Method of fabricating instrument panel

Claim 1

A method of fabricating an instrument panel comprising the steps of: providing a skin formed with a front face portion to serve as a face surface of the instrument panel and side face portions extending rearwardly from the front face portion at end edge portions thereof and defining a bend angle subtended by the side face portions and a rear surface of the front face portion; providing a panel core having a recess for complementing a contour of the skin to define a molding space between the panel core and the skin, the recess having peripheral walls for engaging the side face portions of the skin when the skin and the panel core are engaged together, the peripheral walls and said rear surface of said skin subtending a regular angle when the side face portions of the skin are fitted into engagement with the peripheral walls of the panel core, and the regular angle being less than the bend angle; situating the panel core in a first die of a mold; situating the skin in a second die of the mold such that the side face portions are fittable into the recess of the panel core during mold closing; closing the mold and engaging the side face portions with the peripheral walls to define the molding space between the panel core and the skin; and injecting a foaming material into the molding space between the panel core and the skin to thereby integrate the panel core and the skin with a foaming layer formed by the foaming material.

Claim 2

A method of fabricating an instrument panel comprising the steps of: providing a skin formed with a front face portion to serve as a face surface of the instrument panel and side face portions extending rearwardly from the front face portion at end edge portions thereof and defining a bend angle subtended by the side face portions and a rear surface of the front face portion; providing a panel core having a recess for complementing a contour of the skin to define a molding space between the panel core and the skin, the recess having peripheral walls for engaging the side face portions of the skin when the skin and the panel core are engaged together, the peripheral walls and said rear surface of said skin subtending a regular angle when the side face portions of the skin are fitted into engagement with the peripheral walls of the panel core, and the regular angle being less than the bend angle; situating the panel core in a first die of a mold; situating the skin in a second die of the mold such that the side face portions are fittable into the recess of the panel core during mold closing; closing the mold and engaging the side face portions with the peripheral walls to define the molding space between the panel core and the skin; and injecting a foaming material into the molding space between the panel core and the skin to thereby integrate the panel core and the skin with a foaming layer formed by the foaming material.

Claim 6

A method of fabricating an instrument panel comprising the steps of: providing a skin formed with a front face portion to serve as a face surface of the instrument panel and side face portions extending rearwardly from the front face portion at end edge portions thereof and defining a bend angle subtended by the side face portions and a rear surface of the front face portion; providing a panel core having a recess for complementing a contour of the skin to define a molding space between the panel core and the skin, the recess having peripheral walls for engaging the side face portions of the skin when the skin and the panel core are engaged together, the peripheral walls and said rear surface of said skin subtending a regular angle when the side face portions of the skin are fitted into engagement with the peripheral walls of the panel core, and the regular angle being less than the bend angle; situating the panel core in a first die of a mold; situating the skin in a second die by holding the skin in place in the second die using a skin holding member movably disposed in the second die and having a face holding member extending along and engaging an outer face of the side face portions of the skin such that the side face portions are fittable into the recess of the panel core during mold closing; closing the mold; pulling the skin holding member into the second die, prior to injecting foaming material and after the step of closing the mold, to engage the side face portions with the peripheral walls to define the molding space between the panel core and the skin; and injecting a foaming material into the molding space between the panel core and the skin to thereby integrate the panel core and the skin with a foaming layer formed by the foaming material.

Claim 7

A method of fabricating an instrument panel comprising the steps of: providing a skin formed with a front face portion to serve as a face surface of the instrument panel and side face portions extending rearwardly from the front face portion at end edge portions thereof and defining a bend angle subtended by the side face portions and a rear surface of the front face portion; providing a panel core having a recess for complementing a contour of the skin to define a molding space between the panel core and the skin, the recess having peripheral walls for engaging the side face portions of the skin when the skin and the panel core are engaged together, the peripheral walls and said rear surface of said skin subtending a regular angle when the side face portions of the skin are fitted into engagement with the peripheral walls of the panel core, and the regular angle being less than the bend angle; situating the panel core in a first die of a mold; situating the skin in a second die by holding the skin in place in the second die using a skin holding member movably disposed in the second die and having a face holding member extending along and engaging an outer face of the side face portions of the skin such that the side face portions are fittable into the recess of the panel core during mold closing; closing the mold; pulling the skin holding member into the second die, prior to injecting foaming material and after the step of closing the mold, to engage the side face portions with the peripheral walls to define the molding space between the panel core and the skin; and injecting a foaming material into the molding space between the panel core and the skin to thereby integrate the panel core and the skin with a foaming layer formed by the foaming material.

Claim 9

A method of fabricating an instrument panel comprising the steps of: providing a skin formed with a front face portion to serve as a face surface of the instrument panel and side face portions extending rearwardly from the front face portion at end edge portions thereof and defining a bend angle subtended by the side face portions and a rear surface of the front face portion; providing a panel core having a recess for complementing a contour of the skin to define a molding space between the panel core and the skin, the recess having peripheral walls for engaging the side face portions of the skin when the skin and the panel core are engaged together, the peripheral walls and said rear surface of said skin subtending a regular angle when the side face portions of the skin are fitted into engagement with the peripheral walls of said panel core, and the regular angle being less than the bend angle; providing a mold having a first die with a first die molding recess for accepting the panel core and a second die with a second die molding recess for accepting the skin; providing the second die with a skin holding member with a face holding member for engaging an outer face of the side face portions when the skin is situated in the second die molding recess, the skin holding member being movably disposed in the second die to permit insertion of the face holding member into the second die molding recess to engage the side face portions and to permit withdrawal of the face holding member from the second die molding recess; situating the panel core in the first die molding recess; situating the skin in the second die molding recess such that the side face portions are deflected by the face holding member to reduce the bend angle so the side face portions are fittable into the recess of the panel core during mold closing; closing the mold to fit the side face portions into the recess of the panel core; pulling the skin holding member to withdraw the face holding member from the recess of the second die to permit engagement of the side face portions with the peripheral walls and define the molding space between the panel core and the skin; and injecting a foaming material into the molding space between the panel core and the skin to thereby integrate the panel core and the skin with a foaming layer formed by the foaming material.

Claim 10

A method of fabricating an instrument panel comprising the steps of: providing a skin formed with a front face portion to serve as a face surface of the instrument panel and side face portions extending rearwardly from the front face portion at end edge portions thereof and defining a bend angle subtended by the side face portions and a rear surface of the front face portion; providing a panel core having a recess for complementing a contour of the skin to define a molding space between the panel core and the skin, the recess having peripheral walls for engaging the side face portions of the skin when the skin and the panel core are engaged together, the peripheral walls and said rear surface of said skin subtending a regular angle when the side face portions of the skin are fitted into engagement with the peripheral walls of said panel core, and the regular angle being less than the bend angle; providing a mold having a first die with a first die molding recess for accepting the panel core and a second die with a second die molding recess for accepting the skin; providing the second die with a skin holding member with a face holding member for engaging an outer face of the side face portions when the skin is situated in the second die molding recess, the skin holding member being movably disposed in the second die to permit insertion of the face holding member into the second die molding recess to engage the side face portions and to permit withdrawal of the face holding member from the second die molding recess; situating the panel core in the first die molding recess; situating the skin in the second die molding recess such that the side face portions are deflected by the face holding member to reduce the bend angle so the side face portions are fittable into the recess of the panel core during mold closing; closing the mold to fit the side face portions into the recess of the panel core; pulling the skin holding member to withdraw the face holding member from the recess of the second die to permit engagement of the side face portions with the peripheral walls and define the molding space between the panel core and the skin; and injecting a foaming material into the molding space between the panel core and the skin to thereby integrate the panel core and the skin with a foaming layer formed by the foaming material.