It’s no secret that the first cars weren’t built for luxury. There sure wasn’t any plastic pieces in them either. The early stages of automobiles use materials like metal, wood, and rubber to create parts in a vehicle. With the discovery and widespread use of plastic after WWII, cars were able to start using the inexpensive and flexible material in vehicle production. The cost of vehicles has dropped dramatically because of this. It also helped the manufacturing process become easier and faster.
Look around in your car, there’s plastic pieces all over. These pieces are most likely made from plastic dip moldings that are created by dipping a mold into plastic over and over to create a steady layer of plastic.
Most likely, the dip molded plastic is used in the areas below:
Containers: Many of the containers inside your vehicle are created with the dip molding process. Plastic containers for water, oil, coolant, and other liquids inside your vehicle are formed with dip molding. This keeps the containers strong and flexible at the same time.
Caps: The caps on a vehicle are also formed using the dip molding process. The caps that you see on your vehicle are formed using the dip molding process. These molds look different than those from a container. This is because the bottom of the cap has to remain open so that it can fit over the nose of the container. The mold that comes with ridges is what helps the caps screw into place.
Tubes: The tubes inside your vehicle are also formed through plastic dip moldings. Almost all of the plastic tubes in your vehicle use the dip molding method. This helps shape the plastic and keep it flexible. Interior plastics: Some of the interior plastic pieces in your vehicle are formed through dip molding. The steering wheel, cover on stick shifts, emergency brake, and door panels may be formed with dip molding.