Auto / Car Interior Soft Trim – Future Trends – Overheads / Headliners, Trunks, Hood-liners, Flooring | SCHWABE Die Cutting Presses / Systems and Software

Auto / Car Interior Soft Trim Global Industry is a core business sector for SCHWABE USA Cutting Presses & Molding Systems

Die Cut and 3D Molded Parts / Components

Since 1935, SCHWABE Presses can be found in Automotive Soft Interior Trim Manufacturing Plants on six of the seven Continents!

Current Trends & Technology Developments

Here we outline some of the current trends & technology developments that are transforming the Automotive Interior Soft Trim and providing significant opportunities for SCHWABE USA.

“The future of the automobile and interiors manufacturing industry goes through four vectors: new mobility, autonomy, digitization, and electrification…..

This will mean a change in the forms of use: cars moving alone, restrictions on the use of the car in large cities, connectivity…;

all this will make the car a space where we will spend a lot of time and hence its interior must adapt to these new functionalities and uses.”

Group Antolin

Automotive Soft Trim Interior Market Segmentation : FutureMarketInsights

The major car soft trim material types can be classified as:
• Leather
-Texture & Finish
-Heat Absorption Capacity

• Foams
-Backed & Unbacked Types
-Texture e.g. Poker Rail
-Sew foam
-Grade e.g. Residential or Commercial grade on durability basis

• Coated Fabrics
-Polymer Coated
-Rubber Coated
-Other Substrate Coated for having properties like fire, & water resistance and wash proof

• Textiles & Acoustic Barriers
-per area of furnishing whether seating, safety belts, flooring, lining on doors, roof, shelves etc.
-grade/quality of material used such as
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS),
Polyurethane reactive (PUR)
-noise and sound proofing as well .

Customer Choice / OEM Requirements are constantly changing interior material surfaces STAHL 2016

Interior Harmony
Quality consistency of class A surfaces independent of car interior component and substrate used (Leather, PVC, PU, PVC, TPO, fabrics etc.)

Design / Styling
Sensorial Experience: natural appearance, color, low-gloss (not burnish), haptics, softness, smell etc.

Sustainability / Emissions
Fogging, VOC, smell, sustainability criteria

Physical performance
Abrasion, rub fastness, moisture resistance, bally flex, UV resistance, heat resistance, anti-squeak, anti-soil, anti-stain (dye ingress)

CONNECTED/AUTONOMOUS CAR: NEW FUNCTIONS / INTERIORS OPPORTUNITIES

Acoustics
• Shielding
• “Windows”/transparent sections in the surface
• Lighting
• Image projection
• Sensing/smart surfaces
• Smart touch
• Damping
• Conduction
Signaling/data transmission

SCHWABE USA is constantly innovating & improving our cutting & molding systems based on the applications required of our customers based on the changing needs of their customers and business environment:

material weight reduction
eco friendly materials & process
cost reduction
flexibility to constant change / innovation
smart / digitization
design / quality
durability

SCHWABE USA will continue to be a highly competitive equipment supplier to the Auto / Car Interior Soft Trim industry, producing at a low cost high volume precision cut parts for seat covers, overheads / headliners, trunks, hood-liners and flooring.

A key element of cost reduction is optimising material usage, by applying the most effective process and equipment to the application need which highlights the advantages of Die Cutting over NC Cutting.