Weatherstrip Surface Coating for Textile-Like Appearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing production methods for sealing strips with decorative textile-like surfaces are labor-intensive and costly, limiting their use mainly to luxury vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A sealing strip with a structured surface coating, featuring longitudinal and transverse grooves and a rough coating surface, mimicking a textile material appearance, is produced using extrusion and lacquer coating with embedded particles to create a cost-effective and visually appealing decorative effect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a decorative textile material layer is applied to sealing strands, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the production becomes labor intensive and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the sealing strand base material with a structured coating layer in a single integrated component. The coating is applied directly to the sealing strand surface and includes structural elements (grooves, protrusions) that are formed simultaneously with or integrated into the coating process, eliminating the need for separate textile material application steps while achieving the desired aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical application of textile material layers (which requires labor-intensive manual or complex automated processes) with a coating application process that can be performed using standard coating equipment. The structured surface is created through coating techniques rather than through mechanical assembly of textile materials.
2Shape
If a structured coating with microcapsules is applied to create textile-like surface, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex with additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex microcapsule component from the coating structure. Instead of using microcapsules to create the textile-like appearance, the patent achieves the same aesthetic effect through the structural configuration of the coating itself (grooves, protrusions, and surface patterns) that can be formed using conventional coating techniques without requiring additional functional components.
3Shape
If manual application of decorative coating is used, then the aesthetic quality is improved, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces manual coating application with automated coating processes. The structured coating can be applied using spray coating, dip coating, or other automated coating techniques that maintain consistent quality while enabling high-volume production. The structural features (grooves, protrusions) are formed through the coating process itself rather than through manual manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention incorporates the structural features of the coating (grooves, protrusions, surface patterns) into the coating formulation or application process itself, so that the aesthetic quality is achieved during the coating application rather than requiring subsequent manual finishing or adjustment steps.
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 enables a cost-efficient production of sealing strips with a realistic textile-like appearance, applicable beyond luxury vehicles, enhancing aesthetic appeal while reducing production complexity.
Implementation Method 1
A lacquer coating is applied to the sealing material of the surface section 5. For example, due to particles embedded in the paint, the paint forms a rough surface.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A lacquer coat is applied over the entire exposed surface (5a) of a circular arc cross-section in a weatherstrip. The coated surface is formed into a rough texture similar to that of fabric.