Solvay has opened a new carbon fiber production line at its US Piedmont f acility in South Carolina, USA. As a result, the international chemical company has doubled the production capacity of a raw material to make carbon fiber reinforced composite materials in order to meet increasing demand for lightweighting composite materials in the aerospace industry.
The expansion covers the facilities and equipment to convert acrylonitrile monomers into standard modulus carbon fibers. This type of fiber is used to manufacture composite materials which have been pre-impregnated for use in applications on commercial and military planes.
‘Through this strategic capacity expansion we offer our customers greater supply capabilities and contribute to their increased needs for reinforced composite materials to reduce weight and fuel consumption and to reduce assembly costs by integrated part design,’ said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay.
The new production line has won qualification by Boeing to manufacture secondary structures such as wing movable flaps and engine nacelles, as well as interior applications.
This story uses material from Solvay, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
