Wilden to develop and mould automotive door handles

Wilden to develop and mould automotive door handles

German moulder Wilden has won an order to not only mould automotive door handles but also take responsibility for their entire development.

Wilden has previously won contracts with BMW supplier Findlay Industries Deutschland to produce mouldings for the BMW 3 series inner door handle, but is now taking orders for complete development, including assembly, prototyping, tool design, quality assurance and logistics. Wilden now assembles the handle insert liner, lever, damper and a dowel pin.

According to Wilden’s project manager Christof Reil, the lever poses a special challenge because it is a casting of polyamide PA6 and mineral fibre filling and is subsequently galvanised with chromium.

“The process of galvanisation itself causes problems for many manufacturers,” he said. But with Wilden’s expertise in injection moulding, galvanisation problems were smoothed over with correct material drying, stress-free and homogenous surfaces, prevention of air bubbles and perfect handling.

Subassemblies are produced in Wilden’s works in Industriepark Wackersdorf and assembled at its Czech facility.