Apparatus for producing interior trim component for a motor vehicle

Claim 1

An apparatus for producing an interior trim component for a motor vehicle, said component comprising a compressed fiber base and a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected areas of a surface thereof, wherein selected portions of said base are less compressed and thicker than remaining portions of said base, said apparatus comprising a loading station followed by an alignment station followed by a shaping station followed by a sealing station, said shaping station comprising a male mold member and an opposed female mold member, said mold members being moveable relative one another into a closed position defining a gap between them of uneven thickness, whereby in said closed position said mold members are adapted to subject selected areas of a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness to different degrees of compression than remaining areas of said mat, and wherein said loading station comprises a first loading frame, a second loading frame and a support surface adapted to support a stack of fibrous mats, each of said loading frames comprising means for releasably gripping a fibrous mat to transport same and being vertically moveable independently of the other, said first loading frame being reciprocally moveably horizontally from a first position over said support surface to a second position over said alignment station, said second loading frame being reciprocally moveable horizontally from a first position over said alignment station to a second position over said shaping station.

Claim 2

An apparatus for producing an interior trim component for a motor vehicle, said component comprising a compressed fiber base and a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected areas of a surface thereof, wherein selected portions of said base are less compressed and thicker than remaining portions of said base, said apparatus comprising a loading station followed by an alignment station followed by a shaping station followed by a sealing station, said shaping station comprising a male mold member and an opposed female mold member, said mold members being moveable relative one another into a closed position defining a gap between them of uneven thickness, whereby in said closed position said mold members are adapted to subject selected areas of a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness to different degrees of compression than remaining areas of said mat, and wherein said loading station comprises a first loading frame, a second loading frame and a support surface adapted to support a stack of fibrous mats, each of said loading frames comprising means for releasably gripping a fibrous mat to transport same and being vertically moveable independently of the other, said first loading frame being reciprocally moveably horizontally from a first position over said support surface to a second position over said alignment station, said second loading frame being reciprocally moveable horizontally from a first position over said alignment station to a second position over said shaping station.

Claim 5

An apparatus for producing an interior trim component for a motor vehicle, said component comprising a compressed fiber base and a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected areas of a surface thereof, wherein selected portions of said base are less compressed and thicker than remaining portions of said base, said apparatus comprising a loading station followed by an alignment station followed by a shaping station followed by a sealing station, said shaping station comprising a male mold member and an opposed female mold member, said mold members being moveable relative one another into a closed position defining a gap between them of uneven thickness, whereby in said closed position said mold members are adapted to subject selected areas of a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness to different degrees of compression than remaining areas of said mat, and wherein said male mold member comprises a moveable advancing member adapted to contact and displace a region of said fibrous mat prior to compression molding thereof and to provide a portion of the surface of said male mold during such compression molding.

Claim 6

An apparatus for producing an interior trim component for a motor vehicle, said component comprising a compressed fiber base and a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected areas of a surface thereof, wherein selected portions of said base are less compressed and thicker than remaining portions of said base, said apparatus comprising a loading station followed by an alignment station followed by a shaping station followed by a sealing station, said shaping station comprising a male mold member and an opposed female mold member, said mold members being moveable relative one another into a closed position defining a gap between them of uneven thickness, whereby in said closed position said mold members are adapted to subject selected areas of a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness to different degrees of compression than remaining areas of said mat, and wherein said male mold member comprises a moveable advancing member adapted to contact and displace a region of said fibrous mat prior to compression molding thereof and to provide a portion of the surface of said male mold during such compression molding.

Claim 8

An apparatus for producing an interior trim component for a motor vehicle, said component comprising a compressed fiber base and a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected areas of a surface thereof, wherein selected portions of said base are less compressed and thicker than remaining portions of said base, said apparatus comprising a loading station followed by an alignment station followed by a shaping station followed by a sealing station, said shaping station comprising a male mold member and an opposed female mold member, said mold members being moveable relative one another into a closed position defining a gap between them of uneven thickness, whereby in said closed position said mold members are adapted to subject selected areas of a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness to different degrees of compression than remaining areas of said mat, and wherein said sealing station comprises (a) a receiving member adapted to register with a fibrous mat shaped by said shaping station, and (b) a sealing punch reciprocally moveable relative said receiving member and having a sealing electrode adapted to contact said shaped fibrous mat on said receiving member in a preselected pattern.

Claim 9

An apparatus for producing an interior trim component for a motor vehicle, said component comprising a compressed fiber base and a plastic sheet adhered to at least selected areas of a surface thereof, wherein selected portions of said base are less compressed and thicker than remaining portions of said base, said apparatus comprising a loading station followed by an alignment station followed by a shaping station followed by a sealing station, said shaping station comprising a male mold member and an opposed female mold member, said mold members being moveable relative one another into a closed position defining a gap between them of uneven thickness, whereby in said closed position said mold members are adapted to subject selected areas of a fibrous mat of substantially uniform thickness to different degrees of compression than remaining areas of said mat, and wherein said sealing station comprises (a) a receiving member adapted to register with a fibrous mat shaped by said shaping station, and (b) a sealing punch reciprocally moveable relative said receiving member and having a sealing electrode adapted to contact said shaped fibrous mat on said receiving member in a preselected pattern.