JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #72 - April/May 2012 - 77

carbon fibre
production share for aircraft applications in the existing lines has been going up due to the full-scale production launch of the Boeing 787, Toray will bolster the production facilities at the three overseas bases for high-strength and standardmodulus fibre, which has become the de-facto standard for industrial and sporting goods applications, to ensure a stable supply to those markets. Toray Carbon Fibers Europe S.A. (CFE), Toray’s French subsidiary, will purchase around 160,000 m² of land at Lacq from Total S.A., the world’s 5th leading petrochemical company, to build a precursor production facility. This will be the Group’s third facility in the world in addition to the plants in Japan and the U.S. CFE is currently importing precursor from Japan but will switch to its own precursor once the facility becomes operational. It also plans to supply fibre to Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc. (TAK). In addition, Toray Carbon Fibers America Inc. (CFA) will build a new carbonization line with an annual capacity of 2,500 tons which will start operations in September 2014. The move is aimed at catering steadily to the expanding market for environmental and energyrelated applications, including the growing market in natural gas pressure vessels reflecting the utilization of shale gas in the U.S. The Group also plans to further expand the business for the Latin American market, mainly in Brazil, that is expected to grow rapidly in the future. TAK of the Republic of Korea will also be constructing a new carbonization line with the same specifications as CFA, with an annual capacity of 2,500 tons at its Gumi Plant No. 3 (Gumi-si Gyeongsangbuk-do), which is expected to start operations in March 2014. TAK is currently installing a production facility for high-strength and standard-modulus fibre with an annual capacity of 2,200 metric tons to start operating in January 2013, and is in the process of enhancing its structure to address the growing market for industrial and sporting goods applications in South Korea, where the government is strategically nurturing the green technology industry, and in China.

Shougang’s new carbon fibre line commissioned at Anhui
Anhui Shou Wen Carbon Fiber Co., Ltd., a member of Shougang Group, officially started operating a new carbon fibre line with an annual output of 200 tons in Bengbu, China.

15% a year
The global demand for PAN-based carbon fibres is estimated to have expanded to 37,000 tons in 2011 and it is expected to grow at a rate exceeding 15% a year. With an eye on full-scale expansion of the carbon fibre market, the Toray Group shall continue to accelerate application development in the fields of aerospace, sporting goods and general industry while enhancing its production capacity to further expand the carbon fibre composite materials business, which is the core of the Green Innovation Business Expansion Project under “Project AP-G 2013”, the Group’s medium-term management programme. n
More information: www.toray.com

hrough international cooperation, Anhui Shou Wen recently built the most advanced carbonization line in China, with an annual output of 200 tons of carbon fibre. Anhui Shou Wen has always been committed to the carbon fibre industry and registered in September 2009 in the Bengbu high-tech development zone, Anhui Province, with its construction starting in August 2010. The company specializes in carbon fibre production and sales. After production starts, it will provide high-quality carbon fibre products for the wind power, yachting, automotive and other industries. The initial thermal tests have shown that the carbon fibre production

line performs much better than similar domestic lines, with a nominal capacity up to 200 tons per year, which is currently China’s maximum capacity. Preliminary test products exhibit excellent performance, successfully filling China’s gap in the field of high-end carbon fibre. This is another breakthrough in Shougang’s development in the field of new materials. The production line uses a number of leading international technologies to ensure that the project is environmentally friendly, energy-saving and highly efficient. Shougang Group is one of China’s largest steel companies. n
More information: www.shougang.com.cn

Sinosteel Jilin Carbon Fiber’s project goes into full production
On 27 February, following successful tests, the first phase of a 500-ton carbon fibre project went into full production at Sinosteel Jiangcheng Carbon Fiber Co., Ltd.

arbon fibre ranks first, before aramid and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibre, in the 12th five-year plan for the development of the new materials industry in China. This plan includes ten key industrial projects such low-cost carbon fibre and a high-end innovative demonstration project. Jilin Carbon Fiber’s carbon

fibre project, which had been postponed for six months, was officially put into operation on 27 February with a 500-ton annual capacity. This makes the company the only listed company to achieve mass production of carbon fibre on both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. n
More information: www.jlts.cn

No72 April - May 2012 /

jec composites magazine 77

http://www.shougang.com.cn http://www.toray.com http://www.jlts.cn

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #72 - April/May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #72 - April/May 2012