Say goodbye to knobs and switches and say hello to touchscreens, a'la smartphones, coming soon to a car near you.
This will be a boon for plastic injection molders. Why? Many of the components of those touchscreens, and the consoles which house them, will be built from injection molded plastics. Exhibits promoting the new technology are wowing the crowds at the trade shows all over the world. Experts say the touchscreens will begin popping up in cars over the next five years. The new technology will eventually make ordinary physical knobs and switches a thing of the past -- in the same way the iPhone's touchpad spelled the beginning of the end for the Blackberry.
The revolutionary new touchscreens are a bonanza for both the automotive industry and those who make plastic injection molded parts, many of who already manufacture plastic car parts for engines and passenger areas -- everything from shifter knobs to interior bezels.
One plastics show exhibit featured a Duo 350 injection molding machine. Utilizing spin-stack technology, the thermoplastic center console top carrier, composed of ABS-PC, is injected, while the pre-molded part made in the prior cycle is overmolded with polyurethane in the second half of the mold.
This process is based on a standard plastic injection molding method but with a polyurethane set-up connected to the mold, instead of a second injection unit. The capacitive foil is insert-placed into the mold before injecting the first component.
Defined as a "clearmelt" process, the chief job of the polyurethane is protection of the part's class A topside against standard car interior threats such as bubble gum and soda pop. Not long ago, an announcement was made that the new touchscreen technology will first start showing up in the sun roof's touchscreen.
What used to be the bastion of iron and steel, the modern auto is now just as much the province of injection molded plastics, a tendency which only seems to be speeding up as time rolls on.
This will be a boon for plastic injection molders. Why? Many of the components of those touchscreens, and the consoles which house them, will be built from injection molded plastics. Exhibits promoting the new technology are wowing the crowds at the trade shows all over the world. Experts say the touchscreens will begin popping up in cars over the next five years. The new technology will eventually make ordinary physical knobs and switches a thing of the past -- in the same way the iPhone's touchpad spelled the beginning of the end for the Blackberry.
The revolutionary new touchscreens are a bonanza for both the automotive industry and those who make plastic injection molded parts, many of who already manufacture plastic car parts for engines and passenger areas -- everything from shifter knobs to interior bezels.
One plastics show exhibit featured a Duo 350 injection molding machine. Utilizing spin-stack technology, the thermoplastic center console top carrier, composed of ABS-PC, is injected, while the pre-molded part made in the prior cycle is overmolded with polyurethane in the second half of the mold.
This process is based on a standard plastic injection molding method but with a polyurethane set-up connected to the mold, instead of a second injection unit. The capacitive foil is insert-placed into the mold before injecting the first component.
Defined as a "clearmelt" process, the chief job of the polyurethane is protection of the part's class A topside against standard car interior threats such as bubble gum and soda pop. Not long ago, an announcement was made that the new touchscreen technology will first start showing up in the sun roof's touchscreen.
What used to be the bastion of iron and steel, the modern auto is now just as much the province of injection molded plastics, a tendency which only seems to be speeding up as time rolls on.
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Learn more about automotive plastic injection molding. Stop by Advantech Plastics and learn how this Chicagoland plastic injection molding company can help you.
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