Automated method and system for making painted vehicle body panel skins and vehicle body panels, such as instrument panels, utilizing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9962869-B2
Application number	US-201615079063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2008
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

An automated method and system for making painted vehicle body panel skins and vehicle body panels. The method includes transferring a mold having a mold surface from an entrance station to a paint station within a dispensing area. The method further includes applying paint on the mold surface to form a layer of paint on the mold surface at the paint station. The method still further includes spraying curable polyurethane elastomer on the painted surface at a spray station within the dispensing area. The paint and spray stations may be coincident. The method still further includes, after the step of spraying and while the polyurethane elastomer is uncured, transferring the mold with the paint and the uncured polyurethane elastomer from the spray station to at least one accumulator station in a curing area to allow the polyurethane elastomer to completely cure in the mold and form the skin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making painted vehicle body panel skins, the method comprising:
providing an entrance station;
providing a paint station within a dispensing area, and applying paint onto mold surfaces of molds to form a layer of paint on each mold surface at the paint station;
providing a spray station within the dispensing area and within a first chamber, the spray station including a program-controlled manipulator having a work envelope and an automatic sprayer supported on the manipulator for movement relative to at least two control axes,
spraying curable polyurethane elastomer on the painted surfaces of the molds to form a layer of elastomer on each layer of paint;
providing a plurality of accumulator stations adjacent to and separate from the spray station and within a second chamber spaced apart from the first chamber in a curing area,
exposing an entire surface of each layer of elastomer opposite the paint to ambient air,
allowing the curable polyurethane elastomer to completely cure in the molds to form the skins in the accumulator stations, and receiving the molds in the accumulator stations during the curing of the polyurethane elastomer;
providing an unload station wherein the skins are unloaded from the molds at the unload station and wherein each of the paint, spray, accumulator, and unload stations is located along a guide path;
providing a transport mechanism for transporting the molds, the mechanism conveying the molds along the guide path and stopping and maintaining each of the molds in a stationary predetermined position relative to the guide path during painting, spraying and unloading functions performed in the paint, spray, and unload stations, respectively; and
providing a control system under control of which (i) the manipulator moves the sprayer through a predetermined spray path relative to the at least two control axes, (ii) a flow of the polyurethane elastomer on each painted surface is controlled, (iii) the transport mechanism moves an uncured mold from the spray station along the guide path and to the accumulator stations for curing after spraying in the spray station and after transporting of the molds from the spray station into the accumulator stations by the transport mechanism, and (iv) the transport mechanism moves the molds between each of the paint, spray, accumulator, unload stations along the guide path, wherein, after each skin is unloaded from its corresponding mold in the unload station, the corresponding empty mold is maintained in a stationary predetermined position in the entrance station.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transport mechanism includes a plurality of pallets, each of the pallets receiving and returning one of the molds thereon.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the unload station is coincident with the entrance station and the guide path is loop-shaped.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the paint, spray and accumulator stations has an enclosed chamber, and the method includes the further step of pressurizing each of the chambers with the ambient air at subatmospheric pressure to exhaust fumes from the polyurethane elastomer and not allow the fumes to escape at each of the paint, spray and accumulator stations.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of the entrance, paint, spray, accumulator and unload stations has an enclosed chamber, and the method includes the further step of pressurizing each of the enclosed chambers with the ambient air at subatmospheric pressure to exhaust fumes from the polyurethane elastomer and not allow the fumes to escape at each of the entrance, paint, spray, accumulator and unload stations.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the paint station is coincident with the spray system.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the manipulator also applies paint to the mold surfaces of the molds at the paint station.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the method includes the further step of conveying the pallets along the guide path via a transfer mechanism of the transport mechanism disposed within each of the enclosed chambers.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising the steps of: receiving and retaining an unloaded skin in a plastic injection mold, providing molten plastic to at least partially cover a surface of the unloaded skin opposite the paint, and allowing the molten plastic to cool and bond with the unloaded skin to form the vehicle body panel skin within the injection mold.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising the steps of:
receiving and retaining an unloaded skin and a corresponding injection molded part in spaced relationship in a foam mold with a space between the unloaded skin and the part, providing foam into the space between the unloaded skin and the part, and allowing the foam to cure, thereby bonding the unloaded skin to the part with the cured foam therebetween to form the vehicle body panel skin within the foam mold.

Assignees

• Global Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Winget Larry J
• Preisler Darius J
• Murar Jason T
• Krowl William G

Classifications

• B29K2105/04

  cellular or porous · CPC title

• B29C45/14811

  Multilayered articles (B29C45/14827 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29L2031/3008

  Instrument panels · CPC title

• B29C2045/14532

  injecting between two sheets · CPC title

• B29C44/1271 Primary

  the preformed parts being partially covered · CPC title