1. Toray Develops CFRP Thermal Welding and Rapid Integration Molding Technology
On February 1, 2023, Toray, a Japanese company, announced the successful development of a high-speed thermal welding technology for Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP). This technology aims to achieve high-speed production and lightweighting of CFRP aircraft structures. Toray's thermal welding technology enables fast and robust joining of thermosetting CFRP components on aircraft, similar to traditional welding. This simple bonding method involves forming a heat-weldable layer on the surface of the thermosetting CFRP and instantaneously heating the parts' surfaces to bond them. It allows for the rapid assembly of thermosetting CFRP components or a combination of thermosetting and thermoplastic CFRP components without the need for adhesive bonding or bolt fastening.
By applying this technology to thermosetting CFRP with a heat-weldable layer, mechanical performance equivalent to CFRP currently used in aircraft structures can be achieved. Toray states that the joint strength of the thermal welding structure is comparable to co-cured CFRP structures in current aircraft models, ensuring the reliability of the bonding technology in practical applications. Compared to aluminum alloy structures, CFRP structures using this technology can reduce carbon dioxide emissions throughout their lifecycle. The reduction in the weight of bolt fasteners can lighten the overall structure, further reducing these emissions. Toray is collaborating with Boeing to drive multiple technology development projects in aircraft manufacturing and material technology.
On February 16, 2023, Toray announced the successful development of a rapid integration molding technology for CFRP movable components. This material is positioned between lightweight porous carbon fiber-reinforced foam (CFRF) and thermosetting prepreg skin, providing excellent mechanical performance. This new technology enables the molding of CFRP movable components, such as automotive roofs, ten times faster than traditional high-pressure autoclave molding systems. The weight of such products is only half that of steel products. Toray will continue to focus on the research and development of this technology to accelerate its application in electric vehicle components, where lightweight and rapid production are crucial.
2. Teijin Subsidiary Develops Sandwich Products for Automotive Production
In March 2023, Teijin Automotive Technologies, a subsidiary of the Teijin Group in Japan, announced the successful development of two core products aimed at meeting the demands of current and future automotive applications. Hexacore is a honeycomb core product designed for Teijin Automotive's high-speed compression molding process, used to manufacture lightweight A-class body panels, roof panels, and closures. The Hexacore material is compatible with a range of fibers and resins, including carbon fiber or glass fiber, aramid fiber, or natural fiber. It is claimed that using Hexacore material can save 25% of weight compared to similar two-piece SMC parts.
Additionally, Teijin Automotive has developed Foam-A-Core technology as a rigid core solution for A-class automotive panels, offering high strength and moisture resistance. This technology utilizes the same 30-45 second compression molding process for shaping, enabling both forming functionality and rapid curing. Similar to Hexacore, Foam-A-Core is suitable for panels made from various fibers, thermosetting or thermoplastic resins, and using SMC or RTM processes. The process also produces near-net-shape parts, reducing manufacturing waste compared to other methods.
3. SGL Carbon Develops High-Performance Large-Tow Carbon Fiber
In late March 2023, SGL Carbon, a German industrial-grade large-tow carbon fiber manufacturer, announced the development of a new 50k specification large-tow carbon fiber. This SIGRAFIL®C T50-4.9/235 carbon fiber boasts a high tensile strength of 4.9 GPa (comparable to small-tow carbon fibers like Toray's T700 grade) and an elongation of 2.0%. It meets the high-strength requirements of conventional pressure vessel designs while offering high elongation, making it suitable for niche markets that demand both high strength and high elongation.
SIGRAFIL®C T50-4.9/235 carbon fiber is developed based on the existing large-scale production of 50k fiber product portfolio, which has been successfully used in industries such as wind energy and automotive. The new SIGRAFIL®C T50-4.9/235 exhibits high strength (4.9 GPa) and elongation (2.0%) and currently has the capacity for 50k specification production. Until now, such excellent performance has only been achievable with small-tow carbon fibers. This further complements SGL's product portfolio of 50k specification large-tow carbon fibers.
4. TeXtreme Introduces High-Permeability Gapped Unidirectional Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Material
In early April 2023, TeXtreme®, the global leader in thin-ply spread tow carbon fiber materials, announced the launch of its latest innovative product, TeXtreme® Gapped UD. This is a dry carbon fiber reinforcement material specifically designed for resin infusion processes. As a groundbreaking product, it offers outstanding performance, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness for a wide range of applications.
TeXtreme® Gapped UD is a flat unidirectional reinforcement material with well-controlled 0.3 mm gaps between fiber tows. These gaps serve as channels for resin and air evacuation, allowing for rapid and uniform wetting of the material without compromising its mechanical properties. With a fiber volume fraction exceeding 60%, TeXtreme® Gapped UD provides consistent mechanical performance comparable to carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs.
5. French Company Develops 3D Nanomaterial Based on Carbon Fiber Prepreg
In late April 2023, NAWA, headquartered in Rousset, France, has developed a revolutionary 3D carbon-based nanomaterial. By utilizing their NAWAStitch™ technology, which involves vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNT), they enhance carbon fiber composites, effectively reducing interlaminar cracking or delamination and minimizing crack initiation and propagation. This results in a 100-fold increase in shear strength and a 10-fold improvement in impact resistance for the composite material. The technology holds promise for applications in various fields, ranging from energy storage and next-generation hydrogen fuel cell catalysts to aerospace and next-generation automotive industries.
NAWA's technological innovation has led to a stronger, lighter, and more advanced material. The NAWAStitch™ technology addresses one of the most common issues in composite materials-interlaminar cracking or delamination. Acting as a universal or localized interlaminar reinforcement material for carbon fiber prepregs, NAWAStitch™ acts like "nano Velcro," preventing cracks from bridging at the interface and providing a double-digit positive increment in mechanical reinforcement, creating an almost unbreakable material. NAWAStitch™ significantly enhances the performance of carbon fiber composites, increasing shear strength by 100 times and improving impact resistance by 10 times, while reducing weight by 20-30%. This leads to improved performance in various products such as sporting goods, hydrogen storage tanks, and aerospace components.
6. Mitsubishi Develops New Brand of Carbon Fiber Particles
In May 2023, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation announced on its official website that it has developed a new brand of environmentally friendly carbon fiber particles called Pyrofil™ NEO. This product boasts the following outstanding features:
●Lighter Weight: Due to its high specific strength and high specific stiffness, it can be used as a substitute for metal and glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials, leading to significant weight reduction effects.
●High Performance: It offers excellent sliding properties, antistatic properties, and electromagnetic wave shielding performance. It can be customized to meet specific requirements such as heat resistance and chemical resistance, based on various standards.
●High Quality: It involves reprocessing of carbon fiber by-products (prepregs) in carbon fiber production facilities.
●Environmental Considerations: It has a smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional products, making it more environmentally friendly.
According to internal calculations within the Mitsubishi Chemical Group, Pyrofil™ NEO carbon fiber particles have reduced the carbon footprint by 50% compared to the company's conventional particle products.
7. Teijin and Kumagai Group Develop Fire-Resistant Carbon Fiber Composite Materials for Construction
On July 13, 2023, Teijin Limited announced its collaboration with Kumagai Group Co., Ltd. in the development of high-fiber fiber-reinforced integrated materials for fire-resistant buildings. Teijin possesses the high-performance fiber-reinforced material called "LIVELY WOODⓇ," which is an integrated material reinforced by using existing carbon fiber materials. By enhancing the stiffness and strength through carbon fiber reinforcement, the integrated material contributes to expanding the applications of wooden structures. The distinctive feature of "LIVELY WOODⓇ" is the incorporation of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) between the integrated materials, allowing for a lightweight, insulating wooden composite material with high rigidity and strength. When used as beams, it facilitates the construction of large-span wooden buildings. Additionally, although Japan has abundant resources of cedar trees, their low strength has limited their use as building materials. However, CFRP reinforcement effectively improves this situation. On the other hand, "LIVELY WOODⓇ" lacks fire resistance and cannot be used in wooden buildings that require fire resistance.
Kumagai Group introduces "Eco-friendly λ-WOODⅡ," a fire-resistant wooden component technology that ensures fire resistance by adding a fire-resistant insulation (covering) layer around the core material. This technology enables the use of wood in fire-resistant structures. By combining Teijin's "LIVELY WOODⓇ" with Kumagai Group's "Eco-friendly λ-WOODⅡ," they aim to develop new high-performance fiber-reinforced integrated materials for fire-resistant buildings, compensating for each other's performance characteristics.
8. Japanese Company Develops Carbon Fiber Composite Material Visualization Imaging Technology
On September 26, 2023, Konica Minolta, headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan, announced on its official website that its X-ray Talbot low-interference imaging device, "XtraLINQ Talbot®," has been awarded the "Product/Technology Award" by SAMPE Japan, a renowned industry association related to advanced materials technology.
As a cutting-edge X-ray imaging device utilizing Talbot low-interference developed by Konica Minolta, this device can extract the internal fiber state of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) in a short time, over a large area, and with high precision, without causing any damage. It particularly excels in obtaining information about the local fiber content, fiber dispersion, and fiber orientation inside CFRP, especially in CFRP with discontinuous fibers and random orientations. These characteristics are closely related to the physicochemical properties of composite materials. Additionally, this device enables the prediction of potential CFRP failure behavior, making significant contributions to CFRP research.
9. Toray Industries of Japan Achieves Breakthrough in T1200 Ultra-High-Strength Carbon Fiber Technology
On October 29, 2023, Toray Industries, Inc. announced the development of TORAYCA™ T1200, an ultra-high-strength carbon fiber with a tensile strength of 8.0 GPa, a tensile modulus of 315 GPa, and a fracture elongation of 2.5%. This carbon fiber boasts the highest tensile strength globally and finds applications in various fields, ranging from sports and leisure products to aircraft.
To surpass the strength limit of carbon fiber, Toray Industries focused on improving its proprietary nanoscale structural control technology to design and achieve a highly tough internal structure. By utilizing this technology, Toray Industries successfully developed TORAYCA™ T1200 with a tensile strength of 8.0 GPa, surpassing TORAYCA™ T1100 by more than 10% (T1100 has a tensile strength of 7.0 GPa). This product was developed at Toray's factory in Ehime, Japan.
10. Teijin of Japan Develops Bio-based Carbon Fiber
On December 21, 2023, Teijin Corporation, a Japanese company, announced on its official website that it has started the production and sale of carbon fiber using environmentally friendly raw materials (bio-based acrylonitrile, AN) to actively contribute in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Teijin will employ a quality balance method based on internationally recognized sustainable product certification to produce and sell Tenax™ carbon fiber using environmentally friendly raw materials.
The PAN precursor fiber is made from sustainable acrylonitrile (AN) derived from bio-based products or waste and residues from recycling, and it is produced using the quality balance method. Through this method, the material can be traceably validated throughout a complex value chain, for example, when biomass-derived raw materials are blended with petroleum-derived raw materials to produce the product.
On June 29, prior to this announcement, Teijin Limited's official website stated that Tenax™ carbon fiber and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fiber produced at its factory in Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan, had obtained the ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) certification, which is an international sustainable development and carbon certification system.