Advances in Joining Technology Relative to Vibration Welding of Carpet and Fabric to Interior Door Panels and Other Automotive Interior Components

Vibration welding has been acknowledged for decades as a viable, cost-effective alternative to the use of mechanical fasteners and adhesives in a range of automotive applications. These are primarily applications in which polymer parts are joined to like polymer parts to produce a weld which is more robust than that provided by other non-welding methods, such as hot melt adhesive. This technology and the equipment which supports it has enabled carmakers and Tier I suppliers to expand the use of state-of-the-art polymers into interior and exterior components which include those requiring a high level of structural integrity.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate in detail the use of similar, patented technology to create comparable robust fastening of polymer interior components (such as interior door panels) to carpet or fabric inserts which have previously been applied utilizing either other less effective or more costly processes, or processes requiring costly secondary operations.

This paper explains the process and equipment used, requirements for specific parts to be welded, and the quality of the resulting components including performance and cost comparisons with alternative processes.