Shape Corporation

Netshape International LLC

Netshape Corporation

Netshape Energy Management, LLC

Mark Weissenborn

Darin Evans

Robert Weykamp

David Powell

Peter Sturrus

R Clayton McKeon

A bumper system includes a bumper beam having a face and ends, and an energy absorber mounted on the face. The energy absorber has a one-piece injection-molded non-foam piece with box sections and interconnecting straps, and a one-piece or multi-piece foam component securely insert-molded onto the injection-molded non-foam piece. Different foam molds can be used to form differently shaped front surfaces on the foam component. By this arrangement, different energy absorbing systems are provided for vehicles, such as to satisfy the need for different styling and shapes, while still using the same non-foam piece. By this arrangement, the energy absorber is a single unit that can be handled and attached to the bumper beam. At the same time, capital investment in molding dies and tooling is reduced.

Bumper system with energy absorber

A bumper includes a beam and an energy absorber supported on its face. The beam includes front and rear beam walls, with a pair of apertures in the front beam wall, and further the energy absorber includes a pair of tubular structural columns extending from its front wall through the aperture in the front beam wall to the rear beam wall. By this arrangement, the front wall of the energy absorber receives support from the rear beam wall via the structural columns during a vehicle crash.

Bumper system with face-mounted energy absorber

A bumper includes a beam and an energy absorber supported thereon. The energy absorber includes horizontal walls, each having a front portion, a rear portion, and an interconnecting mid-portion that offsets and misaligns the front and rear portions. Upon impact, the front and rear portions collapse with the offset mid portion wrapping back upon itself with a predictable energy-absorbing collapse. The energy absorber further includes flanges and friction pads that frictionally engage the top and bottom of the beam to temporarily retain the energy absorber to the beam. In one embodiment, the front beam wall includes at least one aperture, and the energy absorber includes a tubular column extending from its front wall through the aperture in the front beam wall to the rear beam wall. By this arrangement, the front wall of the energy absorber receives support from the front beam wall via the structural column.

Bumper with integrated foam and non-foam components

A bumper system includes a bumper beam having a face and ends, and an energy absorber mounted on the face. The energy absorber has a foam piece engaging the face and an injection-molded end piece securely attached to each end of the foam piece and also engaging the face. By this arrangement, the energy absorber is a single unit that can be handled and attached to the bumper beam, and also can include different end pieces while still using the same foam piece. In one form, the energy absorber also includes a center injection-molded piece and, in another form, includes a long injection-molded piece having foam sections molded onto it.

Bumper energy absorber with foam and non-foam pieces

A vehicle bumper system includes a bumper beam and a polymeric energy absorber positioned on a front of the bumper beam. The energy absorber has multiple box-shaped sections and also has interconnecting sections positioned along the length that interconnect adjacent ones of the box-shaped sections. The box-shaped sections of the energy absorber, when cross-sectioned by a transverse plane, include top and bottom U-shaped sections formed by top parallel legs and a top vertical leg and by bottom parallel legs and a bottom vertical leg, respectively. End walls close ends of the box-shaped sections and stabilize the top and bottom U-shaped sections. The interconnecting sections include a tying wall that connects the end walls together. By this arrangement, the box-shaped sections provide a stable and reliable energy absorbing mechanism.

Bumper system with face-abutting energy absorber

A method includes rollforming and sweeping a tubular beam with a constant longitudinal cross section, and then reforming the tubular beam to form a tubular beam having a non-constant cross section. The non-constant cross sections have specific shapes chosen to provide particular structural properties and surfaces along the reshaped beam, and also to provide a stylized appearance, such that the reformed beam is useful as a vehicle bumper. In particular, the reshaped beam includes integrally formed vehicle mounting structure, angled end sections forming aerodynamic but impact-resistant bumper ends, and a high-energy absorbing but flexible center section.

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Grand Rapids, MI, United States of America

Mark Weissenborn