Applicator and method for in-mold coating

Abstract

An in-mold applicator and method for spraying a coating on difficult-to-reach surfaces of a mold is disclosed. The applicator includes a spray head and a base portion at an oblique angle to each other. The outer dimensions of the body portion and the spray head are sufficiently small so that taken in combination with the oblique angle, the applicator and method can enhance the spraying of the coating to difficult-to-reach surfaces within the mold.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 115,360, filed Apr. 3, 2002 and entitled “Applicator and Method for In-Mold Coating.”BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to an improved nozzle for use with in-mold coating processes. [0004] 2. Background Art [0005] In-mold coating processes are used in a number of applications to spray, or otherwise apply, coatings onto the working surfaces of molds used in molding operations. One common application of in-mold coating can be found in the processes used for manufacturing the soft interior paneling of automotive vehicles, like the soft interior paneling of an instrument panel dashboard 10, shown in cross-section in FIG. 1. Instrument panel 10 can be manufactured by a skin making process or a foam-in-the-mold process that each include spraying a mold, like mold 12 shown in FIG. 2, with a coating such as a one or two...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides an improved applicator and method for coating difficult-to-reach in-mold portions of a mold cavity in one coating operation and without requiring excessive amounts of coating. The applicator has a spray head and body portion at an oblique angle to each other, which enhances the spraying of the coating onto the difficult-to-reach surfaces of the mold. The applicator also includes a liquid medium head and a closable and operable liquid medium valve for selectively controlling a sufficient flow of liquid medium for atomization with the delivered gaseous medium. The method includes spraying a first atomized fluid onto the mold including the undercut surfaces from an applicator having a body portion and a spray head extending at an oblique angle with respect to the body portion. The spray head is positional within the mold in a head-on position sufficient to squarely spray the atomized fluid onto the mold and the first undercut surface.

Problems solved by technology

The undercut mold portion 20 is a difficult-to-reach area for applying the coating.

Thus, such areas are considered difficult-to-reach areas of mold 12.

It is expensive, however, to have operators coat the uncoated portions in a secondary operation, and it is similarly expensive to apply excess material to the mold.

Moreover, the excess coating can cause additional problems in bi-color applications in which it is desirable to have one portion of the skin coated with a first color and another portion of the skin coated with a second different color, as the running of coating material from one color into the other color can discolor the appearance of the skin.

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