How are WeatherTech Mats Made?
WeatherTech has been manufacturing the highest quality vehicle floor mats since 1989. It’s a process that’s been perfected over countless hours, utilizing cutting edge technology and manufacturing methods to bring customers the highest quality floor mats that are laser measured for an absolute perfect fit. Currently, WeatherTech makes three different styles of vehicle floor mats for our customers. The WeatherTech FloorLiner, WeatherTech All-Weather Mat and WeatherTech Trim-to-Fit Floor Mat. Each of these products offers unparalleled levels of protection and are all geared towards the different seasons, scenarios and needs each of our customers may face.
Making each of these products requires a slightly different manufacturing process due to the materials each mat is made of. For example, Trim-to-Fit Floor Mats are not custom measured for individual makes and models, unlike the FloorLiner and All-Weather Mat. Those two products go through a rigorous round of product design and testing before being approved for manufacturing. Let’s take a quick look at how each of these products is made, right here in America!
Measuring for That Perfect Fit
Every WeatherTech FloorLiner and All-Weather Mat is custom measured for each vehicle application. This process begins with our product engineers that utilize the most sophisticated tools available to take a series of precise measurements in order to reverse engineer your vehicle’s floorwell. Once all the data has been collected these engineers use advanced, fully integrated Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) software platforms to create a virtual 3D model of the FloorLiner. Using free-form surface modeling, in which surfaces are defined, trimmed and merged, our product development engineers design and test the model’s feasibility before it ever moves forward with production.
A Mold for Any Situation
The 3D model created by our product development engineers is sent to the machinists at our tooling facility in Bolingbrook, IL. These highly trained and skilled American machinists use an American made CNC machine to create a metal mold out of the 3D modelling data provided by our product engineers. Once created, the mold is tested for accuracy. Pre-production samples of the FloorLiner or All-Weather Mat are created, and these samples are used to test the accuracy of the mold with its given vehicle application. The samples are measured, tested and if necessary the mold is slightly adjusted for accuracy. This may happen numerous times, as no floor mat product is approved for production unless the fit can only be described as perfect.
Manufactured in America
Once the molds have been approved for production, they are sent to our production facilities to begin mass production. WeatherTech FloorLiners, All-Weather Mats and Trim-to-Fit Floor Mats are all manufactured right in Bolingbrook, Illinois by skilled American workers, using all American materials. All the materials used to create our mats are not only sourced from other American facilities, but they’re also recyclable.
Manufacturing WeatherTech FloorLiners
WeatherTech uses a patented High-Density Tri-Extruded (HDTE) material to create our FloorLiners. This material features a more rigid core which helps strengthen the product so it can stand up to any mess you throw at it. The HDTE material comes in large sheets that are then heated in a large industrial oven. Once these sheets are heated to the correct temperature they are pressed over the FloorLiner mold and then vacuum sealed down onto cooler metal’s surface. This process is called Thermoforming. It not only ensures a high quality final product, but also allows the FloorLiner to cool quickly; thus maintaining its shape and quality. Once the FloorLiner has been cooled it is removed from the mold, and if necessary some minor additional trimming may occur before it is ready for sale!
Manufacturing WeatherTech All-Weather Mats and Trim-to-Fit Floor Mats
WeatherTech actually uses a slightly different material for its All-Weather Mat and Trim-to-Fit Floor Mat products. The material is an advanced rubber-like Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE), and contains no latex, PVCs, cadmium or lead, and just like the FloorLiner material is still 100% recyclable. Mats made from this more malleable material must go through a different manufacturing process. WeatherTech All-Weather Mats and Trim-to-Fit Floor Mats are both created using injection molding. During injection molding, the different pieces of the metal mold are pressed together and the molten material is directly injected then quickly cooled. The mold is pulled apart and the resulting product is freed from the mold and ready to go!