Plastic Injection Molds and the Automotive Industry

Vehicles have come a long way since they started, while some of the first forms of human transportation was nothing more than simple horse-drawn carriages as chariots, the development of new technologies soon led to cars, boats, motorcycles and trucks powered by engines. Even so, the development of plastic injection molds allowed for much growth in the automotive industry, and engine-powered vehicles have come a long way since their humble beginnings.

The First Cars

Henry Ford is widely seen as the first inventor to make cars that were widely accessible to the general public. However, the first cars tended to consist mainly of metal parts, predominantly steel. The main drawback of this was that these cars were heavy, meaning they had more weight for the engines to drag along, because of this, most older cars tend to have high fuel consumption levels.

Another major drawback of heavy steel cars was that production techniques didn’t allow manufacturers to think much about aerodynamics in order to minimize air resistance on a moving vehicle.

All of the above-mentioned things were some of the initial challenges faced by the first car makers.

Plastic in the Automotive Industry

In modern times, plastics are crucial in the production of almost anything you can think of, including cars. In the automotive industry, the main benefit of plastic is that it helps to make vehicles lighter, which helps to make cars more fuel efficient.

However, modern vehicles often merge the automotive industry with technology, and new cars often come out with features like built-in screen displays, rear view cameras and more. Most of these luxury features need plastic molded parts too, and so the amount of plastics in cars tends to become more and more, not only because parts that were previously made from steel (like bumpers and inside door panels) can now be molded from plastic, but also because new technological features necessitate the use of additional plastic parts.

In a world of advancing technologies, plastic has been a crucial ingredient in our modern success. This is no different in the automotive industry where improved molding techniques and the availability of new materials has made it possible for the automotive industry to advance in ways we previously would never have been able to imagine.

Automotive Injection Molds

The use of plastic in advancing technology is indisputable. However, few people stop to think about the process of creating plastic pats. The advances visible in society today have only been made possible through the use of precision-engineered plastic molds.

But plastic injection molds aren’t simply forms to pour molten plastic into. The production of a plastic injection mold that can produce parts for modern vehicles is a meticulous process. A mold that’s been made with care is one of the main things that will ensure that molded parts are free of defects. A faulty mold could result in problems such as a mold cavity that doesn’t fill, or dark lines on the molded part (among other possible problems that could occur). This is especially true with parts that that have curves, lines and other complex shapes that are commonly required in the automotive industry.

To prevent injection molding defects while producing plastic parts, automotive manufacturers simply need two things: a reliable molds that have been designed right, and the correct use of polymers in the mold. This is because using the wrong plastics, or even using the right plastics at the wrong temperatures could result in defects in the molded parts. And while it’s easy to change issues with polymers simply by using different plastics, or by changing the temperatures at which equipment operates, having a faulty mold changed would be a more costly.

Mold gates placed in the wrong areas, for instance, would be a difficult, costly problem to fix. Remember, molds have to be designed with their end purpose in mind. And in the case of plastic injection molding, the flow of the molten materials through a mold is an important thing to keep in mind while designing and making the mold.

In order to get a quality molded part that will live up to expectations, automotive manufacturers must begin with molds that can do the job right.

Injection Molds, TN

At Quality Mold Shop, we can help you make molds for the automotive industry. With our modern equipment, powerful computers and software, as well as our team of highly skilled staff, we can produce both simple and complex molds for various industries.

But our mold making capabilities isn’t where our list of services ends. We enjoy building long-term relationships with our customers and can help you with mold maintenance, repair and alterations. Our goal is to provide customers with high quality molds that will perform according to expectations so production can run smoothly, while also giving you someone to call for mold maintenance and repair.