Flexible touch fastener products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mold-in fasteners for vehicle seats face challenges in maintaining exposure during the foam molding process, particularly for narrow fastener strips, leading to potential fouling and the need for improved methods to secure seat covers without deep creases or tuck points.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a flexible substrate with a ferromagnetic coating applied to one side, where a resin layer is molded to cover only part of the substrate, leaving regions exposed, and the ferromagnetic coating extends under both the resin layer and exposed regions, providing a barrier against foam intrusion while allowing the fastener elements to remain accessible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If narrow fastener strips are used in mold-in fasteners, then the fastener elements can be positioned precisely, but the male touch fastener elements become fouled during the foam molding process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a flexible ferromagnetic coating layer on the backside of the fastener strip that acts as a barrier to foam intrusion while allowing the strip to remain flexible during molding. This thin film coating prevents foam from fouling the fastener elements while maintaining the positioning precision of narrow fastener strips.
2Reliability
If the ferromagnetic coating covers the entire second side of the flexible substrate, then foam intrusion is prevented, but the product complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements ferromagnetic coating in localized regions rather than uniformly across the entire substrate. The coating is applied in spaced-apart lanes or islands that correspond to the fastener element locations, providing foam protection only where needed while reducing overall coating material and simplifying the coating configuration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures consistent engagement of seat covers across wide areas, prevents wrinkling, and allows for cost-effective production with flexible materials, suitable for various applications, including automotive seating.
Implementation Method 1
a mold-in product including a flexible substrate, a ferromagnetic coating on a first side of the flexible substrate, and a resin layer molded on the first side of the flexible substrate
Data Source
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AI summary
A sheet-form fastener product (10) has a flexible substrate (12) such as a lightweight non-woven fabric and a resin layer (14) covering only part of one side (16) of the flexible substrate and leaving a region (18) of the flexible substrate exposed. The resin layer (14) carries multiple touch fastener elements (22) each having a resin stem (28) extending integrally from the layer (14) away from the flexible substrate (12) to an engageable head (30). A flexible ferromagnetic coating (24) is bonded to the flexible substrate (12) and extends under both the resin layer (14) and the exposed region (18) of the flexible substrate (12). The resin layer can be arranged as spaced-apart lanes or islands of resin and the coating can be arranged as spaced lanes or islands or otherwise leaving at least a portion of the substrate exposed.