Magna International Inc., Canada, won a 2016 JEC Americas Innovation Award in the automotive category for the molding process used in making carbon-fiber hoods for Cadillac. The award is based on criteria including technical excellence, working with supply-chain partners, market potential, and originality.
The JEC Innovation Awards identify, promote and reward the most innovative composite solutions worldwide. This year’s winners were announced May 4, 2016, as part of the JEC Americas Composites Show & Conferences in Atlanta.
At its Polycon Industries manufacturing division in Ontario, Magna manufactures the auto industry’s first volume production of carbon fiber hoods for Cadillac’s 2016 ATS-V and CTS-V high-performance models. The hoods are more than 27% lighter than aluminum hoods and 72% lighter than steel hoods.
The innovation is the result of years of development, which has seen the company at the forefront of R&D efforts to enable carbon-fiber manufacturing at the required volumes for the auto industry.
“Through our lightweighting expertise, we can help customers meet challenging fuel economy and reduced emissions standards,” says Swamy Kotagiri, Magna’s CTO. “Our ability to look at the vehicle holistically uniquely positions us to offer solutions from advanced and ultrahigh-strength steels to thin seats, multi-material structures, and innovative composites like carbon fiber hoods—we cover it all.”
