S173180, C264S210100, C264S245000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06319438
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to trim components for automobiles and similar vehicles, as well as to methods of making the same. More particularly, this invention relates to exterior components of such vehicles which are provided for either appearance purposes or are of a size and shape to make a visual contribution to the exterior appearance of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known to apply automotive trim pieces to the exterior of wheeled vehicles such as cars and trucks. Examples of such trim include accent stripes, side door bumper elements, upper and lower bumper covers, air damns, A B C & D pillars, claddings, wheel covers, grills, moldings, appliques, wheel flare moldings, body panels, and bumper fascia. The instant invention further applies to exterior vehicle components which have previously been made of plastic materials, such as door sides and the like.
Exterior molded automotive trim components are typically painted in order to provide them with color. It is desirable that the paint color be compatible with the appearance of the vehicle (e.g. matching that of the vehicle, or complimentary thereto). Following painting of a molded piece of trim, a clear coat is often sprayed over the paint to give it luster.
Unfortunately, spray painting of molded components for use on vehicles is often undesirable due to the potential for resulting paint lines, a need for masking, and/or the corresponding labor involved. Moreover, spray painting is undesirable due to the high capital equipment cost associated with paint line equipment, and/or potentially hazardous environmental issues relating to required solvents and the like. Thus, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that it would be desirable if automotive trim components could be manufactured in a manner so that they were color compatible (e.g. matching or aesthetically pleasing complimentary or non-matching) with automotive exteriors, without the need for spray painting.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,680, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a trim product made as follows. As discussed at col. 6, lines 15-45 of the '680 patent, a thermoplastic resin is transformed during an injection molding process into a shaped substrate in the form of a bumper fascia. Thereafter, a clear coat is deposited thereon by brushing, spraying, dipping, or flow coating. Unfortunately, this method is problematic for at least the following reasons. First, as the semi-molten colored material flows into the injection molding cavity color pigments therein may tend to collect at corners, bosses or edges due to flow patterns and/or different thicknesses in the cavity. This may result in certain areas of the product being colored differently than others. Second, metallizing material is not disclosed as being introduceable into the colored material in the '680 patent. Third, color pigment distribution may be non-uniform and/or inconsistent because of the disruptions during introduction of molten thermoplastic resin into an injection molding device (e.g. after the injection molding cavity has been filled, introduction of the resin is stopped until the next shot). Again, this may lead to inconsistent coloring of the final product(s). Fourth, it is sometimes undesirable to use solvents in the application of the clear coat for environmental reasons. It is a purpose of this invention to overcome any or all of these problems.
Other problems with injection molding of colored materials are as follows: problems molding metallics as they tend to swirl or collect at gate(s) and other features; difficult to control gloss as the temperature of the mold required for optimum color material flow may not result in desired gloss; and ghosting.
Another approach to automotive trim coloring includes the use of dry paint film. Dry paint film technology is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,712, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Prior art
FIGS. 1-10
will be referred to for the purpose of describing conventional dry paint film technology. Automobile
1
of
FIG. 1
includes bumper fascia
3
, wheel covers
5
, and other exterior components which may be made via injection molding technology. The first step is the provision of dry laminate
7
of
FIG. 2
, including self-supporting carrier sheet
9
(i.e. casting film), clear coat
11
, paint coat
13
, and optional size coat
15
for providing adhesion to a backing sheet in a subsequent laminating step. Clear coat
11
is coated onto carrier
9
by a complicated reverse roll coating process shown in prior is art
FIG. 3
, in which clear coat lacquer is contained in coating pan
17
. Applicator roll
19
picks up lacquer from the pan and coats it onto carrier film
21
(or
9
) after it passes over guide roll
23
. After exiting the nip (or die) between applicator roll
19
and rubber backup roll
25
, the coated carrier film
27
passes to a multiple zone drying oven. After drying, a two layered laminate, including carrier
9
and clear coat
11
, is provided.
Color coat
13
is bonded to clear coat
11
after the clear coat has dried on carrier
9
. Color paint coat
13
is typically applied to the carrier by reverse roller coating techniques as shown in
FIG. 3
, with the color coat being dried by passing it through the multiple drying zones discussed above in curing the clear coat. Thus, the complicated reverse rolling techniques and multi-zone drying ovens of
FIG. 3
are utilized on numerous occasions. Size coat
15
is next coated onto paint coat
13
. The result is laminate
7
of FIG.
2
.
Laminate
7
is laminated to a backing sheet by dry paint transfer laminating techniques shown in
FIG. 4
, to form laminate
29
of FIG.
5
. During this laminating step of
FIG. 4
, paint-coated laminate
7
is stored on roll
31
and a flexible backing
33
is stored on roll
35
. When rolls
31
and
35
unwind as shown in
FIG. 4
, and the webs respectively pass over drums
37
, laminate
7
and sheet
33
are bonded together between heated laminating drum
39
and roll
41
. The resulting laminate
29
then passes onto storage drum
43
. The result is a roll of laminate
29
of
FIG. 5
, including a color determined by the colored pigment in paint layer
13
. Laminate
29
includes backing sheet
33
, size coat
15
, color coat
13
, and clear coat
11
.
Next, laminate
29
is thermo-formed into a desired three-dimensional shape. Referring to
FIG. 6
, laminate
29
is placed inside clamping frame
45
of a vacuum-forming machine. Frame
45
is moved into oven
47
for heating laminate
29
. Backing sheet
33
is heated in oven
47
and laminate
29
sags as shown at
49
. Then, clamping frame
45
is moved back to the position above vacuum-forming buck
51
. The preheated laminate
29
is vacuum-formed into a desired shape by drawing a vacuum on buck
51
through connection
53
to a vacuum pump, and buck
51
is raised to its
FIG. 7
position. Vacuum is pulled through holes in buck
51
to force the pre-heated plastic of laminate
29
into the shape of the working surface of buck
51
.
Next, shaped laminate
29
is bonded to a substrate panel as shown in
FIGS. 8-9
. Laminate
29
is placed in an injection mold and fused or bonded to the face of an injection molded substrate
55
.
FIG. 8
shows laminate
29
placed in the mold cavity between front and rear mold halves
57
and
59
. Surface
61
may be a rigid, high gloss, highly polished surface. After laminate
29
is in place, semi-molten injection molding material
55
is injected into the mold through passage
63
behind laminate
29
. The molding material conforms to the shape of the mold cavity and is permanently fused to backing sheet
33
of laminate
29
in the mold. A cross-section of the resulting three-dimensionally molded trim component is shown in FIG.
10
.
As can be seen above, dry paint film transfer technology may be burdensome and complicated. For example, the aforesaid process illustrated in
FIGS. 1-10
requires going through rollers and dryers on numerous oc
Sienkiewicz John
Smith Henry H.
Dixon Merrick
Guardian Automotive Trim, Inc.
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
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