Dongguan Huayuan Electronic Technology Co., Ltd , https://www.zjsiliconefactory-oem.com
Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. has applied its rotary tooling Index technology to the production of small cars and truck parts. The machine manufacturer in Bolton, Ontario continues to diversify its business beyond the packaging market.
Lear Corp. purchased a 3,500-ton pressure extruder equipped with Husky's QTI (Quadloc-Tandem-Index) system to mold two-component automotive dashboards. The outer layer of the instrument panel is a thermoplastic elastomer that gives the instrument panel a soft touch. Other potential applications in the automotive industry include door trim panels, sun visors, consoles, and interior trim panels.
Husky and Lear's management demonstrated the QTI machine at a press conference held at Novi's Husky Technology Center on June 29.
The two injection molding devices are placed in a straight line, with each device aligned with the molding area. An injection molding device molds the dashboard floor. The Swing Index module then flips the other mold onto the opposite second injection unit, which molds the thermoplastic elastomer into the surface of the instrument panel.
Earlier, Lear had purchased a Husky angle conversion machine, and the company's management said it would be fully operational by the end of this summer to build a North American car door panel. The extruder is equipped with two injection molding devices on the same side.
The multi-material molding process can be used to create an instrument panel in a single step, replacing the traditional method of requiring 7 to 10 steps to produce an instrument panel.
This high efficiency makes Kenneth Shaner, a veteran of Lear's automotive interiors department, call QTI a "new epoch-making technology."
Shaner said, "I was shocked when I saw this machine. For me, this machine and process will bring products that change the rules of the game." Shaner is Lear's in-car system in Dearborn, Michigan. The department is responsible for the vice president of dashboards, cockpits and door systems.
Shaner said that at present, the dual injection molding process is a hot area for large automotive parts. The technology prospects are very promising.
He said, "After ten years, you may find More applications than you have seen today."
To date, Lear has won three related contracts – one for the production of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) surface and a lintel-filled polypropylene underlay for a car that will be commissioned this year; The plastic elastomer surface layer and the thermoplastic olefin (TPO) underlayer door panel; the third is to produce the instrument panel with TPE surface and TPO bottom layer in 2006.
Because the parts molded by this technology are holistic, it can avoid the annoying noise problems caused by the friction between the two plastic parts. “It’s a neat, totally seamless whole. It’s the driving force behind the car interior,†Shaner said.
The TPE surface masks the underlying dents - allowing the designer to use larger ribs. At the same time, the matching left and right parts of the car can be made on the same machine. For example, the door panel manufactured by this technology can ensure perfect color matching and precise inventory control.
Rotary molds use double injection process to manufacture auto parts
An injection molding extruder originally used to mold PET preforms is now capable of manufacturing two-component automotive parts.