Use of Plastic Injection Molded Parts Accelerating In Cars
Knobs and switches may be going the way of leaded gas. Their replacement? The touchscreen.
The good news for plastic injection molding manufacturers? Many of the components of those touchscreens, and the consoles that contain them, will be made of injection molded plastics. Exhibits showcasing the new technology are showstoppers at plastics trades shows around the world. Observers say the touchscreens will begin showing up in auto fleets over the next few years. The new technology will ultimately render ordinary three-dimensional knobs and switches obsolete in the same way the iPhone's touchpad rendered the physical keyboard of the Blackberry obsolete.
The new automotive touchscreens open up new worlds of opportunity for both automotive designers and plastic injecton molding manufacturers, many of whom already produce a myriad of automotive components for both under the hood and in the passenger compartment -- everything from interior bezels to DVD housings.
A Duo 350 injection molding machine was featured in one plastics show exhibit. Employing spin-stack technology, the thermoplastic center console top carrier, comprised of ABS-PC, is injected as the pre-molded part made in the previous cycle is overmolded with polyurethane in the mold's second half.
The method is built on a standard injection molding process but with a polyurethane set-up connected to the mold, in lieu of a second injection unit. Insert-placed into the mold, before injecting the first component, is a capacitive foil.
This is known as a "clearmelt" process. The main task of the polyurethane is protection of the component's class A surface against typical car interior pollutants such as food and liquids. A few months ago it was revealed that the new technology will perhaps first start appearing as a sunroof touchscreen.
What formerly was the home of iron and steel, the modern automobile is now every bit as hospitable to parts made of injection molded plastic, a development which now seems to have reached critical mass.
The good news for plastic injection molding manufacturers? Many of the components of those touchscreens, and the consoles that contain them, will be made of injection molded plastics. Exhibits showcasing the new technology are showstoppers at plastics trades shows around the world. Observers say the touchscreens will begin showing up in auto fleets over the next few years. The new technology will ultimately render ordinary three-dimensional knobs and switches obsolete in the same way the iPhone's touchpad rendered the physical keyboard of the Blackberry obsolete.
The new automotive touchscreens open up new worlds of opportunity for both automotive designers and plastic injecton molding manufacturers, many of whom already produce a myriad of automotive components for both under the hood and in the passenger compartment -- everything from interior bezels to DVD housings.
A Duo 350 injection molding machine was featured in one plastics show exhibit. Employing spin-stack technology, the thermoplastic center console top carrier, comprised of ABS-PC, is injected as the pre-molded part made in the previous cycle is overmolded with polyurethane in the mold's second half.
The method is built on a standard injection molding process but with a polyurethane set-up connected to the mold, in lieu of a second injection unit. Insert-placed into the mold, before injecting the first component, is a capacitive foil.
This is known as a "clearmelt" process. The main task of the polyurethane is protection of the component's class A surface against typical car interior pollutants such as food and liquids. A few months ago it was revealed that the new technology will perhaps first start appearing as a sunroof touchscreen.
What formerly was the home of iron and steel, the modern automobile is now every bit as hospitable to parts made of injection molded plastic, a development which now seems to have reached critical mass.
About the Author:
Looking to find the best deal on automotive plastic injection molding? Then visit the Advantech Plastics website to get the best advice and price on your next automotive injection molded part.