Process for coating a preformed substrate (1), comprising providing a semi-finished product (2) comprising the preformed substrate (1) and a coating layer (3), providing a mould (4) comprising a first (5) and a second half-mould (6), the first half-mould (5) comprising an elastically deformable membrane (8) which at least partially forms a respective conformation surface (7), arranging the semi-finished product (2) on the second half-mould (6), putting under depression a fluid (11) acting on the membrane (8) to maintain the membrane (8) adherent to a main body (50) of the first half-mould, closing the mould (4) maintaining a free distance between the conformation surface (7) of the first half-mould (5) and the semi-finished product (2), pressurizing the fluid (11) to expand the membrane (8) towards the second half-mould (6) for compressing the semi-finished product, maintaining the membrane (8) in the second configuration, heating the semi-finished product (2) for firmly fixing the preformed substrate (1) and the coating layer (3) to each other.

A thermoformed article is disclosed that includes a self-supporting structural base layer, a covering applied to a first side of the base layer, and one or more secondary features co-injected upon a second side of the base layer. The covering and the secondary features of the thermoformed article are applied to the base layer during the same molding operation. Also disclosed is a process for forming a thermoformed article that includes placing a covering in a mold tool as a first layer, placing a self-supporting structural base layer in the mold tooling as a second layer, closing the mold tooling with the covering and base layer, and co-injecting upon a side of the base layer opposite to the covering one or more secondary features.

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle interior trim part with at least one functional and/or decorative element. The functional and/or decorative element can be additively manufactured from a thermoplastic material and include a structured surface. The present disclosure further relates to a tool including a depositing unit and a receiving device with a receiving surface which is curved or at least partly structured.

A forming device of a base material and a skin layer may include a lower mold having an upper surface on which a first forming surface is formed and including a vacuum path formed inwardly from the first forming surface to be connected to the vacuum chamber; an upper mold disposed to be movable upward and downward by a press device and having a lower surface on which a second forming surface is formed to correspond to the first forming surface of the lower mold; a pressurizing member disposed at the outside of the second forming surface of the upper mold to be movable toward the upper surface of the lower mold; and a pressurizing cylinder pushing the pressurizing member toward the upper surface of the lower mold to closely adhere the skin layer injected between the upper mold and the lower mold to the upper surface of the lower mold.

A method of manufacturing a vehicle trim component is provided that includes disposing a fiber panel onto a first surface of a mold cavity. The method also includes compressing the fiber panel between the first surface and a second surface of the mold cavity to form the fiber panel into a desired shape. The method further includes injecting resin into the mold cavity to fill at least one void between the first surface and the second surface adjacent to the fiber panel.

A vehicle trim component is disclosed. The vehicle trim component may be prepared by a process comprising heating and placing a fiber panel into a mold cavity, compressing the fiber panel in the mold cavity to form a compression formed component providing a structural substrate having a thickness along an edge and injecting resin into the mold cavity with the structural substrate. A border may be formed along the thickness of the structural substrate by the injected resin; the border may provide dimensional accuracy at the edge of the structural substrate notwithstanding variations in the fiber panel. A resin feature (such as a part, component, connector, reinforcing element, weakened zone, shape, etc.) may be formed in or on the structural substrate by the injected resin (e.g. in a gap or void). The resin feature may comprise a rib to extend across an interface between the structural substrate and the border.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, the exterior trim part for a vehicle comprises a fibrous porous structural layer. The exterior trim part further comprises at least one at least sectional perforated film layer, which is made of thermoplastic polyurethane with a melting temperature according to DSC of at least 140 C. The film layer is materially connected to the fibrous porous structural layer, at least in sections.

A trim strip assembly for a vehicle and method of making the same is provided. The trim strip assembly includes a first trim portion. The first trim portion has a polymeric base and a first decorative member bonded to the polymeric base. The polymeric base is formed of polymeric material molded to the first decorative member. The polymeric base includes a first coupling member. A second trim portion has an extruded base and a second decorative member bonded to the extruded base. The extruded base and the second decorative member are coextruded. The extruded base includes a second coupling member. The first coupling member is bonded to the second coupling member to interconnect the first trim portion and the second trim portion.

A laminating device and method for laminating a decor layer onto a carrier part includes a lower tool with a support region for receiving the carrier part, an upper tool including a pressing surface for exerting a pressing pressure onto the decor layer which is arranged between an upper side of the carrier part and the pressing surface, and at least one movable slider for edge-folding an overhang of the decor layer around an edge of the carrier part by way of pressing the slider against the overhang of the decor layer. A distance between the lower tool and the pressing surface can be enlarged or reduced. The lower tool includes a first membrane, wherein the arrangement of the first membrane and the slider to one another is such that the first membrane is movable onto the slider, for pressing the slider against the overhang of the decor layer.

A method of making an iridescent, vehicular trim assembly is provided that includes: molding a polymeric base comprising an exterior surface; and over-molding an element over at least a portion of the exterior surface. The element comprises a polymeric, translucent material and an exterior surface with an integral diffraction grating having a thickness from 250 to 1000 nm and a period from 50 nanometers to 5 microns. Further, the molding can be conducted such that the polymeric base is molded with a tint. The method can also include forming a plated region over the exterior surface of the base. In addition, the method can also include cleaning the plated region with a plasma-etching process before the over-molding.