Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Pore forming in situ – Composite article making
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-09
2004-02-24
Davis, Robert (Department: 1722)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Pore forming in situ
Composite article making
C264S163000, C264S257000, C264S266000, C264SDIG006, C425S00400R, C425S125000, C425S127000, C425S129100, C425S292000, C425S302100, C425S81700C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06695998
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to shaped laminates and, more particularly, to a mold apparatus and method for molding clad products or partially clad products, which includes means to perform perimeter edge folding and perimeter trimming of a cladding layer in a single operation.
Current vehicle inner door panels comprise laminates of various types. In some inner door panels, a structural backing material is covered by an embossed covering, which is often vinyl. These panels are formed by bonding the covering to the backing in a mold which embosses the covering. Sometimes a filler material, such as cellulose or a foam sheet, is bonded between the backing and covering. After bonding, the periphery of these panels must be trimmed before vehicle installation. In the past, this trimming has been usually accomplished in a separate trim fixture.
The industry has developed a mold apparatus wherein the laminate is formed in a mold that also includes external trimming knives that provide a finished panel ready for vehicle installation. Such apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,108 to Cesano. All of the materials used in forming the Cesano type of laminated panel are preformed.
Another type of inner door panel in use is a laminate comprising a structural substrate of reinforced foam covered by a vinyl covering. This type of laminate is formed by placing the vinyl and reinforcing material in a mold and thereafter injecting foamable materials, which expand, set up and cure in the mold. After curing, this unfinished laminate requires further processing before it is ready for vehicle installation. It is removed from the mold and transferred to a trim fixture, where it is finally trimmed by accurately cutting the periphery with a water jet or the like.
Some problems attend this post-formation trimming operation. For example, the unfinished panel must be accurately positioned in the fixture. If it is not, the final panel will be out of dimension and unusable. Such a panel must be scrapped. Also, this post-formation trimming operation requires additional handling, equipment and labor.
It would be desirable to provide apparatus for forming a laminated panel which produces a finished panel needing no further processing.
It would be further desirable to provide a mold for forming a laminated panel comprising a structural foam backing having a decorative covering material that is ready for installation upon removal from the mold.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,243,456 (Cesano) and 4,328,067 (Cesano) disclose a laminating method and apparatus for making shaped laminates such as inner door panels for automobiles produced from a thermoplastic substrate and a flexible sheet material. A one-stroke operation molds, laminates, and cuts. The laminated products have protruding free edge portions so that cut edge portions can be subsequently covered with the protruding free edge portions. The apparatus and method do not provide for folding over of the laminate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,049 (Miller) discloses a method of forming automotive headliners from a flat strip having laminated layers of resilient, cellular foamed plastic and a finish textile material. The strip is cut to form a flat blank which is heated to a temperature at which the foamed plastic loses its resilience. In its heated state, the blank is compressively formed and simultaneously trimmed in a mold to the desired size and contour. The cells adjacent the marginal edge of the blank are reduced in size to reduce the wall thickness of the blank. No edge folding takes place. Here, there is preferably a backing of a cellular thermoplastic material such as foamed polystyrene, an intermediate layer of a cellular, foamed thermoplastic such as polyurethane, and a finish layer formed of a thin textile material such as nylon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,088 (Daines) discloses a method and mold for making an improved egg carton wherein an inwardly offset surface of the cover of the carton is cut in a plane transverse to the top of the cover. This disclosure is not directed to laminates, nor does it include a folding step.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,443 (Rabotski) discloses a steam chest molding process in general, wherein articles such as foamed boards or sheets are molded from expanded foam material, such as polystyrene. A cavity is filled with beads of partially expanded polystyrene and steam is used to completely expand the beads. The foam is then cooled with water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,692,108 (Cesano) discloses a mold for the covering and trimming of products of plastics material, particularly for panels for the inside upholstery of motor vehicles. The covering material may be formed of plastic sheets, e.g., PVC, textile cloths, or fabrics. This covering material is heat secured to a sheet of any substantially rigid and heat formable (i.e. thermoplastic) material, e.g., polyolefins, and the like. Trimming knives are arranged in the female element of the mold, around the male element. The trimming knives are slidably guided transverse to the male element of the mold and are carried by slides either horizontally or at an angle of 0 to 15 degrees to the horizontal. The trimming knives first penetrate the plastic sheet and then cut both the covering material and the plastic sheet which simultaneously trims the edges of the plastic sheet and folds the covering material over so as to cover the edges of the plastic sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,397 (Hara et al.) discloses a process for producing multilayer molded articles including folding of skin material over a back of a resin material. The skin material is supplied between a pair of molds and thermoplastic resin melt is supplied to form a multilayer molded article. At least one ejector is provided to fold an edge of the skin material toward the center of the mold over the back of the resin body. The skin material may be fabric, nets of fibers or resins, paper, metal foil or sheets, or a film of thermoplastic resin or elastomer or rubber. The thermoplastic resin melt may be expandable or nonexpandable resins such as thermoplastic resins (e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and the like). Numerous expansion members such as air cylinders or hydraulic cylinders are used both in the mold-closing direction and perpendicular to the mold-closing direction to effect the folding and trimming operations. Here, it would be desirable for folding and trimming to occur in substantially fewer steps.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,421 (Stein) discloses a method and mold for forming and trimming a shaped vehicle inner door panel. The panel includes a vinyl cover layer and a structural foam backing layer. Upper and lower mold members have peripheral seals which define a mold cavity when the mold is closed. A plurality of moveable trim blades are carried by the lower mold member adjacent the seal. The trim blades move between retracted, intermediate and extended positions. Hydraulic rams open and close the mold and move the trim blades. A cladding layer of vinyl and substrate are placed across the lower mold member and the mold is closed to seal the substrate and cladding layer about their periphery. As the mold closes, abutment surfaces on both mold members advance the trim blades to an intermediate position to pinch the cladding layer against the substrate inwardly of the peripheral seals. A two-part polyurethane liquid foam system is injected into the cavity. The liquid permeates the substrate and sets up within the area delimited by the trim blades. When the foam sets up, the trim blades are hydraulically extended to sever the substrate and cover layer and trim the door panel to its finished shape as the foam fully cures. The mold members are opened, the blades are spring retracted, and the finished door panel is removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,789 (Stein et al.) discloses a vehicle door panel manufacturing method that includes a first membrane with a foam backing, an apertured second membrane spread adjacent the foam backing of the first membrane, and a moldable rigid polymeric material providing a backing for the second m
Gibson Thomas W.
Litwiller Douglas
Rude Benji
Sandefer Paul
Stein Arthur C.
Caesar Rivise Bernstein Cohen & Pokotilow Ltd.
Davis Robert
Del Sol Joseph S
JSP Licenses, Inc.
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