Injection Molding Automotive Parts
Many automotive parts can be formed by injection molding. (RDC 2/15/2010)
Interior Door Panels Motor vehicle interiors have many interior components made of trim panels such as an interior door panel. The common interior door panels consists of a rigid door panel substrate and a relatively soft bolster. In these types of door panels the bolster is typically disposed above an armrest of the door panel and below an upper edge of a door. While the bolster typically provides a decorative and/or soft area to a portion of the door panel above the armrest, the remainder of the door panel above the arm rest remains relatively rigid, especially in contrast to the bolster area. In a typical door panel manufacturing process, the bolster, the rigid upper door panel, and the rigid lower door panel substrate are formed separately and heat staked or attached via other suitable attachment mechanisms to form a door panel. Such a manufacturing process requires a secondary operation such as heat staking. (Cowelchuk et al., US Patent 7,572,401, 8/11/2009)
Recent US Patents
11/29/2011
8,066,925
Moulding process and product
Dodworth of Bentley Motors, Great Britain, developed a molding process for automotive parts using a mold with metals sprayed with a metal and a thermal expansion layer and a layer of fiber reinforced plastic (RDC 12/5/2011)
10/12/2010
7,811,497
Multi-color injection molded door panel and process
Balint and Wolters of Johnson Controls has manufactured a multicolored automotive part, such as a door panel, using multiple molding shots without opening the mold between each shot. (RDC 1/7/2011)
9/7/2010
7,790,083
Method for producing a throttle valve unit in a two-component injection molding process
Lorenz et al of Rober Bosch, Germany has molded an automotive throttle valve unit having a housing and a moveable valve flap by first, molding the housing part and, then, transferring the housing to a second cavity and injecting the movable valve flap inside the housing. (RDC 11/29/2010)
7/20/2010
7,758,787
Multi-shot injection molded component and method of manufacture
Grems et al of Intier Automotive has molded interior door panels consisting of a core, a relatively rigid plastic covered with a soft touch plastic. (RDC 9/22/2010)
8/11/2009
7,572,401
Insert molded bolster in two-shot door panel.
Cowelchuk et al of International Automotive Components Group molded automobile interior door panel with two shots, one for the lower door and one for the upper door panels.