Mazda developed a molding technique to reduce the weight of vehicles

Among its efforts to reduce the weight of vehicles, Mazda Motor Corporation has developed a new plastic molding technology that allows a substantial reduction of the weight of plastics used in vehicles. This technique of molding plastic resin reduced by 20 to 30% the use of raw materials, and thus reduces the weight of vehicles.

The most common way to produce the automobile plastics is the molding by injection. The injection process improved Mazda involves the mixing of supercritical fluid (SCF - supercritical fluid), a derivative of inert gases such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, with the raw plastic resin. This process uses a particular feature of CFS to blend easily with other substances at the molecular level which increases the flow of liquid plastic resin and causes rapid expansion when it is injected into a mold. Therefore, a smaller amount of resin is needed to fill the mold.

In addition, using a molding process by expansion against the mold, which allows the production of parts requiring thicker than plastic raw, Mazda has successfully developed a plastic multilayer. Air bubbles in the outer layer remained at a microscopic level, to ensure parts stiffness and strength needed, while the size of bubbles from the heart of the piece can be adjusted to reduce, as desired, the density plastic.

With this technology, an amount significantly lower raw material needed to produce plastic parts, which are lighter and have a rigidity and resistance equal to or greater than those manufactured plastic conventional.

The technology of plastic foam molding can potentially be applied to almost all the plastics used in the vehicles. Owing to the fact that the molding by mobile against-mould expansion allows a control of the structure of foam, it is possible to add an additional value to these plastics: their quality of acoustic insulation and thermal is improved.

The production of plastic foam using a conventional gas formed by the decomposition of organic and inorganic elements. Through the use of CAS, the technology of casting resin Mazda avoids the dissemination of residual chemical elements: it has less impact on the environment and allows the production of parts easily recyclable.

1 - A supercritical fluid is a substance that reaches a temperature and pressure exceeding its thermodynamic critical point. It can spread through solid as through gas and dissolve materials such as liquids. Compared with natural gas, nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the form of supercritical fluids increase the soluble resin plastic and it can take the form of foam composed of micro cells.

2 - Molding expansion against the mobile mold is a type of injection molding. Once the foam resin filled in the mold, the volume of it increases because of expanding foam. This allows larger pieces of plastic, low density and high rigidity, to be produced with the same amount of starting resin.

Acknowledgment:
http://www.automobiles-mazda.com/

Category:

• Auto Innovation

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