Today, technology has improved significantly in the automotive industry. According to Pew Research, the US motor vehicle parts and manufacturing industry had an output of just over $750 billion. It’s worth mentioning that part of the growth of the automotive industry can be attributed to automotive injection molding suppliers. This article looks at the benefits injection molded plastics bring to the automotive industry.
Speeds Up Design to Market
The automotive industry tends to have strict vehicle development cycle timeframes. Automotive injection molding suppliers can help speed things up by creating functional prototypes. The good thing about functional prototypes is that they are working models that help developers quickly figure out what works and what doesn’t.
Overall, the main benefits of prototyping are that it speeds up and increases the efficiency of the development process. Developers can quickly identify potential areas and make the necessary tweaks. Identifying obstacles and opportunities for improvement at this earlier stage provides low risk and ensures cost-effectiveness. All of this helps to support the automotive industry’s need to work within a shorter, design-to-market timeframe.
Reduces Costs
Injection-molded plastics are more energy-efficient and cost-effective than producing metal parts. This is why using plastic injection molded components is now par for the course in the automotive industry. To begin with, plastic components are lightweight and durable, and they cost less to produce. Injection molding also enables the mass production of high-quality automotive parts, resulting in high cost-effectiveness.
The process of producing plastic via injection molding also has high repeatability, and this is a crucial factor in the automotive industry, where there’s a need to consistently produce identical parts. Injection molding also helps reduce costs because the process is highly scalable with plenty of material availability.
Increases Flexibility
Injection molded plastic components that are used in the automotive industry provide manufacturers with greater flexibility. They make it easier to meet the design requirements for manufactured vehicles. For instance, injection molding utilizes various polymers and enables the production of parts with high precision and a wide range of geometries. This means many parts made from this process can be fitted into a vehicle, whether it’s under the hood or its exterior or interior components.
These are the top benefits that automotive manufacturers can benefit from by working with automotive injection molding suppliers. To learn more about how your business can benefit from injection mold plastics, contact us today!