One of South Korea’s leading auto parts manufacturers, Intops, has showcased what it claims is the world’s largest smart grille at the Automotive Interiors Expo in Germany.
Visitors to the car show were able to take a look at Intops’ smart grid, quite large in size (1,500mm x 400mm), which allows a car to display text or images on its front panel.
Intops uses direct sheet forming on a plastic substrate similar to those used in foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. This allows the grille to adapt to the wishes of the vehicle designer through film insert molding , which opens up many possibilities for a screen seamlessly integrated into a car’s grille.
After showcasing the world’s largest smart grid at the automotive interiors show at Messe Stuttgart, Intops will be ready to take orders for mass production with a special machine it is equipping its Gumi factory this month .
Besides the smart grille, Intops’ other innovations in the automotive interior space include insert molding equipment for pillar-to-pillar OLED displays, similar to Mercedes’ Hyperscreen, manufactured by LG.
Smart grilles are catching on, and it won’t be long before the front of the vehicle is seen as a simple screen on which to display relevant information or images, for better or worse.
