Apparatus and method for laminating a film part on a carrier part, method for laminating a carrier part with a film part, method for retrofitting a tool as well as installation for producing a component laminated with a film layer

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for laminating a film part, in particular a decorative layer, on a carrier part having a laminating region in which the film part can be laminated onto the carrier part, in particular onto a motor vehicle interior trim part, having an edge region arranged adjacent to this laminating region in which the film part projects beyond the carrier part in order to produce a bend-around region on the film part which can subsequently be bent around a carrier part edge, and having a tool in which the tool comprises a first tool half for producing a surface design on the film part and a second tool half for receiving the carrier part, wherein the first tool half comprises thermally differently acting sub-regions, namely a first sub-region with a contour for the surface design which interacts with the laminating region and a thermal sub-region which interacts with the edge region adjacent to the laminating region.

Claims

1. An apparatus for laminating a film part on a carrier part having a laminating region in which the film part can be laminated onto the carrier part having an edge region arranged adjacent to this laminating region in which the film part projects beyond the carrier part in order to produce a bend-around region on the film part which can subsequently be bent around a carrier part edge, and having a tool in which the tool comprises a first tool half for producing a surface design on the film part and a second tool half for receiving the carrier part, characterized by means for producing at least two different temperature regions on the film part, wherein the means for producing comprise a heating device by means of which at least the first tool half can be temperature-controlled differently in certain areas.

2. An installation for producing a component laminated with a film part comprising an apparatus for laminating the film part on a carrier part according to claim 1 and further comprising an apparatus for bending round a bend-around region of the film part which projects radially beyond a carrier part edge.

3. A method for laminating a film part on a carrier part by means of a tool comprising a first and second tool half in which the film part in the tool is provided with a surface design, in which the film part is laminated onto the carrier part in a laminating region and in which a bend-around region of the film part is produced in an edge region arranged adjacent to this laminating region, which bend-around region can subsequently be bent around a carrier part edge, wherein the laminating region and the edge region are treated thermally differently, and wherein the film part is sucked into a material recess arranged next to the laminating region into the first tool half, in order to produce a material reservoir on the bend-around region so that the bend-around region can then again be sucked more easily into a material recess of the second tool half.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the bend-around region of the film part undergoes a stretching lengthening in an edge region arranged adjacent to the laminating region.

5. A method for laminating a film part on a carrier part by means of a tool comprising a first and second tool half in which the film part in the tool is provided with a surface design, in which the film part is laminated onto the carrier part in a laminating region and in which a bend-around region of the film part is produced in an edge region arranged adjacent to the laminating region, which bend-around region can subsequently be bent around a carrier part edge, wherein the laminating region and the edge region are treated thermally differently, and wherein the film part cools more slowly in the edge region than in the laminating region.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the tool comprises an additional tool part arranged in the first tool half at least partially in the edge region, wherein the additional tool part is made of, or coated by, a thermal material having better thermal insulating properties compared with a first tool half material in the laminating region.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the thermal material is plastic or ceramic.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the additional tool part is an integral structural component of the first tool half or the additional tool part is arranged as an independent tool part next to the first tool half.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the edge region the additional tool part is brought into effective contact with the film part, in order to treat the film part in the edge region thermally differently than in the laminating region.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the film part is preheated before introduction into the tool.

11. The method according to claim 5, wherein the surface design is imprinted on the film part by sucking the film part by means of vacuum towards the first tool half.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first and second tool halves are closed whereby the film part is laminated on the carrier part held by the second tool half, wherein the bend-around region of the film part is produced in a film run-out of the laminating tool, wherein the vacuum on the side of the first tool half is deactivated, wherein for laminating the film part use is made of pressure force with which the first and second tool halves are pressed towards one another, while the bend-around region of the film part is sucked by means of a vacuum produced on the second tool half.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the bend-around region located in the film run-out is shortened after laminating the film part and a remaining bend-around region which is left over after shortening is subsequently adhesively bonded on a rear side of the carrier part.

14. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first tool half comprises a shell made of a nickel material in the laminating region.

15. The method according to claim 5, wherein the second tool half comprises a carrier receptacle for holding the carrier part in position, wherein the second tool half is provided with a material recess directly adjacent to the carrier receptacle in which the bend-around region is accommodated or drawn more deeply into the second tool half.

Description

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows schematically a cutaway partial view of an apparatus for laminating a film part, in particular a decorative layer, on a carrier part comprising a tool with two tool halves for laminating and an additional tool part for additional thermal treatment of a bend-around region of the film part;

(3) FIG. 2 shows schematically a view of the first tool half from FIG. 1 with a film run-out for producing the bend-around region of the film part;

(4) FIG. 3 shows schematically a sectional view of another tool for use in the apparatus with a thermal insert inserted in the first tool half; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows schematically an alternative tool for use in the apparatus with a concave fillet incorporated in the first tool half as a material recess.

(6) The apparatus 1 shown only approximately in FIG. 1 for laminating a film part 2 on a carrier part 3 comprises a tool 4, which comprises a first tool half 5, a so-called shell tool half (not numbered separately) and a second tool half 6, often also designated as positive tool half (also not numbered separately).

(7) The film part 2 can in particular form a decorative layer (not additionally numbered).

(8) In particular, an IMG method can be carried out by means of the apparatus 1.

(9) Preferably the film part 2 is preheated for this.

(10) The apparatus 1 is a first work station of several work stations of an installation not shown here for producing a component laminated with the film part 2 (carrier part 3 plus film part 2) which in particular can be a motor vehicle interior trim part.

(11) The first tool half 5 comprises in this first exemplary embodiment a contour 7 by means of which a surface design (not shown) can be imprinted on the good side 8 of the film part 2. For this purpose the film part 2 is sucked by vacuum in a known manner onto the first tool half 5.

(12) The second tool half 6 comprises a carrier part receptacle 9 by means of which the carrier part 3 can be held on the second tool half 6.

(13) For laminating the film part 2 on the carrier part 3, the two tool halves 5 and 6 are pressed onto one another, the vacuum produced on the side of the first tool half 5 is deactivated and a vacuum initiated in the side of the second tool half 6.

(14) The apparatus 1 is further characterized by a laminating region 10 and an edge region 11 adjacent to the laminating region 10.

(15) The laminating region 10 is substantially defined by the carrier part receptacle 9 or the carrier part 3 to be laminated on the second tool half 6.

(16) The laminating region 10 is further characterized in that in this laminating region 10 the film part 2 is brought to overlap with the carrier part 3.

(17) The edge region 11 is arranged laterally adjacent to the laminating region 10.

(18) The edge region 11 directly adjoins the carrier part receptacle 9 or the carrier part 3 to be laminated.

(19) In this exemplary embodiment, the laminating region 10 and the edge region 11 have a common boundary line 12 which in this respect lies in a transition region 13 between the laminating region 10 and the edge region 11.

(20) The carrier part 3 ends with its carrier part edge 14 in the transition region 13.

(21) The edge region 11 in this respect also begins next to the carrier part edge 14.

(22) Also located in the edge region 11 is a stamping groove 15 which is formed on the second tool half 6.

(23) The edge region 11 additionally forms a film run-out 16 which is formed substantially by the tool 4.

(24) According to the diagram according to FIG. 2, the film run-out 16 of the apparatus 1 is clearly visible in which the film part 2 or its bend-around region 20 should not be too severely cooled down. This film run-out 16 encloses two carrier parts 3 at the same time in the tool 4 shown partially in FIG. 1.

(25) In this film run-out 16 the film part 2 extends with its bend-around region 20 which is subsequently bent around the carrier part edge 14 with the aid of a bend-around device not shown here, wherein the bend-around region 20 is then operatively connected to the rear side 21 of the carrier part 3, whereby the laminating process is substantially terminated.

(26) Before bending around, the bend-around region 20 is however cut to size by introducing a stamping tool (not shown) into the stamping groove 15.

(27) The bend-around region 20 designates in the sense of the invention that region of the film part 2 which projects laterally beyond the carrier part 3 and thereby projects into the edge region 11 adjacent to the laminating region 10.

(28) In this respect, the bend-around region 20 is produced depending on the tool design on the film part 2 in the tool 4.

(29) If the film part 2 in particular comes into operative contact with the first tool half 5, for example, during imprinting of the surface contour onto the good side 8 of the film part 2, the previously pre-heated film part 2 cools down, with the result that its intrinsic stiffness increases again.

(30) This is usually not a problem for the flat lamination of the film part 2 on the carrier part 3, but frequently is for the complete lamination of the bend-around region 20 onto the carrier part edge 14.

(31) This is especially because an intrinsically stiffer bend-around region 20 nestles less pliably against the second tool half 6 and in particular less pliably against the carrier part edge 14.

(32) In order to avoid a critical cooling of the bend-around region 20 as far as possible, the first tool half 5 comprises thermally differently acting sub-region 25, namely a first sub-region 25 with the contour 7 for the surface design, which interacts with the laminating region 10, and a thermal sub-region which interacts with the edge region 11 adjacent to the laminating region 10.

(33) The thermal sub-region is thereby implemented as a thermal insulator or a thermal material made of plastic.

(34) It is understood that for this purpose however other materials such as possibly ceramic or less strongly conducting NE metals or the like can be considered.

(35) In this respect, the tool 4 comprises with respect to the first tool half a thermal sub-region of a thermal material which differs in terms of its thermal insulator properties from other sections 28 of the first tool half.

(36) In this first exemplary embodiment the thermal sub-region is provided by an additional tool part 30.

(37) The additional tool part 30 is here arranged as an independent tool part in the edge region 11 adjacent to the laminating region 10.

(38) Optionally the additional tool part 30 can be moved independently of the two tool halves 5 and 6 towards the bend-around region 20 so that it can be brought into operative contact with the film part 2 in a time-delayed manner with regard to the first tool half 5, in order to hereby reduce a heat dissipation from the bend-around region 20.

(39) In any case, the laminating region 10 and the edge region 11 can be treated thermally differently, due to the thermally differently acting sub-regions 25.

(40) Furthermore the apparatus 1, according to the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is also characterized by means 35 for producing at least two different temperature regions on the film part 2.

(41) The means 35 for producing at least two different temperature regions here embody the thermal sub-region with the thermal material.

(42) The additional tool part 30 also provides means 35 in the sense of the invention for producing at least two different temperature regions, wherein these means 35 can alternatively or cumulatively to the thermal material comprise a heating device (not shown), in order to be able to treat the edge region 11 of the apparatus or the tool 4 and the bend-around region 20 of the film part 2 thermally differently.

(43) A second exemplary embodiment is shown according to the diagram according to FIG. 3.

(44) FIG. 3 shows an alternative tool 40 comprising a first tool half 41 and a second tool half 42 in use in the apparatus 1 in which a different thermal sub-region 43 is integrated as integral structural component 44 in the first tool half 41, i.e. the shell tool half, in order to treat the film part 2 in the edge region 11 thermally differently from in the laminating region 10.

(45) The other thermal sub-region 43 begins here after the stamping groove 14 on the side of the stamping groove 15 facing away from the laminating region 10.

(46) If less thermal energy is withdrawn from the bend-around region 20 of the film part 2, in the sense of the invention, for example, as a result of the thermally better insulating thermal sub-region 43, the bend-around region 20 remains formable and it can more easily be brought or drawn into a material recess 45 of the second tool half 42, possibly by means of negative pressure on the second tool half 42.

(47) As a result, not only a good lamination of the front edge 46 of the carrier part edge 14 of the carrier part 3 is achieved but furthermore also an extraordinarily good and more intensive lamination of the rear edge 47 of the carrier part edge 14.

(48) The material recess 45 is here formed as an undercut in the shape of a concave fillet.

(49) Another exemplary embodiment is shown according to the diagram in FIG. 4, which approximately corresponds to the second exemplary embodiment, apart from an exchanged first tool half 50.

(50) The exchanged first tool half 50 has a material recess 51 for deflecting the bend-around region 20 of the film part 2 by means of which a material reservoir 52 is produced for holding in readiness an additional length or stretch lengthening 53 on the bend-around region 20.

(51) The material recess 51 enables a longer unwinding (not explicitly numbered) of the bend-around region 20 in the edge region 11 adjacent to the laminating region 10 so that the bend-around region 20 can be introduced or drawn into a material recess 45 of the second tool half 42 with a substantially lower tension during the laminating process of the film part 2 on the carrier part 3.

(52) The material recess 51 is arranged outside the laminating region 10.

(53) At this point it should be explicitly pointed out that the features of the solutions described hereinbefore or in the claims and/or figures can optionally also be combined, in order to be able to implement or achieve the explained features, effects and advantages correspondingly cumulatively.

(54) It is understood that the previously explained exemplary embodiments are merely first embodiment of the apparatus 1 according to the invention. In this respect, the embodiment of the invention is not restricted to these exemplary embodiments.

(55) All the features disclosed in the application documents are claimed as essential to the invention if they are new individually or in combination with respect to the prior art.

REFERENCE LIST

(56) 1 Apparatus for laminating a film part on a carrier part 2 Film part 3 Carrier part 4 Tool 5 First tool half or shell tool half or IMG shell 6 Second tool half or positive tool half 7 Contour 8 Good side 9 Carrier part receptacle 10 Laminating region 11 Edge region adjacent to laminating region 12 Common boundary line 13 Transition region 14 Carrier part edge 15 Stamping groove 16 Film run-out 20 Bend-around region 21 Rear side 25 First sub-region or first temperature region 28 Other sections 30 Additional third tool part or adapter part 35 Means for producing two different temperature regions 40 Alternative tool 41 First tool half or shell tool half or IMG shell 42 Second tool half or positive tool half 43 Different thermal sub-region 44 Integral structural component 45 Material recess 46 Front edge 47 Rear edge 50 Exchanged first tool half 51 Material recess 52 Material reservoir 53 Stretch lengthening