Kangde Group, a maker of optical films and carbon fiber based in China’s Jiangsu Province, has formed a strategic partnership with major automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. Ltd. (BAIC) and the municipal government of Changzhou in Jiangsu. The three entities will work together to establish a carbon fiber production base. The partnership will see...
carbon fiber
Kaneka to Acquire Applied Poleramic for Full-Scale Entry Into Aerospace
Kaneka Corp. (TYO:4118) recently announced that it will acquire California-based Applied Poleramic Inc., a manufacturer and vendor of compounded resin used in aerospace components and carbon fiber composites. Kaneka will purchase 100 percent of Applied Poleramic’s shares, making it a consolidated subsidiary for an approximate amount of 1.5 billion yen ($13.46 million). In order to...
ReBirth Opens up CFRP Recycling Possibilities With Proprietary Technology
ReBirth Technology Co. Ltd. is making its presence felt with its technology for recycling carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This proprietary technology can separate carbon fiber and resin to reuse the former as miniaturized milled fiber. Although the recycled material is not usable for molding continuous fibers, ReBirth is discovering many new applications. The company’s...
Teijin Prototypes Car Panel From Carbon Fiber Scraps
Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) recently carried out trial production of large auto parts using carbon fiber scraps discharged from a factory, taking place at the French base of Teijin’s U.S.-based group company Continental Structural Plastics Holdings Corp. (CSP). Growing worldwide demand for carbon fiber has brought the importance of utilizing scraps to the forefront, but the...
Tomi-Tex Develops Japan’s First 3D Carbon Fiber Processing Technology
Tomi-Tex Co. Ltd. has developed a 3D carbon fiber weaving system and is focusing on components for aerospace and transportation equipment in its market development. The device makes it easier to manufacture carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) components by processing them three dimensionally from the outset. Tomi-Tex devised a processing system based on proprietary technology...
Toray Executive Yasuo Suga Discusses Future of Carbon Fiber Industry – Part 2
By Yusuke Sekiguchi, Editor Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) maintains the largest market share in the world for both regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is seeing increased demand in the automotive industry, despite a market slowdown last year, as the material’s ability to reduce vehicle weight enables better fuel...
Toray Executive Yasuo Suga Discusses Present and Future of Carbon Fiber Industry – Part 1
By Yusuke Sekiguchi, Editor Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) holds the world’s largest market share in both regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber. Despite a market slowdown last year, demand for carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has increased in the automotive industry, as the material’s ability to reduce vehicle weight enables better fuel efficiency and...
Nitta Aims to Commercialize CNT/CF Composite Within Two to Three Years
Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) plans to lose no time in commercializing carbon nanotube-coated carbon fibers (CNT/CF). The composite’s ability to boost the strength and shock resistance of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) offers the prospect of even thinner and lighter weight CFRP. Potential applications include aircraft, automobiles and building materials. Nitta will undertake development with a...
Mitsubishi Rayon Acquires Gemini Composites in Effort to Expand North American Presence
Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd. (TYO:3404) announced on March 9 its acquisition of Gemini Composites LLC, a Seattle carbon fiber component design and manufacturing company. The acquisition comes in an effort to expand Mitsubishi Rayon’s carbon fiber business in the North American market. Mitsubishi Rayon Carbon Fiber & Composites, a wholly owned U.S.-based subsidiary of Mitsubishi...
Toray Develops 20% Lighter Carbon Fiber Prepreg for Next-Generation Aircraft
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) announced on March 7 that it has developed a next-generation aerospace carbon fiber prepreg material. Featuring world-leading performance characteristics, it includes a 30-percent improvement in tensile strength and impact resistance compared to existing comparable materials. Toray was able to optimize the molecular structure design of its new thermosetting matrix resin to impart...
Toray President Discusses Company Goals Ahead of 2020
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) is aiming to hit 3 trillion yen ($26.64 billion) in revenue and 300 billion yen in operating profit around 2020. Sitting down for an interview, President Akihiro Nikkaku indicated that the company plans to continue to develop global production bases and reduce costs in order to achieve the target. He said...
Rapiit Drastically Reduces Weight of Car Wheels With Thermoplastic Resin
Rapiit Co. Ltd. has shown success in prototyping automobile wheels made from thermoplastic composite material. The prototypes are significantly lighter than standard aluminum wheels, contributing to improved fuel efficiency. The Okayama Prefecture-based company will now proceed with various tests and refinements with a view to commercialization. The wheels are created by fusing together the rim...
Ai-Carbon Develops Sophisticated Technology for Carbon Fiber Recycling
Ai-Carbon Co. Ltd., an Aomori Prefecture-based venture company, has developed technology to control and create uniform lengths of recycled carbon fiber. As fiber obtainable through traditional methods comes in a padded state, molding methods have been limited to techniques such as those for paper making. The chopping of carbon fiber under Ai-Carbon’s new method allows...
Teijin to Acquire Continental Structural Plastics, Expand Automotive Business
Teijin Ltd. (TYO:3401) has announced that it will acquire U.S. company Continental Structural Plastics Holdings Corp. (CSP) for $825 million. Through the acquisition, Teijin aims to expand business in high-performance automotive composite materials. Teijin competes in carbon fiber with Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) and Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd. (TYO:3404). These two companies have been aggressively...
Nippon Graphite Fiber to Increase Annual Production of Pitch-based Carbon Fiber by One Third
Pitch-based carbon fiber manufacturer Nippon Graphite Fiber Co. Ltd. has commenced studies looking into a significant bolstering of its production capacity. The company plans to increase its production capacity from the 180 tons per annum that it has at present, taking it to 240 tons per annum within the next few years. Nippon Graphite Fiber...
Awa Paper: Nonwoven Fabric Mats With Recycled Carbon Fibers Superior Material for Metal Replacement
Awa Paper Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TYO:3896) has begun touting nonwoven fabric mats produced with recycled carbon fibers. The company disperses carbon fibers 3–6 millimeters long and thermoplastic resin fibers of equal length, then employs the wet-laid method to produce the final product in rolled prepreg form. These mats made from recycled materials compare favorably to...
Toray Determined to Maintain Over 50% of Carbon Fiber Market Share
Toray Industries Inc. (TYO:3402) remains dedicated to keep a market share of over 50 percent in the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon fiber market until 2030. The company has continued to actively invest in regular-tow (RT) and large-tow (LT) carbon fiber in order to maintain its commanding market position. Toray plans to begin subsequent LT expansion in...
Toray Carbon Magic to Manufacture CFRP Airliner Parts
Toray Carbon Magic Co. Ltd. (TCM) is expanding its operations into aviation-related manufacturing, having identified it as a key business area. The company is setting out to commence production of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts for use in large commercial airliners, and it expects in fiscal 2017 to begin manufacturing reinforcement members and other...
