Magna launches thermoplastic, fully-recyclable liftgate for Nissan Rogue
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Watch this video of how Magna developed the liftgate in collaboration with Nissan, Hitachi Chemical and other materials suppliers
AURORA, Ont.—Highly advanced injection moulding technology has helped Magna International Inc.’s Magna Exteriors operating unit produce North America’s first fully recyclable liftgate module.
Installed in the 2014 Nissan Rogue crossover utility vehicle (CUV), the liftgate is fully olefinic—which in its most simple terms means a carbon-infused plastic—and therefore fully recyclable.
Magna says it is also the first painted outer panel made from thermoplastic olefin.
Recognized in November 2013 by the Society of Plastics Engineers as the year’s most innovative use of plastics in the auto industry, the liftgate assembly is 30 per cent lighter than stamped steel systems and is manufactured as one unit, including all lights, electronics and safety features.
Magna developed the liftgate in collaboration with Nissan, Hitachi Chemical, and materials suppliers LyondellBasell and Advanced Composites Inc. and produces it at the Magna Exteriors’ Decostar division in Carrollton, Ga.
Watch this video describing the process and why it’s revolutionary:
