1. 18 11/2014bio-fibreMAGAZINE 1911/2014 bio-fibreMAGAZINE
COMPANIES & MARKETS
Magna International, a Canadian-based
manufacturer of automotive parts with
over USD 35 billion in worldwide sales, is now
proceeding with factory production testing
and verification of its new Concero trademarked
wood fiber polymer composite for injection
molded automotive part applications. These
lighter weight and eco-friendly car parts are the
result of a research and development program
spanning about 2.5 years in collaboration with
the National Research Council of Canada (NRC)
and the Alberta Innovates Technology Futures
(AITF) research organization in Edmonton, Can-
ada. AITF conducted the fiber characterization
of pulp fibers from many different mills across
Canada. The fiber processing and compound-
Magna
Targetting lighter, eco-friendly car
parts with pulp fibers
Concero wood fiber and plastic composite is now being tested in production scale
compounding and molding equipment at its automotive part production plants.
The potential new market for wood pulp producers is enticing.
ing development and pilot machine testing was
done at the Magna-NRC-Composites Centre of
Excellence in suburban Toronto. The research
effort is supported by the Centre for Research
and Innovation in the Bio-economy (CRIBE) and
Alberta Innovates Biosolutions (AIBIO), invest-
ment arms of the Ontario and Alberta, Canada
provincial governments respectively, and the
Ontario BioAuto Council, a not-for-profit auto
parts industry funding group which closed
­operations early in 2014.
The results of the program so far were de-
scribed by Dr. Alex Baltazar, Magna’s project at a
recent Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive
Engineered Polyolefins Conference in suburban
Detroit, USA. The research and development
started off with an important objective from
the point of view of the pulp fiber industry, as
all fiber types evaluated were commercially
available from a variety of pulp mills, including
Kraft, TMP and BCTMP mills. The fibers analyzed
by AITF included hardwood and softwood spe-
cies from across Canada. The expertise devel-
opment for fiber modification, fiber and poly-
propylene compounding and processing into
finished products was a significant part of the
effort required. Thus, pulp producers needed to
supply a standard product.
The development was driven by regula-
tions to reduce gasoline consumption and car-
bon dioxide emissions. Recyclability at the end
of a part’s lifecycle is also a major factor as the
industry aims for 85 % recovery. And, of course,
the sustainability of parts manufacturing using
a renewably sourced material that is not part of
the food chain is a significant goal for manufac-
turers and consumers.
Replacement of body parts
With the new wood fiber polypropylene com-
posite Magna is targeting the replacement of
parts currently made from 20 % glass-reinforced
polypropylene. Automobile body parts com-
prise almost 40 % of a typical vehicle’s weight so
substituting some those parts with a low cost
and lighter weight renewably sourced alterna-
tive is a logical way to get the most leverage for
total vehicle weight reduction. Typical interior
applications could be glove boxes, door parts,
pillars, and consoles, among others.
The development is based on the prem-
ise that wood fibers offer advantages in final
product density (hence weight), cost, produc-
tion energy input and functional properties. For
instance, wood fibers embedded in a polymer
matrix offer improved stiffness and toughness
if the fibers are long enough. Wood fiber aspect
ratio and diameter can be altered and fiber sur-
faces can be modified to bond within the poly-
mer matrix to give the required properties for
the application. This modification is a key to the
process development accomplished during the
program. The wood fibers are modified in the
processing steps.
Multiple advantages
Wood fiber and polypropylene composites
have a lot going for them and have multiple ad-
vantages over glass fiber reinforced polypropyl-
ene, as explained by Dr. Baltazar in his presenta-
tion. Wood fibres are approximately 40 % lower
in density and up to 50 % lower in cost com-
pared to traditional glass fibers. Product testing
revealed that a wood fiber composite showed
a significant improvement in tensile and flexu-
lar modulus over the benchmark product, with
similar sub-zero temperature impact resistance.
Dispersion of the fiber in the plastic matrix was
also excellent, thus providing good physical
properties and avoiding molding process prob-
lems like nozzle plugging.
Volatile organic compounds emitted by the
fiber were kept in check by a special technique
developed by Magna. Other properties like fog-
ging, durability, aesthetics, flammability, odor,
and service temperature were as good as the
benchmark. It was found during the research
study that different fiber types imparted differ-
ent physical characteristics and therefore could
be matched to the application. For instance, in
some products the visual appearance was im-
portant so the fiber type could be selected to
achieve the right color.
Market projections
To wrap up his presentation Dr. Baltazar es-
timated the potential size of the market for
Body parts
comprise almost
40 % of a vehicle’s
weight
Source:A2Mac1
Target applications for Concero could include
interior parts
COMPANIES & MARKETS

2. 20 11/2014bio-fibreMAGAZINE
COMPANIES & MARKETS
wood fiber and lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced
polymer molded parts. He calculated that in
a typical automobile about 14 kg of cellulose
fiber-reinforced composites could be deployed.
Based on the historical production of 60 million
vehicles per year worldwide, that would mean a
consumption of close to 800,000 t of composite
per year with a cellulose fiber fraction between
20 to 40 %. That could be more if the projected
global production of 87 million vehicles for 2014
is considered. That’s a sizeable alternative mar-
ket for pulp producers.
The move to production-scale testing sig-
nals that commercial products in automobiles
are getting one step closer. The acceptance by
auto manufacturers will be watched eagerly
by pulp producers that naturally want another
outlet for their fibers to bolster their profitability.
Once market accepted, Magna could use these
fibers in their plants. The company has manu-
facturing plants in North and South America,
Western and Eastern Europe, Asia and Southern
Africa. _ Mark Williamson
Concero composites have been
tested in Magna’s production-
scale injection molding processes
like this