The advantages of the injection/compression molding process for thermoset composite materials will be addressed as follows: Design engineers in the automotive industry have been in the forefront of the accelerating movement toward replacing machined and cast metal parts with molded plastic parts. From the late 1970's, manufacturers have worked successfully to replace many exterior panels and body parts with compression-molded plastics, and these techniques continue to be developed and refined.By the early '80's, the search was on for ways to manufacture under-hood assemblies and parts of plastics, as well, and that journey is well under way. Industry-watchers predict that the '90's will be the significant decade for under-hood manufacturing breakthroughs. Why? Because a whole new generation of materials and sophisticated process technology are driving the research, and the industry demands faster production, higher quality parts, and lower manufacturing costs.Both Ford and GM experimented unsuccessfully in 1980 with injection molded nylon valve covers. The concept turned out to be sound, but the materials, at that time, could not provide the strength, long-term dimensional stability, and heat resistance that was needed.Today automakers are looking more and more to glass- reinforced thermoset materials to deliver properties that meet or exceed stringent under-hood standards - and offer additional advantages of noise reduction, lighter weight, and longer life. Most important, thermosets offer exceptional dimensional stability over a wide range of temperatures and long periods of time, which gives these materials an advantage over nylon.
Injection/Compression Molding of Glass-Reinforced Thermoset Composites for Automotive Under-Hood Applications
Sae Technical Papers
International Congress & Exposition ; 1991
1991-02-01
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
Advances in Thermoset Injection Molding
SAE Technical Papers | 1991
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