Exterior Thermoplastics: New Needs, New Solutions

To effectively compete for the existing share of world-wide passenger car and light truck sales in the 1990's, new demands for improved product must be met and new responses from suppliers must be enacted. In the quest for lower cost, improved quality and greater consumer appeal, automakers are recognizing the inherent value of engineering thermoplastics for virtually every component whether it's under-the-hood, on the interior, or the exterior. This paper focuses specifically on the exterior and reviews the new needs and new solutions now offered by engineered thermoplastics and their supporting process and assembly technologies.

In addition to material system needs, automakers are becoming increasingly dependent upon outside suppliers and designers to meet their quickly changing engineering demands. This paper also addresses the need for new suppliers to extend their services beyond materials and processing and provide a ‘full-service’ engineering capability to the world-wide transportation industry.