Faurecia and the Fraunhofer ICT (Institut für Chemische Technologie) announce the signature of a framework agreement to jointly perform R&D work on “Engineering and prototypes for advanced industrial processes for composites” for applications in the automotive field.
The objective of the agreement is to further develop composite industrial processes applied to structural parts enabling weight reduction (20% to 50% compared to traditional materials) while keeping costs, quality and performance under control to respond to and anticipate stringent automotive criteria.
Faurecia has identified the Fraunhofer ICT as a world-leading center of competence in the field of composites and their industrial processes, whose reputation in the automotive sector has spread well over the German and European borders. The Fraunhofer ICT already has its own pilot production lines enabling validation of these new composite technologies and processes.
This framework agreement is an important step in the development of Faurecia’s expertise in the strategic field of plastic composites - a technology which is expected to experience strong growth over the coming years. As environmental regulations become more stringent, there is a growing demand for lighter vehicles and consequently new and lighter materials. Composite materials should enable a weight reduction of up to 50% for both structural and body parts. Composite parts are expected to find increasing application in the fields of automotive seating, interior systems and body parts (both structural and non-structural).
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