Methods of making tiled articles and molds used to make retroreflective articles. The methods include forming a prism array on a master substrate and forming a replica of the master. A reference edge is formed on the replica, thereby reducing the size of the prism array, yet maintaining a lateral dimension of the replica to maintain ease of handling of the replica. The replica is copied and the reference edge on the copied tiles are exposed, such that the reference edge can be mated and secured face-to-face with a reference edge on other tiles in order to form a tiled article. The tiled article is used as a mold to produce retroreflective articles or can be further duplicated and mated to form larger tiled articles to be used as molds. Tiled articles used as molds and retroreflective articles produced from the molds are also disclosed.

Provided are microcellular plastic articles having improved reflective properties. Also provided are methods of utilizing the disclosed articles.

A vehicle interior trim assembly such as an air bag cover assembly having an illuminable emblem is provided. The assembly includes a vehicle interior trim part and an illumination module having a light source configured to generate visible light rays when energized. A lens includes at least one layer molded in a molding process from an optical-grade material. The lens has a pattern of light-extracting deformities to extract light rays from an interior of the lens at a set of surface-defining areas of the lens. The surface-defining areas are sized, shaped and arranged laterally relative to each other in an emblem pattern. A decorative emblem has reflective surfaces overlying and spaced away from the surface-defining areas by an air gap. The extracted light rays traveling across the gap are reflected by the reflective surfaces to generate light in the emblem pattern about peripheral surfaces of the decorative emblem.

A method and apparatus for making reflective surfaces within optically transmissive materials. The method includes steps of providing a blade having a sharp cutting edge, penetrating an optically transmissive material with the cutting edge to a predetermined penetration depth and moving the blade relative to the transmissive material to produce a continuous slit with reflective walls. The apparatus includes a material feeding mechanism configured to feed a flexible sheet in predefined stepped increments, a slitting blade with a surface portion having a root mean square surface profile roughness parameter below 100 nanometers, and a linear drive operatively associated with the slitting blade to reciprocally move the slitting blade perpendicular to a feed direction of the flexible sheet, where a stepped feed operation of the material feeding mechanism is alternating with a reciprocal operation of the linear drive.

A method for forming a retroreflective prism in a substrate includes inserting and retracting a single point diamond tool through a surface of the substrate while moving the single point diamond tool, the substrate, or both the single point diamond tool and the substrate in a direction of travel along at least one axis to generate a facet in the substrate having a facet face parallel to the direction of travel of at least one of the single diamond point tool or the substrate. The facet face has an angle defined by a chiseling edge of the single point diamond tool. The inserting and retracting is repeated at a plurality of locations on the substrate to form an array of retroreflective microstructures on the surface of the substrate. At least one of the array of retroreflective microstructures is a retroreflective prism having a polygonal projected aperture.

Retroreflective articles include transparent microspheres (120) protruding from a bead bond layer (140), with reflective metal layers (130) coated on a portion of the transparent microspheres. Retroreflective articles with anti-staining properties have bead bond layers that contain one or more corrosion inhibiting compounds. At least a portion of the one or more corrosion inhibiting compounds migrates through the reflective metal layer to passivate the exposed metal surface of the reflective metal layer.

The present disclosure is directed to lamina(e) comprising cube corner elements, a tool comprising an assembly of laminae and replicas thereof. The disclosure further relates to retroreflective sheeting.

A light assembly for a motor vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a light source, and a lens arrangement configured to direct light from the light source in a first direction toward a running board and a second direction away from the vehicle. A method is also disclosed.

A vehicle interior trim assembly such as an air bag cover assembly having an illuminable emblem is provided. The assembly includes a vehicle interior trim part and an illumination module having a light source configured to generate visible light rays when energized. A lens includes at least one layer molded in a molding process from an optical-grade material. The lens has a pattern of light-extracting deformities to extract light rays from an interior of the lens at a set of surface-defining areas of the lens. The surface-defining areas are sized, shaped and arranged laterally relative to each other in an emblem pattern. A decorative emblem has reflective surfaces overlying and spaced away from the surface-defining areas by an air gap. The extracted light rays traveling across the gap are reflected by the reflective surfaces to generate light in the emblem pattern about peripheral surfaces of the decorative emblem.

A garment with reflective material applied to an outer surface of the garment is provided herein. The reflective material is positioned on the garment based on modeled sun exposure. A method for modeling sun exposure to determine the positioning of reflective material on a garment is also provided herein. A system for modeling sun exposure, determining the position of reflective material on a garment, and applying the reflective material to the outer surface of the garment is also provided.