Assembly in Action: Truck Tonneau Covers Bonded With Polyurethane
Tom Kauble, director of engineering, says, "Our LT2000 tonneau cover, which is manufactured with Telene RIM polymer, features good flexibility and impact-resistance at temperatures as low as -40 F." He continues, "The same flexibility that makes the covers ideal for customer handling presented a bonding challenge. Joining the ABS inner panel to a Telene outer produced read-through on the tonneau surface."
To overcome the problem, the company looked for a medium- viscosity, slump-resistant adhesive that would allow higher-volume production of tonneaus at lower labor costs than traditional open molding of fiberglass- reinforced plastic.