Apparatus and method for manufacturing crash pad

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9757884-B2
Application number	US-201615162224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2016
Priority date	Dec 12, 2012
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus and method for manufacturing a crash pad with a foaming layer formed by injecting a foaming solution between a core and a skin are disclosed. The apparatus includes a first mold and a second mold used to form the skin by injecting molten resin of a skin material into a skin forming cavity when the first and second molds are combined. In addition, a third mold and the fourth mold form the core by injecting molten resin of a core material into a core forming cavity when the third and fourth molds are combined. The first mold has a vacuum aperture in an inner surface of the first mold to adsorb and fix a thread to implement a stitch before the forming of the skin, and the vacuum aperture exerts a vacuum suctioning force to absorb and fix via a vacuum pressure applied from a vacuum pressure providing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a crash pad with a foaming layer formed by injecting foaming solution between a core and a skin, the method comprising:
adsorbing and fixing a thread to an internal surface of a first mold to block a plurality of vacuum apertures disposed at a predetermined interval along a longitudinal direction of the thread when a vacuum pressure is applied to each of the vacuum aperture, the thread forming a stitch part on a surface of the skin;
forming the skin by injecting molten resin of a skin material when the first mold and a second mold are combined;
forming the core by injecting molten resin of a core material when a third mold and a fourth mold are combined; and
forming a foaming layer by injecting foaming liquid into a foaming cavity between the core and the skin after the mold are opened to combine the first mold fixed with the skin and the fourth mold attached with the core,
wherein a first portion of the thread is adsorbed and fixed by a vacuum suctioning force of a corresponding vacuum aperture to form an exposure part of the stitch in which the thread is exposed on the surface of the skin and a second portion of the thread is not adsorbed to the corresponding vacuum aperture to form a hidden part of the stitch in which the thread is buried in the surface of the skin.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a length and an interval of the exposure part and the hidden part are adjusted by the vacuum pressure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thread is seated and fixed in a fixing groove, wherein a suctioning inlet of the corresponding vacuum aperture is disposed at an inner side of the fixing groove within the first mold.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
combining the first mold and the second mold and moving a slide mold disposed within the first mold to seal the skin forming cavity that corresponds to a shape of the skin, an edge portion of which is inwardly bent.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
sealing a skin forming cavity by combining the first mold and the second mold and moving forward a separate slide mold disposed within the second mold.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the forming of the foaming layer comprises:
sealing the foaming cavity by adhering an edge portion of the skin to an edge portion of the core using the slide mold.

7. A crash pad manufactured by a method according to claim 1 , the crash pad comprising a stitch part comprising the exposure part and the hidden part.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Kong Byung Seok
• Park Ji Min

Classifications

• B29C2045/1648

  the parison core layer being a barrier material · CPC title

• B29C2045/1656

  Injecting the skin material through the central passage of the multiway nozzle · CPC title

• B29C44/1257

  Joining a preformed part and a lining, e.g. around the edges · CPC title

• B29C33/34

  movable, e.g. to or from the moulding station · CPC title

• Y10T428/24033

  including stitching and discrete fastener[s], coating or bond · CPC title