Is Plastic Injection Molding The Future of The Automotive Industry?
Move over machine stamping. Plastic injection molding might be the future of the automotive parts industry. For those of you that think a car needs to be all steel to be a car, look again. Injection molding is already being successfully integrated into a variety of automotive parts.
Dash boards and door panels are increasingly being molded in one single piece using injection molding processes. It’s a low cost and highly effective way to manufacturer parts. In fact, much of the cost of custom injection molding is in the design process. Designers have to sculpt molds for each independent model being manufactured. The molds themselves can be expensive which means limited release vehicles like some rare Italian brands probably won’t see injection molding come to fruition for their vehicles, however for mass produced cars such as mid sized sedans and SUVs the costs of the molds are offset by the costs of production, ultimately saving them considerably in the manufacturing process.
But automotive interiors aren’t the only things being run through an injection molder these days. Bumpers are becoming increasingly more common in plastics. Polyurethane bumpers have a lot of advantages over their traditional steel counterparts. When correctly designed poly-plastic bumpers can absorb more impact than a steel bumper in accidents, leading to a safer ride. They also have the distinct ability to bounce back from small dents and dings, something steel has no forgiveness factor regarding. A car with a polyurethane bumper involved in a minor fender bender often times drives away with nothing more than a bit of minor paint scrapes thanks to the durable nature of the material used in creating the bumper.
Some automotive companies are even experimenting with creating doors and other parts out of plastics. The now defunct Saturn division of GM was one of the first to suggest the beneficial uses of plastic doors. Perhaps to their chagrin before the American purchasing public was ready to recognize and accept the benefits. But this hasn’t stopped other automotive parts manufacturers from continuing the experiments of making a largely plastic car.
Why not? If successfully done the benefits of plastic are enormous. Plastic components weigh significantly less than steel – reducing the overall curb weight of a vehicle and increasing gas mileage. The lack of need for iron and steel would reduce our dependency on natural resources. The cost of manufacturing vehicles would go down, either potentially revitalizing devastated profit margins for auto makers or passing savings onto the consumer, hopefully both, and our cars wouldn’t rust either. Maybe there is something to this plastic injection molding concept when it comes to automotive parts manufacturing. Especially in an industry which is currently seeking any way possible to save face and adapt to the changes in market supply and demand – i.e. The automotive industry.
It’s clear drivers are tired of paying insane prices at the pump and ready for a change in the automotive market. Could plastic injection molding be that saving change? Only time will tell.
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