Patent ID: 7976659

Claim:
A process of assembling a composite piece for a vehicle compartment, the composite piece having a skin connected to a substrate via a foaming material, and including at least one item forming a switching device that has a visible area, which is joined to a control component connected to an electrical control circuit, so as to transmit switching or actuation information to the electrical control circuit, the process comprising: wrapping part of the visible area of each item with a skin so that the skin retains the visible area and that the skin and the visible area are joined to seamlessly define the visible surface of the composite piece, including the area of transition between the skin and the visible area of each item forming the switching device, the wrapping being accomplished by complementary stages comprising: arranging the substrate so that it faces the skin, the substrate having a passage opening aligned with the visible area; placing a spare piece against the back face of the visible area of each item opposite the face located on the visible surface, the spare piece having a shape corresponding at least to a volume sufficient for occupancy by the control component at the location of the respective item and between the substrate and the skin, having a cross section corresponding substantially to the shape of the respective passage opening located in the substrate, and having a length sufficient to extend from the back face of the visible area at least to the respective passage opening; injecting the foaming material between the skin and the substrate, so that the foaming material expands within the space located between the skin and the substrate, and in particular around each spare piece; withdrawing each spare piece after the expansion of the foaming material; and placing a control component to the composite piece at each passage opening.