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A method and apparatus for making a composite article that includes a soft trim component employs a pair of mold halves, wherein a suitable skin material is sprayed onto a first mold cavity surface to obtain an in-mold coating, and a substrate is positioned between the mold halves such that a first

A method and apparatus for making a composite article that includes a soft trim component employs a pair of mold halves, wherein a suitable skin material is sprayed onto a first mold cavity surface to obtain an in-mold coating, and a substrate is positioned between the mold halves such that a first area of one side of the substrate is located in opposition with the in-mold coating. A sprue defined in the second mold half, in opposition with the other side of the substrate, directs injected foam through an aperture in the substrate and into a gap defined between the one side of the substrate and the in-mold coating. A portion of the first mold half includes a layer of a sealing material that is harder than the substrate material to thereby eliminate the need to otherwise trim the overmolded soft trim component upon release from the mold.

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1. A method of making a composite article having a soft trim component comprising:spraying an in-mold coating onto a first mold cavity surface defined by a pair of mold halves, the first mold cavity surface being contoured to define a shape and a surface texture of the soft trim component;inserting,

1. A method of making a composite article having a soft trim component comprising:spraying an in-mold coating onto a first mold cavity surface defined by a pair of mold halves, the first mold cavity surface being contoured to define a shape and a surface texture of the soft trim component;inserting, between the pair of mold halves, a substrate having a first surface including a first area, a second surface, and an aperture defining a closed path from the first area of the first surface to the second surface, wherein inserting includes positioning the first area of the first surface in opposition to the in-mold coating on the first mold cavity surface such that a gap is defined between the first surface of the substrate and the in-mold coating; andinjecting a foam through the aperture into the gap. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-mold coating forms a colored, show surface on the composite article. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first mold cavity surface is grained, and spraying imparts surface texture to a surface of the in-mold coating. 4. The method of claim 1, further including molding the substrate of a plastic material before inserting. 5. The method of claim 1, further including selecting the foam and substrate such that the injected foam forms a chemical bond with the substrate. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein injecting includes bleeding injected foam onto the second surface of the substrate to thereby mechanically lock the foam to the substrate. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes a second area of the first surface immediately adjacent to the first area, and the first one of the mold halves includes a mold portion defining a peripheral edge of the first mold cavity surface; and further including seating the mold portion against the second area before injecting. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the material of the substrate has a first hardness, and wherein the mold portion includes a layer of a sealing material having a second hardness greater than the first hardness. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein seating includes coining the second area of the substrate with the mold portion, whereby a seal is substantially provided between the second area of the substrate and the mold portion. 10. A method of making a composite trim panel having a soft trim component comprising:providing a plastic substrate having a first surface with a first area and a second area, a second surface, and an aperture defining a closed path from the first surface to the second surface;spraying an in-mold coating onto a mold cavity surface defined by one of a first and second mold halves, the mold cavity surface being contoured to define a shape and a surface texture of the soft trim component;inserting the plastic substrate into the mold cavity such that a gap exists between the substrate and the in-mold coating and such that only the first area of the first surface of the substrate faces the tin-mold coating; andinjecting foam through the aperture into the gap between the first surface of the substrate and the in-mold coating such that the in-mold coating defines a colored, show surface on the composite trim panel. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first mold cavity surface is grained, and spraying imparts a surface texture to a surface of the in-mold coating. 12. The method of claim 10, further including selecting the foam and substrate such that the injected foam forms a chemical bond with the substrate. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein injecting includes bleeding injected foam onto the second surface of the substrate to thereby mechanically lock the foam to the substrate. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one of the mold halves includes a mold portion defining a peripheral edge of the first mold cavity surface; and further including seating the mold portion against the second area before injecting. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the material of the substrate has a first hardness, and w herein the mold portion includes a layer of a sealing material having a second hardness greater than the first hardness. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein seating includes coining the second area of the substrate with the mold portion to thereby provide a seal between the second area of the substrate and the mold portion.