Abstract: A wheel house liner for a wheel house of a vehicle includes a main body and at least one flange along at least a portion of an end of the main body, the at least one flange forming a hemmed edge. The wheel house liner also includes a bonding agent to hold the at least one flange and the main body together, and at least one fastener hole. The main body is formed by a forming machine. The at least one flange is then formed by bending, by a bending tool, at least a portion of an end of the main body. The bonding agent may be applied to the portion of the end before or after the forming of the at least one flange. Finally, the hemmed edge is formed by folding, by the bending tool, the at least one flange against the main body.

Abstract: A wheel house liner for a wheel house of a vehicle includes a main body and at least one flange along at least a portion of an end of the main body, the at least one flange forming a hemmed edge. The wheel house liner also includes a bonding agent to hold the at least one flange and the main body together, and at least one fastener hole. The main body is formed by a forming machine. The at least one flange is then formed by bending, by a bending tool, at least a portion of an end of the main body. The bonding agent may be applied to the portion of the end before or after the forming of the at least one flange. Finally, the hemmed edge is formed by folding, by the bending tool, the at least one flange against the main body.

Abstract: An assembly including and method of forming arbitrary localized wrinkles upon a surface utilizing a shape memory polymer substrate and rigid overlay, wherein the geometrical distribution of the wrinkles is produced by recovering a lateral strain history within the substrate and buckling the overlay, and the localized wrinkles are used to create, among other things, optically three-dimensional engaging surfaces, structural colors, modified surface texturing, and haptic alerts.

Abstract: The present invention uses a two-step anodizing process to produce a colored anodized coating on the surface of an aluminum part. In accordance with this invention, a thin hard anodized coating layer is first formed on the surface of the aluminum part and then growing a softer a clear anodized coating layer on the surface of the aluminum part underneath the hard coat layer. The soft coat is essentially colorless and suitable for color finishing. This invention drastically improves the wear resistance of the aluminum part while maintaining a desired amount of clarity for effective electrolytic coloring.

Abstract: A molding process that uses a textured interfacial layer to isolate the surface of a mold from the surface of a composite article produced with the mold. A solution is deposited on the mold surface to form the interfacial layer, whose surface opposite the mold is textured. The texture of the interfacial layer is then transferred to the surface of the composite article produced with the mold. After demolding, the interfacial layer adheres to the article as a protective coating, but can be readily removed from the article to expose an underlying textured surface of the article.