PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING AN AUTOMOTIVE TRIM PIECE PREWEAKENED TO FORM AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT OPENING

摘要

A process for manufacturing a trim piece to provide a concealed deployment door and opening for an air bag in which a substrate panel is formed with one or more integral door panels having an interposed gap preformed between one or more door panels and the substrate panel, and one side of each door panel is integral with the substrate panel structure to form a hinge. The substrate panel is overlain with one or more covering layers extending over the door panel or panels and opening. The covering layers can be preweakened along the gap in a correlated pattern, as by laser scoring.