PROCESS OF MAKING DECORATIVE AUTOMOTIVE INTERIOR TRIM ARTICLES WITH INTEGRATED COMPONENTS

摘要

A panel structure mountable in a vehicle to form a part of the interior thereof generally includes a layered composite structure, a reinforcing substrate, and one or more ornamental components (15, 20) facing the interior of the vehicle. In a novel process for making the panel structure, the ornamental components (15, 20) are placed on a mold surface (34), each of the ornamental components having an outer surface facing the mold surface (34) and remaining surfaces not facing the mold surface. A thin outer layer is sprayed (42) on the remaining surfaces of the ornamental components and on portions of the mold surface not covered by the ornamental components to adhere the outer layer with and integrate the outer layer to the ornamental components. Next, a resin formulation is applied over the inner surface of the outer layer while the outer layer is on the mold surface to create an inner layer adhered to the outer layer, the inner and outer layers collectively forming the layered composite structure.