Automotive door hinges are some of the most essential components of an automobile’s structure, owing to their importance in supporting the weight of the door and opening or closing operations of parts such as tailgates and hoods as well. Constant improvements in road transport infrastructure coupled with the growing demand from the new door designs in automotive segments are major influencers behind the sustained rise of the automotive door hinges market.
The market is primarily challenged by the higher number of hinge-less door designs being introduced in a number of automobiles, particularly in the luxury segment, which is further compounded by newer door opening styles that automobile designers come up with.
Manufacturers Focus on Design Innovations
The growing demand for improvements in automobile designs, and efforts of automobile manufacturers towards performance and efficiency enhancements are key factors that are driving hinge manufacturers to adopt to new design requirements.
For instance, the McLaren’s 720S Spider sports a new beamless chassis design, which pushed the designers to add a lower A-pillar structure, which is compatible with a unique single door hinge design, without compromising on the dihedral movement of the component.
Citroen has also released a new compact concept electric vehicle designed for unlicensed drivers, which also features a unique rear hinge design that is aimed towards allowing the driver get better access to the car cabin.
On a similar note, among a number of design innovations for police cars in the United States, the car manufacturer Ford has included reinforced door hinge designs for improved resistance to impacts, with the aim of minimizing injuries and deaths of officers in automobile accidents.
Cost Efficiency and Ease of Operations Increase Demand
Furthermore, the manufacturing process of automotive door hinges require limited human resources, relatively cheap raw materials, and are not subject to very strict regulation and testing requirements. These, along with lower cost and ease of installation, are some of the major benefits of the business that are projected to boost the growth of the market in the near future.
Innovations such as friction reduction materials, and the requirement of simple machinery for hinge manufacturing processes at increasingly affordable prices are also expected to play a role in incrementally replacing conventional hinge manufacturing materials, and increasing the scope of these components.
Strict Regulations and Standards in Marine and Aerospace Applications Restrict Growth
Owing to the rigorous working environment of aircraft and marine transport vessels, automotive door hinges for these fields are subject to much stricter standards of quality and performance to gain approval for use. Extensive testing and trial requirements significant increased costs of development and production, which are expected to restrict the growth of the market in these fields as well, are likely to limit the number of new players in the market.
Automotive door hinges for aerospace applications for instance are not only used for entrance and exiting the aircraft, but are also used for doors of landing gears and plug doors, and the effects of pressure differences inside and outside aircrafts need to be taken into consideration.
Plug doors even make use of specialized and complex hinge designs that allow rotation over multiple axes, with constant precision in terms of alignment and multiple variations in movement. Similarly, specialty hinges are also essential in the correct functioning of spacecraft and satellite parts such as solar power panels, with extremely high levels of precision.
Marine applications also require special material processes for their door hinges, including electro polishing and waterproofing treatments, to increase durability of these components, which are expected to result in restrictive costs, but also increase opportunities for manufacturers in terms of design and material innovations.
To know more? Download sample copy of this report.