Alternative Materials Advance: Quest for multi-material solutions poses challenges - and opportunities - for automotive supply chain

摘要

Demands for lighter vehicles spurred - among other innovations - the advent of POP, or plating on plastics (See Figure 1). The thinking among regulators went: challenge design engineers and original equipment manufacturers to reduce overall vehicle weights by swapping out heavier metallic components (primarily decorative pieces) with materials made of plastic. Innovations such as these - along with the development of lighter metal powder components found in automotive drivetrain equipment - went a long way in achieving the improved CAFE standards realized today.