Method for producing a sandwich component and sandwich component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10336011-B2
Application number	US-201415113746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A method for producing a sandwich component, in particular an inner trim component for a motor vehicle, is disclosed. The method begins with a core layer made from a foamed plastic and a cover layer which includes reinforcing fibers and plastic fibers. The plastic of the core layer has a first melting temperature which is higher than the second melting temperature of the plastic fibers of the cover layer. By the core layer being arranged on the cover layer, a multilayer composite is created. This multilayer composite can be further processed into a semi-finished product. The multilayer composite or the semi-finished product is then heated in a heating device to a temperature which is lower than the first melting temperature but therefore higher than the second melting temperature. Then the heated multilayer composite or the semi-finished product is formed in a forming tool in order to produce the sandwich component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a sandwich component, comprising the steps of:
providing a foamed core layer made from a foamed polyethylene terephthalate plastic and having a first melting temperature, and a cover layer which includes reinforcing fibers and polypropylene plastic fibers having a second melting temperature, wherein the first melting temperature is higher than the second melting temperature;
arranging the foamed core layer on the cover layer to form a multilayer composite;
heating the multilayer composite and/or a semi-finished product produced from the multilayer composite in a heating device of a finishing device to a temperature which is lower than the first melting temperature and higher than the second melting temperature; and
forming the heated multilayer composite and/or the semi-finished product in a forming tool of the finishing device to produce the sandwich component.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cover layer comprises a thermoplastic, fiber-reinforced, textile structure.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the textile structure is a non-woven material or a woven fabric made from reinforcing fibers and thermoplastic fibers.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the cover layer is a hybrid non-woven material.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the hybrid non-woven material is a hybrid needle-punched non-woven material, said hybrid needle-punched non-woven material being at least partially consolidated by a compression force.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cover layer comprises a melt layer made from a thermoplastic having a third melting temperature that is lower than the first melting temperature and as a maximum as high as the second melting temperature, and the melt layer is arranged between the core layer and a fiber portion of the cover layer during formation of the multilayer composite.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the melt layer and the plastic fibers of the cover layer consist of polypropylene.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising the step of arranging a decorative layer on the cover layer, forming the multilayer composite.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the decorative layer is arranged together with a further melt layer made from the same thermoplastic as the melt layer on the cover layer, forming the multilayer composite.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of connecting the core layer and the cover layer of the multilayer composite in regions to a semi-finished product.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
producing the semi-finished product as a continuous material; and
arranging the continuous material as a semi-finished product roll.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising the step of connecting the core layer and the cover layer of the multilayer composite in a prefabrication device with a heat supply.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the core layer and the cover layer of the multilayer composite are at least partially connected to one another by local melting of the cover layer, and the at least partially connected core layer and cover layer of the multilayer composite are preconfigured into the semi-finished product.

14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising heating the core layer and the cover layer of the multilayer composite at least one of conductively, convectively, and via radiation heat while conveying the multilayer composite.

15. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the core layer and the cover layer of the heated multilayer composite are connected to one another discontinuously by a cold pressing tool.

16. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of providing the semi-finished product as configured semi-finished product component parts.

17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
rolling the semi-finished product up into semi-finished product rolls;
providing the semi-finished product rolls to the finishing device by unrolling the semi-finished product rolls and distributing the unrolled semi-finished product rolls into several unrolled parts; and
cutting the semi-finished product directly in the finishing device in a subsequent process step.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the semi-finished product is cut directly in the forming tool.

19. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the steps of:
configuring the semi-finished product into several semi-finished product parts;
stacking the semi-finished product parts to form a semi-finished product part stack;
providing the semi-finished product to the finishing device by unstacking the semi-finished product parts; and
cutting the semi-finished product directly in the finishing device in a subsequent process step.

20. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the cover layer comprises at least one of a fibrous web and fibrous non-woven material, and further comprising the step of:
connecting the at least one of the fibrous web and the fibrous non-woven material and the core layer by sticking at least one needle having a barb into the core layer and the at least one of the fibrous web and the fibrous non-woven material and then guiding out the needle from the core layer and at least one of the fibrous web and the fibrous non-woven material such that, during at least one of piercing and pulling out of the needle, fibers of the at least one of the fibrous web and the fibrous non-woven material are hooked with the barb and anchored to the core layer mechanically.

21. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising connecting at least one plastic element to the sandwich component with a connection tool of the finishing device.

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the sandwich component is an inner trim component for a motor vehicle.

Assignees

• Daimler Ag

Inventors

• Bieder Hubert
• Blumenstock Tobias
• Stamp Benno
• Wittig Roman

Classifications

• B29C45/14008

  Inserting articles into the mould (B29C45/14827 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29D99/0021

  provided with plain or filled structures, e.g. cores, placed between two or more plates or sheets, e.g. in a matrix · CPC title

• B32B2305/07

  Parts immersed or impregnated in a matrix · CPC title

• B29C2045/0093

  of articles provided with an attaching element · CPC title

• B32B2305/70

  Scrap or recycled material · CPC title