FOAM Industry Information | The first time in China! FAW Audi pure electric interior parts use micro-foaming process to reduce weight and last longer

As the popularity of the new energy vehicle market continues to rise, the cruising range has also received extensive attention from the industry chain. With the continuous development of battery technology, lightweight design that can alleviate this pressure at the design level has gradually become an important label for new cars. The Society of Automotive Engineers of China mentioned in the “Technical Roadmap 2.0 for Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicles” that it is expected that by 2035, the lightweight coefficient of pure electric passenger vehicles will be reduced by 35%.

At present, the following technologies have emerged in the lightweight field of automotive non-metallic materials: micro-foaming weight reduction technology, thin-walled weight reduction technology, low-density weight reduction material technology, carbon fiber reinforced material technology, biodegradable material technology, etc.

Let’s focus on how plastics can reduce the weight of automobiles in terms of micro-foam injection molding technology?

What is Microfoam Injection Molding?

Micro-foaming injection molding replaces the pressure of the injection molding machine through cell expansion, does not require excess filling pressure, and can make the pressure distribution uniform through the cell structure of the intermediate layer to reduce the material density of the product and achieve a controllable foaming rate To reduce the weight of the product, the cavity pressure is reduced by 30%-80%, and the internal stress is greatly reduced.

The process of micro-foaming injection molding process is relatively simple. First, it is necessary to melt the supercritical fluid into the sol of the plastic main material, and then spray the mixed sol material into the mold through a high-pressure injection device to form micro-foaming. Then, as the pressure and temperature in the mold become stable, the microbubbles in the mold are in a relatively stable state. In this way, the injection molding process is basically completed.

Internal structure of micro-foam injection molded products. (Image source: Automotive Materials Network)