Toray Industries Inc has signed a long-term agreement with Boeing to supply carbon fiber prepreg for the production of the new Boeing 777X aircraft, extending the existing supply agreement for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The 777X aircraft is a large-sized, twin-engine passenger aircraft currently being developed by Boeing as a successor to the existing 777, with a plan to deliver the first plane in 2020. Toray’s TORAYCA prepreg has been officially selected for these main wings.
The new agreement extends the agreement that was signed in November 2005 by more than 10 years from 2015. The total value of prepreg Toray Group will supply for both 787 and 777X programs for the contract period is expected to exceed 1.3 trillion yen (US$11 billion).
Production line
Toray also plans to invest approximately 50 billion yen in a new integrated production line for yarn (precursor), carbon fiber TORAYCA with an annual production capacity of 2,000 tons, and TORAYCA prepreg in new commercial premises in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. This represents the first phase of a planned 100 billion yen investment to expand Toray’s composite materials business in the U.S. The new facility will also be Toray’s first integrated production line for yarn (precursor), carbon fiber TORAYCA and TORAYCA prepreg in the U.S.
Toray will commence production of yarn (precursor) in phases starting in May 2017, and plans to begin supplying TORAYCA prepreg to Boeing in 2019, following certification.
This story is reprinted from material from Toray, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
