Automotive Injection Molding

Inox Cast – Your Trusted Automotive Injection Molding Manufacturer

Inox Cast is an expert developer and distributor of automotive injection molding. It offers a viable solution for your mass productions. Our machine has the qualities of safety and consistency, your needed requirements in the automotive industry.

Our automotive injection molding is your reliable machine to produce automotive parts with high-quality finished. Repeatability in the automotive industry is quite crucial but our automotive injection molding allows you to have a repeatable process as much as you want.

We designed our automotive injection molding with excellent capabilities. It can showcase your products and brand. Inox Cast automotive injection molding is your high-scale process that offers efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

In developing automotive injection molding, Inox Cast only uses premium quality materials. We want to make sure that you will outstanding automotive injection molding built-in components approved by high-quality standards.

Inox Cast automotive injection molding is a high-performance machine perfect for your prototyping, mold design, quality control, etc. This automotive injection molding comes with OEM and ODM services. Inox Cast also offers outstanding after-sale services around the world.

Wherever you are, Inox Cast is capable of providing automotive injection molding because for years our company has been distributing machines and equipment in the domestic and international market.

Inox Cast has 20 years of experience in manufacturing automotive injection molding. We have enough knowledge to develop and produce products that will meet your standards. We can guarantee that our automotive injection molding has all the components you require.

Inox cast provides both standard and custom-made automotive injection molding. Each product is handled and carefully tested by our professional engineers. Rest assured, our automotive injection molding is affordable and reachable to anyone’s budget.

Just send your inquiries now! You can check on us 24/7.

Automotive Injection Molding: The Ultimate Guide

This guide has all information you are looking for about automotive injection molding parts.

It explore different injection molded parts benefits and techniques you can use to produce these parts.

So, if you want to be an expert in automotive injection molding parts, read this guide.

Types Of Automotive Injection Molding

There are several ways to manufacture plastic parts for the automotive applications, injection molding is one of them.

Automotive injection molding

Let us have a look at some of the different types of the automotive injection molding.

Parts Under The Hood

Initially, these parts were made using metals as the material.

However, as time went by and due to advances in technology and, specifically in injection molding, things have changed

Plastic is now preferred for making these parts because of the numerous benefits it offers.

These under the hood parts are often made from nylon, ABSA or PET materials.

Some of these parts include cylinder head covers, oil pans, battery covers, radiators and many more.

Exterior Parts Of The Car

The external section of the car is made up of several parts made form plastic through injection molding.

Some of these parts are door panels, fenders, bumpers, grilles, floor rails, light housings and splash guards.

Under this category, interior lighting system parts are also made through the automotive injection molding.

For this application, the material used is acrylic due to its excellent optical properties.

Interior Parts Of A Car

The interior section of the equally contains a number of parts made from plastic through injection molding.

The parts made from plastic in the interior may include the instrumentation parts, dashboard face plates, the surfaces, door handles, air vents, glove compartments and many more.

Door panels and consoles are also made from plastics such as ABS, polypropylene and SMA through injection molding.

Consoles are parts like cup holders, storage spaces, armrests and phone holders.

The decorative elements within the car can also be produced through plastic injection molding,

Benefits Of Injection Molding For Automotive Parts

There are numerous benefits that can be obtained from manufacturing plastics through automotive injection molding.

The most important stage of this process is the mold design stage for a given part, if done poorly, the product will be full of defects.

automotive parts

Some of the benefits of automotive injection molded parts are described below.

Material Availability

The plastic injection molding process is very flexible and is compatible several types of plastics.

There are several polymers that can be used by the injection molders including but not limited to;

ABS, polypropylene, acrylic, acetal, nylon and polycarbonate.

Prototypes With Good Tooling

The injection molding machine is capable of creating prototypes.

These fast prototypes with low costs help in designing the required automotive part.

Once the design is done and the manufacturer is satisfied with the outcome, the real production of the required parts take place.

The tooling system for this function is made of aluminium which very pocket friendly.

Colour Options

The automotive parts created through injection molding can be modified to any colour desired by the consumer.

In this process, dyes can be mixed with the raw material before the injection molding process begins.

This means, there is no need for painting or even tinting after the injection molding process.

High Precision And Surface Finish

Injection molding not only create simple precise parts but also complex ones.

The process is highly precise and accurate as long as the mold design is done properly.

After creating these precise and accurate parts, if there is need for a special type of surface finish, it can be done.

Such surface finishes include rough, matte and glossy.

The surface finishes can be applied after or before the injection molding process.

Scale And Cost

The mold and its designing stage could be very expensive to come up with.

However, each part produced has a low price especially if the production is done in large volumes.

If the production is done in low volumes, then the cost per part would be so high.

Therefore, the injection molding process is recommended for companies that produce these parts in large volumes.

Repeatability

The automotive industry value the ability of the molding machine to produce the same part design repeatably.

This is the reason why injection molding is preferred in this industry, it can creates millions of parts with the same design, with the same accuracy and precision.

Automotive Injection Molding Materials

Choosing the right material for car parts determines the quality, functionality and durability of the molded part.

In the automotive industry, there are several plastic resins/polymers that can be used in the production of car parts.

Automotive injection molding

We will only discuss the materials that offer quality, durability and excellent functionality.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

This is an opaque thermoplastic which is also amorphous in nature.

It is usually used for making automotive car parts such as dashboards and steering wheel covers.

This material can also be used for making other car body parts.

It offers impact resistance and chemical or physical corrosion resistance.

ABS material is very easy to form or machine with a low melting temperature.

The ABS material is also not very expensive.

The disadvantage is that, it has low melting point and cannot be used with applications that involve high temperatures.

Polyamide (PA)/ Nylon

This is a thermoplastic; it is semi crystalline and has low density and also thermally stable.

This material is known to have high performance and is used in the automotive industry to make parts such as bearings and bushes.

The material offers good resistance to chemical, abrasion, oil, grease.

It is easy to machine or form and it recyclable and can be used in the microwave

It offers fair strength and toughness and oxygen barrier properties.

It is not resistant to some liquids like water.

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)

It is produced through the polymerization of methyl methacrylate to form a synthetic resin.

The material is very transparent and rigid with excellent UV resistant properties.

It is used in the automotive industry to make components such as internal screens and headlight covers.

Also, it can be used as a replacement for glass because it is stronger and can resist impact.

It can transmit up to 92% percent of light and that’s why it is preferred for making lenses and other similar applications.

Acrylic plastic is mostly used for external applications because it offers perfect weatherability properties.

The disadvantage of acrylic material is that it can burn or melt easily when exposed to high temperatures.

Polypropylene (PP)

It is a thermoplastic material with rigid and crystalline properties.

Again, it is a polymer of propene monomers.

It is strong and is recommended for making automotive parts that are highly intense like bumpers, battery covers and cable insulation.

Also, it is also used in carpet fibres and gas cans.

It offers resistance to UV light, water and most chemicals.

It is easily formable and very resistant to impact and is less expensive.

The disadvantages of this material include high flammability, it can be degraded by UV light and is difficult to paint.

Polyurethane (PU)

This is a thermoplastic material; it exists in various forms and can be formed easily into different shapes.

It is used in the automotive industry to create parts such as car seating, insulation panels, seals and gaskets and bushings.

This material offers excellent insulation properties and it is very versatile.

It is easily formable into any shape and can be recycled.

The material is also used for other applications such as in dams and dykes.

The disadvantages of this material include; cannot resist solvents, flammable, poor thermal properties and poor weatherability.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

It is a synthetic polymer with thermoplastic properties.

Due to its versatile nature, it is used widely for various applications in different industries.

In the automotive industry, Polyvinyl chloride is used for making cable insulations, dashboards, doors and interior panels.

It offers great chemical, corrosion and abrasion resistance.

Also, it is very flexible and offers excellent flame resistance.

It comes with a glossy appearance and is easily moldable.

The material is toxic to the environment when burned due to the toxic fumes exposed to the environment.

The material has poor thermal properties and is normally combined with other elements to enhance these properties.

Reinforced Composites

These composites can be made from plastics and glass to create a much stronger material.

Such materials are used in the automotive industry to produce parts such as bumpers and car body works.

The material is stronger and can offer resistance to impact, heat, UV light, corrosion and abrasion.

Polycarbonate (PC)

It is made up of a group of polymers that are thermoplastic in nature having carbonate groups in their structure.

This material has excellent formability properties.

This gives designers and manufacturers the flexibility of creating any shape and designs with it.

In the automotive industry, the material is used for making parts like lighting and electric cable insulators.

The material is hard and tough and very stiff and can be used in several other industries globally.

The material is cheaper and will save on the overall cost of the created part when used for injection molding.

Ways Of Manufacturing Automotive Injection Molding

There are several methods and ways that plastics can be manufactured to form parts and components used in the automotive industry.

The choice of machine and method of production will depend several factors such as complexity of the part.

Another factor that can determine the choice of a machine is the volume or capacity of production of the machine.

Below are some of these ways explained in detail.

3D Printing Automotive Plastic Parts

These printers are used to create 3-dimensional parts obtained from models.

It involves creating the chosen material layer after layer to obtain a physical part.

The production process involves setting up the print using a preparation software.

After setting up the print, the printing process begins using the chosen type of 3D printing technology.

3D printing

Then the product is taken through post printing processing such as washing or cleaning, post curing and removal of support structures.

The 3D processes are slower and require a lot of labour input.

This method does not require a lot of capital to put up the machine and the tooling system.

Even the operators do not need a lot of learning to master the technique.

CNC Machining Automotive Plastic Parts

This process includes the use of lathes, mills or any other computerized subtractive production technique.

The method uses materials such as metals, plastics, glasses in the form of rods, blocks or bars.

This is a subtractive process which involves the removal of material through a spinning tool with a fixed part.

Alternatively, the material can be removed through the use of a spinning part connected to a fixed tool.

The manufacturing process has 3 steps;

Setting up the machines through the connected computer screen.

CNC Machining

The second step involves machining which can be done with every part of the material.

This is done by turning it into different positions as desired.

The third step involves the post processes like trimming, deburring and cleaning of the created part.

This technique is best suited for low volume production of parts that do not require complex designs.

Some of the plastic material candidates for this technique include;

Acrylic, Polyamide nylon (PA), Polylactic acid (PLA), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), Polystyrene (PS) and Polyoxymethylene (POM)

Polymer Casting Automotive Parts

This technique employs the use of a reactive liquid resin within a mold which undergoes chemical reactions that makes it solid.

Some of the polymers that can be used with this method include epoxy, silicone, polyurethane and acrylic.

The production process has five steps;

Mold preparation which involves heating the mold to the appropriate temperature.

The second step involves casting the resin by mixing it with a curing agent and pouring it into the mold.

polymer casting

The casting is cured within the mold to its solid state

Again, the part is removed from the mold.

Remember, the final process is to trim the cured part.

Rotational Molding Automotive Plastic Parts

This technique involves charging the material into the mold cavity.

The second step is to heat the mold to melt the material and the mold is rotated to ensure coating takes place.

Cooling then takes place and the part removed.

Some of the materials involved are Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyvinyl chloride, Nylon and Polycarbonate

rotational molding

Vacuum Forming Automotive Plastic Parts

Also know as thermoforming involves heating the material and forming the desired part through a mold.

The materials that can be used with this technique include Acrylic (PMMA), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG).

vaccum forming

Injection Molding Automotive Plastic Parts

The molten plastic is injected into the mold where it forms the desired part and it is cooled and ejected.

Molding process include setting up the mold, plastic extrusion, molding process, cooling process ejection process and last touches.

Materials used with this process include Acrylic (PMMA), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyamide (PA) and many others.

injection molding

Extrusion Of Automotive Plastic Parts

The plastic material is pushed through a die and it takes the shape of the cross section of the die.

Process involves plastic extrusion, molding, cooling and cutting.

Materials used for this technique include Acrylic (PMMA), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polyamide (PA) and many others.

extrusion

Blow Molding Automotive Plastic Parts

This is the technique suitable for making hollow plastic components.

The process involves setting up the mold, molding and cooling and finishes.

Materials used with this technique include Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

blow molding

Surface Finish On Automotive Injection Molded Parts

Grade A: Glossy Injection Molding Surface Finish – diamond buff polishing is used here to create the supper glossy finish on products that require the aesthetic properties.

Plastic materials such as acrylic and PC can obtain this kind of finish while there are others that cannot.

Grade B: Semi-Glossy Injection Molding Surface Finish – this method produces some level of glossiness on the surface.

It uses a grit sandpaper to create this surface finish.

This process can be achieved with most of the injection molding plastics.

Grade C: Matte Injection Molding Surface Finish – this process will remove machine marks on the molded part.

It uses grit sanding stones to create surfaces that are not glossy.

This process is applicable with most types of the injection moldable plastics.

Grade D: Textured Injection Molding Surface Finish – this creates a surface that is very rough

Meant for applications that need to increase the friction properties of the surface.

The process can be done through sandblasting process.

All the injection moldable plastics can be used with this kind of surface finish.

For all your automotive injection molding parts and components, contact INOX team now.