An insert for use in vacuum forming that is locked in place with the vacuum forming material. More specifically, the insert includes one or more undercuts wherein the sheet that is vacuum formed around the undercut is locked without the need for additional manufacturing components and/or procedures. The process is particularly suitable for automotive applications.

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 composite panel configured for use with a flooring assembly of a trailer comprises a wood substrate and a fiber-reinforced coating coupled to a side of the wood substrate, the fiber-reinforced coating comprising a base material with a plurality of reinforcing fibers, wherein the fiber-reinforced coating is coupled to the wood substrate without the use of adhesive.

A method of manufacturing a resin-laminated board by preparing a pair of first and second split molds each of which is provided with a cavity; positioning two sheet materials made of a thermoplastic resin between the first and second split molds with the cavities of the first and second split molds opposed to each other; forming a plurality of recesses by recessing a first sheet material toward a second sheet material with use of a plurality of protrusions provided to the first split mold; and welding bottoms of the recesses to the second sheet material by clamping the pair of first and second split molds to obtain a resin-laminated board with a hollow structure. A mold includes a plurality of piece members, disposed at the cavity of the first split mold; and includes the protrusions and male screws provided to base ends of the protrusions.

A method of manufacturing a resin-laminated board by preparing a pair of first and second split molds each of which is provided with a cavity; positioning two sheet materials made of a thermoplastic resin between the first and second split molds with the cavities of the first and second split molds opposed to each other; forming a plurality of recesses by recessing a first sheet material toward a second sheet material with use of a plurality of protrusions provided to the first split mold; and welding bottoms of the recesses to the second sheet material by clamping the pair of first and second split molds to obtain a resin-laminated board with a hollow structure. A mold includes a plurality of piece members, disposed at the cavity of the first split mold; and includes the protrusions and male screws provided to base ends of the protrusions.

Provided is an automobile interior material capable of adequately maintaining a molded shape even when remolded (demolded) at a high temperature in thermoforming, and therefore capable of significantly shortening a molding time due to the capability of high temperature demolding. An automobile interior material 1 is provided with a fiber layer 2, and a resin layer 3 laminated on one surface of the fiber layer 2. The resin layer 3 is configured to contain a thermoplastic resin having a solidifying point of 82 C. to 190 C. measured by differential scanning calorimetry.

A molded foam is provided in which even when a force in a sliding direction is applied to another member in contact with its surface, the occurrence of a shift in position relative to the other member can effectively be prevented and the occurrence of unusual noise due to rubbing between its surface and the other member can effectively be prevented. The molded foam is formed by heating expandable resin particles filled into a foaming mold. The molded foam has a plurality of first ridges arranged in one direction and a plurality of second ridges arranged in another direction and disposed so as to intersect the first ridges, the first and second ridges being provided on the surface of the molded foam.

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 load floor for a vehicle includes a carpet having a tuft attached to a backing, a plurality of inserts attached to a second side of the backing, a top surface fused to the carpet and encapsulating the inserts, and a bottom surface fused to the encapsulated inserts. The inserts may be varied in material, shape, thickness, and spacing to provide a tunable stiffness. A related method includes forming a parison feeding the parison between mold halves shaped like a load floor, hanging a carpet and a plurality of inserts in the first mold half, clamping the parison by moving the mold halves together to form a mold, and pushing the parison outward, using blown air, such that the parison is adjacent the backing in the first mold forming a top surface and encapsulating the inserts, and adjacent the second mold half forming a bottom surface fused to the parison encapsulating the inserts.

The present disclosure relates to a cladding element including several layers for a floor area of a luggage compartment in a vehicle, with a cover layer facing the luggage compartment, an acoustic foam layer facing the vehicle body, and a heavy layer arranged between the cover layer and the acoustic foam layer, which further includes a carrier layer of a foamed thermoplastic material, which is arranged between the acoustic foam layer and heavy layer, as well as to a method for manufacturing the cladding element.