초록 ▼

A natural wood-covered plastic part, such as a vehicle part, and a method of manufacturing same. The natural wood-covered plastic part includes a one-piece thermoplastic elastomeric body or structural substrate and a plastic-wood composite of a thermoplastic material compatible with the thermoplasti

A natural wood-covered plastic part, such as a vehicle part, and a method of manufacturing same. The natural wood-covered plastic part includes a one-piece thermoplastic elastomeric body or structural substrate and a plastic-wood composite of a thermoplastic material compatible with the thermoplastic elastomer of the structural substrate. The plastic-wood composite and the plastic part are placed together at a bonding station. A bottom contact surface of the plastic-wood composite bonds with a front contact surface of the structural substrate between the contact surfaces thereof. The plastic-wood composite and the structural substrate may be bonded together in one of several ways, such as injection molding, compression molding and thermal or chemical bonding. The resulting plastic part is cooled beneath the softening point of both plastics so that a molecular concentration gradient is formed and an interface between the first and second plastics to bond the first and second plastics by diffusion within a mold cavity of a plastic mold separate from the mold cavity of a vacuum mold which is utilized to vacuum-mold the plastic-wood composite.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A natural wood-covered plastic part comprising:a plastic-wood composite having a wood veneer layer disposed between a first plastic layer and a second plastic layer, the composite at least partially bonded together by naturally occurring lignin at a bond between each of t

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A natural wood-covered plastic part comprising:a plastic-wood composite having a wood veneer layer disposed between a first plastic layer and a second plastic layer, the composite at least partially bonded together by naturally occurring lignin at a bond between each of the first and second plastic layers and the wood veneer layer and formed into a preform having a predetermined shape, the plastic-wood composite having a top and bottom surface; anda plastic structural substrate bonded to the bottom surface of the plastic-wood composite through sufficient heat and pressure but insufficient to break the bonds at least partially provided by the naturally occurring lignin so as to form the natural wood-covered plastic part.