Equipment of making a substrate of plastic flooring contains: an extrusion unit, a thickness regulating unit, and a rolling apparatus. The extrusion unit includes an outlet, and the thickness regulating unit including an inlet, a channel, and a cooler. The rolling apparatus includes a first roller, a second roller, and a press roller. The press roller at least includes a contacting roller and a pressing roller, wherein the contacting roller is configured to roll a foaming sheet, a printing layer, and an abrasion resistant layer. Furthermore, a heating unit heats the foaming sheet, the printing layer, and the abrasion resistant layer so that the foaming sheet, the printing layer, and the abrasion resistant layer are connected by using the pressing roller.

An in-situ molded foam core structural plastic article having an outer shell with an interior cavity filled with expandable polymer beads which when expanded substantially fill the interior cavity forming a thermal bond with the shell. The bead and shell are of a similar plastic composition enabling the articles to be reground and recycled. Various articles are disclosed including structural panels, and automotive seat, load floor, interior panel, bumper and running board components. An apparatus for forming the articles and an associated method of manufacture are also disclosed.

There is provided a vehicular structure including (i) a vehicular panel member configured by resin including reinforcing fibers, and (ii) a joined portion of a vehicle body that supports, all the way around, a peripheral portion of a predetermined area of the panel member and to which the peripheral portion of the predetermined area is joined, wherein the panel member has a bulging shape where both front and back surfaces of the panel member bulge out such that the thickness of the panel member gradually becomes thicker from a peripheral end portion to a central portion within the predetermined area supported all the way around by the joined portion

A manufacturing method for an automotive vehicle component that includes the steps of: arranging at least a first skin capable of solidifying on a first half-mold of a mold; closing a second half-mold of the mold to form the first skin; then solidifying the first skin in the molding cavity defined between the first half-mold and the second half-mold. The second half-mold has a piercing element with at least one point-shaped end, and the method includes piercing by the piercing element of at least one through-hole in the first skin before solidification of the first skin.

The invention relates to a film production method for producing a thermally deformable plastic film having an at least two-color design, comprising the following steps: extruding a first plastic to form a molten plastic melt and dispensing the plastic melt of the first plastic in a planar manner in a first thickness by means of an extruder nozzle/slit nozzle; applying a second, scatterable and/or free-flowing plastic in a defined, planar manner in a defined pattern design with a pattern template onto the plastic melt consisting of the first plastic, and calendaring/sizing the thickness of the plastic melt and simultaneously at least partially pressing the second plastic applied in a planar manner in the pattern design into the first plastic by means of a calendar assembly, cooling the melt to form a solid plastic film.

A structure for use in a compressible resilient pad. The structure contains both axially elastomeric strands and relatively inelastic strands co-extruded in various patterns. The structure has a high degree of both compressibility under an applied normal load and excellent recovery (resiliency or spring back) upon removal of that load.

A compression molded vehicle floor panel includes a main body formed by compression molding and having a first side and an opposed second side, and at least one separately formed measurement locating member at least partially encapsulated in the main body during the compression molding. The measurement locating member defines a cavity having an open end at the first side of the main body. The cavity is configured to receive a locator pin of a measurement fixture to locate the compression molded vehicle floor panel in the measurement fixture for measurement of the compression molded vehicle floor panel.

A method for forming a scene into a floor mat or floor liner, comprising the steps of: receiving a digital image comprised of a plurality of pixels, each pixel having an initial pixel value and a relative position in the digital image; assigning either a first value or a second value to each pixel according to the initial pixel value of each pixel; creating a mold having a surface with a plurality of raised portions, wherein the relative shape, dimension, and position of each raised portion, with respect to each other raised portion, is defined by the relative position, within the digital image, of at least one pixel having the assigned first value.

A welded synthetic floor-covering material which is formed from one or more adjacent pairs of flooring elements wherein each adjacent pair of flooring elements is welded together by a symmetrical lower weld which engages each flooring element substantially equally; and wherein the symmetrical lower weld is substantially free from a metallic element; and a method of preparing a welded synthetic floor-covering material having a layout suitable for covering a pre-determined area wherein the welded synthetic floor-covering material comprises one or more adjacent pairs of flooring elements which have a floor-engaging lower surface and wherein the method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a floor plan for the pre-determined area wherein the floor plan defines a layout of flooring elements including positions of one or more welds; (b) providing a length of flooring and forming a groove on the floor-engaging surface of the flooring at the position of each of the one or more welds; (c) cutting the length of flooring to form the one or more adjacent pairs of flooring elements; and (d) arranging the flooring elements according to the layout and welding together each of the one or more adjacent pairs of flooring elements to form a symmetrical lower weld which engages each flooring element substantially equally such that the welded synthetic floor-covering material is formed.

An access floor of a motor vehicle comprising a structural core made from injection-moulded thermoplastic material, the core comprising at least one first part, the first part having a first face for receiving feet of passengers, defining a generally flat and horizontal surface, and a first rear face, defining a non-planar surface, wherein the first part comprises a network of contiguous cells defining a repetitive pattern extending along two axes, the cells being open on the reception and rear faces and delimited by partitions extending vertically, wherein two contiguous cells having at least one common portion of the partition, the core comprising an MFR fluidity in accordance with ISO 1133, greater than or equal to 50, the partitions have a thickness of between 0.6 and 1.6 mm, the thickness varying progressively so as to exhibit at least one undercut enabling the core to be removed from the mould.