Headlights are crucial components in automotive development. They are among the most critical car parts when driving down dark and dingy roads. They not only light the road ahead but also alert oncoming drivers about your presence.
Headlight technology has improved over the years. Custom headlights available today offer increased functionality and features. They are precisely and accurately manufactured to meet complex designs and tight tolerances.
To get the best custom headlights for cars, you must understand the various options available. It is also essential to understand custom headlight manufacturing. Read on for a comprehensive overview of these innovative components for the automotive industry.
Various Custom Headlights Components
In the past, headlight assembles often came with simple designs with easily replaced plug-and-play systems. Modern automobiles now have more complex headlight designs with improved efficiency, durability, and safety.
There are multiple custom headlight parts, and they are common areas for upgrades. They include the following:
Housing
The housing is the part that fits into the vehicle’s body, holding and protecting bulbs from external interference. In addition, the housing also offers a reflective backdrop that amplifies and directs the light. Depending on the model, a custom headlight housing may be one piece or multiple pieces, often made of thermoplastics.
Reflectors
The main functional aim of reflectors is to express the greatest possible amount of light radiated by the bulb. It then directs the luminous flux toward the road. Several types of reflector systems are available to enable you to customize headlights to meet your unique requirements. Plastics are the most common materials used for making prototype auto reflectors today. They are fabricated with high accuracy and repeatability.
However, headlight systems with high thermal stresses will require the use of aluminum or magnesium for making reflectors. Manufacturers need vapor-plate a silicon protective layer and an aluminum reflection layer onto the reflector’s surface. Many CNC machine shops also coat reflectors to achieve the needed surface quality.
Projection Modules
These are now common parts in modern custom car headlights. They offer high luminous flux and precisely demarcated beam paths. Therefore, they are crucial components. Projection modules come with different lighting functions, lens diameters, and improved installation possibilities. As a result, they are useful for an extensive range of individual custom headlamp concepts.
Cover Lenses
There are two categories of cover lenses. The first group includes cover lenses with dispersion optics. These types work to deflect, scatter, or focus the luminous flux captured by the reflector to produce the required light distribution.
The second group includes the cover lenses without dispersion optics. These types are designed with no optical elements. They only work to protect the light from weather and soiling conditions.
The Headlight
The most crucial part of custom headlight assembly is the light itself. Various types of lights are available for modern vehicles, including fog lights, parking lights, low and high beams, turn signals, etc.
The bulbs used for these headlights also vary. Halogen bulbs were the most popular in past years. However, LED and HID bulbs are also becoming increasingly popular for customers who want easy upgrades with increased efficiency and brightness.
Different Types of Custom Car Headlights
The headlight technology continues to evolve, leaving consumers with various options for prototype auto lighting. With a wide range of headlights available, it may be challenging to figure out how to customize headlights with the best headlight. We will divide the different headlight types into two categories.
1. Based on Headlight Housing
There are three types of headlights under this category including:
Reflector Headlights
These were the standard headlights for vehicles for a long time. Reflector headlights come with bulbs encased in steel bowl-like cases. Mirrors are installed within the cases to help reflect light onto the road.
Technological improvements now provide us with reflector headlights with mirrors inside their housing. This ensured the easy removal and replacement of bulbs for custom headlights. These headlights are less expensive and often take lesser space within the vehicle. However, their light output is less controlled with low beam cutoffs.
Projector Headlights
These are high-performance options compatible with very bright light-emitting diode (LED) and high-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs. Their unique design makes them highly capable of illuminating road surfaces at greater distances.
Although they have a similar assembly concept as reflector headlights, they produce more focused light beams. As a result, you will cast more light on the road directly ahead. The even light beam projects downwards on the road, with no intense or weak spots.
H4 Conversions
If you’re looking for cost-effective ways of building custom headlights for your car, then H4 conversions may be your best bet. These types of headlights use standard reflector-type housings. However, they use H4 dual filament bulbs instead of sealed cases.
Therefore, there is an easy replacement of bulbs without changing the whole casing. This innovation also allows the use of brighter HID and LED bulbs. However, they often produce a scattered and uneven light output.
2. Based on the Type of Bulb
There are four main types of headlamps in this category. They are:
Halogen Headlights
These are the most common types in most cars today. They contain halogen bulbs with halogen gas filled inside. Their gas tubes are often smaller, combining iodide and bromine gases. These gases prevent filaments from thinning or breaking. In addition, they reduce the blackening that may occur inside the bulb. As a result, the filaments burn hotter to produce brighter light beams.
LED Headlights
These types of headlights produce bright white light with a longer lifespan, making them very popular in custom car headlights. Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs are compact, efficient, and highly functional. They come with tiny semiconductors that produce various light levels at exceptional speeds.
Unlike halogen lights, LED lights do not work with the filament principle. They use their diodes to convert electricity into light through electroluminescence. The process involves the production of little to no heat, thereby increasing the bulbs’ lifespan. However, the process of ensuring efficient heat release is complicated and expensive.
HID Headlights
High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights, also called Xenon headlights, also do not work with the filament principle. They use HID bulbs to produce light whenever electricity passes across electrodes trapped in a glass tube. The bulbs contain xenon gas and vaporized metals like mercury.
The electric current melts the metal vapors and converts them into plasma. The plasma then glows in white-blue shades, producing brilliant illumination. The light produced by these bulbs is intense, and it provides far visibility to the driver. Their versatility also allows you to adjust the focus to meet your needs.
Laser Headlights
These are the latest innovations in custom headlight manufacturing. They produce light beams a thousand times brighter than LED headlights. The exciting thing is that they do not require as much power as their LED counterparts.
Laser systems direct blue-colored laser beams into a chamber containing phosphorous gas. The light produced results from the chemical reaction inside the chamber. These types of headlights are versatile, allowing you to create different designs and shapes.
Benefits of Custom Headlights for Cars
Installing custom headlights offers various advantages, guaranteeing style and functionality. Let’s check out some of the noticeable benefits of custom auto headlights.
Functional Testing and Design Validation
With many improved technologies available today, there are several innovative ways to develop custom auto headlights. These techniques, including 3D printing and custom CNC machining, ensure the fast and cost-effective production of headlight components.
This way, you can quickly develop prototype headlight parts for functional and market testing. This gives you a good view of the custom headlight’s performance. As a result, you can make design changes to improve functionality and remove design flaws.
Improved Aesthetics
The correct use of custom headlights generally improves the feel and look of your vehicle. In addition, they upgrade your vehicle’s vibe with a uniquely grand impression. You would value the alluring brilliance and grace that puts you in charge of elegance. Ensure you consider your vehicle’s model before deciding how to customize headlights for the car.
Follows the Innovative Trend
Custom headlamp installation is a beneficial technique that helps you follow innovative trends. The current headlight technology is moving away from reflector headlights and going towards projector headlights. Likewise, halogen bulbs are becoming replaced with LED and HID bulbs.
The reason is that the latest options offer improved functionalities and longer lifespans. They also come in various designs, shapes, colors, styles, structures, and levels of toughness. There are countless brands and their offerings available to you. As a result, you can choose the most exciting one to identify style patterns with a standard engaging feel.
Better Focused Dispersion of Light
Using custom headlights has several benefits, one of which is that the light has an excellent length and efficiently distributes light with a point of concentration.
Additionally, these features make it easier for you to drive safely and keep an eye out for other vehicles. There are a lot of curved reflectors in most headlights available today. These reflectors make up for the lack of dispersion and massive concentration needed for a great engagement at its best.
Different Processes for Manufacturing Custom Headlight Parts
Below are the standard manufacturing processes for making headlight components:
Precision CNC Machining
CNC Machining is an essential technique in electric car parts manufacturing due to its accuracy and suitability for components with complex designs. This subtractive process removes workpieces’ parts using computer-controlled machines. Its precision and repeatability make it suitable for applications in the automotive industry, especially for precision aluminum reflectors and headlight housings.
3D Printing
This manufacturing process is also suitable for making custom headlights with simpler geometries. This additive process uses a 3D printer to develop the part according to initial designs. It is a practical and faster method for design validation. As a result, you can easily detect design issues before going into full-scale production.
Injection Molding
Most components of custom headlights are made of plastics, making injection molding a popular technique for their fabrication. This process supports mass production. It is also safe and consistent, producing high-quality parts. Manufacturers also use this method to fabricate components with complex designs. This requires a relatively sophisticated mold design process.
The injection molding process works well with plastics like polycarbonate, ABS, acrylic, nylon, polystyrene, and many more. It is applicable to many headlight parts and light pipes design.
WayKen – Your Reliable Custom Headlights Manufacturing Partner
Getting custom car headlights with increased functionality and quality will depend on your manufacturing partner. WayKen offers you a wide range of custom auto parts and low-volume production options to develop custom headlights that meet your requirements.
Our highly skilled professionals have a vast knowledge of headlight systems. This way, you can get the best solutions for the projects. We also boast advanced facilities with cutting-edge technology to develop high-quality headlights for your car.
Besides custom headlight manufacturing, we also specialize in machining lamp bezels, light guides, lamp blades, and other automotive lighting products. With our one-stop machining services like CNC machining, 3D printing, and injection molding, you can be sure to get high-quality auto parts. Simply upload your CAD files and we will reply to you within 12 business hours.
Conclusion
Headlights are vital vehicle components, efficiently transmitting and diffusing light for proper vision when driving at night. Custom headlights enhance your vehicle’s feel and overall look, providing the benefits of adequate light length and dispersion.
Manufacturing custom auto headlights for cars require precision, accuracy, and innovative designs. There are various types of headlights available, each offering unique advantages. Contact us today, and let’s help design your custom headlight.
FAQs
What materials are commonly used for custom headlight parts?
Custom headlamp parts are mainly housing, reflectors, lenses, light source, and projection modules. The primary raw materials for these components are thermoplastics like ABS, polypropylene, polycarbonate, PMMA, etc. However, headlight systems with high thermal stresses will require using aluminum or magnesium for their reflectors.
Are LED headlights better than HID headlights?
While both types of headlights offer an incredible range of brightness and color options, HID lights have a slight edge over LED lights. However, LED lights have a longer lifespan of up to 45,000 hours. On the other hand, HIDs often last for about 15,000 hours. The headlight type you choose will depend on your unique needs.
Are there still halogen headlights?
Halogen headlights are still the most common option found in cars today. They are more affordable, smaller in size, and easy to replace. However, LEDs and HIDs are gradually replacing halogen lights due to their improved functionalities.
