Auto lightweight is a hot issue in industrial technology and has significance for automotive manufacturing. The biggest advantage of being lightweight is that it can cut down on the total weight of the car, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. In addition, lightweight design, which use CAD and methods of design for manufacturing(DFM) to simulate the constructure, also brings improvements in a variety of subjective customer experiences, such as acceleration, handling, safety by reducing braking distances, and the effective visual range of vehicles.
Today, it is achievable to create overall concepts made of lightweight materials, component geometry, and process technology that significantly reduce the auto weight while maintaining the same performance and enabling economical manufacturing in mass production. Plastics are the predestined materials for this challenge. Their low density, paired with the design freedom and economy of the injection molding process, enables the production of inexpensive large series with materials that are tailored to the specific requirements of the component function.
How plastic parts play an essential role in auto lightweight
The application of plastic parts in the automotive industry has experienced severe development over the years and is currently one of the most common materials used in automotive industries.
The use of plastic in the production of essential parts of the auto, like chassis, suspension, brakes, support, and even some engine components, can improve efficiency, their designs, and most importantly, make their weight lighter. In general, the use of plastic parts in automotive applications can reduce the consumption of fuel by about 7%. The present weight of a typical modern car of 1,500kg is a result of the 20% plastic part constituent. So the role of plastic parts in reducing car weight is vividly evident.
Application of different plastics in automobiles
Various plastics can be applied to different parts of a car, ranging from interior components to bumpers, seats, lighting, body panels, and so much more. But what is essential is to know where to correctly apply a particular plastic in an automobile. Here are some automotive parts made of plastic.
Bumper
Car bumpers are employed for protective reasons, keeping people safe. However, the application of plastic in the manufacturing of both front and rear bumpers has introduced more flexible designs as well as still fulfilling its purpose of protection. They are manufactured from thermoplastic olefins, polyamides, polyurethane polyesters, polypropylene, polycarbonates, and sometimes a combination of these composites.
Lighting systems
Modern automobile lighting systems now use transparent polycarbonate lights with excellent light transmission in place of the conventional glasses used earlier, and they have been very efficient in reducing the risks of igniting and fire outbreaks on impact with another surface. These materials are produced to tolerate a high level of heat and cooling and can be redesigned into any desired shapes or sizes.
Auto upholstery
Most automobile upholstery is made from urethane foam. Recently, the introduction of CO2 has increased efficiency in the magnification of the volume of urethane foam, with minimal impact on their comfort. Most manufacturers use these because of their ability to recycle them easily and yet retain a high level of production quality.
Brakes
The brake is one of the most useful parts of the automobile; it helps reduce accidents and control speed as well. However, some present-day brake pads are made from aramid fiber.
Suspension
The use of an injection molding process can be employed in the manufacture of suspension tubing and suspension system connection links from materials like nylon, acetyl, and polypropylene. However, the use of plastic in the production of suspension parts contributes a lot to the reduction of auto lightweight, yet it still maintains a high level of performance and effectiveness.
Fuel tank
One significant advantage of plastics over metals has always been flexibility in designs. And this has helped in enhancing the lightweightness of cars, which reduces the consumption of fuel. However, the use of plastics in the manufacturing of car fuel tanks helps reduce leakages, which reduces the risk of car burns during high impacts.
Some high-performance plastics used by the automobile industry
These are plastics that exhibit higher chemical and mechanical properties than regular engineering plastics. They have high performance and can withstand more stress and harsh conditions as well. Besides, high-performance plastics today constitute about 70% of the body parts of an automobile. Below are some high-performance plastics used in the automotive industry.
Polypropylene
Polypropylene exhibits high electrical resistance at extreme temperatures. It is lighter than other materials used to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) and possesses translucent and semi-rigid properties. It can be used in places like bumpers, door trims, and instrumental panels.
Acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene
Made from acrylonitrile, added to polymerizing styrene in the presence of polybutadiene, it is a shiny and impervious plastic that exhibits high resilience even in the face of shallow temperatures. It can be used for automotive parts like car wheel covers, steering wheels, and so on.
Polycarbonate
These plastic materials are used for the production of auto bumpers and bullet-proof glasses because of their high toughness, hardness, and stiffness. This material has high thermal and electrical properties and can withstand high impacts.
Polyurethane
They have high tensile strength, resistance to abrasion, and hardness, and they are used in the production of car seats and interior trims to offer comfort and protection. What is more important is to reduce the overall weight and save energy.
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride is known for its resistance to fire and ability to withstand heat. They contain few leads and are very flexible. It can be used in the manufacture of automotive parts like doors, pipes, and instrument panels. Manufacturing options can be injection, compression, extrusion, or blow molding.
Plastic manufacturing
There are two basic options for automobile plastic manufacturing: blow molding and injection molding. And these can be applied to the production of various parts of a vehicle. Below are the manufacturing processes for both injection and blow injection. There are other manufacturing options like 3D printing, extrusion, polymer casting, vacuum forming, and compression molding, but these two are the most widely used.
In the future, we will find more and more auto parts made of plastic materials, with their economic and environmental advantages. Lightweight cars are not far from our lives. At LUSHI, we use the state-of-the-art technologies such as metal 3D printing and resin additive manufacturing to significantly improve the performance of lightweight parts in automotive industry.