Interior Trim Panels of the Future - Wood, Foam or Plastic? 900095

It is the intent of this paper to show how interior trim panel materials should be changing to meet the cost conscious, design driven automotive market of today. As with the many traditional papers on this subject, a comparison of physical properties and general economics is given for background information, but the emphasis is on how new innovations are more competitive than with the injection molded plastics currently in use. It also points out how many of the current specifications are over engineered and over-specified, which results in additional costs. Functional physical properties for each interior trim panel construction are also discussed.