Decorative components for motor vehicle interiors

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a decorative components for vehicle interiors, comprises the steps of pre-forming a sheet of formable veneer material under pressure and heath, positioning the pre-formed sheet in a mold half of an injection mold comprising a cavity; holding the sheet in position on the mold half, closing said mold and injecting into the cavity one or more thermoplastic materials on the back of the veneer sheet to provide a support layer.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to decorative components for motor vehicle interiors, as well as to a method and devices for their production. [0002] 1. Background of the Invention [0003] In the automotive field the demand for decorative parts or components, in particular made of wood, continues to rise. It is known to cover an aluminum or plastic core with a layer of wood or other decorative layer that is glued and finished manually. [0004] To reduce the time required by such manual operations, techniques have been developed that produce a laminated shell in a one-step method with a wood veneer and a supporting layer of a thermosetting resin. A disadvantage of this technique is that pieces with hooks, locking rims and other mechanical attachment means cannot be produced. Another disadvantage is the long production times. [0005] 2. Discussion of the Prior Art [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,302 discloses a process for the production of steering wheels with a w...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019] Preferably, the decorative components obtained according to the invention comprise a first layer of thermoplastic glued to the decorative material layer and a second layer of thermoplastic injected onto the said first layer. A layer of fabric or non-woven fabric may be bonded externally to the layer of thermoplastic glued to the decorative material layer in order to improve flexibility and the adhesion of the injected material on the decorative portion.

Problems solved by technology

This technique has several drawbacks because pieces with means of attachment or locking rims or undercuts cannot be produced.

Moreover, like in the thermosetting-resin molding technique, it also requires a manual finishing step.

The above methods are long and complex, involving several coupling and coating steps and are limited to pre-forming of very simple shapes, thus resulting in expensive production processes.

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