The first image shows of what we are doing to develop a side train panel for the 5th Gen 4Runners. Because that vehicle is so different than the others we have been working on, we needed a new side trim panel solution because the pan design itself will be fairly shallow and there is the OEM seat rail that protrudes out more. This shows the prototype stage that is 3D printed strictly for fit checks before we start having aluminum formed.

This means a flat side trim panel wouldn’t work without looking very out of place. So instead we put a smooth redesign to incorporate a double fold in the sheet metal to give us the look we wanted.
This Side Panel’s function is to hide all of the bits and bobs necessary to install a scheel-mann seat into your Toyota 5th Gen 4Runner. It’s not that it’s unsightly, it just doesn’t look “finished” without the side panel.
Almost every model of Toyota will get a specific side panel only because there are very minor differences between seat options and floor between models. So once the scheel-mann seat is in the point is to look like it belongs.
Once the panels are laser cut they are de-burred and tumbled for a few hours. This process gives us the final look we were aiming for. Having perfect machined CNC end-mill cuts just didn’t give the softer look we were going for. We then design laser marking “jigs” since the Tacoma and FJC panels had to be made flat on the side we needed for the fiber laser we were using. This was an easy process that just required a quick 3D print. Once the print is in place the jig acts as a guide for the laser engraving. For the 5thGen we will design something a little different to get a consistent lasering each time.
