Vehicle interior article of skin-integrated laminate, method for manufacturing non-foaming polyurethane resin and method for manufacturing skin-integrated laminate using the same

• US 7,572,404 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covestro Deutschland AG
• Original Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG (Covestro AG)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Shinji, Suzuki, Masaru, Ido, Hiroaki, Ikuta, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): HUSON, MONICA ANNE
• Application Number:
  US11/408,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20060264522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 264/328.6
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/6685 with compounds of group C08G18/3225 or polyamines of C08G18/38
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2120/00 Compositions for reaction injection moulding processes

Abstract

The present invention is directed to skin-integrated laminates and their use as vehicle interior articles, in which the laminates feel comfortable to the touch and have a high quality of external appearances. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing these non-foaming polyurethane resins for use as design skins in vehicle interior articles and to a method for manufacturing a skin-integrated laminate from these non-foaming polyurethane resins, with both methods having increased productivity and lower cost, and without any adverse influence on the work environment. The non-foaming polyurethane resin forms a design skin surface by a reaction injection molding process, in which (I) a polyol mixture of (1) a polyol, (2) a chain extender which is 1-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,4-diaminobenzene and/or 1-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,6-diaminobenzene, (3) a catalyst, and (4) optionally, an auxiliary agent, and (II) a polyisocyanate compound, are reacted. The surface hardness of the non-foaming polyurethane resin, as measured by an Asker A hardness meter, is from 30 to 70.

Claims

1. A method of producing a vehicle-interior, integral molded article comprising a skin-integrated laminate comprising:

(i) a design surface skin of a non-foaming polyurethane resin and (ii) a core material, comprising the steps of;

(1) installing a core material to a core part of an article mold,

(2) applying a mold release agent on a cavity part surface of an article mold,

(3) optionally, applying a paint film on the cavity part surface of an article mold,

(4) closing the core part and the cavity part of an article mold,

(5) reaction injection molding (I) a polyol mixture and (II) a polyisocyanate compound, thereby forming a reaction mixture of (I) said polyol mixture and (II) said polyisocyanate compound, wherein the reaction mixture has a gel time of 5.0 to 15.0 seconds, and wherein (I) said polyol mixture comprises;

(1) a polyol, (2) from 2.0 to 7.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of (I) the polyol mixture, of a chain extender, the chain extender being selected from the group consisting of 1-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,4-diaminobenzene, 1-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,6-diaminobenzene and mixtures thereof, (3) a catalyst, and (4) optionally, an auxiliary agent, to create a non-foaming polyurethane resin having a surface hardness of 30 to 70 as measured by an Asker A hardness meter at a cure time of 30 to 100 seconds;

and

(6) removing the integral molded article.