Plastics and polymer composites are essential to a wide range of safety and performance parts in cars today. In fact, the use of plastic and polymer composites in light vehicles has increased from less than 20 pounds per vehicle in 1960 to 334 pounds per car in 2015.
A material such as nylon 66 with 33 percent glass fiber reinforcement is used in myriad automotive assemblies, including manifolds, engine covers, carbon canisters, engine mounts, shift levers and radiator tanks.