RIM Urethane/Vinyl Composites as interior Trim Parts

Approximately four years ago, new production process for automobile door liners was introduced in Europe. The process consisted of stretching a sheet of unsupported, expanded PVC over the mold cavity. The mold was closed and clamped and a polyurethane structural foam mixture was injected by the RIM method through the top half of the mold. The pressure and temperature of the expanding mixture forced the vinyl to conform to the contours of the cavity thus producing a finished door liner (polyurethane foam/vinyl composite). This process showed promise but had several drawbacks. Over the past two years, cycle times have been reduced to 2 minutes, intricate surface detail has been achieved and other formable surfaces have been substituted for the vinyls.

These improvements have made it a candidate product for the U.S. auto industry.