Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Tops – Roof structure
Reexamination Certificate
2007-08-14
2007-08-14
Gordon, Stephen (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Tops
Roof structure
C296S039100
Reexamination Certificate
active
10981338
ABSTRACT:
A twin-sheet thermoforming process for the manufacture of vehicle headliners. In the process a first sheet and second sheet of SuperLite material are mounted onto respective frames. The frames transfer the sheets into an oven, where they are heated to a desired temperature using IR. The first sheet is combined with a cover-stock material using compression molding forming a covered first headliner part. The covered first headliner part is then transferred to a second mold station. The second sheet is heated and then transferred from the oven to the second mold station where it is vacuum-formed on the upper half mold, forming a second headliner part. The upper and lower mold halves are pressed together fusing and sealing the first and second headliner parts into a unified part. The unified part is then unloaded and trimmed as necessary forming a headliner. The SuperLite material used to form the headliner is a sheet of low pressure, thermoformable, thermoplastic composite comprised of polypropylene and long chopped glass fibers.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4741945 (1988-05-01), Brant et al.
patent: 6120090 (2000-09-01), Van Ert et al.
patent: 6652021 (2003-11-01), Dykman et al.
Bristow Paul A.
Hemstreet Richard D.
Hipwell Jesse G.
Azdel, Inc.
Clements / Walker
Gordon Stephen
Miller Jason S.
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