Injection Selection

Johnson Controls Inc. says its new line of CrafTec interior processes for injection-molded plastic interior components is helping auto makers respond to consumers' increasing desire for attractive, high-quality interiors in affordable vehicles.

Combining craftsmanship and technology, the CrafTec Partial Mold-Behind (PMB), Multi-Color Injection (MCI) and Partial Foam-in-Place (PFIP) interior systems first were highlighted by JCI's Ikanos interior concept vehicle that bowed at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The systems offer auto makers increased design and materials flexibility, better component integration and craftsmanship and, ultimately, reduced expense and time spent manufacturing interior panels, Bill Fluharty, vice president-JCI Industrial Design, says at the supplier's technology center in Holland, MI.

PMB is one of the highlights of JCI's evolving portfolio, Fluharty says. Its advanced injection-molding process dramatically reduces the steps needed to produce high-quality interior panels that incorporate various materials, textures and colors.

Debuting recently with the production of the door panels for the '05 Mitsubishi Eclipse and '06 Chevrolet Impala, PMB does away with the traditional “fussy” operation of molding a plastic panel and then separately constructing and assembling various soft textile components and trim pieces to be installed later as a complete unit.

Using the '05 Mitsubishi Eclipse door inner as an example, the PMB process begins with the forming of a soft plastic/foam center panel incorporating the armrest and speaker cavity. This process allows designers to place soft materials where passengers directly interact with the panel, while still reducing the overall number of steps needed to manufacture the complete unit.

Once the soft component is formed, it is placed in an injection-molding machine, where the hard plastic main panel is formed around it. The process allows the hard and soft plastics to fuse together and form a complete panel with only miniscule gaps between materials.

The process also reduces fumes produced during manufacturing by eliminating the traditional adhesives needed to bond different materials together. The uniform, adhesive-free construction process also improves buzz, squeak and rattle performance, JCI says.

In addition to door panels, JCI also is planning to apply the PMB process to seatbacks, floor consoles and cargo systems.

MCI is a unique 1-piece injection-molding process that yields a 2-color substrate for interior panels without additional molding or painting.

By sequentially injecting two separate plastics into a mold, the two materials fuse together to form a continuous, multi-colored interior panel, which has uniform color and texture.

This process, which can be used for door panels, instrument panels (IPs), floor consoles, trim and cargo systems, simplifies and enhances the design process; reduces production scrap; and improves overall quality by providing a gap-free finish, JCI says.

Currently, JCI has five MCI door-panel and floor-console programs with multiple auto makers for '07 model vehicles.

MCI's biggest benefit is that it allows for greater creativity and brand differentiation in interior design while optimizing tooling investments, says Fluharty.

PFIP is a process by which the skin of a panel is joined with the main substrate and then later injected with soft foam to form a padded, luxurious texture. This allows designers to place soft padding wherever they like and eliminates the need to tediously vacuum wrap a complete panel with a soft cover material.

PFIP also can improve the overall quality of an interior, as well as lower costs by reducing the number of manufacturing steps, JCI says.

The IP of the '05 Mazda6 was the first application of PFIP.

By themselves, these manufacturing processes improve production efficiency over standard methods while allowing for increased design flexibility, JCI says. But the supplier says it also is capable of combining the elements of its CrafTec interior line to provide even more design and manufacturing flexibility.

CrafTec Plus is such a process and is highlighted by JCI's Ikanos concept vehicle interior, which includes various combinations of JCI's three CrafTec processes to showcase what the next generation of JCI interiors may look like.

In addition to PMB, MCI and PFIP molded interior panels, Ikanos also shows off JCI's advanced instrument cluster display, a power-sliding floor console and a powered, flat-folding cargo floor that includes a specially patterned carpet designed to stay flat and not bundle up when the seatbacks are raised.

JCI says CrafTec Plus will appear first on the door panel of an '07 model vehicle, which will incorporate MCI and PFIP technology.