Plastics
Eaton specializes in the design and manufacture of high quality, functional plastic moulded components and assemblies for use in stringent automotive engineering applications.
We provide a team of experienced engineers, CAD designers and project managers to ensure that the needs and expectations of our customers are fully achieved.
Eaton plastics are mainly used to
- Reduce weight
- Improve NVH
- Overcome tight packaging constraints
- Reduce warranty and
- Minimize inventory
Performance
Reduced weight
Plastic parts improve fuel economy and emissions due to lighter weight compared to metal
Reduced failure modes
One-shot-manufacture such as for gas injected pipes or integration of fixing points reduces the failure modes of sub-assembled components
Reduced pressure drop
Fluid conveyance applications can be designed with reduced pressure drop through more design flexibility
Improved sound absorption
Plastics have better sound absorption characteristics than steel, cast iron or aluminum
Improved sealing
Improved sealing with integral gaskets especially for twin shot molded parts
Improved oil temperature stability
Plastic oil pans enable improved temperature stability and shorter time to achieve optimum operating temperature from cold start
Design flexibility
Increased design flexibility
Plastic molding, unlike traditional metal forming processes, allows for increased design flexibility including:
- Part integration with a single complex assembly
- Variable geometry
- Complex shapes
In addition, thermoplastic material can be welded by any method to produce complex assemblies of fully integrated systems.
As a result: Reducing packaging constraints
Plastic parts can be designed in any form or shape to match restricted packaging constraints
Increasing oil volume capacity
Plastic oil pans enable increased oil volume capacity within current engine packaging
Warranty reduction
Increased corrosion resistance
Good chemical and corrosion resistance of plastic improves life time of the part and eliminates cost of surface treatment or plating.
Improved fatigue life
Plastic material properties change with temperature which results in lower stress at operating temperatures improving fatigue life and reducing warranty.
Long-lasting sealing solutions
Integral rubber gaskets especially for twin shot molded parts show major improvement in warranty compared to traditional metal systems
Extend service intervals
Plastic oil pans can be designed with increased oil capacity compared to metal solutions at a given package space.
Cost down
Cost advantage of complex parts
Final assemblies of non-structural components with a complex geometry, integrated components and improved functionality are likely to be more cost effective when produced in plastic instead of metal
Reduced assembly time
Less fixing points and integrated parts reduce the assembly time during installation on the vehicle
Reduced inventory
Integrated functions and parts reduce cost due to lower inventory and part numbers
Reduced life-time tooling cost
Reduced tooling costs over the project life due to lower wear achieving at least 5 times the life of a tooling for aluminum.
Eaton plastic molded products are used in all kind of vehicles and engines such as commercial vehicles, passenger cars, off road vehicles and stationary engines.
The application portfolio includes but is not limited to:
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Eaton offers Injection Moulding capabilities for Thermoplastic, Thermoset, Gas-Assisted and Suction-Blow, with ongoing development of new processes and materials.
These processes are complemented by ancillary operations including Welding, Inserting, Sealing, Decoration and Assembly all supported by in-house laboratory services and in-process testing and verification.
Initial product design is supported by CAE analysis, 3D modelling and rapid prototyping services.
Eaton’s high precision products and structural components can be designed for
- Peak temperatures up to 230ºC
- Operating conditions from -40ºC to 140ºC
- Vibrations of 10g (98.2 m/s²) to 15g (147.3m/s²)
