New Processes to Offer More Opportunities

Johnson Controls develops interior finish processes that provide flexibility

Nowadays, people are as concerned with how the interior of an automobile looks as its exterior, performance and handling. And while mid- and upper-price range cars use a variety of materials, ranging from foils and skins to leather, fabric and wood to provide a rich look, lower-vehicle segments often had to make do with untreated and basic surfaces. But not anymore.
Johnson Controls has developed two new processes designed to offer alternative ways of providing high-quality interior surfaces. What’s more, the processes allow automakers to improve surface scratch resistance and the matte appearance, offering a feature for all vehicle segments that previously would only appear in mid- and upper –priced vehicles.

PP Thin Film: This process uses a composite foil made of multiple primarily polypropylene layers (hence the PP in the name), manufactured in a direct mold-behind process. With this process, all types of polypropylene can be used—and it even accommodates fiberglass reinforced plastics. Best yet, these plastics are highly scratch resistant, and can be adapted to match the finish of adjacent parts. That’s because the degree of glossiness can be adjusted in the manufacturing process.

RIM Alfa Surface Technology: Here, the key is cost-effectiveness. Because manufacturing uses a one-step process to develop a molded interior skin (compared to the previous two-step one), production time is halved. This allows the production team to reduce waste by ensuring only the right wall thickness is achieved in production. It also allows the team to design strategic surface weakening in specific spots on the panel to accommodate airbag deployment openings.
In addition, this processing technique allows for the production of two-color parts, using a hidden seal that separates the two colors from blending together where they meet. This seal remains on the part after the piece hardens, but is invisible to the naked eye. This also helps speed the production process—and offers more design opportunities for automakers.