A car’s interior ceiling is an important part of its overall interior design. It covers metal panels on the roof and serves as a decorative element. People pay more and more attention to the luxury and comfort of cars. The car ceiling not only needs to be beautiful, but also needs to meet requirements such as flame retardancy, stain resistance, and color fastness. Besides, it also plays a role in reducing noise and heat transfer inside and outside the car. It also protects the occupants’ heads. As a result, car roof material choices are becoming increasingly heavy. Particular attention needs to be paid during the design and production process.
1. The concept of car roof
Headlining is the material that covers your car’s roof. But there’s more to it than just covering exposed metal with soft, color-coordinated fabric.
1.1 Car roof functions
The ceiling provides thermal and sound insulation. It can also hide the wiring and hardware of electrical components, antennas, and other accessories.
1.2 Car roof form
There are many types of car roofs, including convertibles, hardtops, traditional sunroofs, panoramic sunroofs, etc. Car roof fabric is an important part of the entire car roof. It mainly plays the role of enhancing the interior decoration of the car.
2. Types of Automotive Ceiling Materials
2.1 Knitted Fabric
Knitted ceiling fabrics usually have a three-layer composite structure: knitted fabric + sponge + non-woven fabric. The three materials are bonded together via a flame composite joint. Eventually, it forms a unified whole. This flame lamination technology creates stronger fabrics compared to traditional adhesive bonding. The sponge layer is usually made of polyurethane. It provides thermal insulation, sound absorption, and shock absorption. Non-woven fabrics are generally soft spunlaced non-woven fabrics. During the entire ceiling assembly process, there may be small gaps between the ceiling and the A, B, C pillars and ceiling lights. Due to the good compressibility and elasticity of the sponge, using fabric materials can fill these gaps. On the other hand, it can reduce assembly defects. In recent years, as the price of knitted roof fabrics has dropped, more and more models are choosing this fabric.
2.2 Non-woven Fabric
Non-woven fabrics, also known as non-woven fabrics or needle-punched cotton. They are composed of directional or random fibers. It is called “fabric” because it looks like cloth and has some similar properties. The fibers mainly used in the production of non-woven fabrics are polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET). The non-woven fabric inside the suspended ceiling is mostly made of polyester (PET), referred to as PET non-woven fabric. Non-woven fabrics for suspended ceilings can be deeply formed to meet styling requirements. Non-woven materials have developed rapidly in the automotive industry in recent years due to their wide sources and environmentally friendly properties. Ceiling non-woven materials can be divided into needle-punched non-woven fabrics, stitch-bonded non-woven fabrics, and printed non-woven fabrics.
Needle-punched non-woven fabrics are made by repeatedly puncturing fluffy fabric with needles. Its advantages are fast production speed and low cost. But it fluffs easily and is not very durable. Its fibers are thick, the texture is rough, and there are small pinholes on the surface. Needle-punched fabrics are generally thicker and weigh at least 80 grams. It is only suitable for some low-end models.
Stitch-bonded non-woven fabrics use rolled metal wire structures as raw materials to produce non-woven fabrics. This material has a certain texture which is better scratch resistance than ordinary non-woven fabrics. And its price is much lower than knitted fabric. So, it has gradually been recognized by many automobile manufacturers in recent years. But, stitch-bonded nonwovens also have many disadvantages. For example, the edges of the ceiling tend to fall off after water cutting. To address this problem, a certain amount of low-melting polypropylene fiber can be added. It can be heated in an oven to melt the low-melting fiber. This enhances the curl structure. Besides, due to the limitations of the fabric’s craftsmanship, uneven thickness may occur. This leads to serious uneven thickness during the ceiling forming process. Areas with large deformation expose defects such as the base material. In recent years, with improvements in suturing technology, these defects have gradually disappeared.
Printed non-woven fabrics are non-woven fabrics printed with patterns using dyes or pigments. This type of non-woven fabric can meet various appearance requirements. It is cheap and widely used by car manufacturers.
2.3 PVC Fabric
PVC synthetic leather is made of polyvinyl chloride as raw material. Its appearance is similar to real leather. When making synthetic ceiling materials, a single layer of leather can be used. It can also be combined with a single layer of leather or film-backed foam. However, when using thinner leather and foam layer materials, the production process and additional requirements for the ceiling are higher. If you’re not careful, defects such as fiberglass marks or orange peel can appear on the surface of your ceiling. From an environmental perspective, toxic dioxins and toxic additives released during the production of PVC can pollute the environment. After these substances enter the human body, they can cause cancer. It is difficult for this type of fabric to meet VOC requirements. They are therefore less commonly used, especially on family cars. However, because it is easy to clean, it is sometimes used sparingly on taxi roofs.
2.4 Imitation suede fabric
Faux suede fabric is a high-end material that has become popular in recent years. Not all faux suede fabrics are made from real animal suede. It comes in both natural and synthetic types. Synthetic suede fabrics can be made by woven, knitted, or non-woven methods. These fabrics feel soft, smooth, and lightweight. It has good elasticity and drape, making it look high-end and comfortable. Besides, by controlling shrinkage and adjusting fiber gaps, fabrics with excellent waterproof and breathable properties can be produced.
The disadvantage of imitation suede fabric is that it is not very stain-resistant and difficult to clean. It has poor waterproofing and is relatively expensive. Suede fabrics are prone to deformation, wrinkles, and even shrinkage after washing. So it’s best to avoid prolonged contact with water. When cleaning, it is recommended to use cleaning agents such as perchloroethylene. Due to the higher price, it is mainly used in some luxury cars or modified cars.
As an important part of the overall interior of the car, the car roof plays an indispensable role in improving the competitiveness of the car. Its functionality continues to evolve. It not only focuses on enhancing interior decoration, but also requires good thermal insulation, heat insulation, noise reduction, sound absorption, and other functions. So, it is necessary to choose appropriate materials according to different models.
New car roof materials such as waterproof, dustproof, and leak-proof nano-skin are constantly emerging. However, these new materials are also derived from the basic skin materials mentioned above.
