Injection Molding Machine: Key to Precision Manufacturing of Automotive Parts

A car is more than just a means of transportation, it is a complex system of various components, including the dashboard, headlights, center console, bumper, etc. 

Every small part requires precision design and manufacturing to create the perfect car and ensure a smooth ride. It is where injection molding machines come in – the key to the precision manufacturing of automotive parts.

Introduction to automotive parts manufacturing

In the automotive industry, many materials of automotive parts are gradually changing from metal to plastic. The purpose is to pursue lightweight features, cost considerations, and fuel consumption savings. Since the strength of auto parts also needs to meet the requirements of car manufacturers, manufacturers use engineering plastics containing glass fiber (GF) to produce parts to replace conventional metal parts and meet the needs and specifications of the structure and dimensional accuracy of auto parts. Using servo injection molding machines with high responsiveness, high reproducibility, and stable control can have excellent performance in producing automotive plastic parts with increased complexity.

Automotive parts manufacturing, application of injection molding process

In daily life, most of the daily necessities are plastic products. The primary production method of plastic products is plastic injection molding, referred to as plastic injection, which is a process of injecting raw plastic materials into molds. Different molds' designs and practices can produce various plastic products.

This process utilizes the properties of thermoplastics, which will be melted into a molten state after heating and injected into the mold under high pressure. The plastic raw materials are cooled and formed through the cooling system. The finished product can be mass-produced in a highly accurate and consistent.

Advantages of injection molding technology in the production of automotive parts

1. High precision and repeatability: 
   Injection molding technology can produce high-precision automotive parts, and because the product needs to be functional, repeatability (the ability to make the part the same) is significant. With a well-designed mold, injection molding is a highly repeatable process.
2. Low production cost: 
   Injection molding process, as manufacturers make more parts (mass production), lower unit costs to lower the overall price.
3. High production efficiency: 
   Injection molding is a highly repeatable process. With the selection of peripheral equipment, it can achieve fully automated production and improve production efficiency.
4. High degree of design freedom: 
   Injection molding technology can manufacture various complex shapes of auto parts according to different mold designs. Compared with traditional (steel) molds, aluminum molds are quick to manufacture and at a lower cost to match the short-term operation of auto plastic parts. In addition, during the production process, the color of the auto parts can adjust through the color masterbatch to increase the freedom of car design and to formulate a color scheme suitable for the vehicle. With the color masterbatch dosing machine, the procedure can have consistent coloring to keep the plastic products.
5. Environmental protection and energy saving: 
   Manufacturers use various polymers for various applications in the automotive industry, including PP, heat-resistant ABS, PES, ASA, PBT, POM, PC/ABS, PPO, etc., and these materials can be recycled and reused, reducing waste and environmental impact.

Injection molding application and basic knowledge of injection machine

Injection molding is widely used. In the automotive industry, plastic automotive parts include safety gear levers, front lights, rear taillights, rearview mirror housings, internal dashboards, and bumpers from the vehicle's exterior to interior decorative.

About Huarong’s injection molding machine

Machine | General injection molding machine – HRN series

Feature |

1. Box-type platen maximized the clamping durability 
   Computerized digital analysis to the stress & rigidness.
2. Patented Groove design with the tie-bars 
   Balanced & equalized clamping spread.
3. Optional

• Servo 
  Efficiency 70+%!
  Responding time 40ms
  Repeat-ability 0.2%

About injection molding machine

Further reading：What is injection molding machine? By clamping mechanism to choose injection molding machine model

Further reading：How to choose a suitable injection molding machine? From the machine itself and plastic product!

Automotive parts production by injection machine

▶️Video highlights 
Machine model | N series
Plastic product | Instrument panels, Center consoles, Car light housing

YouTube：

Feel free to contact us.

Previous news： What is Dual Injection Molding?

Next news：Case Studies: Successful Implementation of Automation Solutions in Injection Molding