There is a lot of plastic in the interior of a car. The steering wheel, entertainment center, and dashboard along with the surround trim are all covered in plastic. Even the exterior, the bumpers, and headlights are surrounded by plastic as well. Before the 1970s though, automobiles used metal for most of their components. This made them more expensive to manufacture and in general weigh a lot more than modern day cars. It was not until the 1980s that plastic started getting more readily used in some elements of a car. Now, plastic is used to make vehicles lighter and more fuel-efficient. Automotive mold making has become the industry standard and an efficient way to manufacture plastic parts for vehicles.
Automotive Molding in the Works
The manufacturing process of plastics is used for molding and each process requires the manipulation of melted plastic. It is then left to cure so the final shape can be removed from the mold. There are several different types of molds that the automotive industry uses:
- Injection molding
This is the most commonly used process in the automotive industry. A wide variety of components found in modern day vehicles are created using Injection Molding. Everything from dashboard components, trim pieces, exterior bumpers, cladding, and even the buttons and knobs found all throughout your car are injection molded. This process uses an injection machine equipped with a mold insert that has been machined with a negative cavity representing the final part. Using very high pressure the molten plastic enters this cavity, and the flow is instantly cut off allowing the part to cool before being ejected from the mold.
- Casting
This process is the least complex but the most time consuming of all the molding types. Plastic or low melting metals are heated until they turn fluid and are transferred into the mold. Once cooled, the part is removed and cleaned, and is ready for installation at any number of points in the assembly line.
- Compression molding
This is the most labor-intensive molding process. It is only used for large-scale productions. A common component of every vehicle that is made using this process is tires. After the plastic charge has been inserted and reaches temperature, a second mold containing the shape is then pressed onto the mating half. This process squeezes the plastic into the shape of the part being manufactured. The assembly is then left to cool till the part can be removed and cleaned.
The Advantages of Automotive Mold Making
The ability to quickly make parts is the reason why the automotive industry uses molding so prevalently in today’s vehicle designs. Some advantages of using automotive molding are:
- Improved efficiency
Automotive molding is used to create lightweight plastic components in a variety of vehicles. These are much lighter than the traditional metal ones. Using durable plastics as car parts will significantly reduce a vehicle’s weight and in turn improve its fuel efficiency and ease of manufacturability.
- Durable materials
Injection molding can increase the durability and strength of plastics. By using automotive molding, it allows you to add in other materials such as glass fibers to improve the durability of the parts even more. Automotive molding can also create parts with detailed and complex geometry which would be very difficult or otherwise impossible to do with other materials and processes. Adding curves, ribs, and corrugation to a vehicle’s component is another way to improve the strength and reduce cost on the material side.
- Repeatable and affordable
Injection molding will significantly lower the cost as it is scalable. Since the molds are made from durable metals, they can be reused repeatedly. This will ensure that all the components are identical and consistent and saves time and energy from having to create new molds.
If you are looking for casting and molding services, Kemperle Industries can provide suitable solutions for you. Our wealth of experience and knowledge on design and engineering span over 40 years.
