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Magna Opens European Composites Center
Magna International Inc. has opened a Composites Center of Excellence in Esslingen, Germany.
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Magna International Inc. has opened a Composites Center of Excellence in Esslingen, Germany.
The center will develop subframes and other structural components, plus such body parts as door panels and hoods. The facility features a 2,300 metric-ton press for thermoset compression molding of reinforced plastic or sheet molding compound materials.
Magna is in talks with several European carmakers about potential projects. The company says one carmaker is interested in advanced composites for use in structural rear vehicle modules, while another is evaluating composites for vehicle subframes.
Magna opened a similar center near Toronto in 2010 in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada. Work at the facility led to the development of the carbon fiber hood for the 2016 Cadillac V-Series sedan. Ford currently is using the center to test the feasibility of carbon fiber vehicle subframes for mass production vehicles.
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