The automotive industry is the most widely used and widely used industrial category of engineering plastics in developed countries, and it is also one of the most promising fields for the development of engineering plastics in China.

The amount of plastic used in each car is one of the indicators to measure the level of automotive production technology. The average use of plastic per car in developed countries such as Japan, the United States, and Germany has exceeded 100 kilograms, accounting for an average of 8% of the total weight of the car. At present, the average plastic usage per car in China is 70 kilograms, accounting for an average of about 6% of the total weight of the car. Engineering plastics only account for about 10% of all automotive plastics.

Nylon is the most important engineering plastic used in the automotive industry. Automotive components are also the largest consumer market for PA6 engineering plastics, accounting for more than one-third of the total consumption. With the continuous improvement of people's requirements for automotive performance and the development of PA6 engineering plastics themselves, PA6 for automotive use is showing an increasing trend year by year. The components that can be made using PA6 (including modified products) in cars include air filters, casings, fans, wheelhouses, deflectors, interior decorations, water storage equipment covers, wire cards, various interior electrical connectors, etc. PA6/ABS has the characteristics of low density, good flowability, good noise damping, heat resistance, chemical resistance, and mechanical properties, and can be used as automotive interior components; Glass fiber reinforced PA/ABS can replace ABS for automotive exhaust grilles, and may become a component for automotive exhaust and defroster grilles and door components, as well as for the production of motorcycle fenders.

Now PA9T has also been applied in the Japanese automotive industry, such as power shuttle devices (gear structure) and rolling bearing frames. PA9T has strong fuel resistance and is suitable for making automotive fuel system components. In addition, it can also be used for manufacturing intercooler tanks, engine supports, and sliding components that require low friction coefficients.

Modified PPO is mainly used to make some thin-walled complex hard structural components, such as instrument panel frames. The thermosetting PPO launched by GE has high strength, high toughness, and good electrical performance, with low moisture absorption. It can be used as a valve cover for automobiles, fuel tank conductive plates, transformers, and wind turbine blades. PPO/PS alloy has good processability and can be used as fluid processing components, automotive hood components, and electronic connectors.

PC is also widely used in automobiles. The high transparency of PC makes it the main production material for headlight covers. Silicone rubber/PC can also be used as car bumpers. Another major use of PCs is to serve as automotive interior materials in the form of alloys. PC/ABS has a good appearance and is easy to color, and is widely used in automotive interior components such as dashboard.

The processing performance and insulation performance of PBT are good. PBT has low glass transition temperature and short processing cycle. PC/PBT, PBT/ABS, etc. are mainly used for automotive interiors. In addition, due to its good resistance to gasoline and engine oil, PBT is also used in the production of automotive engine system accessory materials.

Polyoxymethylene resin is a highly crystalline polymer with similar hardness, strength, and rigidity to metals. It has good self-lubrication, fatigue resistance, and low friction coefficient under a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions. Therefore, polyoxymethylene is mainly used on sliding and rolling mechanical components with strict qualitative requirements, including gears, cams, bearings, levers, pulleys, buckle sprockets, and bushings, compared to metals and nylon, Polyoxymethylene has a low coefficient of friction and is a good bearing material.

Special engineering plastics are also applied in the automotive industry, such as polyetherimide (PEI), which can meet the requirements of reflective panels, soft circuit boards, constant temperature box boards, and other products for automotive reflectors due to its glass transition temperature reaching 249 ℃.

Impact of Modified Plastics on Traditional Engineering Plastics

On the one hand, new products of engineering plastics are constantly being developed and applied, and due to the expansion of production equipment, costs are gradually decreasing; On the other hand, modification technology enables universal thermoplastic resins to continuously possess engineering characteristics and seize the application market of some traditional engineering plastics.

ABS is the most important "quasi engineering plastic", and China has become the country with the largest usage of ABS in the world. In addition, modified PP is the most active product. The continuous introduction of PP reinforced and high impact new grades provides the possibility of replacing engineering plastics in some fields. By the end of 2003, the global consumption of PP in the automotive sector will increase from 1.4 million tons to 2.6 million tons, with a growth rate of 8-9%, with the Asia Pacific region experiencing the fastest growth, with an estimated annual growth rate of 20%.

PS with hardness and high impact resistance grades has also made progress in engineering applications. Due to the development and improvement of products with both impact resistance and high gloss, the rheological behavior has been improved, which will lead to an upward trend in PS demand.

SPS is syndiotactic polystyrene obtained by metal catalysis, which is a crystalline polymer with excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance, good mechanical properties, as well as excellent moisture resistance, electrical performance, and processing performance. Its properties and price are comparable to various thermoplastic engineering plastics, such as PET, PBT, nylon 66, PPS, and some liquid crystal polymers. SPS amorphous glass has a higher conversion temperature and crystallization melting point than nylon 66, PET, etc. It has good dimensional stability and usually does not require pre drying during processing. It is resistant to chemical corrosion and has good resistance to acid, alkali, alcohol, and most organic solvents. It has excellent resistance to motor vehicle oil, antifreeze, and diesel, but average resistance to gasoline. In addition, its electrical performance is also very superior, and its main application areas are automobiles and electrical components.

Haochen Hot Runner Technology (Dongguan) Co., Ltd. highlighted our application of hot runners in automotive parts at the 2014 Guangzhou International Mold Exhibition.