SUN VISOR

Expandable polystyrene EPS is a modified PS prepared as small beads containing pentane gas which, when steamed, expand to form lightweight, cohesive masses for forms used to mold cups and trays, package fragile products for shipment, etc. Similar dimensionally stable forms molded from EPS are used as cores for such products as automobile sun visors with surface overlays, etc. 

In this case study, an automotive supplier was facing an issue of surface blemishes on sun visor arms. 

Portions of the sun visor arms used in automobiles can be manufactured from glass-filled thermoplastic polymers. Several visor arms contained visible blemishes on the surface. Typically, the steel insert of the visor arm is overmolded with the glass-filled thermoplastic polymer. Manufacturers sometimes utilize striations on the steel insert to provide a mechanical interlock with the over-molded thermoplastic polymer. However, in an improperly controlled environment, the mechanical process that produces the striations can also be the source of contamination and cause surface blemishes in the final product. 

To diagnose the surface blemish problem several analytical techniques were employed. First, the samples were photo-documented. Since an aesthetic problem is by definition a problem with the visual appearance of an item, it is important to ascertain if all the defects are different or of the same nature. With close inspection, the sun visor arms were found to contain two distinct types of defects. Figure 1(a) shows what was called the Type A defect and Figure 1(b) shows the so-called Type B defect. These images were acquired using a stereomicroscope coupled with a digital camera. 

From the samples collected from two lots of sun visor arms, the type and frequency of defects were tabulated to determine which type of defect was occurring most often. Table 1 indicates that the Type A defects were occurring... 

Safety padding of instrument panels, door panels or sun visors. 

Instrument panels and associated mouldings, dashboards, interior door panels and pockets, sun visors, security covers, headlining, floor coverings, floor mats, arm rests, seat coverings. .. 

Foamed PPE automotive door padding, knee bolsters, pillar trims, sun visors, instrument panel retainers, top covers, centre-stacks. .. 

Foams of PP are used for side protection of doors, armrests with integrated baby seat, floor insulation, heat and phonic insulation of transmission tunnels, trunks, cushioning of sun visors, steering columns, knee bolsters, armrests, tool boxes and racks. .. 

Automotive furniture trims... sun visors... face shields... 

Patent Number US 5601766 A 19970211 METHOD OF MAKING A SUN VISOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Viertel L Welter P Happich GmbH... 

The electrochromic, self-dimming mirror market is expanding rapidly, comprising around 6 M of the estimated 150 M total for mirrors in cars and trucks in 2000. The market is set to grow to around 15 M by 2010, with additional growth in self-dim-mable sunroofs and sun visors. 

You pull down the sun visor above your seat, revealing a photo of actress Gillian Anderson. 

Applications. Major applications of semi-rigid foams are in the area of automotive parts, especially in the interior of vehicles, for use as shock-absorbing pads, e.g., instrument panels, console-box lids, door trims, head restraints, arm rests, and sun visors. 

EPP is currently used in transport packaging applications and, increasingly, in the automotive sector. Examples of articles made from this material include side-on collision protection elements, sun visors, column and door moldings and bumper core elements (Eigs. 26-30). EPS is used mainly for packaging and heat insulation in the construction industry (Table 7). 

Sun visor Luxurious type, with lamp and cosmetic mirror... 

Driver s side safety airbag module in Figure 6.2 Cloek spring in Figure 6.3 SRS-ECU in Figure 6.4 Sun visor in Figure 6.5... 

The automotive industry usually eites technieal shortcomings rather than health eonsiderations for attempting to reduce its dependence on PVC in vehiele eomponents. Flexible PVC has been used in the past in underseal, instrument panels, wiring insulation, weatherstrip, window sealants, body side protection strips, door panels, seats, armrests and sun visors. Many of these applications require a soft, flexible material that used to be diffieult to produce without PVC, but can now be made using a modified polyolefin formulation. 

Steering column components Sun visor brackets Switches, electrical... 

This versatdity offers opportunities in automotive interior appbcations (door padding and panels, knee bolsters, bead restraint systems, sun visors, instrument panels, rear parcel shelves), exterior applications (bumpers, body support), and cavity filling (car trunks, floor systems). 

Automotive uses Light weight Energy absorption Resilience Higher service temperature Interior instrument panels, interior door panels, headliners, sun visors, trunk liners, gaskets, wheel house covers. Exterior bumper inserts... 

Clamps are then applied to secure the whole roof assembly until the adhesive has fully cured. Meanwhile, the clear plastic glazing panel and a plastic sun visor are bonded to the GRP shell. The black adhesive used for all bonding applications is also used to seal the exposed joint between window lights and roof, thus producing a completely flush exterior surface. 

Mercedes-Benz trucks Various Internal engine cover, engine insulation, sun visor, interior insulation, bumper, wheel box, roof cover... 

Molds for flexible, PUR integral skin foams are required in the production of motor cycle seats, sun visors, and simple seat upholstery. These large molds usually consist of two parts. For suitable venting, molds for annular headrests require auxiliary parting planes that can be mounted with hinges on one of the mold halves. 

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