Carbon fiber specialist LeMond Composites has entered into a global, exclusive 20-year licensing agreement with Deakin University in Australia to help commercialize its patent pending manufacturing process to increase the production of carbon fiber.
The licensed process will enable LeMond Composites to commercialize carbon fiber production faster than anyone else currently in the marketplace, the company says. ‘Deakin University’s process oxidizes carbon fiber faster, with lower capital and energy costs and greater output of carbon fiber over a shorter period,’ says Nicolas Wegener, COO of LeMond, who negotiated the US$44 million deal. ‘The process requires 75% less energy and also reduces the amount of process equipment by 75%. These factors make the production of low-cost carbon fiber scalable at a velocity that can keep up with the market demand.’
Renewable energy
‘Deakin University’s manufacturing process will make it possible to localize manufacturing and make carbon fiber technology more accessible to a wider range of industries like transportation, renewable energy and infrastructure or any industry that benefits from using lighter, stronger, safer materials,’ said says Greg LeMond, CEO/founder of LeMond Composites.
‘This new technology could revolutionize the advanced manufacturing sector around the globe, because it will make carbon fiber more affordable to produce, which will make it more accessible for consumers,’ said Deakin University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Jane den Hollander. LeMond Composites says that it about to secure its first supply agreement with a commercial customer, and will use the new process to manufacture and sell carbon fiber from September 2017.
This story is reprinted from material from LeMond, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
