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SEMINAR Bangkok, 22 JUNE 2007 ITALIAN TECHNOLOGY: AUTO-PART COMPONENTS Injection moulding machinery
In the last few years, we have assisted in the opening of new frontiers for plastic products applied to the automotive sector. In this sector, the weight of the materials, the safety, their design, the comfort and their environmental impact and low costs are becoming more important factors in the manufacturing process of automobiles. Plastic materials play a fundamental role in satisfying these criteria. And, above all, they will have to meet the greater demands of contemporary complex scenarios. Next to the issues that dominate the automotive sector, such as environmental sustainability and ergonomics, others important issues will surface which will open new paths for the application of plastic materials, or, at the least, these applications will have a wider range than today. Just think, for example, of the safety not only of the passengers but also of pedestrians. In the event of an impact, these materials will have to absorb as much energy as possible. Because of the automotive industry’s increasing use of shared modular platforms, the role of plastic components will become more important as they will help personalize each individual model. Therefore, the role of plastic materials will continue to grow in importance. Just think about the transparent components from the optical materials to the lateral windows and the large windshields and sunroofs that are just about to be utilized on a greater scale. Advances in machinery design will bring innovation and evolution to the basic concepts on which the automobile industry was founded. To make innovation and evolution of the industry possible, an important contribution comes from the machinery and the tools to manufacture these components, on which we’ll have to rely on in the future. Possible applications of car components represents one of the areas in which specialized constructors will direct major research and development resources, probably because their interface is represented by the big names of the industry. For decades, Italian manufacturers have been leaders in supplying machinery for the production of plastic and rubber products to automotive manufacturers worldwide. Italian, German, British, Spanish and American contractors that operate in the automotive sector use Italian injection moulds for the production of components which are then installed on famous marques such as Fiat, Volkswagen/Audi, Porsche and Ford. Injection moulding machinery is used for the production of optical materials, wheel covers, handles and underbody components, mudguards and integrated door compartments, just to name a few. The fact that Ferrari uses Italian parts manufacturers is testimony to the level excellence attained by our machinery manufacturers.
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