CA1124630A - Fabricated parts and method and apparatus for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

Automotive trim parts in sheet form with thinned marginal and inner areas are fabricated by deforming a felxible sheet to locate selected portions on one side and other portions on the other side of a predetermined line, moving a cutting tool along the line in cutting engagement with the deformed sheet to remove the other portions, and retaining the cut flexible sheet in the deformed state by securing a backing to the areas of the selected portions of the sheet that were on the one side of the line during the movement of the cutting tool. The so fabricated parts can incorporate, as the backing, a relatively heavy insulating or padding layer, such as acoustical plastic foam or other lightweight permeable material, without it being necessary to discard or redesign currently used trim moldings for installation purposes.

Description

The present invention relates broadly to shaped and ab-ricated parts, and to a method for produclng such parts. More particularly, it has to do with articles that consist of or in-clude a layer of relatively thick flexible sheet materlal tha~
has been shaped by cutting or shaving away predetermined portions -; thereof, with a method of fabricating such articles that involves a particular skiving procedure.
In the past it has been customary to provide trIm mate-rials for automobiles in the form of quite thin sheets, so that the edges of these sheet materials could be slid into or und r, and pinched or otherwise held in, moldings, window frames and the like, or be buttoned onto trim moldings.
According to the present invention, however, there are provided automotive trim and lining parts in sheet form that have the a~vantage of incorporating a relatively heavy insulating or padding layer, such as acoustical plastic foam or other llght~eight permeable material, oi as much as one inch or more in thickness, without it being necessary to discard or redesign the currently used automotive trim moldings in order to install them.
Briefly stated, this is accomplished by thinn~ng the mnrgins of the relatively thic~ insulating sheet or layer and, at the same time, removing any other portions thereof that,-for ap-pearance or mechanical reasons, it may be desired to remove in order to accommodate pressure-areas, or to shape the layer to a predeter-mined contour; and by doing this by a skiving operation that is per-formed while the flexible layer is posit.ioned by, and retained in contact with, a holding fixture.
Accordlngly, it is an important obJect of the invention to provide a relatively thick sheet-like trim or lining of a special ~f~ 3;~

shape, including thinned marginal and/or other designated areas, and designed to meet specific contour requirements.
Another object is the provision, by reason of incorporating such a part or article, of improved insulating and crash resisting properties in autom~biles, along with increased head room, softness, pleasing hand feel, and concealment of necessary reinforcements, m~unting brackets and the like.
Another object is to provide parts of this general character and usable for these purposes that, even in large sizes, can be readily introduced through a door or wind~ of an automobile, then unfolded inside the car, and quickly inserted into coves and side rails, over doors or headers, and into large flat areas over rear windows, and other difficult to reach and cover areas.
Another object is the provision of a skiving system capable of producing parts and articles of the above character by a cutting or shaving procedure.
In one particular aspect the present invention provides a ~ethod of fabricating an article, which comprises deforming a flexible sheet to locate selected portions thereof at one side and other portions thereof at the other side of a predetermined plane, moving a cutting tool along the plane and in cutting engagement with the deformed sheet to re~move only the other portions from the sheet, and retaining the cut flexible sheet in the deformed state by securing a backing to the æeas of the selected portions of the sheet that were at the one side of the plane during the movement of the cutting tool while the cut flexible sheet is in the deformed state.
In another p æ ticular aspect the present invention provides an article comprising a backing layer, with a normally flat flexible sheet having portions that have been cut away ,~.
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` in~ardly from one surface thereof and tha~ has been deformed to bring the one surface and surfaces o the rut away portions into contact with the backing layer, and in which ~e surfaces of the " sheet are secured to the backing layer and the backing layer acts to retain the flexible sheet in the deformed s~ate.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 ls a perspective view of an automotive trim part that is exemplary of one type of article csntemplated by the invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an apparatus that can be employed in fabrica~ing the trim part shown in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a blank or sheet of flexible material to be skived and fabrlcated into the finished - tri~ part;
Fig. 4 is a transverse, sectional view, taken sub-stantially along the line 4--4 in Fig. 2, but showing the sheet of Fig. 3 located on the holding fixture preparatory to beginning the skiving procedure;

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Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 4, but de-picting successlve steps in the skivlng phase of the complete fab-ricating procedure;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the sheet of Fig. 3 ` after the skiving step has been completed;
Fig. 9 i3 a perspective view9 showing the appllcation : of an adhesive to the skived sheet;
¦ Figs. 10 and 11 are views similar ~o Figs. 4 through 7, ¦ but depicting the assembly phase of the abricating procedure;
Fig. 12 is a view9 showing an alterna~e type of an assem-bly procedure;
Fig. 13 is a sectional vi~ew of a specific form of skived lining and trim part p~oduced in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 14 is a similar view of the part of Fig. 13 provided with 8 two-way stretch backing ~herefor; and Fig. 15 is a fragmentary view of an interior rear quarter of an automobile with an article such as shown in Pigs. 13 and 14 in use as a roof and side liner part.
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there 20 i9 illustrated in Fig. 2 a preferred form of apparatus for use in producing the finished trim part 10 as shown in Fig. 1 and which i~ specifically for an automobileO
Among the important features in the shape of the part 10 are the angularly thinned or gradually tapering ma~ginal portions 11 which permit the ed~es of this relatively,thick sheet-like part ~ to be received by and secured within a relatively thin metal or ¦ plastic channel or molding; and the thinned central area 12, with ! its decoratively-tapered sides 13, that can answer an e~thetic or a utilitarian purpose with equal facility.
~` 30 To produce such an article in accordance with the pres-ent invention there 18 provided, a~ best shown in Fig~ 29 a skiving or holding fixture 14 which ~ay be in the form of a rectangular9 - 3 -~

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open box type structure having four sides 15, rising from a bottom 16 and each of which sides i8 made up of a vertical outside wall 17, a horizontal upper edge 18, and an inside wall 19 that slopes downwardly and inwardly from the edge 18 to the bottom 16. Central-ly of the bottom 16 ~here riAes a generally rectangular protrusion j20 having a flat top 21 and four side walls 22 each of which slopes downwardly and outwardly from the top 21 to the bottom 16.
¦Also, the bottom 16 is provided with a plurality of rela-tively small, vertically disposed passageways 23 extending there-through snd uniformly distributed to open, no~ only throughout the horizontal upper face of the bottom 16, but also throughout the upper faces of the sloping inside walls 19, and of the side walls 22 and top 21 of the protrusion 20. The fixture 14 can be made of ¦wood where material economy, make-up time9 handling ease and light-weight ars of importance9 or of metal where greater precision is a factor; and9 to render it usable for it~ intended purpose9 it ls mounted on a sultable base9 framework or carriage, such as shown at 24, and which is provided with a suitable vacuum or exhaust cham-be~ 25 connected to adequate air exhaust means and controls (not shown).
With the fixture 14 and its supporting structure set up in this way, the part 10 can be fabricated thereon as illustrated in Figs. 4 through lO. Thus9 a3 shown at 26 in Fig. 39 there is first provided a relatively heavy~ flexible sheet which9 for exam-ple, may be one inch in thickness of plastic foam, and that has ~jbeen die cut or otherwise shaped or made to conform to the outline 1desired in the finished article~ Where plastic foam is used it may be the so-called acous~ical foam9 or practically any other available commercial foamed plastic sheeting that i8 both flexible and porous; and it preferably ha~ a decorative face 27 at one sur-face which will be hereinafter referred to as the face side of the shset. This face side is characterized by being embossed, or by ~ .

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having 8 vinyl or other plastic sheet adhered to it which may be plain, embossed, perforated or otherwi3e rendered decorative.
In any event, however decorated, the sheet 26 of plastic foam to be fabricated into a trim part i9 first laid over and lo-cated on the fixture 14, with its face side down9 as shown in Fig.
4. When properly loca~ed, the sheet 26 completely covers all areas of the fixture 14 into which the pas~ageways 23 open so thatg as air is exhausted through these passageways, a vacuum will be pulled against;the entire overlying sheet which will act to deform the 1 10 sheet and draw it into the depressions in, and in~o full contact wlth the bottom 16 and inside walIs 19 of, the open box struc~ure of the fixture 14. At the same ~ime, i~ will act to hold the shee~
tightly agsinst the flat top 21 and the side walls 22 of the pro-trusion 20, all as shown in Fig. 5. The action of the air in de-formlng the sheet 26 to the necessary extent can be assisted, where necessary or desired, by physical pressure agalnst the upper sur-face (back side~ of the shee~ until it is completely conformed to, and is securely and tightly held in full contact with ~he fix~ure 14 by air pressure alone.
With the 90 deformed sheet 26 held firmly in place on the fixture, a combined roller,and blade assembly 289 normally located to one side of the fixture 14 (Figs. 4 and 5), is moved across the fixture in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5 to skive or slice off all po`rtions of the sheet 26 that protrude above the plane or line of the top of the fixture 14 from the body portion of the sheet, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Upon completion of the cutting movement of the roller and blade assembly, and release of the vacuum, the roller and blade will be beyond the fixture, and the 3heet 26 will return ~o lts na~ural flat form as shown in Fig~ 7.
At this time, too9 as a result of the skiving9 the sheet 26 will exhibit the cut shape shown in Flgs. 7 and 8~ and the scrap mate-risl removed by the skivlng can be used elsewhere 8~ a padding9 build-up material and the like.

Following the skiving operation, a coating or layer o adheQive 29 i9 applied to the back or skived side of the sheet 26.
This is preferably done by spraying glue or the like uniformly over the surface to be coated as shown in Fig. 9, but it may be brushed on or otherwlse applied, ei~her ln a 3eparate area away ~rom the fixture 14 as indicated in Fig. 9 or while the skived sheet is still on the fixture as in Fig. 7. If the ormer procedure is used, the adhesive coated sheet is returned to the fixture ~o that, in either case, the coated sheet will be positioned on the fixture 14 I lO as shown in broken lines in Fig. lO for the next OT backing step of its fabricat10n. Thereafter air is again exhausted from the chamber 25 to reapply a vacuum to the glue coated, skived sheet and cause it to return to its Fig. 6 position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 10, and at which ~ime the upper surface or adhesive coated back side of the sheet 26 will be flat.
This facilitates application of a foundation board or backing layer to the skived and glue coated sheet 26 to provide the complete and finished trim part desired as the end product.
More specifically, a sheet of fiber board or the like 30 that has been die cut or otherwise shaped to the required æi~e is arranged over and then moved downwardly in the direction of the arrows into contact with the adhesive coating 29 on ~he sheet 26 as indicated in Fig. 10. With the foundation board in con~act with or pressed against the adhesive coating, the ac~ion of the air being exhaust-ed through the chamber 25 will be to sustain the pressure of the board 30 against the coated ~heet 26 and this can be maintained until the adhesive has set and the two are firmly adhered together.
Alternatively, of course, the foundation board may be ap-plied against the adhesive coated shee~ before drawing a vacuum and while the sheet 26 is in the broken line position of Fig. 10. In this case when the vacuum is drawn it will serve to more or less simultaneously pull the sheet 26 into the full line position shown snd to pre~H the board and coated sheet together.

Za~3~) Also, the skived and glue coated sheet can be assembled with tha foundation board wlthout ~he dual use of the skivlng fix ture as a holding fixture. Thus, as shown in Fig. 12, with the i foundation board 30 resting on a suitable support 31~ the skived sheet 26 can be located over, and the central area of its glue coated back side forced down and aga~nr~t9 the board and with its face sida up. The next step is to force margins of the c?heet down ; to also bring their tapered portions 11 against the foundation board and simultaneously press the board and the entire glue coat-ed side and faces of the sheet together, and to allow the glue to set up.
As a further modification, the sheet 26 may be so de-formed, prior to skiving, that portions thereof, such as the cen-tral portion 12~ can be thinned to a greater or lesser extent, otherwise shaped, or even completely removed during the skiving procedure.
As already indicated, among the advantages of the arti-cles of ~he invention is the fact that they can be used as bent or curved as well as flat sheets. For example, in automobiles, when employed as hood liners or trunk lids, they serve as insulation, sound deadeners and fire retardants, and can be employed in both flat and bent shapes~ Similarly, as crash pads for sun visors, as well as in other location~, they may be hinged or folded upon themselves 80 as to cover both sides and at least one edge. ~hile9 when used as roof liners, they must be so deformable as to fit exactly the contour of the roof and àd~acent slde wall of the auto-mobile.
?~ Nevertheles~, even in the latter instance, the skiving ~ procedure conforms to the method already described~ and a flat ~0 sheet 329 of the acoustical foam for example9 may bz produced ~ith edges 33 of reduced thickne~s as ~hown in Fig~ 13. Preferably~

this sheet 32 iB ~hen provided wlth 8 backi.ng 34 of any of the .

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¦ well known flexible and/or two-way ~tretch materials available.
In any event, the sheet 32, which has preferably been precut to an outline contour conforming with that of a part of the roof and/or ¦ wall space to be covered or lined before being skived, i8 then ¦ folded to an extent sufficient to permit it to be lntroduced through a window or door opening ln an automobile 35, an interlor rear quarter of which is illustrated in Fig. 15. Inside the car the folded sheet or part 32 i8 permitted to open, the reduced edge portions 33 are inserted behind the molding or internal trim mold-I lO ing 36, and the body of the sheet is forced into conformity wi~h j the interior of the roof 37 and s1de wall 38 of the car.

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Claims (5)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method of fabricating an article, which comprises deforming a flexible sheet to locate selected portions thereof at one side and other portions thereof at the other side of a predetermined plane, moving a cutting tool along said plane and in cutting engagement with said deformed sheet to remove only said other portions from said sheet, and retaining said cut flexible sheet in said deformed state by securing a backing to the areas of said selected portions of said sheet that were at said one side of said plane during the movement of said cutting tool while said cut flexible sheet is in said deformed state.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, in which said sheet is deformed by forcing said selected portions thereof into and retaining the same in depressions in a face of a holding fixture, said plane of movement of said cutting tool is in a plane parallel with said face, and said backing layer is secured to cut and uncut areas of said sheet that are in said plane parallel with said face of said fixture while said sheet is being retained in said depressions.

3. An article, comprising a backing layer, with a normally flat flexible sheet having portions that have been cut away inwardly from one surface thereof and that has been deformed to bring said one surface and surfaces of said cut away portions into contact with said backing layer, and in which said surfaces of said sheet are secured to said backing layer and said backing layer acts to retain said flexible sheet in said deformed state.

4. An article as defined in claim 3, in which said flexible sheet is porous, and said backing layer is stiff.

5. An article as defined in claim 3, in which said flexible sheet exhibits thinned marginal areas angling inward-ly from said backing layer to the unthinned portions of said sheet, and a thinned central area inwardly of said marginal areas.