One-piece decorative trim bezel having plural unpainted finishes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969111-B2
Application number	US-201314098015-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2013
Priority date	Mar 17, 2011
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A one-piece trim bezel formed from multiple components. In the event of two co-molded components, the first co-molded part is composed of a polymerized material having an unpainted surface that may be a high gloss smooth surface or a textured low gloss surface and the second co-molded part, formed with the first part, is composed of a plateable plastic material. The plateable plastic material may be plateable with chrome. A multiple-shot injection molding process is used to form the one-piece trim bezel which joins the first co-molded part and the second co-molded part in one operation. The formed part is then subjected to a plating process during which time only the chrome deposits on the surface of the plateable plastic material of the second co-molded part while the surface of the first co-molded part remains unplated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for forming a one-piece trim bezel, the bezel having a closed and endless loop shape, the method including:
forming a mold having a first half, a second half, and a closed loop-shaped cavity formed entirely within said first half for the bezel;
injecting a first material and a second material into respective ports of said mold, said first material being unplateable and said second material being plateable, said first material defining an inner circumference of the bezel and said second material defining an outer circumference of the bezel, said first and second materials being concentric with one another;
removing said first and second materials from said mold after said first and second materials are co-molded together; and
subjecting both said first and second materials, which are co-molded, to a plating process whereupon plating material adheres only to said second material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein subjecting both said first and second materials to a plating process includes subjecting both said first and second materials to a chrome-plating process.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, heating said mold to a temperature that is in a range of 80 degrees Celsius and 180 degrees Celsius before injecting said first and second materials.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising, cooling said mold after injecting said first and second materials and before removing said first and second materials.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first material defines one or both of a surface selected from the group consisting of a first surface having a gloss finish and a textured second surface having a gloss finish that avoids the need for painting, said gloss finish of said first surface being higher than said gloss finish of said second surface, further wherein said gloss finish of said first surface is achieved without paint when cooled and co-molded with said second material.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said gloss finish of said first surface includes a piano-black finish.

7. A method for forming a one-piece trim bezel, the bezel having a closed and endless loop shape, the method including:
forming a mold having a first half, a second half, and a closed loop-shaped cavity formed entirely within said first half for the bezel;
injecting a first polymerizable material, a second polymerizable material, and a third polymerizable material into respective ports of said mold, said first and second polymerizable materials being unplateable and said third polymerizable material being plateable, said first polymerizable material defining an inner circumference of the bezel, said third polymerizable material defining an outer circumference of the bezel, and said second polymerizable material being injected between said first and third polymerizable materials, said first, second, and third polymerizable materials being concentric with one another;
removing said first, second, and third polymerizable materials from said mold after said first, second, and third polymerizable materials have cooled and are co-molded together; and
subjecting said first, second, and third polymerizable materials to a plating process whereupon plating material adheres only to said third polymerizable material.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said first polymerizable material defines a first surface having a gloss finish and said second polymerizable material defines a textured second surface having a gloss finish that avoids the need for painting, said gloss finish of said first surface being higher than said gloss finish of said second surface, further wherein said gloss finish of said first surface is achieved without paint when cooled and co-molded with said second and third polymerizable materials.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said gloss finish of said first surface includes a piano-black finish.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein subjecting said first, second, and third polymerizable materials to a plating process includes subjecting said first, second, and third polymerizable materials to a chrome-plating process.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising, heating said mold to a temperature that is in a range of 80 degrees Celsius and 180 degrees Celsius before injecting said first, second, and third polymerizable materials.

12. A method for forming a single piece trim bezel, the bezel having a closed and endless loop shape, the method including the steps of:
forming a bezel mold having a first half, a second half, a first injection port for a first polymerizable material, a second injection port for a second polymerizable material and a cavity for the bezel, said cavity being a closed loop, said first half having an interior projection extending between said cavity;
positioning said first half and said second half of said bezel mold next to one another, said interior projection of said first half contacting said second half;
injecting said first polymerizable material into said first injection port, said first polymerizable material being unplateable, said first polymerizable material defining an inner circumference of the bezel;
injecting said second polymerizable material into said second injection port, said second polymerizable material being plateable, said second polymerizable material defining an outer circumference of the bezel;
removing said single piece trim bezel from said bezel mold; and
subjecting said single piece trim bezel to a plating process whereupon plating material adheres only to said second polymerizable material.

13. The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 12 wherein said injection of said first polymerizable material and said second polymerizable material is a two-shot injection process.

14. The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 12 further including the step of forming a third injection port in said bezel mold and injecting a third polymerizable material into said bezel mold, said third polymerizable material being unplateable said third polymerizable material being injected between said first and second polymerizable materials.

15. The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 14 wherein said injection of said first polymerizable material, said second polymerizable material, and said third polymerizable material is a three-shot injection process.

16. The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 12 wherein said cavity is heated to between 80° C. and 180° C. prior to material injection and thereafter said bezel mold is subjected to a cool down after injection of said first and second polymerizable materials.

17. The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 12 wherein said cavity includes a first surface against which said first polymerizable material is injected and a second surface against which said second polymerizable material is injected, said second surface being a polished surface.

18. The method for forming a single piece trim bezel of claim 12 , wherein said first polymerizable material defines one or both of a surface selected from the group consisting of a first surface having a gloss finish and a textured second surface having a gloss finish that avoids the need for painting, said gloss finish of said first surface being higher than said gloss finish of said second surface, further wherein said gloss finish of said first surface is achieved without paint when cooled and co-molded with said second polymerizable material forms an unpainted high gloss surface in said bezel mold.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Sun Haoliang Michael

Classifications

• B29L2031/3005

  Body finishings · CPC title

• B29C45/0053

  combined with a final operation, e.g. shaping (injection-compression moulding B29C45/561) · CPC title

• B29C2045/0079

  applying a coating or covering · CPC title

• B60R13/02 Primary

  {Internal} Trim mouldings {; Internal} Ledges; Wall liners {for passenger compartments}; Roof liners (B60R13/01 takes precedence {; padded linings for the vehicle interior B60R21/04; arrangements or adaptations of floor mats or carpets in vehicles B60N3/04; internal lining for trains B61D17/18}) · CPC title

• B29C45/16 Primary

  Making multilayered or multicoloured articles {(B29C45/0062 takes precedence; feeding colouring materials into the injection unit B29C45/1816)} · CPC title