Automotive OEMs like Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis North America are constantly searching for vendors using the best supplies for the automotive parts made out of their facilities.
The increase in high-performance plastics such as PEEK, Nylon, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and many more are in demand by manufacturers like Agape Plastics who use injection molding to create many of the components featured in the automobiles we drive daily. We explain the reliance on high-performance plastics and why the automotive industry continues to incorporate these materials into their injection molded components.
The Main Purposes of High-Performance Plastics
Injection molding manufacturers and representatives within the automotive industry are shifting toward a heavier usage of high-performance plastics for numerous reasons, with cost certainly one of them.
- High-performance plastics and the parts made with them aid in overall weight reduction within vehicles. If OEMs have the option to replace metal parts with plastic, they will do so and consumers can see an improvement in fuel economy and OEMs see an extended EV range as well as reaching emissions targets.
- Using plastics affords the automotive industry more creative liberties in design capabilities. Plastics are easier to work with and mold into a specific shape compared to other materials.
- As the outside industries push the automotive market into EV and hybrid vehicles, plastics can make those vehicles perform better with injection molded components such as battery housings, cooling components, connectors, and more.
- They’re referred to as high-performance plastics for a reason. In tough conditions, whether that’s excessive heat, corrosion exposure, constant vibration, or more, plastic components can withstand the elements.
Where These Parts Appear
Injection molded components made with high-performance plastics can be found throughout the entirety of the vehicle. It’s all dependent upon their design, material used, and function. Some of the most common applications appear as under the hood components such as air intake manifolds, engine covers, and fuse boxes.
Trim pieces both interior and exterior can be made from injection molding, demonstrating the ability to create multiple versions of the same part with similar material applications. Other examples of high-performance plastics parts for automotive applications include: bumpers, housings, connectors, and battery-adjacent parts.
Becoming the Standard, not a Trend
In a combination of automotive industry leaders, Tier 1 suppliers, and injection molding manufacturers, the demand for high-performance plastics is more than just a trend. It’s becoming the standard. As technology advances, engineers across the board are finding new limits to what materials are capable of reaching. Additionally, stricter regulations are an ever-present challenge for the manufacturing industry and plastics are much more reusable as an end result from injection molding.
Partner With Agape Plastics for High Performance Plastics in Your Automotive Injection Molded Components
Agape Plastics serves as an industry-leading custom injection molding manufacturer serving OEMs and Tier 1 supplier programs within the automotive industry. Our usage of high-performance plastics makes all the difference in the parts that demand consistency, quality, and reliability in the harshest conditions.
Whether that’s under the hood where heat is trapped and plastics need to still function, or on the car’s interior where anything can happen, our customers know that our components are going to hit the mark every time. As an IATF 16949 certified manufacturer, our quality management systems have been vetted against some of the most stringent protocols in the industry and they passed.
When your team needs automotive injection molded parts created with high-performance plastics, contact Agape Plastics.