Vehicle Interior Skin Molding for Uniform Skin-Core Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing vehicle interior materials, particularly those with a skin and core structure, often result in thickness deviations and defects due to incomplete contact between the skin and core, leading to manufacturing inefficiencies and quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a multi-layered skin structure composed of thermosetting and thermoplastic resin layers, with controlled heating and molding processes using separate mold temperatures to ensure complete contact and enhanced pressing strength between the skin and core, supported by a vibration mechanism to improve contact and freedom of movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a skin and core structure is used to manufacture vehicle interior materials, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but thickness deviation and defects occur due to incomplete contact between skin and core
Solution Approach 1:
The skin is pre-formed into a cavity structure before being assembled with the core. This preliminary shaping allows the skin to better conform to the core geometry, ensuring complete contact and eliminating thickness deviations during final assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the skin material is changed through temperature and pressure control during molding. By adjusting these parameters, the skin achieves optimal flexibility for conforming to the core while maintaining complete contact, thereby eliminating defects and thickness variations
2Reliability
If the skin is pressed excessively onto the core, then contact area is improved, but the skin loses freedom of movement and causes positional deviation
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the skin are given different degrees of freedom through localized structural design. The skin structure includes rigid portions for stable contact with the core and flexible portions that maintain freedom of movement, allowing complete contact without positional deviation
Solution Approach 2:
The skin structure is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to adapt its flexibility based on the molding conditions. During pressing, the skin achieves complete contact, while in its natural state it maintains freedom of movement, thus preventing positional deviation
3Ease of manufacture
If a single-layer skin structure is used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but tactility and moldability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The skin is constructed as a composite structure with multiple layers, each having different properties. This composite design enhances both tactility and moldability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through integrated molding processes
Solution Approach 2:
The skin is divided into multiple functional layers, each performing a specific function. This segmentation allows optimization of each layer for its particular purpose while maintaining overall manufacturing efficiency through simultaneous molding
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
This approach enables the production of vehicle interior materials with improved tactility, moldability, and reduced defect rates by ensuring complete contact between the skin and core, thereby enhancing the pressing strength and degree of freedom during the molding process.
Implementation Method 1
heating a skin inserted into an upper end heater and a lower end heater spaced apart from each other
Implementation Method 2
pressing the preformed skin and a core using a 1-1 mold and a 1-2 mold having set mold temperatures
Implementation Method 3
supported by a vibration mechanism to improve contact and freedom of movement
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an interior material for a vehicle and a method for molding the interior material for the vehicle, and more specifically the method for molding an interior material for a vehicle according to the present disclosure includes heating a skin inserted into an upper end heater and a lower end heater spaced apart from each other; preforming the heated skin using an upper mold having a mold temperature set to have a set shape and a lower mold having a second mold temperature; and pressing the preformed skin and a core using a 1-1 mold and a 1-2 mold having set mold temperatures.