Davidson Textron Inc.

Covestro LLC

International Automotive Components Group North America, Inc.

Other

Textron Automotive Company Inc.

William McHugh Humphrey, Jr

Paul Drago

Wayne C Salisbury

James R Pritchard

Michael J Gallagher

James R Charron

Terry L Anderson

Victor E Gerard

John D Gray

Rose Ann Ryntz

Scott M Filion

Lawrence R Nichols

Adam Murano

David W Syphers

Michael J Provencher

Jeffrey S Armour

Donald B Preston

Eugene P Shope

Jim E Ingram

David Warnick

Methods for making compositions for making thermoplastic aliphatic urethane/urea elastomers, which are in turn used to make molding compositions used in forming molded articles, particularly, shells for automotive applications. The molding compositions comprise an aliphatic thermoplastic urethane/urea elastomer and a polyolefin-based modifier. These compositions may be used to form a powder, pellets, microspheres or minibeads which may then be cast to form air bag door and instrument panel cover skins which may meet automotive deployment and weathering requirements.

Method for making thermoplastic aliphatic urethane/urea elastomers and molding compositions

Compositions for forming molded articles, particularly, shells for automotive applications are made up of melt blends of an aliphatic thermoplastic urethane elastomer and one or more polyolefin-based modifiers. These compositions may be blended to form a powder, pellets, microspheres or minibeads which may then be cast to form air bag door and instrument panel cover skins which may meet automotive deployment and weathering requirements.

Thermoplastic polyurethane copolymer molding compositions

Compositions for forming molded articles, particularly, shells for automotive applications are made up of melt blends of aliphatic thermoplastic urethane elastomer and an olefin-containing block copolymer crosslinked to a gel content of from 5 to 95%. These compositions may be blended to form a powder, pellets, microspheres or minibeads which may then be cast to form air bag door and instrument panel cover skins which may meet automotive deployment and weathering requirements.

The present invention relates to a slush moldable polymeric composition for forming a skin useable in interior trim components and methods of making the same. In at least one embodiment, the composition comprises a) from 50 to 99 wt. percent urethane elastomer, b) from 0.1 to 15 wt. percent propylene copolymer, c) from 0.1 to 25 wt. percent olefin modified thermoplastic, such as SEBS, and d) from 0.1 to 30 weight percent olefinic block copolymer, wherein the polymeric composition is slush moldable and vacuum formable. The modifiers include an olefin block copolymer (OBC) having a variable distribution of block lengths. The OBC is present in an amount from 0.1% to 30% of the total composition. The haptics of the polymeric composition is tunable by adjusting the amounts of the modifiers.

Modified moldable urethane with tunable haptics

A vehicle instrument panel skin comprises residues of a thermoplastic urethane elastomer and a propylene-ethylene copolymer. The thermoplastic urethane elastomer includes a polyol, an organic diisocyanate, an optional chain extender, and an optional hindered amine light stabilizer and a benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizing agent. A method for forming the instrument panel skin is also provided.

Modified slush moldable TPU for instrument panels with seamless airbag deployment capability

Interior trim panels and method for manufacturing such panels using silaceous materials

Described is a metallized article, and a method for making the same, comprising a substrate having a polyurethane basecoat disposed thereon and with a layer of electrically discrete metallic islands of a corrosion prone metal disposed on the basecoat. A cross-linked polyurethane top coat, which is bound to an organosilane, preferably an epoxy silane, is disposed on and encapsulates the discrete metallic islands. The organsilane is also bound to the metallic islands.

Top coat for metallic island coating system

An improved light stable polyether/polyol based aliphatic urethane thermoplastic elastomer prepared from reacting inter alia a polyol having low terminal end unsaturation and an organic diisocyanate. The elastomer is characterized by ultra violet stabilizer being present in a range of 0.25% to 2.0% at a total concentration of 1.0% to 2.0%, an antioxidant being present at a total concentration of 0.10% to 1.0%, and colorants/pigment being present in a total concentration in a range from 1.0% to 2.05% to produce an elastomer capable of withstanding Xenon arc artificial weathering with DE&lE;3.00 after 2450 kilojoules of exposure.

Light stable aliphatic thermoplastic urethane elastomers and method of making same

An improved light stable polyether/polyol based aliphatic urethane thermoplastic elastomer prepared from reacting inter alia a polyol having low terminal end unsaturation and an organic diisocyanate. The elastomer is characterized by ultraviolet stabilizer being present in a range of 0.25% to 2.0% at a total concentration of 1.0% to 2.0%, an antioxidant being present at a total concentration of 0.10% to 1.0%, and colorants/pigment being present in a total concentration in a range from 1.0% to 2.05% to produce an elastomer capable of withstanding Xenon arc artificial weathering with DE.ltoreq.3.00 after 2450 kilojoules of exposure.

Light stable aliphatic thermoplastic urethane elastomers and method of

An interior trim panel comprises a flexible polyurethane skin layer, an intermediate resilient polyurethane foam layer and a rigid polyurethane foam substrate. The flexible polyurethane skin layer and intermediate resilient polyurethane foam layer are formed as an expanded thermoplastic urethane (TPU) shell in a slush molding process. The rigid polyurethane foam substrate is then foamed in place on the shell in a substrate forming mold. This produces an environmentally friendly, long lasting interior trim panel that can be manufactured economically without any need for plasticizers or adhesive coatings.

Method of manufacturing an interior trim panel using polyurethane powder

Method and apparatus including a powder box and heatable shell tool are disclosed for forming a thermoplastic automotive air bag cover skin with a lesser strength thermoplastic tear seam strip insert wherein the latter is initially formed with a protruding rib on one side and a pointed ridge on an opposite side. A heat resistant elastomeric transfer socket attached to the powder box interior receives and holds the insert rib and thereby the insert in a prescribed tear seam configuration and then positions the tear seam strip insert against a heated skin defining mold surface on the shell tool when the powder box is joined with the latter. The skin is formed by casting thermoplastic powder from the powder box against the heated mold surface and about the tear seam insert. The pointed ridge of the tear seam strip insert is pressed with a limited force against the heated mold surface by the transfer socket and prevents air entrapment between the tear seam strip insert and mold surface as the insert melts and joins with a surrounding layer of powder melt that forms the skin on cooling. In the process of melting, the pointed edge of the ridge and all of the rib of the insert melts and becomes part of a tear seam where the insert fuses with the skin while conforming to the mold surface to smoothly blend with the outer side of the skin while the backside of the insert smoothly blends with the surrounding inner side of the skin.

Method for casting a thermoplastic automotive air bag cover skin with a

A solvent flush reaction injection molding mixhead has a mixing chamber with a solvent inlet port in one end and a chemical outlet port in an opposite end. A pair of hydraulically operated chemical injectors are connected to the mixing chamber between the solvent inlet port and chemical outlet port to inject liquid reaction molding chemicals at high pressure through injector ports into the mixing chamber. The mixed chemicals are delivered through the chemical outlet port to a spray wand on the mixhead for application to a mold surface or an object requiring a foam coating. A flush valve is associated with the solvent inlet port and is moveable from a closed position to block the solvent inlet port while the chemicals are injected into the mixing chamber, and an open position where liquid solvent under a high pressure is supplied through turbulator ports into the mixing chamber to clean and flush any remaining mixed chemicals from the flush valve, the mixing chamber including the chemical injector ports, and the spray wand.

Solvent flush reaction injection molding mixhead

A filled aliphatic thermoplastic urethane automotive air bag door tear seam insert is formed of a polyol, a chain extender, an organic diisocyanate, an antioxidant, a urethane catalyst, and a weakening filler wherein the filler is present in a range of approximately 60% to 80% by weight and is selected from the group consisting of anhydrous calcium sulfate, nepheline syenite and hollow silica-alumina alloy microspheres and combinations thereof. The filler may be only one of the group members or any combination thereof and in either equal or unequal proportions. The insert is adapted to be molded in place in a cover skin cast there about. The cast cover skin including the tear seam insert may be coated with a light stable paint; or for light stability and color matching, the urethane elastomer forming the cover skin and insert is formulated to include an ultra violet stabilizing agent(s) and a color pigment(s) in certain critical concentrations to obtain the desired effect.

Filled aliphatic thermoplastic urethane automotive air bag door tear

A method is provided for making a lightweight composite panel in which an outer skin is developed by spraying a heat curable reactive urethane formulation onto a contoured heated surface of a mold cavity of a press mold and maintained thereon in a semi-cured state. A substrate-forming foam layer impregnated with a hardening compound is positioned against a second foam layer and the layers in turn laid over the semi-cured urethane skin. The foam layers are urged together within the mold under heat and pressure at a temperature sufficient to accelerate activating of the hardening compound to render the substrate-forming foam layer relatively stiff, hard and self-supporting and less compressible than that of the second foam layer, and to bond the foam layers to one another at their interface, while forcing the semi-cured skin material into interstices of the second foam layer and thereafter curing the skin producing a bond between the skin and the second foam layer.

Method of making a panel with a spray formed skin

A RIM molded energy absorbing polyurethane rigid foam prepared from reacting inter alia a graft polymer polyol and an organic isocyanate using water as the blowing agent.

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Dover, NH, United States of America

William McHugh Humphrey, Jr