METHOD OF PREPARING VEHICLE DOOR PANELS

摘要

Composite structural parts such as energy-absorbing automotive parts are made by inserting a thermoplastic energy-absorbing component into a mold, injecting a substrate polymer into the mold, and molding the energy-absorbing component and the substrate polymer to form a composite in which the substrate polymer is affixed to the energy-absorbing component without use of an intervening adhesive, and the structure of the energy-absorbing component is substantially preserved. The parts are made without secondary foam tooling, and thus can be produced at lower cost. In preferred embodiments, the substrate polymer and the energy-absorbing component are made from the same polymeric material, or different polymeric materials that are classified the same for recycling purposes. This allows scrap, used and damaged parts to be recycled without the need to separate them into their component parts.