Interior panels for motor vehicles and methods for making such interior panels are provided. In one example, an interior panel includes a substrate and a skin covering that at least partially overlays the substrate. A foam is disposed between the skin covering and the substrate. A gas-receiving hollow structure is at least partially disposed in the foam. The gas-receiving hollow structure has an opening configured for receiving gas and includes a wall that at least partially surrounds a chamber that is in fluid communication with the opening.

Proposed are an apparatus and a method for expanded polypropylene (EPP) molding. The apparatus for EPP molding includes an upper mold, a lower mold forming a cavity, which is a space for manufacturing a molded product, together with the upper mold, a skin holding means provided at the upper mold or the lower mold, an insert holding means provided at one of the upper mold and the lower mold where the skin holding means is not provided, a resin supply means supplying a polypropylene resin to the cavity, a heating means applying heat to the polypropylene resin supplied to the cavity, and a mold driving means moving the upper mold and the lower mold in directions towards or away from each other.

The invention relates to a steering wheel (1), especially a leather steering wheel, comprising a steering wheel skeleton (10), a foam padding (11) surrounding the steering wheel skeleton (10) at least partially and a wrapping (12) which encompasses the foam padding (11) at least in portions, wherein adjacent longitudinal edges (13) of the wrapping (12) are covered by a profile bead (20), in particular a decorative bead (24), the profile bead (20) including at least one anchoring element (21) which is fixed directly in the foam padding (11) for fastening the wrapping (12). Moreover the invention relates to a method of manufacturing such steering wheel.

A mold is described for production of a molded element. The mold includes a first mold portion and a second mold portion engageable to define a mold cavity. The mold further includes at least one insert element having a textured surface and configured to create a first internal surface and a second internal surface opposed to one another in molded element. The textured surface may include a plurality of peak portions and a plurality of valley portions. The at least one insert element may be affixed to one of the first mold portion and the second mold portion, or is moveable with respect to one or both of the first mold portion and the second mold portion to facilitate demolding of the molded element.

A method of packaging an object includes positioning the object on an array of foam injectors, each of which is proximate at least one other foam injector in the array along a first direction and also abuts at least a second other foam injector in the array along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. Each foam injector in the array is configured to translate along a third direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second directions. The method includes translating a first subset of the foam injectors along the third direction so as to define a mold that surrounds the object with respect to the first and second directions and injecting liquid foam into the mold from a second subset of the foam injectors so as to enclose the object in liquid foam with respect to the first and second directions.

A steering wheel (1) includes a steering wheel skeleton (10), a foam padding (11) surrounding the steering wheel skeleton (10) at least partially, and a wrapping (12) which encompasses the foam padding (11) at least in portions. Adjacent longitudinal edges (13) of the wrapping (12) are covered by a profile bead (20), in particular a decorative bead (24). The profile bead (20) includes at least one anchoring element (21) which is fixed directly in the foam padding (11) for fastening the wrapping (12).

A foam seating article includes a layer of molded foam surrounding a hollow shell made of hard plastic. A fabric covering encloses the shell and molded foam. The foam seating article can take the form of a chair, stool, sofa, chaise lounge, bench or Ottoman. The hollow shell can be formed using blow molding, injection molding or by capping both ends of a tube with disks. Air pressure inside the airtight hollow shell prevents the shell from collapsing inwards under the weight of an occupant. Alternatively, the hollow shell of the seating article can be accessed through a removable lid. The seating article includes no wood or metal. The layer of molded foam includes sections of different foam types, such as high density (HD) foam, memory foam and latex foam. Molding foam around a hard plastic shell is simpler and less costly than making conventional metal or wood framed furniture.

A process and assembly for producing a structural article, as well as an article produced according to any process and assembly. A mold has a base and a hinged lid, either or both of which include a cavity interior which defines a negative of the structural article to be produced. A structural insert placed within the mold, prior or subsequent to a plasticized and structural forming foam material also being placed within the mold. The foam cures and sets in encapsulating fashion around the insert so that, upon removal, the insert is coated within the formed material.

Composite materials having superior material properties useful as impact absorbing devices can be fabricated by embedding a lattice structure (e.g., polymer lattice structure) within a foam, so that the foam reinforces the lattice structure under impact. Materials and dimensions of the foam and the lattice structure may be selected to achieve composite materials having tailored impact absorbing elastic and/or viscoelastic responses over a wide range of temperatures.

Interior panels for motor vehicles and methods for making such interior panels are provided. In one example, an interior panel includes a substrate and a skin covering that at least partially overlays the substrate. A foam is disposed between the skin covering and the substrate. A gas-receiving hollow structure is at least partially disposed in the foam. The gas-receiving hollow structure has an opening configured for receiving gas and includes a wall that at least partially surrounds a chamber that is in fluid communication with the opening.