阅读说明：本技术 用于制造构件的方法和用于制造构件的设备 (Method for producing a component and device for producing a component ) 是由 M·哈恩 于 2020-03-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于制造构件的方法,其中,在所述方法的情况下执行如下步骤,尤其是按如下顺序：提供至少一个上部模具架和至少一个下部模具架,其中,所述至少一个上部模具架具有至少两个上部模具模块,而所述至少一个下部模具架具有至少一个下部模具模块；将所述至少一个上部模具架和/或所述至少一个下部模具架在至少一个方向上移动到至少一个预先确定的位置上；将所述至少一个上部模具架的所述至少两个上部模具模块中的第一上部模具模块和所述至少一个下部模具架的所述至少一个第一下部模具模块中的第一下部模具模块在至少一个预先确定的位置上这样组合,使得构成一个或多个工作站,以用于执行所述构件的至少一个制造步骤；执行所述至少一个制造步骤以用于构造构件；以及一种用于制造构件的设备。(The invention relates to a method for producing a component, wherein the following steps are carried out in the method, in particular in the following order: providing at least one upper mold frame and at least one lower mold frame, wherein the at least one upper mold frame has at least two upper mold modules and the at least one lower mold frame has at least one lower mold module; moving the at least one upper mold frame and/or the at least one lower mold frame in at least one direction to at least one predetermined position; combining a first of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and a first of the at least one first lower mold module of the at least one lower mold rack in at least one predetermined position such that one or more work stations are formed for performing at least one manufacturing step of the component; performing the at least one manufacturing step for constructing a component; and an apparatus for manufacturing a component.)

1. Method for producing a component (1), wherein the following steps are carried out in the method, in particular in the following order:

-providing at least one upper mold rack (2a) and at least one lower mold rack (2b), wherein the at least one upper mold rack (2a) has at least two upper mold modules (20a) and the at least one lower mold rack (2b) has at least one lower mold module (20b),

-moving the at least one upper mould carriage (2a) and/or the at least one lower mould carriage (2b) in at least one direction to at least one predetermined position,

-combining a first upper die module (20aa) of said at least two upper die modules (20a) of said at least one upper die carrier (2a) and a first lower die module (20ba) of said at least one first lower die module (20b) of said at least one lower die carrier (2b) in said at least one predetermined position such that one or more work stations (3) are constituted for performing at least one manufacturing step of said component (1),

-performing said at least one manufacturing step for constructing said component (1).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a first upper mold module (20aa) of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold frame (2a) and the at least one first lower mold module (20ba) of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold frame (2b) are combined in the at least one predetermined position such that one or more of the one or more work stations (3) are configured as an injection station (3a) comprising an injection mold (3aa), the injection mold (3aa) having a first upper mold module (20aa) and a first lower mold module (20ba), in particular the first upper mold module (20aa) comprising a first upper mold half (200aa) and/or a first lower mold module (20aa) preferably having at least one first upper mold cavity (2000aa) ba) comprises a first lower mold half (200ba) having at least one first lower mold cavity (2000 ba).

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises one or more of the following steps, in particular in the following order:

a) closing the injection mold (3aa), which comprises a first upper mold half (200aa), preferably having the at least one first upper mold cavity (2000aa), and a first lower mold half (200ba) having the at least one first lower mold cavity (2000ba), wherein the at least one first injection mold cavity (2000) defined by the first upper mold cavity (2000aa) and the first lower mold cavity (2000ba) is formed,

b) injection moulding at least one base body (4) by introducing a first plastic material (4a) into the at least one first injection mould cavity (2000),

c) opening the injection mold (3aa), wherein the at least one main body (4) remains following the contour in the at least one first lower or first upper mold cavity (2000aa, 2000ba) and only at least one first partial region of one or more surfaces of the at least one main body (4) is exposed, but at least one second partial region of the surfaces of the main body (4) remains in the first upper and/or lower mold cavity (2000aa, 2000ba),

d) the component (1), in particular comprising the at least one main body (4), is demolded from the first upper and/or lower mold cavity (2000aa, 2000ba) or mold half (200aa, 200 ba).

4. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more of the following further steps are performed before steps a) and/or d):

a1) one or more insertion elements (5) are inserted into the at least one first injection mold cavity (2000) and/or onto at least one exposed first partial region of the surface of the at least one main body (4), wherein the at least one main body (4) is retained in the at least one first upper or first lower mold cavity (2000aa, 2000ba) of the first upper or first lower mold half (200aa, 200ba) in a contour-following manner.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the substrate (4) in step d) comprises one or more or all of the one or more insert elements (5).

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that after step d), in particular between steps a) and b) and/or b) and c), one or more of the following further steps are performed:

e) at least one first cover layer (6) made of a second plastic material (6a) is applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), in particular by means of injection molding and/or flooding and/or local overspraying.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, when step e) is performed, the at least one base body (4) is retained, following the contour, in a first upper or first lower mold cavity (2000aa, 2000ba) of a first upper or first lower mold half (200aa, 200 ba).

8. Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, in case step e) is performed, at least one second injection molding cavity is formed by means of one or more further upper mold halves of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold frame (2a) and/or one or more further lower mold halves of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold frame (2b), in particular by sealing the one or more further upper and/or lower mold halves with respect to the base body (4), the one or more insert elements (5) and/or the further first upper and/or lower mold halves, and a second plastic material (6a) is introduced into the at least one second injection mold cavity (2001).

9. Method according to any of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that one or more of the following steps are performed between the steps b), c) and/or d) and/or between the steps d) and e):

-pre-treating at least one of the at least one exposed first partial area of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), in particular by one or more treatment methods and/or one or more combinations of treatment methods selected from the following treatment methods: gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, surface activation, coating.

10. Method according to one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that between steps c), d) and/or e) at least one optical detection of at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), of the one or more insertion elements (5) and/or of the component (1) is carried out by means of an optical sensor or a plurality of optical sensors, in particular one or more cameras.

11. Method according to any of the preceding claims 2 to 10, characterized in that after step c) or d) and/or between steps d) and e) and/or after step e) the following steps are performed:

cleaning, in particular by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices.

12. Method according to one of claims 2 to 11, characterized in that one or more of the one or more insertion elements (5) of step a1) are used as a transfer film, in particular a cold-stamped film, the transfer film comprises a carrier layer and a transfer layer that can be detached from the carrier layer, an adhesive layer is applied to the transfer layer and/or to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4) in at least one first region, in particular by means of an inkjet print head, but not in the at least one second region, guiding a transfer film on the one or more surfaces of the at least one substrate (4) by means of an embossing tool, activating the adhesive layer and stripping the transfer film, so that the part of the transfer layer determined by the shaping of the first region is applied as the one or more insertion elements (5).

13. The method according to one of claims 2 to 12, characterized in that one or more further insert elements (5) are inserted into the at least one first injection mold cavity (2000), in particular into the first upper and/or first lower mold half (200aa, 200ba), before step a), and in that back injection and/or injection encapsulation is carried out with the first plastic material (4a) in step b).

14. Method according to one of claims 2 to 13, characterized in that, in the case of step a1), one or more of the one or more insertion elements (5) are inserted in precise registration with respect to one or more of the one or more further insertion elements, in particular one or more registration marks or optical features of the one or more further insertion elements and/or of the first upper and/or first lower mold cavities (2000aa, 2000ba) or of the mold halves (200aa, 200ba) are detected and used for controlling the insertion.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the one or more insertion elements (5) and/or the one or more further insertion elements each have: at least one decorative layer; at least one functional layer, in particular a layer having an electrical function, in particular comprising one or more elements selected from the following elements: touch sensors, antennas, capacitors, coils, electromagnetic shields, metal layers without conductive capability, especially to avoid electrostatic charging, displays, LEDs, circuits, solar cells; at least one, in particular post-curable, protective layer and/or at least one adhesion promoter layer.

16. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first upper and/or first lower mold half (200aa, 200ba) is rotated and/or slid and/or moved between performing steps a1) and b), steps a) and b) and/or steps d) and e).

17. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a second upper mold module (20ab) of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and a first lower mold module (20ba) of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one second mold rack (2b) are combined in the at least one predetermined position such that one or more of the one or more work stations (3) are configured as an overflow station (3b) comprising the second upper mold module (2ab) and the first lower mold module (2ba), in particular the second upper mold module (20ab) is the second upper mold half (200ab) with the first upper overflow half (2000ab) and/or the first lower mold module (20ba) is the second mold half (200ba) with the second mold cavity (2000 ba).

18. Method according to any of claims 2 to 17, characterized in that the following steps are performed between steps d) and e) or after step e):

f) at least one second cover layer (7) is applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4).

19. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that in step f) the at least one second cover layer (7) is applied by means of an overflow station (3b) such that one or more of the one or more inlay elements (5) are at least partially encapsulated between the at least one substrate (4) and the at least one second cover layer (7).

20. Method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that in step f) the at least one second cover layer (7) is applied by means of an overflow station (3b) such that the at least one second cover layer (7) coincides only partially or completely with the one or more inlay elements (5) and/or with the at least one first partial region of the surface of the substrate (4).

21. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that before and/or during and/or after the application of the at least one second cover layer (7), in step c) the at least one second cover layer (7) is modified and/or structured, in particular by means of an overflow station (3b), preferably by inserting/placing particles onto at least one partial area of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), and/or after step b) and/or by using a mould structure during the application in step f) and/or by post-illuminating the at least one second cover layer (7) with laser light, performing an overpressure and/or overprinting.

22. Method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that said at least one second cover layer (7) is made of a third plastic material (7 a).

23. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first and/or second and/or third plastic material (4a, 6a, 7a) consists of a thermoplastic plastic material, of a plastic material that cures by cross-linking, in particular a 2K material and/or a two-component material and/or of a material that is heat curable and/or of a material that is curable by radiation, and/or of a mixture of these types of plastic materials, and/or in that the first and/or second and/or third plastic material (4a, 6a, 7a) is completely or partially cured, in particular by radiation.

24. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first and/or second and/or third plastic material (4a, 6a, 7a) consists of polyurethane or polyurea and the first, second and/or third plastic material (4a, 6a, 7a) consists of thermoplastic, in particular ABS, ASA, ABS-PC, PC-PBT and/or ASA-PC and/or the constituents of the first, second and/or third plastic material (4a, 6a, 7a) are selected from the group consisting of polyurethane-containing dispersions, polyurethane-containing resins, polyurethane solutions, compositions consisting of polyurethane precursors (2K-PUR systems) and mixtures thereof.

25. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that step e) is performed a plurality of times by means of different first and/or second and/or third plastic materials (4a, 6a, 7a) and/or different further upper and/or lower mold halves.

26. Apparatus (10) for manufacturing a component (1), in particular for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding claims,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the device (10) has at least one upper mold frame (2a) and at least one lower mold frame (2b),

the at least one upper mold frame (2a) having at least two upper mold modules (20a) and the at least one lower mold frame (2b) having at least one lower mold module (20b),

the at least one upper mold frame (2a) and/or the at least one lower mold frame (2b) can be moved in at least one direction to at least one predetermined position, and

a first upper mold module (20aa) of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold frame (2a) and a first lower mold module (20ba) of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold frame (2b) can be combined in the at least one predetermined position in such a way that one or more work stations (3) are formed, in particular for carrying out at least one manufacturing step of the component (1).

27. The apparatus (10) of claim 26, wherein the at least one upper mold rack (2a) with the at least two upper mold modules (20a) is movable to at least one predetermined position in the at least one direction, the at least one lower mold rack (2b) with the at least one lower mold module (20b) is movable to at least one predetermined position in the at least one direction, or the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and the at least one lower mold rack (2b) are movable to the at least one predetermined position in the at least one direction.

28. The apparatus (10) according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that the at least one upper mold rack (2a) with the at least two upper mold modules (20a) and/or the at least one lower mold rack (2b) with the at least one lower mold module (20b) are arranged along and/or in a predetermined preferential plane along a predetermined preferential direction, in particular in that the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and/or the at least one lower mold rack (2b) are configured as a preferably vertically or horizontally arranged carousel or slide table.

29. The apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein at least one of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and/or at least one lower mold module of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold rack (2b) is selected from: the mold half, in particular the mold half comprising the mold cavity, is preferably a first mold half having a first mold cavity or a second mold half having a second mold cavity.

30. The plant (10) according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein one or more of said one or more work stations (3) are selected from and/or combined from: an injection moulding station, an overflow station, a pre-treatment station, a first further overflow station, a further injection moulding station, a second further overflow station, a cleaning station, a demoulding station.

31. The apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 26 to 30, characterized in that at least one of the one or more work stations (3) is configured as an injection molding station (3a) comprising a first upper mold module (20aa) of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and a first lower mold module (20ba) of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold rack (2 b).

32. The apparatus (10) according to claim 31, wherein the first upper mold module (20aa) is a first upper mold half (200aa) having a first upper mold cavity (2000aa), and/or the first lower mold module (20ba) is a first and/or a second lower mold half (200ba) having a first and/or a second lower mold cavity (2000 ba).

33. The apparatus (10) according to claim 31 or 32, wherein the at least one injection molding station (3a) has at least one insertion unit (3ab) for inserting one or more insertion elements (5) into the first upper and/or first lower mold cavities (2000aa, 2000ba) of the first upper or first lower mold half (200aa, 200 ba).

34. The apparatus (10) according to one of claims 31 to 33, characterized in that the at least one injection station (3a) has a closing device (3ac) for closing an injection mold (3aa) and for opening the injection mold (3aa) with the formation of the at least one first injection mold cavity (2000), in particular comprising a first upper mold half (200aa) having a first upper mold cavity (2000aa) and a first lower mold half (200ba) having a first lower mold cavity (2000 ba).

35. The apparatus (10) according to one of claims 31 to 34, characterized in that the at least one injection station (3a) has an injection unit (3ad) for introducing a first plastic material (4a) forming at least one substrate (4) into the at least one first injection mold cavity (2000) and/or for applying at least one first cover layer (6) onto at least one partial region of a surface of the at least one substrate (4), in particular the at least one first cover layer (6) consisting of a second plastic material (6 a).

36. Device (10) according to claim 35, characterized in that the at least one base body (4) comprises one or more or all of the one or more insertion elements (5).

37. The apparatus (10) according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the at least one main body (4) is arranged following a contour in a first upper or first lower mold cavity (2000aa, 2000ba) of a first upper or first lower mold half (200aa, 200ba) of the first upper or first lower mold module (20aa, 20ba) of the at least one upper or lower mold frame (2a, 2b) and/or in the at least one first injection mold cavity (2000).

38. The apparatus (10) according to one of claims 26 to 37, characterized in that at least one of the one or more work stations (3) is configured as an overflow station (3b) comprising a second upper mold module (20ab) of the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold shelf (2a) and a first lower mold module (20ba) of the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold shelf (2b), in particular the second upper mold module (20ab) being a second upper mold half (200ab) having a first upper overflow half (2000ab) and/or the first lower mold module (20ba) being a first lower mold half (200ba) having a first lower mold cavity (2000 ba).

39. Method according to claim 38, wherein the overflow station (3b) and/or the second upper mould half (200ab) is or comprises a casting mould or a two-component mould.

40. The apparatus (10) according to claim 38 or 39, wherein the at least one overflow station (3b) and/or the second upper mold half-mold (200ab) is an overflow unit (3ba) for applying at least one second cover layer (7) consisting of a second plastic material (7a) onto at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), in particular preferably by means of overflow and/or partial overflow.

41. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims 26 to 40, characterized in that the apparatus (10) has at least one pretreatment station (3c) for pretreating at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), in particular by one or more treatment methods selected from the following treatment methods: gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, surface activation, coating, and/or combinations thereof.

42. The device (10) according to one of claims 26 to 41, characterized in that the device (10) has at least one detection station (3d) for optically detecting at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4), the one or more insertion elements (5) and/or the component (1) by means of an optical sensor, in particular by means of a camera.

43. The apparatus (10) according to one of claims 26 to 42, characterized in that the apparatus (10) has at least one cleaning station (3e), in particular for cleaning at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate (4) and/or the component (1) by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices.

44. The apparatus (10) according to any one of claims 26 to 43, characterised in that the apparatus (10) has a demoulding station (3) for demoulding the at least one substrate (4) and/or the component (1) comprising the at least one substrate (4).

45. The apparatus (10) according to one of claims 26 to 44, characterized in that the apparatus (10) has n work stations, in particular one or more injection molding stations (3a), one or more overflow stations (3b), one or more pretreatment stations (3c), one or more inspection stations (3d), one or more cleaning stations (3e) and one or more demolding stations (3f), and that at least n upper and/or lower mold modules (20a, 20b), in particular comprising upper and/or lower mold halves and/or upper and/or lower overflow halves, are preferably provided on the at least one upper mold shelf (2a) and/or on the at least one lower mold shelf (2b), respectively.

46. The apparatus (10) according to one of claims 26 to 45, characterized in that the apparatus (10) has at least one actuator (10a) for moving the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and/or the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold rack (2b), in particular between the work stations (3) of the apparatus.

47. The apparatus (10) according to claim 46, characterized in that the apparatus (10) has process control means (10b) which control the actuating means (10a) such that the at least two upper mold modules (20a) of the at least one upper mold rack (2a) and/or the at least one lower mold module (20b) of the at least one lower mold rack (2b) are transported cyclically or in reverse cyclically to two or more work stations (3) of the apparatus (10) in a predefined sequence, in particular in the following sequence: injection station (3a) -overflow station (3b), injection station (3a) -overflow station (3b) -demolding station (3f), injection station (3a) -pretreatment station (3c) -overflow station (3b) -demolding station (3f), injection station (3a) -overflow station (3b) -another injection station-demolding station (3f), injection station (3a) -pretreatment station (3c) -overflow station (3b) -another injection station-cleaning station (3e) -demolding station (3f), injection station (3a) -pretreatment station (3c) -overflow station-another injection station-another pretreatment-overflow station-cleaning station (3e) -demolding station (3f), injection molding station (3a) -pretreatment station (3c) -overflow station (3b) -further injection molding station-further pretreatment station-further overflow station-cleaning station (3e) -inspection station (3d) -demolding station (3 f).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for producing a component and to a device for producing a component.

Background

It is known to produce plastic components in injection molding devices by means of injection molding. Plastic components of this type are used, for example, in automobile construction for interior trim parts of automobiles, for example door trims, trims in instrument panels and console covers, trims for television systems in the field of consumer electronics or housings for portable devices, for example mobile telephones, in the field of telecommunications or in the field of security.

The production of plastic components of this type by means of a production method known as "in-mold decoration" is described, for example, in document DE 102010020039 a 1. Here, a transfer film is used for manufacturing the plastic member. The transfer film is guided through the injection mold from top to bottom and the film is clamped between the mold halves with the mold closed. When the melt is injected, the transfer film is pressed against the walls of the cavity by the pressure of the melt. After cooling, the polyester carrier film of the transfer film is peeled off from the member decorated with the transfer layer of the transfer film.

However, a disadvantage here is that the plastic components decorated in this way are sensitive during their further transport and further processing.

Although it is known to provide plastic components with a protective layer in order to protect these plastic components from external influences. However, this occurs in the overflow device, which is usually at a large spatial distance from the injection molding device. In order to provide the plastic components produced in the injection molding machine with a protective layer, these plastic components must be transported from the injection molding machine to the overflow device in a package that protects the sensitive surfaces of the plastic components, in order to provide the plastic components with a protective layer there. The complex, often also environmentally unfriendly packaging is associated with high costs and time expenditure.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved method for producing a component and an improved device for producing a component.

In the following, preferably "upper" and "lower", in particular "left" and "right" or vice versa, preferably "rear" and "front" or vice versa, and/or other arrangements in the sense of "first side" and "second side" preferably in two, in particular opposing, positions. It is also possible or further possible that "upper" and "lower" are to be understood in particular as "left" and "right" or vice versa and/or "rear" and "front" or vice versa.

The object is achieved by a method for producing a component, wherein the following steps are carried out in the method, in particular in the following order:

-providing at least one upper mold rack and at least one lower mold rack, wherein the at least one upper mold rack has at least two upper mold modules and the at least one lower mold rack has at least one lower mold module,

-moving the at least one upper and/or the at least one lower mould carriage in at least one direction to at least one predetermined position,

-combining a first of said at least two upper mould modules of said at least one upper mould carrier and a first of said at least one first lower mould modules of said at least one lower mould carrier in at least one predetermined position such that one or more work stations are constituted to perform at least one manufacturing step of said component,

-performing the at least one manufacturing step to construct the component.

The object is also achieved by an apparatus for producing a component, in particular for carrying out the aforementioned method, wherein the apparatus has at least one upper mold frame and at least one lower mold frame. The at least one upper mold shelf has at least two upper mold modules and the at least one lower mold shelf has at least one lower mold module. The at least one upper mold carrier and/or the at least one lower mold carrier can be moved in at least one direction to at least one predetermined position. A first of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and a first of the at least one lower mold module of the at least one lower mold rack can be combined in the at least one predetermined position in such a way that one or more work stations are formed, in particular for carrying out at least one manufacturing step of the component.

Studies have shown that the upper mold frame of the first work station with the first upper mold module can be moved within the apparatus in such a way that the second upper mold module can be combined with the first lower mold module to form the second work station. In this case, the component produced in the first production step in the first workstation can remain in the first lower tool module. The first work station can thus be designed, for example, as an injection molding station and the second work station as an overflow station. The component produced in the injection station is retained in the first lower mold module, for example, while the first work station is disassembled by the movement of the upper mold carrier including the first upper mold module and the second upper mold module is combined in such a way that the second work station is formed. The utilization of the workstation and thus its economy are thereby significantly increased and ideally doubled.

In this case, the invention makes it possible to protect the environment and to reduce the process costs:

studies have shown that the component produced in the first work station does not have to be removed from the installation and therefore does not have to be transported to a further installation. Here, too, economically and ecologically disadvantageous packaging of the components for transport to further installations is dispensed with.

Preferably at least one of the at least one upper mold shelf is movable relative to at least one of the at least one lower mold shelf.

Here, "movement" is preferably understood to mean a change in the position and/or orientation of at least one element, preferably in at least one direction in space, in particular in relation to a predetermined coordinate system, and/or a change in the position and/or orientation of at least one further element, preferably in at least one further direction and/or in the at least one direction, in particular the at least one element and/or the at least one further element being selected from and/or combined from: an upper mold frame, a lower mold frame, an upper mold module, and a lower mold module. For example, the element can be moved translationally and/or rotated, in particular about a point and/or axis or a plurality of points and/or axes in space.

The at least one upper and/or lower mould frame may be, for example, a concrete floor, in particular a reinforced concrete floor, a metal structure, a crane, one or more robot arms and/or combinations thereof.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

It is possible to combine a first upper mold module of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold carrier and at least one first lower mold module of the at least one lower mold carrier in at least one predetermined position in such a way that one or more of the one or more work stations is designed as an injection station comprising an injection mold, wherein the injection mold has a first upper mold module and a first lower mold module, in particular the first upper mold module comprises a first upper mold half, preferably having at least one first upper mold cavity, and/or the first lower mold module comprises a first lower mold half, preferably having at least one first lower mold cavity.

Furthermore, it is possible that the method comprises one or more of the following steps, in particular in the following order:

a) closing an injection mold comprising a first upper mold half, preferably with at least one first upper mold cavity, and a first lower mold half with at least one first lower mold cavity, wherein at least one first injection cavity is formed which is defined by the first upper mold cavity and the first lower mold cavity,

b) injection moulding at least one substrate by introducing a first plastic material into the at least one first injection mould cavity,

c) opening the injection mold, wherein the at least one base body remains following the contour in the at least one first lower or first upper mold cavity and only exposes at least one first partial region of one or more surfaces of the at least one base body, but wherein at least one second partial region of the base body surface remains in the first upper and/or lower mold cavity,

d) the component comprising the at least one base body is released from the first upper and/or lower mold cavity or mold half.

Furthermore, it is possible to carry out one or more of the following further steps before steps a) and/or d):

a1) one or more insert elements are inserted into the at least one first injection mold cavity and/or onto the exposed at least one first partial region of the surface of the at least one base body, wherein the at least one base body remains in the at least one first upper or first lower mold cavity of the first upper or first lower mold half following the contour.

Here, "insertion" is preferably understood to mean the insertion of individual elements, for example, bow, plate, label or the like, and/or the transport of continuous elements, such as rails, strips, threads or the like.

Preferably, the substrate in step d) comprises one or more or all of the one or more insert elements.

Preferably, one or more of the following further steps are carried out after step d), in particular between steps a) and b) and/or between b) and c):

e) at least one first cover layer made of a second plastic material, in particular by injection molding and/or flooding and/or local oversprayIs applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate.

In this case, it is advantageous if the first cover layer is applied in such a way that the one or more insertion elements are encapsulated between the at least one substrate and the at least one cover layer. By means of such a packaging, it is possible to protect the insertion element accordingly well from the surroundings or to achieve particularly advantageous optical and/or functional effects by means of the interaction caused thereby.

It is also possible that, in the case of the execution of step e), the at least one base body remains following the contour in the first upper or first lower mold cavity of the first upper or first lower mold half.

Furthermore, it is also possible, in the case of the execution of step e), to form at least one second injection mold cavity by means of one or more further upper mold halves of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold carrier and/or one or more further lower mold halves of the at least one lower mold module of the at least one lower mold carrier, in particular by sealing the one or more further upper mold halves and/or the lower further mold halves relative to the at least one base body, the one or more insert elements and/or the further first upper and/or lower mold halves, and to insert a second plastic material into the at least one second injection mold cavity.

In particular between steps b), c) and/or d) and/or between steps d) and e), one or more of the following steps are carried out:

-pre-treating the exposed at least one partial area of the exposed at least one first partial area of the surface of the at least one substrate, in particular by one or more treatment methods and/or one or more combinations of treatment methods selected from the following treatment methods: gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, surface activation, coating.

It is possible to optically detect at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate, the one or more insertion elements and/or the component between steps c), d) and/or e) by means of an optical sensor or a plurality of optical sensors, in particular one or more cameras.

It is also possible to carry out the following steps after step c) or d) and/or between steps d) and e) and/or after step e):

cleaning, in particular by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices.

Furthermore, it is possible to use one or more of the one or more insertion elements of step a1) as a transfer film, in particular a cold-stamped film, comprising a carrier layer and a transfer layer that can be detached from the carrier layer, to apply an adhesive layer, in particular by means of an inkjet print head, to the transfer layer and/or to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate, but not to apply it in at least one second region, to guide the transfer film onto the one or more surfaces of the at least one substrate by means of a stamping die, to activate the adhesive layer and to subsequently detach the transfer film from the transfer layer that is attached to the substrate, such that the part of the transfer layer that is determined by the shaping of the first region is applied as one or more insertion elements.

Furthermore, it is possible to use one or more of the one or more insertion elements of step a1) as a transfer film, in particular a hot embossing film, which preferably comprises a carrier layer and a transfer layer that can be detached from the carrier layer and that has an adhesive layer, in particular by pressing the transfer film against the one or more surfaces of the at least one substrate by means of a heated embossing tool, in particular by activating the adhesive layer and the detachment layer of the transfer film and in particular by subsequently detaching the transfer film from the transfer layer that is attached to the substrate, in particular by applying a portion of the transfer layer that is determined by the shaping of the embossing tool as the one or more insertion elements.

Furthermore, it is also possible to perform one or more of the following further steps and/or to perform at least one or more combinations of the following one or more steps, in particular selected from: printing, in particular ink-jet printing and/or pad printing; labeling, especially labeling; loading and/or applying laser markings; preferably, laser light is emitted to laser-sensitive layers or regions of the component and/or of the substrate, in particular ablation or material removal and/or blackening and/or color conversion; cold stamping; hot stamping; thermal transfer printing, preferably these steps are especially provided before and/or after demolding of the member and/or the at least one substrate and/or the member comprising at least one substrate, preferably before and/or after step d), further preferably before and/or after the demolding station, and/or especially before and/or after flooding, preferably before and/or after step e).

Preferably, in the case of embossing one or more of the one or more inlay elements, in particular in the case of using a hot embossing film, the section of the transfer layer determined by the shaping of the embossing tool is preferably used as an inlay element when the adhesive layer of the transfer layer or the adhesive layer arranged between the substrate and the transfer layer is activated.

Furthermore, it is advantageous, in particular when using a cold-embossing film, to apply the adhesive layer to the carrier layer and/or to a partial region of the surface of the base body in a third region, but not in a fourth region, to guide the transfer film against the surface of the base body by means of the embossing tool, to activate the adhesive layer and to strip off the transfer layer again, in particular to apply the section of the transfer layer determined by the profiling of the third region as an insert element onto the base body. The adhesive layer is preferably applied by means of a digital printing method, in particular by means of an inkjet print head.

Furthermore, it is possible to carry out a further step after demolding or after demolding the component and/or the at least one base body and/or the component comprising the at least one base body, wherein one or more of the further steps are preferably selected from: providing functional elements, in particular printed circuit boards and/or electronic components and/or mechanical components and/or fastening elements; coating, in particular coating, the adhesive and/or further, preferably different functional layers; are fitted and/or mounted on and/or in further, in particular different bodies and/or substrates, preferably bodies of all types.

Preferably, one or more further insert elements are inserted into the at least one first injection mold cavity, in particular into the first upper and/or first lower mold half, before step a), and are back-injected and/or injection-encapsulated with the first plastic material in step b).

Preferably, in the case of the execution of step a1), one or more of the one or more insertion elements are inserted in precise registration with respect to one or more of the one or more further insertion elements and/or with respect to the contour of the first upper and/or first lower mold cavity, in particular one or more registration marks or optical features of the one or more further insertion elements and/or of the first upper and/or first lower mold cavity are detected and used for controlling the insertion.

A registration or reference or registration accuracy or registration-maintaining or reference accuracy or positional accuracy is to be understood in particular as a positional accuracy of two or more elements and/or layers relative to one another. The registration accuracy should preferably fluctuate within a predetermined tolerance range and should preferably be as high as possible here. At the same time, the accuracy of registration of multiple components and/or layers with respect to each other is an important feature to improve process reliability. In this case, the precise positioning is achieved in particular by means of sensible, preferably optically detectable, reference marks or position marks. In particular, these reference marks or position marks form either special individual elements or regions or layers or are parts of the elements or regions or layers to be positioned themselves.

Preferably, one or more of the one or more insertion elements and/or one or more of the one or more further insertion elements are preferably partially planar, for example laminated films of "label" design, or so-called "inserts" (inserts) as preformed sub-elements, in particular provided with decorative and/or functional elements, and/or as insertion parts, in particular as functional reinforcing or stiffening elements made of metal and/or plastic, and/or fiber composite materials and/or plastics with a fiber component, and/or transfer films.

It is possible to insert one or more of the one or more insert elements and/or one or more further insert elements of the one or more further insert elements into the at least one first injection mold cavity before step a) is carried out, i.e. before the injection mold is closed. In this case, the one or more of the one or more insertion elements and/or the one or more further insertion elements of the one or more further insertion elements are inserted for this purpose, in particular preferably as individual elements, into the first lower or first upper mold half and/or are transported in the form of a film web (Folienbahn).

Furthermore, it is possible to insert a first group of insert elements, which is composed of one or more of the one or more insert elements and/or of one or more of the one or more further insert elements, into at least one upper mold half and/or into a mold cavity of the at least one upper mold half and/or in particular into a mold cavity of the first upper mold half and/or into a first upper mold cavity, and/or to insert a second group of insert elements, which is composed of one or more of the one or more insert elements and/or of one or more of the one or more further insert elements, into at least one lower mold half and/or into a mold cavity of the at least one lower mold half and/or in particular into a mold cavity of the first lower mold half and/or into a mold cavity of the first lower mold half Or the first lower mold cavity.

In this way, a "double-sided" decoration of the at least one substrate and/or component or the provision of a desired functional layer for the component from both sides can be achieved. For example, the bottom side of the at least one base body and/or of the component is formed by the one or more insert elements and/or further insert elements of the first group of insert elements and/or further insert elements, and the one or more insert elements and/or further insert elements of the second group of insert elements and/or further insert elements form the top side of the at least one base body and/or of the component on the top side of the at least one base body and/or of the component.

In this case, the component and/or the at least one substrate can preferably be embodied opaquely or semi-transparently or transparently, in particular to provide different visual appearances of the component.

Preferably, "opaque" is understood to mean a transparency of less than 50%, in particular less than 20%, preferably less than 5%, in particular in the wavelength range visible to humans.

Preferably, "transparent" is understood to mean a transparency of at least 50%, in particular more than 50%, preferably more than 75%, in particular in the wavelength range which is visible to humans.

If the component and/or the at least one base body are, for example, embodied in a transparent manner, the double-sided decoration can jointly produce an optical depth effect as a result of the two decorative parts being spaced apart by the wall thickness of the component and/or of the at least one base body. For this purpose, the thickness of the at least one base body is preferably selected such that, on the one hand, the one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements of the first group of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements and, on the other hand, the one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements of the second group of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements are spaced apart from one another such that an optical depth effect is produced by the interaction of the one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements of the first group of insertion elements and/or second group of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements.

If the component and/or the at least one substrate are embodied, for example, opaquely, the double-sided decoration provides different optical appearances of the component and/or of the at least one substrate from different sides as a result of the one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements of the first set of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements and/or as a result of the one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements of the second set of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements, and vice versa.

By using one or more insert elements of the first group of insert elements and/or further insert elements and/or one or more insert elements of the second group of insert elements and/or further insert elements, in particular also a combination of a decorative film and a functional film and vice versa is achieved. For example, decoration can be implemented on one side of the component and/or of the at least one substrate, while the application of functional elements, for example touch sensors and/or printed circuit boards and/or antennas and/or displays, can be implemented on the other side of the component and/or of the at least one substrate.

In this case, the production process is preferably designed such that the preferably more pressure-and/or heat-resistant first insertion element or elements of the one or more insertion elements and/or the preferably more pressure-and/or heat-resistant further first insertion element or elements of the one or more further insertion elements serve as the one or more second insertion elements of the one or more insertion elements and/or the further one or more second insertion elements of the one or more further insertion elements, and vice versa, and in particular the less pressure-and less heat-resistant insertion element and/or the further insertion element serve as the one or more second insertion elements and/or the further second insertion element, and vice versa. In this variant, it is possible to apply one or more third insertion elements of the one or more insertion elements and/or one or more further third insertion elements of the one or more further insertion elements as one or more functional elements to the component and/or the at least one main body, and to apply one or more fourth insertion elements of the one or more insertion elements and/or one or more further fourth insertion elements of the one or more further insertion elements as one or more decorative elements to the component, or vice versa.

Alternatively, the production process is also preferably designed such that one or more fifth insert elements of the one or more insert elements and/or one or more further fifth insert elements of the one or more further insert elements are applied as one or more functional elements to the component and/or the at least one base body, and one or more sixth insert elements of the one or more insert elements and/or one or more further sixth insert elements of the one or more further insert elements are applied as one or more decorative elements to the component and/or the at least one base body, or vice versa.

It is possible that the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and/or sixth insertion elements and/or further insertion elements and/or the first and/or second group of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements are identical or different from one another.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous if the one or more first, second, third, fourth, fifth and/or sixth insertion elements and/or further insertion elements and/or the first group and/or second group of insertion elements and/or further insertion elements are arranged relative to one another by the method, preferably in a particularly precise register. Since, not only in the case of back injection of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and/or sixth insertion elements and/or additional insertion elements and/or the first and/or second group of insertion elements and/or additional insertion elements, in the case of overflow and/or embossing of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and/or sixth insertion element and/or of further insertion elements, the at least one base body and/or the component is fixed by the at least one upper and/or lower mold cavity of the at least one upper and/or lower mold half, in particular by the first upper and/or lower mold cavity of the first upper and/or lower mold half, and therefore no additional registration step is necessary for this purpose.

In particular, the following steps are carried out between steps d) and e) or after step e):

f) at least one second cover layer is applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate.

In particular, the at least one second cover layer consists of a third plastic material.

Furthermore, it is preferred, in particular when step f) is carried out, that one or more of the one or more insertion elements are inserted and/or overflowed in a precisely aligned manner relative to one or more of the one or more further insertion elements, preferably first when the one or more insertion elements are inserted. For this purpose, it is advantageous if one or more registration marks and/or optical features of the one or more further insertion elements and/or of the first upper and/or lower mold half and/or of the first upper and/or lower mold cavity are detected and used for controlling the insertion and/or the overflow. In addition, it is possible to detect the respective register marks and/or optical features of the insertion element and/or of the further insertion element used in the case of insertion and/or overflow of the one or more insertion elements and/or of the further insertion element as described above.

In particular, one or more of the one or more insert elements and/or one or more of the one or more further insert elements are back-injected and/or sprayed and/or injection-molded with the first, second and/or third plastic material, preferably in step b).

Furthermore, it is possible that the one or more insertion elements and/or the one or more further insertion elements each have: at least one decorative layer; and/or at least one functional layer, in particular a layer having an electrical function, which in particular comprises one or more elements selected from the following: touch sensors, antennas, capacitors, coils, electromagnetic shields, metal layers without conductive capability, especially to avoid electrostatic charging, displays, LEDs, circuits, solar cells; in particular at least one protective layer and/or at least one barrier layer and/or at least one adhesion promoter layer which can be post-cured.

In this case, preferably at least one of the at least one decorative layers is formed by one or more of the following decorative layers or a combination of one or more decorative layers:

transparent or translucent or opaque paint layers containing dyes and/or pigments, especially organic/inorganic pigments, luminescent and/or fluorescent pigments and/or dyes, optically variable pigments, thermochromic pigments and/or dyes, metallic pigments, magnetically orientable pigments;

a volume hologram layer;

a layer having an optically active surface relief structure, in particular a surface relief structure that functions diffractively and/or refractively, a holographic surface relief structure, a surface relief structure comprising a refractive structure, a diffractive structure, in particular a lens structure, a microlens assembly, a microprism, a micromirror, a light-attenuating structure, in particular an isotropic and/or anisotropic light-attenuating structure and/or a combination of any such structures;

a reflective layer, in particular a metallic or dielectric reflective layer;

high or low refractive index layers, especially layers having a refractive index that differs from the refractive index of 1.5 by more than +/-0.2;

liquid crystal layers, in particular cholesteric and/or nematic liquid crystal layers;

thin film layers exhibiting an optically variable color change effect, in particular comprising an absorbing layer, a dielectric spacer layer and optionally a reflecting layer or alternatively a multiple sequence of alternating high and low refractive index transparent layers.

It is possible here for the decorative layers to be applied on top of one another and/or alongside one another in any desired sequence. In particular, each individual decorative layer is designed in the form of a pattern on a partial surface in order to preferably achieve the desired graphic decoration. The decorative layers are preferably arranged in register with respect to one another.

At least one of the at least one functional layer is preferably formed by one or more of the following functional layers or a combination of one or more functional layers:

a layer having an electrical function, said layer comprising in particular one or more elements selected from the group consisting of: touch sensors, antennas, capacitors, coils, electromagnetic shields, metal layers without conductive capability to avoid electrostatic charging, displays, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), circuitry, solar cells; layers with magnetic functionality, such as magnetic barcodes; layers with a mechanical function, such as reinforcing elements and/or stiffening elements made of metal and/or plastic and/or woven and/or non-woven fibrous layers and/or fibrous fillers and/or additional layers of fibers; a layer having an optical function such as an antireflection layer or a reflective layer; layers with tactile function, for example soft-touch surface coatings.

Furthermore, it is also possible to rotate and/or slide and/or move the first upper and/or first lower mold half between performing steps a1) and b), steps a) and b) and/or steps d) and e).

Preferably, the second upper mold module of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and the first lower mold module of the at least one second mold rack are combined in the at least one predetermined position in such a way that one or more of the one or more work stations is/are designed as an overflow station comprising the second upper mold module and the first lower mold module, in particular the second upper mold module is a first overflow half and/or the first lower mold module is a second mold half with a second mold cavity.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous if the at least one second cover layer is applied such that the one or more insert elements are encapsulated between the at least one base body and the at least one second cover layer. By means of such a packaging, it is possible to protect the insertion element accordingly well from the surroundings or to achieve particularly advantageous optical and/or functional effects by means of the interaction caused thereby.

It is particularly possible to apply the at least one first cover layer, preferably according to step e), to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body, but not to apply a second cover layer, preferably according to step f), to the at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body, and vice versa.

Preferably, the at least one first cover layer is applied, preferably according to step e), to one or more first partial regions of the surface of the at least one base body, and the at least one second cover layer is applied, preferably according to step f), to one or more second partial regions of the surface of the at least one base body, in particular the at least one first cover layer in the first partial regions and the at least one second cover layer in the second partial regions being arranged in register with one another.

Furthermore, it is possible that the at least one first cover layer and the at least one second cover layer in the first partial region or in the second partial region have different properties, in particular one or more of the properties or a combination of one or more properties is selected from the group consisting of: color, pattern, decorative motif, relief structure, in particular relief structure acting in refraction, optical element, in particular optically variable element, gloss.

It is also possible to apply the at least one second cover layer in step f) by means of an overflow station in such a way that one or more of the one or more insertion elements are at least partially enclosed between the at least one main body and the at least one second cover layer, in particular in step f) by means of an overflow station in such a way that the at least one second cover layer only partially or completely coincides with the at least one first partial region of the surface of the one or more insertion elements and/or main body.

Preferably, in the case of all these steps, the at least one substrate remains in the first lower mold cavity of the first lower mold half following the contour. This ensures, on the one hand, a correspondingly high injection molding and overflow quality for the further injection molding and/or overflow steps, and, in addition, also achieves a particularly good holding registration of the applied insert element or elements and/or of the further insert element or elements, and of the at least one first and/or second cover layer. As a result, the retention of the applied insertion elements and/or of the additional insertion elements and/or of the first and/or second cover layer is aligned and thus the product quality is further significantly improved and rejects are correspondingly reduced.

Furthermore, it is possible for the at least one first and/or second cover layer to be applied in such a way that it coincides only partially superficially with the at least one, in particular the first and/or second partial region of the surface of the at least one insert element or elements and/or the at least one base body. Furthermore, such a partial surface coincidence can also be realized in register with the at least one, in particular the first and/or second partial region of the surface of the at least one insert element or of the at least one main body, in order to thus realize a functional and/or decorative element by means of the at least one first and/or second cover layer, respectively, in register, which respectively interacts with and/or supplements the decorative element and/or the function of the one or more insert elements.

Furthermore, it is also possible for the at least one first and/or second cover layer to be applied in such a way that it completely coincides with the at least one, in particular the first and/or second partial region of the surface of the at least one insert element or insert elements and/or the at least one base body. In this way, for example, a correspondingly closed at least one protective or decorative layer can be realized in at least one, in particular in a first and/or a second, partial region of the at least one substrate and/or of the surface of the component, which partial region should form, for example, an outer side of the at least one substrate and/or of the component exposed to climatic conditions.

Furthermore, it is possible to modify and/or structure the at least one second cover layer in step c), in particular by means of an overflow station, before and/or during and/or after the application of the at least one second cover layer, preferably by inserting/placing particles onto at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate, and/or after step b) and/or during the application in step f), by using a mold structure and/or by post-irradiating the at least one second cover layer with laser light, by applying an overpressure and/or overprinting.

Flooding or casting at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body and/or the component preferably allows the use of a plurality of different solvent-containing, preferably flowable, polyurethane-containing components, which can be coordinated with one another, for example, with respect to optical properties, mechanical properties and/or chemical resistance, for example, in particular with the components of the at least one base body and/or of the at least one first, second and/or third plastic material of the component and/or with the properties to be achieved by the at least one first and/or second cover layer.

It is possible that at least one of the at least one first and/or second cover layer is applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate and/or to the component, in particular after step e) and/or f), preferably wherein, the at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate and/or of the component is at least partially not yet completely cured, and in particular the application of the at least one first and/or second cover layer to the at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate and/or of the component is effected by at least partial flooding and/or casting with at least one solvent-containing, preferably flowable, polyurethane-containing composition and subsequent curing, preferably at a temperature in the range from 25 ℃ to 180 ℃. In particular, the at least one solvent-containing, preferably flowable, polyurethane-containing composition has at least one organic solvent, for example ethyl acetate, 2-butanone, acetone, toluene, xylene or mixtures thereof.

Furthermore, it is possible that at least one of the at least one first and/or second cover layers is applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body and/or to the component, in particular after step e) and/or f), wherein the partial region of the surface of the at least one base body and/or of the component is preferably made of one or more elements from the group consisting of paper, plastic, wood, composite materials, glass, metal and combinations thereof.

In particular, it is possible that one or more of the one or more insertion elements and/or one or more of the one or more further insertion elements and/or at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate are embossed in a further step, in particular between one of the steps a) to d) or in a step carried out after step d), preferably by means of rolling, partial rolling or stroke embossing. Furthermore, a corresponding embossing method can also be used for this purpose.

The embossing of the one or more insertion elements and/or of the one or more further insertion elements is preferably carried out by means of an embossing tool or a plurality of embossing tools, which apply the film or one or more sections of the film as insertion elements or/further insertion elements to the at least one exposed partial region or at least one, preferably exposed, in particular the first and/or second partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate. In this case, the embossing tool is preferably an embossing tool or an embossing roller, which can be adapted to the shape of the at least one substrate, in particular, in an optional manner, or in terms of its guidance and in terms of its rolling behavior, can be adapted to a corresponding contour to the surface contour of the surface of the at least one substrate, in particular of the first and/or second partial region. Stamps and embossing rollers of this type each preferably have an elastomer matrix or elastomer layer, which is made of silicone, for example.

In the case of the execution of step a1), a transfer film, for example a hot-embossed film or a cold-embossed film layer, but also a laminated film, can be considered in particular as an insertion element and/or as a further insertion element.

In this case, a transfer film comprising a carrier layer and a transfer layer that can be detached from the carrier layer is particularly suitable. The carrier layer is preferably made of a plastic film, for example a PET film with a thickness of between 10 μm and 250 μm. The transfer layer here has one or more layers, which are preferably selected from: one or more decorative layers, one or more functional layers, one or more protective layers, one or more adhesion promoting layers, one or more barrier layers, one or more layers with conductive capabilities.

Furthermore, it is advantageous to provide one or more release layers between the carrier layer and the transfer layer, which release layers improve the peelability. Layers of this type preferably contain waxes and/or silicones and/or polymers.

If a transfer film of this type is designed as an embossing film, it preferably has a heat-activatable adhesive layer on the side of the transfer film facing away from the carrier layer, which adhesive layer can be activated in particular by the thermal energy of the embossing tool.

Furthermore, it is also possible for the transfer layer of the transfer film to additionally have recesses introduced, for example, by stamping or cutting or laser action, or for the transfer layer to be arranged in the form of patches on the carrier layer. In addition, a transfer layer of this type preferably also has one or more carrier films for stabilizing the transfer layer. This in turn has the advantage that the "sensitive" functional layer and the decorative layer are additionally protected against thermal and mechanical stresses of the embossing process or of subsequent process steps.

The laminate film preferably does not have a "peelable" carrier layer. The laminate film preferably has one or more of the following layers: one or more decorative layers, one or more functional layers, one or more protective and/or cover layers, one or more carrier layers, one or more adhesion promoter layers, one or more carrier films, one or more barrier layers, one or more layers with electrical conductivity.

In this case, the laminate film preferably has recesses which are introduced, in particular, by stamping and/or cutting and/or laser action, or, in the case of embossing, are already fed to the embossing process in the form of exposed, in particular stamped-out, individual elements on the carrier layer.

It is also possible that the first, second and/or third plastic material consists of a thermoplastic plastic material, of a plastic material that cures by crosslinking, in particular a two-component material (2K two-component), and/or of a material that is curable thermally and/or of a material that is curable by radiation, and/or of a mixture of plastic materials of this type, and/or that the first, second and/or third plastic material cures completely or partially, in particular by radiation.

It is particularly advantageous if the first, second and/or third plastic material consists of a two-component plastic, which, when the two components are injected into the at least one first and/or second injection mold cavity, is mixed in the mixing head such that the mixture enters the respective injection mold cavity. The mixture reacts in the respective injection mold cavity and can also continue after the mold halves have been opened. By using materials of this type, it is possible to realize at least one particularly hard and weather-resistant first and/or second cover layer.

Furthermore, it is also possible for the first, second and/or third plastic material to be post-cured or cured in one or more of the following steps. This type of post-curing or curing can be effected, for example, by means of radiation, in particular by means of actinic radiation, preferably ultraviolet radiation and/or electron beam curing.

It is particularly advantageous to repeat the step of applying the at least one first and/or second cover layer made of the first, second and/or third plastic material, in particular by overspray, flooding, injection molding, a plurality of times. In this case, it is also possible to use different first, second and/or third plastic materials and/or different third mold halves in successive steps, so that corresponding first and/or second cover layers which differ from one another in their shaping and/or their materials are applied one above the other. In addition, it is also possible here to additionally carry out step a1), i.e. to insert the one or more insertion elements, one or more times after the corresponding application of the first and/or second cover layer. Thus, for example, it is possible to carry out steps a1) and/or e) and/or f) again after the application of the first and/or second cover layer, and then subsequently apply a further cover layer again, optionally with a different shaping and/or made of a different material, and subsequently insert one or more of the one or more insert elements again, and so on. As a result, correspondingly complex decorative and/or functional functions can be economically implemented in the component and/or in the at least one base body.

Preferably, the first, second and/or third plastic material consists of polyurethane or polyurea and the first, second and/or third plastic material consists of a thermoplastic, in particular ABS, ASA, ABS-PC, PC-PBT and/or ASA-PC, and/or the constituents of the first, second and/or third plastic material are selected from the group consisting of polyurethane-containing dispersions, polyurethane-containing resins, polyurethane solutions, compositions consisting of polyurethane precursors (2K-PUR systems) and mixtures thereof.

It is also possible that the first, second and/or third plastic material is preferably composed of a thermoplastic, in particular an impact-resistant thermoplastic, of Polyethylene (PE), Polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene, polybutadiene, polynitrile, polyester, polyurethane, polymethacrylate, polyacrylate, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), preferably acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), acrylate-styrene-acrylonitrile (ASA), ABS-PC, PET-PC, PBT-PC, PC-PBT and/or ASA-PC and polyamideOr their copolymers or mixtures. Furthermore, the first, second and/or third plastic material preferably in principle also contains an inorganic or organic filler, preferably SiO₂、Al₂O₃、TiO₂Clay minerals, silicates, zeolites, glass fibers, carbon fibers, glass spheres, organic fibers or mixtures thereof. In particular, a filler is mixed with the first, second and/or third plastic material in order to further increase the stability of the at least one base body and/or of the component. In particular, these fillers reduce the proportion of polymer material and thus reduce the production costs and/or the weight of the at least one matrix and/or of the component.

Furthermore, it is also possible that the first, second and/or third plastic materials are in particular identical or different.

Preferably, the thickness of the at least one first and/or second cover layer is preferably selected from the range between 100 μm and 20000 μm, in particular between 100 μm and 10000 μm, preferably between 200 μm and 5000 μm.

The at least one first and/or second coating is preferably adhered to the at least one substrate and/or to the component, in particular to at least one partial region of the at least one substrate and/or of the component, preferably after curing, with an adhesion determined according to the method described in DIN EN ISO 4624:2016-08, in which method preferably by means of DeFelsko Corporation (egden burgh, new york, usa)The AT series adhesion tester uses a 20mm test die with a pressure in the range of 2.5MPa to 5MPa, particularly 2.5MPa to 10 MPa. In this case, it is possible that the at least one first and/or second cover layer after curing cannot be peeled off from the at least one substrate and/or the component without damage occurring, in particular over at least one partial region of the at least one substrate and/or of the component.

Furthermore, it is also possible to carry out step e) a plurality of times with different first and/or second and/or third plastic materials and/or different further upper and/or lower mold halves and/or further upper and/or lower mold cavities.

In addition to the above-described steps, it is furthermore advantageous if, in the case of the production of the component and/or of the at least one base body, one or more of the following steps are also carried out a plurality of times:

the surface of the at least one substrate is preferably pretreated in at least one partial region, in particular in an exposed partial region, and/or in the one or more insertion elements and/or in a further insertion element. Thus, the pretreatment is preferably performed between steps c) and d) and/or between step d) and the application of the at least one first and/or second cover layer, in particular steps e) and/or f). If, as described above, a further overflow and/or a multiple application of the first and/or second cover layer is also carried out, this type of pretreatment is preferably also carried out before these respective steps are carried out.

As the pretreatment, one or more of the following treatment methods are preferably performed: surface activation, in particular by gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, coating.

It is particularly advantageous here that, since the pretreatment is "close" in time to both the upstream injection molding process and the downstream overflow process, the pretreated surface is particularly "in good contact" with the treatment method being carried out and, due to the close proximity in time, is largely protected against degradation. The efficiency of the pretreatment is thereby significantly increased and, for example, the adhesion properties between the at least one substrate and the one or more insert elements and/or further insert elements and/or the at least one first and/or second cover layer are improved.

Preferably, an optical inspection of at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate and/or of the one or more insertion elements and/or of the further insertion elements and/or of the component is carried out. The optical detection is carried out in particular by means of an optical Sensor, for example a camera, which for example comprises a CCD Chip (CCD) and/or a TES Sensor (TES) such as a Transition Edge Sensor: in this case, this type of optical detection is preferably carried out using image processing methods and can be used, for example, to optimize process parameters, for example by incorporating them into a corresponding control loop, in order to thus further reduce the reject rate. Furthermore, such optical detection can also be used for quality assurance. Such optical detection can be carried out several times at different points in time in the process, for example after the injection molding process and/or after the overflow process and/or after a pretreatment and/or after the application of the one or more insert elements and/or further insert elements and/or after a further coating, overflow, overspray and/or after a cleaning process and/or after the removal of the component from the first upper and/or lower mold cavity and/or from the respective upper and/or lower mold cavity.

Preferably, the cleaning process is carried out in particular after carrying out steps a1) and/or e) and/or f), i.e. applying the one or more inlay elements and/or further inlay elements or applying at least one first and/or second cover layer, and/or after carrying out steps e) and/or f), i.e. applying the at least one first and/or second cover layer. By which, for example, the exposed surfaces of defective parts in the injection molding and/or overflow processes are cleaned. Preferably, the cleaning process is carried out here as long as the at least one base body is still present in the first upper and/or lower mold half and/or the first upper and/or lower mold cavity. In this way, the at least one substrate is reliably fixed while cleaning is being carried out, so that cleaning methods requiring stable fixing of the product to be cleaned can also be used.

In this case, the cleaning is preferably carried out by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices.

Preferably, the first mold half is rotated and/or slid and/or moved between the execution of steps b) and a1) and/or a1) and e) and/or a1) and f), i.e. between the injection of the at least one substrate and the insertion of the one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements, in order to be able to carry out a corresponding treatment of the exposed surface of the at least one substrate, for example by an overflow unit and/or an embossing unit and/or a printing unit and/or a laser unit.

However, it is also possible that the upper and/or lower mold half, in particular the first upper and/or lower mold half, remains stationary and moves at least one insertion unit arranged on a robot arm, for example, so that the insertion of the one or more insertion units and/or further insertion units onto at least one partial region and/or exposed surface of the at least one substrate can be carried out by means of the insertion unit.

Preferably, in the case of the execution of the above-mentioned further processing steps, the movement and/or rotation of the upper and/or lower mold half, in particular of the first upper and/or lower mold half, respectively, is also effected in such a way that the at least one substrate is preferably processed in each case by means of the workstation assigned to the respective processing step.

Preferred embodiments of the device are listed below.

Advantageously, the apparatus comprises a further plurality of work stations between which the upper and/or lower mold half, in particular the first upper and/or lower mold half, is slid and/or moved, for example by sliding and/or rotating, in order to process the at least one substrate according to the aforementioned process steps in conformity with a predefined method sequence.

It is possible that the at least one upper mold frame with the at least two upper mold modules is movable in the at least one direction to at least one predetermined position, or the at least one lower mold frame with the at least one lower mold module is movable in the at least one direction to at least one predetermined position, or the at least one upper mold frame and the at least one lower mold frame are movable in the at least one direction to the at least one predetermined position.

Furthermore, it is possible that the at least one upper mold carrier with the at least two upper mold modules and/or the at least one lower mold carrier with the at least one lower mold module are arranged along a predetermined preferential direction and/or in a predetermined preferential plane, in particular the at least one upper mold carrier and/or the at least one lower mold frame are configured as a preferably vertically or horizontally arranged carousel or slide table.

The movement of the at least one upper and/or lower mold module or mold half is preferably effected in that the at least one upper and/or lower mold module and/or mold half is movably mounted on the at least one upper and/or lower mold frame and is in particular connected in a fixed manner thereto. The at least one upper and/or lower mold rack is preferably a vertically or horizontally arranged carousel or slide table. Furthermore, the carousel or the slide table is correspondingly movably mounted such that the at least one upper and/or lower mold module and/or mold half can be moved between the work stations, in particular between the injection station and the transfer station.

In this case, the device preferably has not only one first upper and/or first lower mold module or mold half, but also two or more upper and/or lower mold modules or mold halves, which are arranged on the at least one common upper and/or lower mold frame of the at least one upper and/or lower mold frame. The efficiency of the production method and the utilization of the individual workstations can thereby be significantly increased. For example, if two upper and/or lower mold halves are provided on a common upper and/or lower mold carrier of the at least one upper and/or lower mold carrier, it is already possible to injection mold a new substrate in the first injection molding station in parallel during the execution of the overflow in the overflow station and thus to achieve a doubling of the utilization factor accordingly.

It is also possible that at least one of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and/or at least one of the at least one lower mold modules of the at least one lower mold rack is selected from: the mold half, in particular the mold half comprising the mold cavity, is preferably a first mold half having a first mold cavity or a second mold half having a second mold cavity.

Preferably one or more of said one or more workstations are selected from and/or combined from: an injection molding station, an overflow station, a pre-treatment station, an overflow station, a first further injection molding station, a second further overflow station, a cleaning station, a demolding station.

In particular, at least one of the one or more work stations is designed as an injection station, which comprises a first of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold carrier and a first of the at least one lower mold modules of the at least one lower mold carrier, in particular the first upper mold module is a first upper mold half with a first upper mold cavity and/or the first lower mold module is a first and/or second lower mold half with a first and/or second lower mold cavity.

Preferably, the at least one injection molding station has at least one insertion unit, wherein the at least one insertion unit is used to insert one or more insertion elements and/or further insertion elements into the first upper and/or first lower mold cavities of the first upper or first lower mold half.

It is also possible that the at least one injection station has a closing device for closing an injection mold, in particular comprising a first upper mold half having a first upper mold cavity and a first lower mold half having a first lower mold cavity, with the formation of at least one first injection cavity; and for opening the injection mould.

Furthermore, it is also possible that the at least one injection station has an injection unit for introducing a first plastic material forming at least one base body into the at least one first injection mold cavity and/or for applying at least one first cover layer to at least one partial region of a surface of the at least one base body, in particular the at least one first cover layer being made of a second plastic material.

In particular, the at least one base body comprises one or more or all of the one or more insertion elements.

It is possible that the at least one base body is arranged in a contour-following manner in a first upper part of a first upper or first lower mold half of the at least one first upper or first lower mold module of the at least one upper or lower mold carrier and/or in a first lower mold cavity and/or in the at least one first injection mold cavity.

Preferably, at least one of the one or more work stations is configured as an overflow station comprising a second one of the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and a first one of the at least one lower mold modules of the at least one lower mold rack, in particular the second upper mold module is a first overflow half and/or the first lower mold module is a first lower mold half having a first lower mold cavity.

The overflow station and/or the first overflow upper half are preferably or comprise a casting mould or a 2K mould.

It is possible that the at least one overflow station and/or the first overflow half have/has an overflow unit for applying at least one second cover layer made of a second plastic material, in particular to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body, preferably by means of overflow and/or partial overflow.

In addition to the at least one injection molding station and the at least one transfer station, the apparatus preferably has one or more of the following stations:

at least one work station, in particular at least one further injection molding station, for applying the at least one first and/or second cover layer made of the second plastic material, in particular by means of injection molding, flooding and/or local overspraying. In this case, the at least one further injection station preferably has a respective closing device for forming a second injection mold cavity and/or a further injection mold cavity by means of one or more upper and/or lower second and/or third mold halves, in particular by sealing the one or more upper and/or lower second and/or third mold halves against the at least one substrate, the one or more insert elements and/or the first upper and/or lower mold half. Furthermore, the at least one further injection station preferably has an injection unit for introducing the first, second and/or third plastic material into the second injection mold cavity. Reference is made to the above in this connection.

Furthermore, it is possible that the device has at least one pretreatment station for pretreating at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate, in particular by one or more treatment methods selected from the following treatment methods: gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, surface activation, coating, and/or combinations thereof.

It is also possible that the device has at least one detection station for optically detecting at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate, the one or more insertion elements and/or the component by means of an optical sensor, in particular by means of a camera. In this case, the detection can take place as already described above, in particular by means of an optical sensor, in particular a camera.

Furthermore, it is also possible for the apparatus to have at least one cleaning station, in particular for cleaning at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate and/or the component by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices. In this connection, reference is also made to the above-mentioned contents relating to the cleaning step.

Preferably, the apparatus has a demolding station for demolding the at least one substrate and/or the component comprising the at least one substrate. Furthermore, it is possible that the demolding station is used for demolding a component comprising the at least one base body, the one or more insert elements, and optionally the one or more further insert elements and/or the at least one first and/or second cover layer, in particular from the first upper and/or lower mold half. Furthermore, in the demolding station, the component can also be cooled and solidified before demolding.

It is possible that the apparatus has n work stations, in particular one or more injection molding stations, one or more overflow stations, one or more pretreatment stations, one or more inspection stations, one or more cleaning stations and one or more demolding stations, and that at least n upper and/or lower mold modules, in particular comprising upper and/or lower mold halves and/or upper and/or lower overflow halves, are preferably provided on the at least one upper mold shelf and/or on the at least one lower mold shelf, respectively. Thus, if the apparatus has, for example, one injection station, one embossing station, one further injection station and a demolding station, at least four upper or lower mold halves are provided, for example, on a common upper or lower mold frame, and four lower or upper mold halves are provided on the lower or upper mold frame. The four processing steps performed by the four work stations that can be combined from the four upper and four lower mold halves can thus each be performed in parallel, thereby improving the utilization, in particular by a factor of four, accordingly.

Furthermore, it is possible that the apparatus has one or more workstations and/or one or more combinations of one or more workstations, preferably selected from the group consisting of: a printing station, in particular for inkjet printing and/or pad printing; a labelling station, in particular for applying labels; a laser marking station, in particular for ablating or otherwise removing material and/or blackening and/or changing color, preferably of the laser-sensitive layer; a cold stamping station; hot embossing stations, preferably these stations for preferably printing, labeling, laser, cold embossing and/or hot embossing are provided before and/or after demolding of the component and/or the at least one substrate and/or the component comprising the at least one substrate, in particular before and/or after step d), preferably before and/or after demolding stations, and/or before and/or after flooding, in particular before and/or after step e), preferably before and/or after flooding stations.

Preferably, the apparatus has at least one actuator for moving the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and/or the at least one lower mold module of the at least one lower mold rack, in particular between the work stations of the apparatus. The actuating device can be provided by a corresponding servo drive and/or a hydraulic drive and/or a pneumatic drive. Preferably, the actuating means is controlled by process control means which cyclically moves said at least one upper and/or lower mold half between said two or more work stations of the apparatus in a predefined sequence and transports it to the respective work station for processing.

Furthermore, it is possible that the apparatus has a process control device which controls the actuating device in such a way that the at least two upper mold modules of the at least one upper mold rack and/or the at least one lower mold module of the at least one lower mold rack are transported cyclically or in reverse cyclically to two or more work stations of the apparatus in a predefined sequence, in particular in the following sequence:

an injection molding station-an overflow station, an injection molding station-an overflow station-a demolding station,

an injection molding station, a pretreatment station, an overflow station and a demolding station,

an injection molding station, an overflow station, another injection molding station, and a demolding station,

injection moulding station, pretreatment station, overflow station, additional injection moulding station and demoulding station

Injection moulding station, pretreatment station, overflow station, additional injection moulding station, cleaning station and demoulding station

Injection moulding station-pretreatment station-Overflow station-additional injection moulding station-additional pretreatment station-additional Overflow station-cleaning station-demolding station

Injection moulding station, pretreatment station, overflow station, additional injection moulding station, additional pretreatment station, additional overflow station, cleaning station, inspection station, demoulding station

Drawings

The invention is exemplarily illustrated below in accordance with various embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The attached drawings are as follows:

fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a method.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of an apparatus.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of an apparatus.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic view of a cross section of a mold module.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a method for producing a component 1, wherein the following steps are carried out in the method, in particular in the following order:

a providing at least one upper mold frame 2a and at least one lower mold frame 2b, wherein the at least one upper mold frame 2a has at least two upper mold modules 20a and the at least one lower mold frame 2b has at least one lower mold module 20b,

b moving said at least one upper mould carriage 2a and/or said at least one lower mould carriage 2B in at least one direction to at least one predetermined position,

c combining the first upper mold module 20aa of the at least two upper mold modules 20a of the at least one upper mold frame 2a and the first lower mold module 20ba of the at least one first lower mold module 20b of the at least one lower mold frame 2b in the at least one predetermined position in such a way that one or more work stations 3 are formed for carrying out at least one manufacturing step of the component 1,

d performing the at least one manufacturing step to construct the component 1.

It is possible to combine the first upper mold module 20aa of said at least two upper mold modules 20a of said at least one upper mold frame 2a and said at least one first lower mold module 20ba of said at least one lower mold module 20b of said at least one lower mold frame 2b in said at least one predetermined position in such a way, such that one or more of said one or more work stations 3 constitute an injection station 3a comprising an injection mould 3aa, injection mold 3aa has a first upper mold module 20aa and a first lower mold module 20ba, in particular first upper mold module 20aa comprises a first upper mold half 200aa, preferably having at least one first upper mold cavity 2000aa, and/or first lower mold module 20ba comprises a first lower mold half 200ba having at least one first lower mold cavity 2000 ba.

Furthermore, it is possible that the method comprises one or more of the following steps, in particular in the following order:

a closing of the injection mold 3aa, comprising a first upper mold half 200aa, preferably with the at least one first upper mold cavity 2000aa, and a first lower mold half 200ba with the at least one first lower mold cavity 2000ba, wherein the at least one first injection mold cavity 2000 defined by the first upper mold cavity 2000aa and the first lower mold cavity 2000ba is formed,

b injection moulding of at least one substrate 4 by introducing a first plastic material 4a into the at least one first injection mould cavity 2000,

c opening the injection mold 3aa, wherein the at least one main body 4 remains following the contour in the at least one first lower or first upper mold cavity 2000aa, 2000ba and only at least one first partial region of one or more surfaces of the at least one main body 4 is exposed, but at least one second partial region of the surface of the main body 4 remains in the first upper and/or lower mold cavity 2000aa, 2000ba,

d, the component 1, in particular comprising the at least one main body 4, is removed from the first upper and/or lower mold cavity 2000aa, 2000ba or mold half 200aa, 200 ba.

Furthermore, it is also possible to carry out one or more of the following further steps before steps a and/or d:

a1) one or more insertion elements 5 are inserted into the at least one first injection mold cavity 2000 and/or onto the at least one exposed first partial region of the surface of the at least one main body 4, wherein the at least one main body 4 is retained in a contour-following manner in the at least one first upper or first lower mold cavity 2000aa, 2000ba of the first upper or first lower mold half 200aa, 200 ba.

The substrate 4 in step d preferably comprises one or more or all of the one or more insertion elements 5, in particular one or more of the one or more insertion elements 5 is/are formed as a film element, preferably a film, as a decorative element and/or as a functional element.

It is particularly feasible to carry out one or more of the following further steps after step d, in particular between steps a and b and/or between b and c:

e at least one first covering layer 6 made of a second plastic material 6a, in particular by injection molding and/or flooding and/or local oversprayIs applied to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4.

In particular, in the case of step e, the at least one main body 4 remains following the contour in the first upper or first lower mold cavity 2000aa, 2000ba of the first upper or first lower mold half 200aa, 200 ba.

It is also possible, in the case of step e, to form at least one second injection mold cavity by means of one or more further upper mold halves of the at least two upper mold modules 20a of the at least one upper mold frame 2a and/or one or more further lower mold halves of the at least one lower mold module 20b of the at least one lower mold frame 2b, in particular by sealing the one or more further upper and/or lower mold halves against the at least one base body 4, the one or more insert elements 5 and/or the further first upper and/or lower mold halves, and to insert a second plastic material 6a into the at least one second injection mold cavity 2001.

Furthermore, it is possible to carry out the following steps one or more times between steps b, c and/or d and/or between steps d and e or d:

-pre-treating at least one of said at least one exposed first partial area of the surface of said at least one substrate 4, in particular by one or more and/or a combination of one or more treatment methods selected from the group consisting of: gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, surface activation, coating.

It is also possible to optically detect at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4, the one or more insertion elements 5 and/or the component 1 between steps c, d and/or e by means of an optical sensor or a plurality of optical sensors, in particular one or more cameras.

Furthermore, it is also possible to carry out the following steps after step c or d and/or between steps d and e and/or after step e:

cleaning, in particular by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices.

In particular, one or more of the one or more insertion elements 5 from step a1 are used as a transfer film, in particular a cold-stamped film, comprising a carrier layer and a transfer layer that can be detached from the carrier layer, an adhesive layer is applied to the transfer layer and/or to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4, in particular by means of an inkjet printing head, in at least one first region, but not in at least one second region, the transfer film is guided onto the one or more surfaces of the at least one substrate 4 by means of a stamping die, the adhesive layer is activated and the transfer film is peeled off again, so that the regions of the transfer layer that are defined by the shaping of the first regions are applied as one or more insertion elements 5.

Preferably, one or more further insert elements 5 are inserted into the at least one first injection mold cavity 2000, in particular into the first upper and/or first lower mold half 200aa, 200ba, before step a, and are back-injected (hingespritzen) and/or injection-encapsulated with the first plastic material 4a in step b.

It is possible, when step a1 is executed, to insert one or more of the one or more insertion elements 5 in precise registration with respect to one or more of the one or more further insertion elements, in particular to detect one or more registration marks or optical features of the one or more further insertion elements and/or of the first upper and/or lower mold cavities 2000aa, 2000ba or of the mold halves 200aa, 200ba and to use them for controlling the insertion.

Furthermore, it is possible that the one or more insertion elements 5 and/or the one or more further insertion elements each have: at least one decorative layer; at least one functional layer, in particular a layer having an electrical function, in particular comprising one or more elements selected from the following: touch sensors, antennas, capacitors, coils, electromagnetic shields, metal layers without conductive capability, especially to avoid electrostatic charging, displays, LEDs, circuits, solar cells; at least one, in particular post-curable, protective layer and/or at least one adhesion promoter layer.

Preferably, the first upper and/or first lower mold halves 200aa, 200ba are rotated and/or slid and/or moved between performing steps a1 and b, steps a and b, and/or steps d and e.

Furthermore, it is possible to combine the second upper mold module 20ab of the at least two upper mold modules 20a of the at least one upper mold frame 2a and the first lower mold module 20ba of the at least one lower mold module 20b of the at least one second mold frame 2b at the at least one predetermined position in such a way that one or more of the one or more work stations 3 is/are designed as an overflow station 3b comprising the second upper mold module 20ab and the first lower mold module 20ba, in particular the second upper mold module 20ab is the second upper mold half 200ab with the first upper overflow half 2000ab and/or the first lower mold module 20ba is the first and/or second mold half 200ba with the first and/or second mold cavities 2000 ba.

It is also possible to carry out the following steps between steps d and e and/or after step e):

f applying at least one second cover layer 6 to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body 4.

Furthermore, it is also possible to apply the at least one second cover layer 7 in step f by means of the overflow station 3b in such a way that one or more of the one or more insert elements 5 are at least partially enclosed between the at least one substrate 4 and the at least one second cover layer 7.

In particular, in step f, the at least one second cover layer 7 is applied by means of the overflow station 3b in such a way that the at least one second cover layer 7 only partially or completely coincides with the at least one first partial region of the surface of the one or more inlay elements 5 and/or the substrate 4.

Furthermore, it is also possible to modify and/or structure the at least one second cover layer 7 before and/or during and/or after the application of the at least one second cover layer 7, in particular by means of the overflow station 3b, in step c), preferably by inserting/placing particles onto at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4, and/or after step b and/or during the application in step f, by using a mold structure and/or by post-irradiating the at least one second cover layer 7 with a laser, an overpressure and/or overprinting the at least one second cover layer.

Preferably, the at least one second cover layer 7 is made of a third plastic material 7 a.

It is possible that the first and/or second and/or third plastic material 4a, 6a, 7a consists of a thermoplastic plastic material, of a plastic material that cures by crosslinking, in particular a 2K material and/or a two-component material and/or of a material that is thermally curable and/or of a material that can cure by radiation, and/or of a mixture of plastic materials of this type, and/or that the first and/or second and/or third plastic material 4a, 6a, 7a is/are cured completely or partially, in particular by radiation.

Furthermore, it is possible that the first, second and/or third plastic material 4a, 6a, 7a consists of polyurethane or polyurea and the first, second and/or third plastic material 4a, 6a, 7a consists of a thermoplastic, in particular ABS, ASA, ABS-PC, PC-PBT and/or ASA-PC, and/or that the constituents of the first, second and/or third plastic material 4a, 6a, 7a are selected from the group consisting of polyurethane-containing dispersions, polyurethane-containing resins, polyurethane solutions, compositions consisting of polyurethane precursors (2K-PUR systems) and mixtures thereof.

Step e is preferably performed a plurality of times by means of different first and/or second and/or third plastic materials 4a, 6a, 7a and/or different further upper and/or lower mold halves.

Fig. 2 shows an apparatus 10 for producing a component 1, in particular for carrying out the aforementioned method or one or more of the method steps A, B, C, D, a1, a, b, c, d, e and/or f, wherein the apparatus has an upper mold frame 2a and a lower mold frame 2b, wherein the upper mold frame 2a has two upper mold modules 20a and the lower mold frame 2b has one lower mold module 20b, wherein the upper mold frame 2a can be moved into at least one predetermined position in a first or counter direction R1 and/or in a second or counter direction R2, in particular the lower mold frame 2b is not movable, and a first upper mold module 20aa of the two upper mold modules 20a of the upper mold frame 2a and a first lower mold module 20ba of the one lower mold module 10b of the lower mold frame 2b can be moved in at least one predetermined position The predetermined positions are combined in such a way that two work stations 3a, 3b are formed, in particular for carrying out at least one manufacturing step of the component 1.

In particular, the first direction or counter direction R1 and the second direction or counter direction R2 are arranged perpendicular to one another.

Fig. 2 also shows that the injection molding station 3a has an insertion unit 3ab, wherein the insertion unit 3ab is used to insert and/or advance one or more insertion elements 5 into the first upper mold half 200 aa.

Furthermore, the upper mold carrier 2a with the two upper mold modules 20a can be moved into at least one predetermined position in the directions R1 and/or R2, respectively.

It is possible that the at least one upper mold frame 2a with the at least two upper mold modules 20a and/or the at least one lower mold frame 2b with the lower mold modules 20b are arranged in a predetermined preferential direction and/or on a predetermined preferential plane, in particular the upper mold frame 2a is designed as a preferably vertically or horizontally arranged carousel or slide table.

Furthermore, it is possible that at least one of the two upper mold modules 20a of the upper mold frame 2a and/or a lower mold module of the lower mold modules 20b of the lower mold frame 2b is selected from: the mold half, in particular the mold half comprising the mold cavity, is preferably a first mold half having a first mold cavity or a second mold half having a second mold cavity.

It is also possible that one or both of the two work stations 3a, 3b are selected from and/or combined from: an injection moulding station, an overflow station, a pre-treatment station, a first further overflow station, a further injection moulding station, a second further overflow station, a cleaning station, a demoulding station.

Fig. 2 furthermore shows that the first of the two work stations 3 is designed as an injection station 3a, which comprises a first of the two upper mold modules 20a of the upper mold frame 2a and a first lower mold module 20ba of the lower mold module 20b of the lower mold frame 2 b.

Fig. 2 also shows that a second of the two work stations 3 is designed as an overflow station 3b, which includes a second of the two upper mold modules 20a of the upper mold frame 2a and a first lower mold module 2ba of the lower mold module 20b of the lower mold frame 2b, in particular the second upper mold module 20ab being a second upper mold half 200ab and/or the first lower mold module 20ba being a first lower mold half 200 ba.

Here, it is possible that the overflow station 3b and/or the second upper mold half 200ab are or comprise a casting mold or a 2K mold.

Furthermore, it is possible that the overflow station 3b and/or the second upper mold half-mold 200ab have an overflow unit 3ba for applying at least one second cover layer 7 made of a second plastic material 7a, in particular to at least one partial region of the surface of at least one base body 4, preferably by means of overflow and/or partial overflow.

Fig. 3 shows the apparatus 10 shown in fig. 2, with the difference that the upper mold frame 2a is immovable, while the lower mold frame 2b can be moved to at least one predetermined position in the third or reverse direction R3 and/or in the fourth or reverse direction R4.

In particular, the third or reverse direction R3 and the fourth or reverse direction R4 are arranged perpendicular to one another. In the example shown here, the third or reverse direction R3 can also be a rotational movement about a rotational axis parallel to the direction R4.

It is also possible that the first and second mould carriages are rotatable in one or more of said directions R1, R2, R3 and/or R4, respectively, and/or along an axis defined by these directions.

Fig. 4 shows the apparatus 10 shown in fig. 2, with the difference that the upper mold carrier 2a can be moved in the fifth or reverse direction R5 and/or in the sixth or reverse direction R6, while the lower mold carrier 2b cannot be moved into at least one predetermined position.

In particular, the fifth or reverse direction R5 and the sixth or reverse direction R6 are arranged perpendicular to one another.

Furthermore, fig. 4 shows that first upper mold module 20aa is a first upper mold half 200aa having a first upper mold cavity 2000aa, and that first lower mold module 20ba is a second lower mold half 200ba having a second lower mold cavity 2000 ba.

Fig. 4 also shows that the injection-molding station 3a has an insertion unit 3ab, wherein the insertion unit 3ab is used to insert and/or advance one or more insertion elements 5 into the first upper mold cavity 2000aa of the first upper mold half 200 aa.

It is possible that the at least one injection station 3a has a closing device 3ac for closing an injection mold 3aa, which, in particular in the case of the formation of the at least one first injection cavity 2000, comprises a first upper mold half 200aa having a first upper mold cavity 2000aa and a first lower mold half 200ba having a first lower mold cavity 2000 ba; and for opening the injection mould 3 aa.

Fig. 5 shows the device 10 shown in fig. 4, with the difference that the upper mold carrier 2a can be moved in a seventh or reverse direction R7 and/or in an eighth or reverse direction R8, and the lower mold carrier 2b can be moved in a ninth or reverse direction R9 into at least one predetermined position. In the example shown here, the ninth or reverse direction R9 can also be a rotational movement about a rotational axis parallel to the direction R7.

In particular, the seventh and eighth directions or counter-directions R7 and R8 are arranged perpendicular to one another, and the seventh and eighth directions or counter-directions R7 and R8 are arranged perpendicular to or parallel to the ninth direction or counter-direction R9.

Fig. 6 shows an apparatus 10 comprising an upper mold half 2a and a lower mold half 2b, which in particular have a rectangular, preferably square, further preferably circular bottom surface. Further, the upper die frame 2a has four upper die modules 20aa, 20ab, 20ac, 20 ad. The lower die frame 2b has four lower die modules 20ba, 20bb, 20bc, 20 bd.

In this case, the upper tool carrier 2a can be displaced and/or slid in the tenth direction or counter direction R10 and/or in the eleventh direction or counter direction R11 and can be displaced or rotated in the first direction of rotation or counter direction D1.

In particular, the tenth direction or counter direction R8 and the eleventh direction or counter direction R11 are arranged perpendicular to one another. The axis of rotation defining the first or reversal direction D1 is preferably perpendicular to the plane formed by the upper and/or lower tool holders 2a, 2 b.

The apparatus 10 shown in fig. 6 has four work stations in the shown arrangement, in particular spatially, of an upper mold stand 2a comprising four upper mold modules 20aa, 20ab, 20ac, 20ad and a lower mold stand 2b comprising four lower mold modules 20ba, 20bb, 20bc, 20 bd. Here, the first station as the first injection station 3a1 is a combination of the first upper mold module 20aa and the first lower mold module 20ba, the second station as the first overflow station 3b1 is a combination of the second upper mold module 20ab and the second lower mold module 20bb, the third station as the second injection station 3a2 is a combination of the third upper mold module 20ac and the third lower mold module 20bc, and the fourth station as the second overflow station 3b2 is a combination of the fourth upper mold module 20ad and the fourth lower mold module 20 bd. The four lower mold modules 20ba, 20bb, 20bc, 20bd have mold cavities 2000ba, 2000bb, 2000bc, 2000bd, respectively.

In the case of a 90 ° rotation of the upper tool carrier about the axis of rotation, in particular in the first or reversal direction D1, further combinations of four work stations result. After four 90 °, i.e. 360 °, rotations of the upper mold carrier about the axis of rotation, in particular in the first or reversal direction D1, the aforementioned initial combination of four work stations is obtained, including the first injection molding station 3a1, the first overflow station 3b1, the second injection molding station 3a1 and the second overflow station 3b 2.

Alternatively or additionally, it is also possible for the lower mold carrier to be rotatable and/or slidable about the same axis of rotation as the upper mold carrier and/or a further axis of rotation.

This type of apparatus 10 advantageously enables the four processing steps that can be performed by the four work stations that can be combined from the four upper mold modules 20aa, 20ab, 20ac, 20ad and the four lower mold modules 20ba, 20bb, 20bc, 20bd, in particular along a cycle that includes four 90 ° rotations along the axis of rotation, in particular along the first axis of rotation or the reversal direction D1, to be performed in parallel, thereby increasing the utilization correspondingly, in particular by four times.

Alternatively, it is possible that there are no two of the upper mold modules 20aa, 20ab or 20ac and 20ad, so that there are always two of the lower mold modules 20ba and 20bb or 20bc and 20bd that are free. These empty lower mold modules and optionally the substrates located therein can be subjected to further processing steps, while the injection molding process and the overflow process are carried out in the other two work stations. For example, at the empty mold modules, the inspection process and/or the cleaning process and/or the pretreatment process and/or the printing process and/or the laser marking process can be carried out on the optionally present substrates, which preferably correspond in time to the cycle time or the injection molding process and the overflow process or run for a shorter time.

Furthermore, it is possible for the injection stations 3a1, 3a2 to each have an injection unit 3ad for introducing a first plastic material 4a forming at least one main body 4 into at least one first injection mold cavity 2000 and/or for applying at least one first cover layer 6 to at least one partial region of a surface of the at least one main body 4, in particular the at least one first cover layer 6 being made of a second plastic material 6a, wherein the at least one main body 4 comprises one or more or all of the one or more insertion elements 5.

Furthermore, it is possible for the at least one main body 4 to be arranged in a contour-following manner in the lower mold cavities 2000ba, 2000bb, 2000bc, 2000bd of the lower mold halves 200ba, 200bb, 200bc, 200bd of the lower mold modules 20ba, 20bb, 20bc, 20bd, in particular of the lower mold frame 2b, and/or in the at least one first injection mold cavity 2000.

It is also possible that the transfer stations 3b1, 3b2 shown in fig. 6 comprise casting molds or 2K molds (two-component molds).

Furthermore, it is possible for the overflow stations 3b1, 3b2 and/or the upper mold halves 20a, 20ad to each have an overflow unit 3ba for applying at least one second cover layer 7 made of a second plastic material 7a, in particular preferably by means of overflow and/or partial overflow, to at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one base body 4.

Fig. 7 shows, for example, the mold module 20bb shown in fig. 6 in a cross-sectional view along the line a-a shown in fig. 6 and in particular perpendicular to a plane defined by the bottom face of the lower mold stand 2b, wherein the mold module 20bb has a mold cavity 2000 bb.

It has been shown to be advantageous for the apparatus 10 to have one or more of the following workstations:

a pretreatment station 3c for pretreating at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4, in particular by one or more treatment methods selected from the following treatment methods: gas treatment, flame treatment, plasma treatment, fluorination, irradiation, cleaning, surface activation, coating and/or combinations thereof

A testing station 3d for optically testing at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4, the one or more insertion elements 5 and/or the component 1 by means of an optical sensor, in particular by means of a camera

A cleaning station 3e, in particular for cleaning at least one partial region of the surface of the at least one substrate 4 and/or the component 1 by means of brushes and/or compressed air and/or suction devices

A demolding station 3f for demolding the at least one substrate 4 and/or the component 1, in particular comprising the at least one substrate 4

An actuating device 10a for moving the at least two upper mold modules 20a of the at least one upper mold rack 2a and/or the at least one lower mold module 20b of the at least one lower mold rack 2b, in particular between the work stations 3 of the apparatus

Printing station, in particular for inkjet and/or pad printing

Labelling station, in particular for applying labels

Laser marking station, in particular for ablating and/or blackening and/or changing color, preferably of laser-sensitive layers and/or regions of substrates and/or components

Cold stamping station

Hot stamping station

Furthermore, it is possible that the apparatus 10 has one or more work stations and/or one or more combinations of one or more work stations, preferably selected from: a printing station, in particular for inkjet printing and/or pad printing; a labelling station, in particular for applying labels; a laser marking station, in particular for ablating and/or blackening and/or changing color, preferably of a laser-sensitive layer and/or region of the substrate and/or of the component; a cold stamping station; hot embossing stations, preferably these stations for preferably printing, labeling, laser, cold embossing and/or hot embossing are provided before and/or after demolding of the component and/or the at least one substrate and/or the component comprising the at least one substrate, in particular before and/or after step d), preferably before and/or after demolding stations, and/or before and/or after flooding, in particular before and/or after step e), preferably before and/or after flooding stations.

Furthermore, it is possible to use one or more of the one or more insertion elements of step a1) as a transfer film, in particular a hot embossing film, which preferably comprises a carrier layer and/or a transfer layer that can be detached therefrom and has an adhesive layer, in particular to press the transfer film against the one or more surfaces of the at least one substrate by means of a heated embossing tool, in particular to activate the adhesive layer and the release layer of the transfer film and in particular to subsequently peel the transfer film off the transfer layer that is attached to the substrate, in particular to thereby apply a part of the transfer layer that is determined by the shaping of the embossing tool as the one or more insertion elements.

Furthermore, it is also possible to perform one or more of the following further steps and/or to perform at least one combination of one or more of the following steps, in particular selected from: printing, in particular ink-jet printing and/or pad printing; labeling, especially labeling; loading and/or applying laser markings; preferably, laser light is emitted to laser-sensitive layers or regions of the component and/or of the substrate, in particular ablation or material removal and/or blackening and/or color conversion; cold stamping; hot stamping; thermal transfer printing, preferably these steps are especially provided before and/or after demolding of the member and/or the at least one substrate and/or the member comprising at least one substrate, preferably before and/or after step d), further preferably before and/or after the demolding station, and/or especially before and/or after flooding, preferably before and/or after step e).

Furthermore, it is possible to carry out further steps after demolding of the component and/or of the at least one base body and/or of the component comprising the at least one base body, wherein one or more of the further steps are preferably selected from: providing functional elements, in particular printed circuit boards and/or electronic components and/or mechanical components and/or fastening elements; coating, in particular coating, the adhesive and/or further, preferably different functional layers; are fitted and/or mounted on and/or in further, in particular different bodies and/or substrates, preferably bodies of all types.

It is also possible that the device 10 has n work stations, in particular one or more injection molding stations 3a, 3a1, 3a2, one or more overflow stations 3b, 3b1, 3b2, one or more pretreatment stations 3c, one or more inspection stations 3d, one or more cleaning stations 3e and one or more demolding stations 3f, and that at least n upper and/or lower mold modules 20a, 20b, in particular comprising upper and/or lower mold halves and/or upper and/or lower overflow halves, are preferably provided on the at least one upper mold frame 2a and/or on the at least one lower mold frame 2b, respectively.

Furthermore, it is possible that the plant 10 has a process control device 10b which controls the actuating device 10a in such a way that the at least two upper mold modules 20a of the at least one upper mold frame 2a and/or the at least one lower mold module 20b of the at least one lower mold frame 2b are transported cyclically or in reverse cyclically to two or more work stations 3 of the plant 10 in a predefined sequence, in particular in the following sequence:

injection station 3 a-overflow station 3b,

an injection molding station 3a, an overflow station 3b, a demolding station 3f,

an injection molding station 3a, a pretreatment station 3c, an overflow station 3b, a demolding station 3f,

an injection station 3a, an overflow station 3b, a further injection station, a stripping station 3f,

an injection station 3a, a pretreatment station 3c, an overflow station 3b, a further injection station, a demolding station 3f,

an injection station 3a, a pretreatment station 3c, an overflow station 3b, a further injection station, a cleaning station 3e, a stripping station 3f,

injection moulding station 3a, pretreatment station 3c, overflow station 3b, further injection moulding station, further pretreatment station, further overflow station, cleaning station 3e, demolding station 3f

Injection moulding station 3a, pretreatment station 3c, overflow station 3b, further injection moulding station, further pretreatment station, further overflow station, cleaning station 3e, inspection station 3d, stripping station 3f

List of reference numerals

1 structural component

10 device

10a actuator

10b Process control device

2a Upper die holder

2b lower die rack

20a upper mold block

20b lower mold block

20aa first upper die module

20ab second upper die module

20ba first lower die Module

200aa first upper mold half

200ab second Upper mold half

200ba first lower mold half

2000 first injection mould cavity

2001 second injection mold cavity

2000aa first upper mould cavity

2000ab first overflow half

2000ba first lower mould cavity

3 working station

3a injection moulding station

3a1 first injection station

3a2 second injection station

3aa injection mold

3ab insertion unit

3ac closure device

3ad injection unit

3b overflow station

3b1 first Overflow station

3b2 second Overflow station

3c pretreatment station

3d detection station

3e cleaning station

3f demolding station

4 base body

4a first plastic material

5 insertion unit

6 first cover layer

6a second plastic material

7 second cover layer

7a third plastic material

Method A step

Step of method B

Method step C

Method step D

a1 method step

a method step

b method step

c method step

d method step

e method step

Step of method f

R1 Direction or reverse Direction

R2 Direction or reverse Direction

R3 Direction or reverse Direction

R4 Direction or reverse Direction

R5 Direction or reverse Direction

R6 Direction or reverse Direction

R7 Direction or reverse Direction

R8 Direction or reverse Direction

R9 Direction or reverse Direction

R10 Direction or reverse Direction

R11 Direction or reverse Direction

Direction of rotation or reversal of direction of D1