'Class A' thermoplastic automotive part production without painting

摘要

"Class A" automotive parts with a 1.6 square meter surface area were produced using a new process of surface finishing/compression molding SFC (The Valyi SFC~(TM) Process (1). In the process a precut Class "A" film finish blank was placed over the mold cavity of a vertical press. Molten plastic was extruded onto the film, reinforcing layers added, and the mold was closed. In this SFC process, the melt, deposited directly onto the film backing layer, heats the film finish and causes it to become pliable for forming. This process eliminates the need for painting and produces large parts at low clamp forces. This paper reports the materials and process which were used to produce full sized development parts that demonstrate the capability for production of large structural panels such as roof tops, hoods, or trunk lids.