ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
IAMI creates focused capacity for automotive research, fostering the integration of fundamental research concepts into innovative products and manufacturing technologies. The Initiative is driven by strong imperatives in the industry – improved vehicle fuel efficiency, improved safety and durability, recyclability, productivity and green manufacturing.
IAMI’s research agenda is focused in three main themes that are critical to the success of Ontario’s automotive industry: materials, manufacturing, and performance. Due to the complexity of the next generation car, all three of these elements must be addressed before any new innovations can be successfully applied in the automotive industry. For this reason, considerable emphasis will be placed by IAMI on the synergies between the various research activities.
In order to provide structure and focus to IAMI’s research portfolio, all research activities will be placed into one of five research areas.
- Wrought lightweight metallic alloys
- Polymeric materials and composites
- Light metal casting and machining
- Dies and molds for automotive manufacturing
- Crashworthiness and occupant protection for the next generation light weight vehicle
The first three areas represent the main class of materials and processes used to fabricate practically all automotive structural components. The fourth involves the development of manufacturing technologies that are critical for the efficient fabrication of next generation vehicles. The fifth focuses on one of the most critical aspects of component performance. It is important to recognize that these research areas are closely linked and that the research carried out under each banner will link to and depend upon the results from one another.
