AUTOMOTIVE | MATERIALS
The e-mobility trend is the main influence of development of high-performance plastics in automotive under the hood
applications. Mikell Knights discovers
what suppliers have been working on
Plastics provide solutions under the hood
The global market for automotive under the hood (UTH) plastics is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from 2021 to 2027, increasing from an estimated $3.1bn to $4.2bn in that time period, according to manage- ment consulting and market research firm Lucitel. Air intake manifolds, engine covers, rocker
covers, front end modules and a range of other components will assume most UTH plastics applica- tions, Lucitel said in its report. The major drivers for market growth are increasing demand for light- weight materials to reduce vehicle weight, increas- ing vehicle production and stringent government regulations on fuel economy and emissions. The European automotive market is forecast to
remain the region with the most UTH plastic components over the next five years due to increasing use of plastic content per vehicle coupled with stringent government regulations to reduce carbon emissions and increasing fuel
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efficiency. The North American market is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period due to similar drivers. Materials suppliers which have introduced a
range of products for a variety of automotive UTH applications say the continued increase in electric vehicles and e-mobility projects is driving new polymer developments as replacements to metal. However, some have also stated that vehicles with conventional internal combustion engines will also embrace polymer advances in similar applications even as they move closer to being phased out. The latest polymer developments for UTH
applications look to combine sustainability with performance, drop-in substitution with processing ease, parts consolidation with design flexibility. Covestro has collaborated with US-based moulding technology developer X2F to develop thermally conductive automotive lighting compo- nents as part of an in-mould electronics assembly
May 2023 | INJECTION WORLD 13
Main image: Plastics producers must consider the property needs of internal combustion engines as well as the growing number of e-mobility applications
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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