Automotive safety innovations with advanced plastics
Last update on Apr 15, 2007
This article was originally published on April 15, 2007 and revised in 2025.
This guide examines how plastics are driving innovations in automotive safety, highlighting head restraint and seat protection systems, tire pressure sensors, airbags, and stability technologies. It also covers materials like LGF-PP, polyamide, PEEK, and Zytel nylon that enhance performance, durability, and crash protection while supporting growing safety regulations and consumer demand.
Head restraint and seat protection innovations
A good example is Johnson Controls' head restraint system, riACT (Rear Impact Active Head Restraint). The system is triggered electronically by a crash sensor, which is also linked to the air bags. It is a relatively simple device composed of three molded long-glass-fiber reinforced polypropylene (LGF-PP) parts.
A release mechanism integrated into the lower part of a seat's backrest activates a restraint that springs forward. This helps reduce the rearward movement of the passenger's head when the pelvis slams against the backrest. A similar product has been developed by injection molder Keiper GmbH in Germany, using LGF polyamide supplied by compounder FACT GmbH (Germany).
More than 760 million vehicles are in service around the world. The personal mobility afforded by these vehicles can come at a price to human safety. On U.S. roads, there are six million recorded collisions per year, with 44,000 lives lost and 3 million injuries. In Europe accident statistics are roughly equivalent. Automotive safety has thus become a stable and high growth area for the electronic devices industry and their plastics suppliers.
This strong growth in automotive safety is driven by a convergence of influence from three sectors. Consumers are seeking safer vehicles, national governments aim to prevent death and injury, and automotive producers are searching for opportunities to increase profits. Consumer awareness of the Ford-Firestone tread separation problem which contributed to 800 injuries, 250 deaths and the recall of 14 million tires prompted calls for tire pressure monitoring.
Tire, airbag, and stability system developments
Through the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), a Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) mandate was established. This mandate set a new standard for vehicle safety. It requires the installation of tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs) that warn the driver when a tire is significantly under-inflated. Rugged, extremely lightweight tire pressure sensors are being developed that use high performance polyamide or PEEK (Polyetheretherketone).
NHTSA has also mandated that new smart airbags must be present in all new vehicles by year end 2007. Laws requiring restraint systems, or other means to reduce rearward head movement in an accident, take effect in the U.S. in 2008.
Though not mandated, anti-lock braking systems are now supplied in 70% of all new cars. The driving public is also showing significant interest in side airbags and electronic stabilizer systems. It is expected that comprehensive electronic stability control (ESC) systems will become a standard feature on passenger vehicles. In one development, stiff super tough Zytel nylon is being used for new ESC housings.
Some automotive manufacturers are using vehicle safety features as a product differentiator to target affluent safety conscious consumers. Electronic-related safety features on the drawing boards by carmakers include collision avoidance systems that alert drivers to obstacles, lane awareness to warn when they are drifting, and occupant detection to adjust airbag deployment. They also include precrash systems that prime airbags for possible collisions.
While automotive safety enhancement developments are good news for electronic components manufacturers, they may also benefit plastics suppliers targeting the automotive industry. However, this market sector has long lead times. Production cycles of three to five years create a double-edged sword. However, for those electronics companies that can cope with the lengthy cycles, the implications when the auto industry buys can be substantial.