Magna, NRC partner on automotive composites

A new partnership between automotive supplier Magna International Inc. and the National Research Council Canada (NRC) will see the formation of a Composite Centre of Excellence to develop lightweight composite automotive parts.

As part of the collaboration, a Magna-NRC Composite Centre of Excellence will be created at the Magna’s Exteriors and Interiors facility in Concord, Ont. According to NRC, the Composite Centre of Excellence will be equipped with molding equipment for thermoplastic composites, with teams from Magna and NRC working together on developing lightweight, durable automotive parts using materials such as long fibre thermoplastics and sheet molding compound (SMC).

Joint project work in composites will begin immediately, and the new research facility is expected to be operational in summer 2010.

“The Magna-NRC Composite Centre of Excellence will help reinforce Magna’s position as a supplier of lightweight, cost-effective composite solutions to the global automotive market,” said Bob Brownlee, president, Magna Exteriors and Interiors. “Automotive suppliers and original equipment manufacturers that lead the industry in innovation and productivity know that vehicles of the future will need more composite content in order to provide the fuel economy, utility and safety that consumers demand.”

Active since 1916, the Ottawa-based NRC is the Government of Canada’s main organisation for research and development.