INJECTION MOULDING FOR AUTOMOTIVE
The automotive industry has always been fast-moving. As new tech becomes available and consumers become ever more demanding about the features they want in their next vehicle purchase, it’s vital you and your design teams can deliver what people want. On top of that, as a vehicle manufacturer, you need to ensure you’re not just at the forefront of design but are meeting things like your environmental and corporate social responsibilities, too.
Here are four innovative automotive design trends that will become even more prevalent in 2022 and beyond.
Injection moulding for plastics
Injection moulding for plastic parts has long been prevalent in the aerospace industry and is increasingly used in automotive design.
Whether used for small components like cupholders, as coverings around parts of the door or around the steering wheel, or for larger plastic parts, injection moulding allows you to get the parts you need at the highest quality available.
As moulding is used, you’re guaranteed the same consistent result each time. Coupled with reasonable costs and a very low product failure rate, injection moulding can help you build better cars at a lower cost.
Recycled plastic automotive parts
It is likely that a significant volume of the plastic parts you include in your vehicles are already the result of recycled plastic. The point here is more that this will become an increasing focus for manufacturers. Instead of “recycled plastic” being a helpful bonus feature, it will become the expected norm.
Automotive manufacturers who do not use recycled plastic will likely be asked, “why not?” and come under increasing pressure to do so.
Make the shift now and ensure you source your parts from suppliers who are working sustainably.
A desire for more “lightweight” car interiors
If a vehicle weighs less, then it requires less power to get the same performance. Knowing this, it’s unsurprising that there’s a trend towards and demand for lightweight yet still classy and stylish vehicle interiors.
This design trend is partly what has started to push the automotive industry towards plastic injection moulding. Plastic is obviously lighter than metal but can be produced so that it still looks premium, appealing to those who place high importance on the interior when choosing a new car.
Additives to make plastic carparts fire retardant and antimicrobial
While digital tech features continue to make their way into vehicles to enhance safety, there continues to be advancements in how the design itself continues to deliver improvements.
One growing trend is the use of additives both within plastics and in the coating applied to parts during the production process. Such additives can have various outcomes but are commonly used to make parts fire retardant, which could be life-saving in an accident or a fault with a vehicle’s fuel system.
Additives with antimicrobial properties are also being increasingly used in plastic parts. So even as the world hopefully moves definitively past Covid-19 over the next year, expect this to be a significant selling point for vehicles worldwide!
Modern design trends: Delivering the aesthetic as well as the practical
The most significant underlying trend behind all these innovations is that they deliver aesthetic and practical benefits. A convenient plastic injection mould isn’t just functional, but in modern automotive design, it will look great, too!
Contact us here to learn more about our services or check out how we use injection moulding for our automotive clients here.
