Two Colors at One Time
When the BMW 5 Series was redesigned, the vehicle interior was also upgraded. For Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) , one of the world's leading suppliers of auto-motive interior systems, electronics and batteries, this meant a complete new development of the door panels. By introducing machinery and process innovations, Johnson Controls managed for the first time ever to apply a two-color foil to a single-component substrate made of natural fibers. The new process ensures both cost-effective production and a high-quality finish.
Two-color components of automotive interiors up until now have generally been produced as multiple parts before being applied to one another. As a result, seams and gaps remain visible with this method. It also makes it difficult in some cases to observe strict weight limitations - but not so with the BMW 5 Series. "Working closely with BMW, we broke new ground with this technology - being the first company to retain a single-compo-nent substrate and successfully cover it with a two-color, off-the-roll plastic foil" said Achim Hosenfeld, Vice President and General Manager of Johnson Controls.
Anyone who has ever tried to wrap an asymmetric object with striped gift wrap paper in such a way that the lines are abso-lutely parallel, even along the edges, can probably imagine the kind of challenges engineers faced. To ensure a high-quality finish and harmonious overall effect, exacting tolerances must be observed where the two colors meet on the door panels. The film is stretched when it is applied to the substrate. This distorts the color demarcation line, which then has to be brought back into proper alignment.
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