Week 11 - Final project

Role of a plastic in automobile industry:

The use of polymers as plastics in the construction of automobiles has continued to grow over the last decades. Nowadays they are the second most commonly found material in cars.

Here are four reasons why plastic is used in car manufacturing:

1.Plastics reduce the weight of cars

2.Plastics and polymers contribute to the safety of cars

3.Plastics help to lower car manufacturing costs

4.Polymers advance the design of vehicles

To give you a concrete example in numbers: an average modern car weighing 1,500 kg contains about 20% of plastic materials (considering thermoplastics and elastomers). This means 300 kg distributed over 2,000 parts and components of all shapes and sizes.Polymers have revolutionised the performance, safety, construction and functionality of cars. Parts made of plastics are resistant to corrosion, offer flexibility and resilience for added safety, have very good thermal insulation, reduce noise and allow optimum space utilization.Plastics have been used widely in vehicle claddings to improve fuel efficiency by making vehicles lighter and reducing corrosion due to salt and water on metal surfaces. Although plastics have been used for decades both externally and internally, many automotive manufacturers have now switched to making bioplastics and polymers, instead of relying on fossil-based plastics, to improve their carbon footprint and promote sustainability. Below, we will look at the history of plastic vehicle cladding, and the increased use of plastics in vehicles over the past century. Also Weather constantly takes a toll on your vehicle, which is why synthetic coatings on metal surfaces are used to reduce the chance of corrosion due to salt damage, extreme heat, and water exposure. Even glass windshields are coated with plastic film to improve weather resistance, wear and tear, and reduce the chance of shattering. Under the hood, car parts are either coated or made entirely from plastics such as polyurethane which is heat-resistant, abrasion-resistant, yet flexible. The safety features in your car such as airbags and seatbelts are made from durable polyester. In an accident these polymer-based safety features and exterior items such as car door cladding and bumpers can take an impact far better than metal, often leading to a better outcome for you and your vehicle. Thus plastic is largerly preferred in autombile industry.

Normal tooling axis

Side core tooling axis for dog house

Draft analysis

4 way locators

heat sticks

Arm rest

abstract

bottle holder