Automotive parts.

OPPORTUNITY: Side-impact airbag covers.

GROWTH OUTLOOK: Although side-impact airbags presently account for only a small percentage of airbags in domestic cars (500,000 in 1995), they are forecast to outpace total airbag growth for the rest of the decade. Industry figures project that in the year 2000, 28 million of the 97 million airbags installed worldwide will be side-impact units.

MATERIALS USED: TPE and TPO. The drive to trim costs is causing molders to favor TPO, according to one resin supplier. Most airbag covers are either painted or covered with fabric, but precolored compounds could save $1/part by eliminating painting (see p. 47).

PROCESSING SKILLS: Airbag covers are a difficult market to break into, according to Tim Pysher, market development specialist at Teknor Apex Co., Pawtucket, R.I. It helps if you're already involved in auto interiors. Although the parts are not particularly difficult to injection mold, a successful supplier must offer a more complete package. Says Pysher, "You can't just be a shoot-and-ship molder. Designing, testing, keeping the process in control, and modifying the design is the whole key." QS9000 quality certification, already required of Tier 1 airbag module suppliers, would give you an advantage. It's also necessary to have a certified paint line, since most airbags are presently painted.

OPPORTUNITY: Electrical connectors.

GROWTH OUTLOOK: By 2000, the average passenger car will have over 100 small electric motors. And the number of connectors used will grow by about 10%/yr, according to J. Erik Fyrwald, director of sales, marketing, and development at DuPont Automotive, Troy, Mich.

MATERIALS USED: PBT and PCT polyesters and nylons. New grades have been introduced to meet higher temperature and hydrolysis-resistance requirements and to offer higher flow for thinner walls (see p. 44).

Although liquid crystal polymer is not currently used in under-the-hood connectors, it could be a candidate as temperatures rise and wall thicknesses continue to narrow.

PROCESSING SKILLS: Ability to mold very thin walls is important, says Eric Carlson, executive accounts manager at DuPont Automotive. Five to 10 years ago, connector walls were 2-3 mm; today they are 0.5 to 0.25 mm.

The push for more heat-resistant resins may give an edge to molders who run oil-heated tools. Says Paul Kane, DuPont senior development specialist, "There's a high value for molders to get more comfortable with higher-temperature products. There are a lot of new materials coming out that require oil-heated rather than water-cooled tools." Even with resins that don't normally require it, hot oil can help improve flow, surface appearance, and physical properties, he adds. At the same time, DuPont and others have new high-temperature materials that reportedly run well in hot-water molds (see p. 44).

As with other car parts, it's becoming necessary for molders of connectors to be QS9000 compliant. "Molders are going down the same road as Tier 1 sup, pliers. By 1998 most molders are going to have to be QS9000," says Carlson.

OPPORTUNITY: ORVR valves

GROWTH OUTLOOK: Over the next several years, ORVR (on-board refueling vapor recovery) valves will be a tremendous opportunity, according to Jake Fenrick, executive development and product manager of the fuel systems business at DuPont Automotive. ORVR valves trap gasoline vapors during refueling so that they don't contribute to smog. ORVR valves will be required on 40% of 1998 model cars. That will grow to 80% of 1999 models and all new cars by 2000, after which ORVR compliance begins for light trucks.

Development of ORVR technologies is fiercely competitive and is currently limited to three or four companies with a high degree of engineering capabilities and subsystem support, according to one supplier, Alfmeier Corp. in Greenville, S.C. Still, ORVR valves could present a major opportunity for injection molders to provide components to Tier i suppliers. Most systems consist of two major valves, each of which includes nine or 10 components plus tubing and connectors.

MATERIALS USED: Mainly acetal.

PROCESSING SKILLS: Ability to mold to very close tolerances is vital, according to Fenrick of DuPont. Tight-tolerance molding can be tricky with acetal, which has a shrinkage of 2% or more. Correct tool design is critical.