Design & Development of a Prototype Gas-Assist-Molded Glovebox Door

The purpose of this paper is to discuss design methodology, manufacturing considerations, and testing proveout for a prototype gas-assist-molded, energy-absorbing, glovebox door program. The design used a single gas pin mounted in a multiple-gas-channel component and an internal gas manifold to form an efficient energy absorbing system. The end goal for the development program was to manufacture a glovebox door in a system that could meet the customer's targets for cost, surface appearance, and safety considerations without degrading function and fit.

This paper will discuss the ability of a design methodology to predict actual component performance using engineering calculations, analytical tools, and prototype testing/molding during the development. Engineering calculations and finite-element analysis (FEA) results for both Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 208 testing and process simulation will be presented, along with process robustness, and component- and system level prototype testing results. Conclusions will include suggested design methodology for future work on this energy-absorbing design, and its current manufacturing process capability.