Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Jeffrey Peter Webb

Linh Ngoc Doan

Frank Qiukui Liu

Sreenivas Kuchibhatla

Liying Qi

Richard L Routson

A heat stake for a plastic part includes a body having a proximal end, a flared section and a distal end. The proximal end has a first cross-sectional area Aand the flared section has a second cross-sectional area Awhere A&#x3c;A. The distal end has a dual taper. That plastic part incorporating the heat stake is also disclosed.

Heat stake and method of eliminating heat stake sink marks in a plastic part

A road vehicle has an instrument panel substrate supported by a sheet metal body cowl. The body cowl is configured to be supported by a firewall of the vehicle. A fastener joins the instrument panel substrate and the body cowl comprising a magnetic member mechanically affixed to one of the instrument panel substrate or the body cowl at a predetermined location. The magnetic member attaches with a substantially horizontal magnetic surface of the other one of the instrument panel substrate or the body cowl. The magnetic member vertically separates from the magnetic surface in response to an impact force applied against the body cowl that is greater than a predetermined force. Furthermore, the magnetic attachment of the magnetic member to the magnetic surface prevents separation below the predetermined force. Thus, the conflicting demands of squeak and rattle performance versus pedestrian protection are easily satisfied.

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Iron Mountain, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey Peter Webb