The Lucid Air reportedly is the world’s fastest-charging luxury electric car with a range of up to 530 miles on a single charge under ideal conditions. Materials supplier Sabic helped to make that happen, which is why the Lucid Air is on display in hall 6 on stand D42 at K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

An expansive range of materials are available with injection moulding, making it easier to produce medical equipment that adheres to the strict biosafety and chemical stability criteria of the medical sector. Techniques such as thin wall moulding and gas-assisted injection moulding enable the production of both practical and aesthetically appealing parts.

The front-end module was molded in a single shot using Stamax long-glass-fiber polypropylene with organosheets. The pre-cut sheets were inserted into the mold, shaped, and combined with additional inserts and then overmolded to form a lightweight yet rigid composite. The process eliminated some assembly work and consequently lowered production cost, according to Sabic.

Luke Smoothy, founder and director, Get It Made, delves into why injection moulding still holds the sceptre in the medical industry and highlights the key benefits it brings.

The front trunk, or frunk, is a single-piece molded tub that combines thermoplastic elastomer with the aforementioned Stamax resin. Again, the production process eliminated several assembly steps compared with traditional approaches. In both of these applications, Stamax resin was selected because of its high stiffness-to-weight ratio, low warpage, adhesive properties, and impact performance.

Thin wall moulding: A specialised form of conventional injection moulding that focuses on the mass production of ultra-thin (less than 1mm) and light plastic parts to make material cost savings. This is used to create portable medical devices enabling clinicians and patients to transport and operate them more easily - such as wearable devices, micro surgical tools, and invasive equipment like catheter ablation tools and endoscopes.

The battery module housing called for Lexan FR resin because of its stiffness-to-weight ratio, light weight, thermal and dimensional stability, and impact and ductile properties. The design integrates the electrical conductor directly into the housing in a one-shot molding process. No adhesives were needed, thus saving assembly time and improving quality and consistency, according to Sabic.

Since the need for devices and components in the medical sector is always increasing, injection moulding stands out for its effectiveness and capacity to handle large-scale orders. The method is best suited for high-volume production, making it the preferred method for mass-producing medical components. That said, even though 3D printing is hailed for having cheaper initial costs in small-scale production, its cost advantage diminishes as production volume rises.

Well-suited for products with straightforward shapes, injection moulding delivers unrivalled precision and finish quality. For medical applications such as moving machine parts or implantable devices, the procedure gives a vital smoother finish.

So, there’s that. But how does the Lucid Air drive, you may be wondering? Dan Carney took it for a test spin last year; here’s what he had to say.

Sabic thermoplastics are present in more than 25 applications, including structural and battery components and interior parts. Sabic said that its engineering support helped reduce warpage, optimizing manufacturability as well as part performance. At its stand, Sabic highlights three of those applications.

In the realm of medical device manufacturing, the tussle between traditional injection moulding and modern 3D printing technologies continues. However, injection moulding has held its ground firmly, especially when high-volume production, cost-effectiveness, and precision are all paramount.

Lucid Motors is a Silicon Valley–startup that began in 2007 as a supplier of EV batteries and powertrains. It pivoted to the production of high-performance luxury EVs in 2016 and announced plans to build a $700-million manufacturing plant in Casa Grande, AZ. The company received an influx of funding in September 2019 from the Saudi Arabian sovereign investment fund to the tune of more than $1 billion. In February 2021, Lucid Motors announced a deal valued at more than $11 billion to merge with Churchill Capital Corp IV, a publicly traded special-purpose acquisition company.

Gas-assisted injection moulding: In certain medical device applications, gas-assist moulding can provide solutions that conventional injection moulding can’t. The process consists of injecting a pressurised gas into the mould cavity after the initial plastic injection, expelling the molten plastic and forming hollow areas within the final product. It is suited to the manufacturing of complex parts without visual blemishes, for instance, tube- or rod-shaped parts which typically include handles and foot pedals, as well as large, cover-shaped structural parts e.g. side panels and covers for medical devices.

Perhaps intriguingly is the fact that 3D printing and injection moulding are not exclusive of one another. Injection moulding is frequently preceded by 3D printing, which assists with prototyping and even helps create moulds for the injection moulding process.

Liquid silicone injection moulding: This produces pliable, durable parts in high volume, and is used in fabricating tubes and respiratory masks requiring high levels of hygiene and chemical resistance.

The company has had a bumpy ride recently, with its stock price plummeting by 68% this year, according to capital.com. Lucid Motors cut its production target in half for 2022, from 12,000 to 14,000 vehicles per year to 6,000 to 7,000, which was already a reduction from the original forecast of 20,000 cars this year. The company blamed supply chain and logistics issues for the scale back.

Editor in chief of PlasticsToday since 2015, Norbert Sparrow has more than 30 years of editorial experience in business-to-business media. He studied journalism at the Centre Universitaire d'Etudes du Journalisme in Strasbourg, France, where he earned a master's degree.

The indelible imprint of injection moulding in medical manufacturing underscores its pivotal role in delivering efficient, high-quality, and cost-effective solutions to the industry. As the medical field continues to evolve, the synergy between injection moulding and emerging technologies like 3D printing is poised to drive innovation further, ensuring the continual enhancement of patient care and medical advancements.