Schefenacker Vision Systems Australia Pty Ltd

Duncan William Nash

Robert William Gilbert

Garry Gordon Leslie Fimeri

Ingmar Manfred Birgden

A vehicle external mirror assembly () comprises three main parts: a vehicle-to-mirror assembly attachment bracket (), a mirror housing () and a mirror (). Housing () comprises a thin molded external plastic shell () and a foam core (), the foam anchoring and supporting the shell. A load diffuser () may be positioned within foam () to reduce the maximum tensile and compressive stresses within the foam (). Attachment bracket () is of a similar construction with a thin shell () internal foam () and load diffuser ().

Vehicle external mirror assembly and method of manufacture

The present invention is a mould and a method of moulding a plastic component using the mould that enable the manufacturer of a moulded component () which has an external covering. The method of moulding comprises either locating a pre-formed component () into a first part of the mould or vacuum forming a thin film () into a mould cavity. A first mould part () has a mould cavity into which the pre-formed component () is placed or the thin film () is vacuumed formed into. The method continues by partly closing a second part of the mould () into the first part of the mould () and injecting molten plastic () onto the surface of the pre-formed component () or thin film (). The second mould part () is then fully closed to force the molten plastic () to fill the resultant mould cavity (). This bonds the molten plastic to either the pre-formed component () or the thin film () to form the final shape of the moulded component (). Just prior to the mould parts () and () closing, a cutting edge () abuts against and cuts either the pre-formed component () or the thin film (). This trimming occurs around the periphery of the cutting edge (). The moulded component () is then ejected by opening of the mould parts () and (). This process enables the production of a moulded component () with an external covering.

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Happy Valley, Australia

Duncan William Nash