Door trim panel assembly having integrated soft-touch aesthetic feature and method of manufacturing same
First Claim
1. A method of manufacturing a component of a door trim panel assembly for the interior of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
- actuating a core within a mold cavity so as to partition at least one area of said mold cavity to prevent a first molten thermoplastic material from completely filling said mold cavity;
injecting the first molten thermoplastic material having a predetermined density into a mold cavity so as to fill said mold cavity thereby forming a structural element;
retracting the core within the mold cavity to provide at least one secondary void within said mold cavity; and
injecting a second molten thermoplastic material having a density less than the predetermined density of said first molten thermoplastic material into said secondary void of said mold cavity to form at least one soft-touch area bonded to and adjacent at least a portion of said structural element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a door trim panel assembly having an integrated soft-touch area including actuating a core within a mold cavity so as to partition at least one area of the mold cavity, to prevent a first molten thermoplastic material from completely filling the mold cavity. A first molten thermoplastic material having a predetermined density is then injected into a mold cavity so as to fill the mold cavity thereby forming a structural element. The core is then retracted within the mold cavity to provide at least one secondary void within the mold cavity. A second molten thermoplastic material having a density less than the predetermined density of the first molten thermoplastic material is then injected into said secondary void of the mold cavity to form at least one soft-touch area bonded to and adjacent at least a portion of the structural element.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing a component of a door trim panel assembly for the interior of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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actuating a core within a mold cavity so as to partition at least one area of said mold cavity to prevent a first molten thermoplastic material from completely filling said mold cavity;
injecting the first molten thermoplastic material having a predetermined density into a mold cavity so as to fill said mold cavity thereby forming a structural element;
retracting the core within the mold cavity to provide at least one secondary void within said mold cavity; and
injecting a second molten thermoplastic material having a density less than the predetermined density of said first molten thermoplastic material into said secondary void of said mold cavity to form at least one soft-touch area bonded to and adjacent at least a portion of said structural element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 10)
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6. A method of manufacturing a component of a door trim panel assembly for the interior of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a mold having first and second die halves and a core moveably supported relative to said die halves and disposed therebetween to define a first and second mold cavity between said moveable core and said first and second die halves;
injecting said first molten thermoplastic material having a predetermined density into said first mold cavity so as to fill said first mold cavity thereby forming a structural element;
moving a core relative to said first and second die halves to define said second mold cavity; and
injecting a second molten thermoplastic material having a density less than the predetermined density of said first molten thermoplastic material into said second mold cavity thereby forming at least one soft-touch area bonded to and adjacent at least a portion of said structural element of said component. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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11. A component of a door trim panel assembly for the interior of a vehicle, said component comprising:
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a structural element formed from the injection of a first molten thermoplastic material having a predetermined density into a mold cavity; and
a soft touch area bonded to and adjacent at least a portion of said structural element, said soft-touch area formed from the injecting a second molten thermoplastic material having a density less than the predetermined density of the first molten thermoplastic material into a secondary void of the mold cavity. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification