Lexus adopts water-assisted injection-molded water pipes

Water-assisted injection molding has been deployed for the first time in Japan to manufacture water pipes in an automotive application. Toyota-affiliated Tier 1 Toyoda Gosei (Kiyosu, Japan) is utilizing the technology to mold the coolant pipes for the intercooler of the turbocharger engine in the Lexus NX, which was released in July 2014.

While not going into detail regarding the materials employed in the pipes,. Toyoda Gosei does say that it has employed in-house compounding technology to formulate appropriate grades for the application that "display sufficient durability against coolants." Other processors have employed a special grade of Ultramid A3HG6 WIT polyamide (PA) developed for the process by BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany) in similar applications. Last year, BASF introduced new grades for the process.

The Toyoda Gosei development reportedly reduces weight by about 40% compared to conventional water pipes consisting mainly of steel or stainless steel. The new pipes, with intricate curves, also help downsize the engine room, whereas forming conventional metal pipes into such shapes would be unworkable. Moreover, the "integral molding" process, a method to form plastics simultaneously into multiple pipes, brackets, and other peripheral components as a unified part, reduces the number of necessary components, thereby contributing to lower production costs.

Moving forward, Toyoda Gosei plans to expand application of its plastic pipes to a wider range of models across multiple automakers. 

Moving into Mexico

In another development at the Japanese Tier 1, affiliate Toyoda Gosei North America Corporation has set up a production subsidiary in central Mexico to meet demand generated by rapidly expanding car production there. The new company, Toyoda Gosei Irapuato Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (TGIMX), located in Irapuato, Guanajuato State, Mexico, is scheduled to start operations in April 2016. It will supply radiator grilles, console boxes, and other plastic parts to automakers.

Investment is valued at $67 million and the company plans to hire approximately 280 employees by fiscal year 2019. The plant will occupy a floor area of approximately 37,000 m². Sales of approximately $90 million are targeted for FY2019.

Toyoda Gosei already has three manufacturing firms in Mexico: TAPEX Mexicana for safety systems such as airbags, Toyoda Gosei Automotive Sealing Mexico for sealing products such as weatherstrips, and Toyoda Gosei Rubber Mexico for functional components such as automotive rubber hoses. The fourth firm will bring coating and other plastic surface decorating technologies to the country, enabling Toyoda Gosei to supply value-added plastic parts from a location closer to the international Japanese, American, and European automakers there.