The three letters GIT have fundamentally changed plastic production. Solid components are now hollow. Gas-assisted injection molding is a real problem solver for complicated plastic parts that must look good and also be stable and light.
Müller-Technik produced the first part with gasassisted injection molding in 1993; it was an interior car door handle. Originally, the component was solid. However, the complex geometry and varying thicknesses of the walls caused the developers quite a headache.
Using gas-assisted injection molding, it was possible to create a stable product with a perfect surface. The process has been perfected in the meantime so we can now mold visible parts that do not require further refinement – for example the outside door handles of the Smart, which are neither painted nor chromed and still look stylish.
Working with gas-assisted injection molding requires a great deal of expertise. The first question: Is the component suitable for the process? Additionally, tool construction must provide the necessary technical capabilities.
Today, Müller-Technik produces many parts with gas-assisted injection molding – including the mentioned interior door handles of wich we produce 2.4 million each year.
The interior door handle must provide several characteristics at once. It must look good, chromed if possible, be ergonomically favorable and naturally safe. We are able to combine these contradictory characteristics.
For us, the visible surfaces, which are usually chromed or grained, are the top priority. We frequently have to integrate a small speaker or other components in the inner door opener. This is referred to as a so-called assembly component for which we assemble several components with various characteristics after the injection molding.
For example Seat Toledo and Skoda Rapid: We have constructed the same inner door opener with handles from polyamide 6 for both vehicles; one is decoratively chromed, and one is grained. Thus, we have two different frames with the respective chrome handles that always use the same components – connector, end stop, bolt and spring – 18 different variants assembled without extensive personnel expenditure. There is also a variant with an additionally integrated welded tweeter speaker.
