Thermoplastic Surface Texture Copying via Pressure Differential
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high manufacturing costs associated with offering different surface textures for vehicle interior cladding components limit customer choices, as existing methods are not economically viable for providing a variety of textures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a manufacturing device with a pressure chamber and pressure adjusting units to copy a surface texture from a surface carrier object to an airtight thermoplastic surface layer using pressure differences, facilitated by a digital or 3D-printed surface texture, allowing for easy and cost-effective replication of various designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional methods are used to provide different surface textures for interior cladding components, then customer choice is limited, but manufacturing costs remain unacceptably high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the copying principle by creating a master surface carrier object with the desired texture using digital or 3D printing, then replicating this texture onto the interior cladding component through contact with a thermoplastic layer. This allows unlimited variations of surface textures to be offered to customers without incurring high manufacturing costs for each new texture, as the master object can be digitally redesigned and reproduced indefinitely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by heating the thermoplastic surface layer to increase its temperature above the glass transition temperature, making it pliable and capable of conforming to the surface carrier object. This temperature parameter change enables the texture transfer process to occur without requiring complex mechanical pressing systems, thereby maintaining cost-effectiveness while achieving versatile texture replication.
2Manufacturing precision
If mechanical units contact the surface layer to apply forces for texture copying, then texture transfer is achieved, but the surface layer is subjected to mechanical damage and defects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of direct contact and pressing with a thermal field approach. By heating the thermoplastic surface layer to make it pliable, the texture transfer occurs through thermal softening rather than mechanical force application. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical units that would contact and potentially damage the surface layer, thereby reducing defects while maintaining texture copy quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits the phase transition of the thermoplastic material by heating it above its glass transition temperature, causing it to transition from a rigid state to a pliable state. This phase change allows the material to conform to the surface carrier object's texture without requiring external mechanical pressure, thus avoiding mechanical damage while achieving high-quality texture replication.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple surface textures are offered to increase customer choice, then versatility improves, but manufacturing complexity and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality through the reusable surface carrier object that can be used repeatedly for different texture replication projects. Once a master surface carrier object is created with a specific texture, it can be used indefinitely for producing components with that texture. To offer new textures, only the digital design of the master object needs to be changed, not the entire manufacturing system, thereby maintaining device simplicity while providing versatile customer options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-creating the surface carrier object with the desired texture using digital or 3D printing before the actual manufacturing of interior cladding components. This preparatory step allows the texture to be embedded in a reusable master object, eliminating the need for complex real-time texture generation equipment during production. The manufacturing device remains simple, while the ability to offer various textures is achieved through pre-prepared master objects.
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 method allows for the simple and inexpensive replication of multiple surface textures on vehicle interior cladding components, increasing customer choice without significant cost or time increments, using pressure differences to transfer the texture without mechanical contact, thus reducing defects and enabling gentle handling.
Implementation Method 1
applying a pressure difference between the first pressure chamber section and the second pressure chamber section such that the airtight thermoplastic surface layer is pressed on the surface carrier object
Implementation Method 2
the method may comprise the step of heating the airtight thermoplastic surface layer up to or near to the softening point of the airtight thermoplastic surface layer by a heating unit
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for copying a surface texture (10) of a surface carrier object (12) to an air tight thermoplastic surface layer of an interior cladding component (16) of a vehicle (18), the method comprising the steps of - fixing the airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14) inside the pressure chamber (22) by means of the fixing device (52) such that the airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14) divides the pressure chamber (22) into a first pressure chamber section (54) and a second pressure chamber section (56), - positioning the surface carrier object (12) inside the pressure chamber (22) by means of the positioning device (48) in the vicinity of the airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14) in the first pressure chamber section (54) or the second pressure chamber section (56), the surface texture of which facing the airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14), - applying a pressure difference between the first pressure chamber section (54) and the second pressure chamber section (56) such that the airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14) is pressed on the surface carrier object (12), thereby copying a surface texture (10) of a surface carrier object (12) to an airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14) . Moreover, the invention relates to an interior cladding component (16) of a vehicle (18), comprising an airtight thermoplastic surface layer (14) obtained by this method.