Almost half of your vehicle's dry mass is likely made of plastics, and there are hundreds of plastic components that interact with you and your passengers. To create durable, high-quality parts, automakers use injection molding, which involves injecting liquid plastic into a mold, which hardens to form the finished part. This process is easy to scale, allowing tens of thousands of items to be run through a single mold.
The process is relatively fast compared to other materials, such as fiberglass. Its high-production output rate increases efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The time between cycles is also short, allowing you to produce a large number of molds at once. This can increase your revenue and profit margins. The process requires some specialized skills and equipment, so make sure you choose a supplier who is capable of producing the type of parts you need.
Another plastic automotive Mold process involves overmolding, which combines two different materials into a single piece. This technique is popular for complex items that will come in contact with people, such as pieces that fit into the cabin of a vehicle. Overmolded parts can be made of soft thermoplastics that are overmolded onto hard plastic. ABS and polycarbonate are common materials used for automotive overmolding.
Plastic car parts are also extremely durable, allowing them to withstand abuse and road hazards. They are also impervious to rust, which can cause problems for car parts. Furthermore, they are easier to work with than metal, which enables car makers to produce more car parts in a shorter period of time.
Another important feature of automotive plastic injection molding is its ability to allow color customization. This process can modify the color of the part by mixing dyes with the raw material pellets. Injection molding makes it possible to make parts that are free of defects. Because the process is highly scalable, the tooling costs of the plastic automotive Mold process are relatively low. However, the cost of tooling can limit the efficiency of the process.
Automotive plastic injection molding can also create interior parts, such as dashboard panels, door handles, glove boxes, air vents, and instrument assemblies. Many decorative plastic components are also created using this process. If you are looking for a replacement for a metal part in your car, automotive plastic injection molding may be the way to go.