Carbon Fibre is a new-age material which has found multiple uses in industry and automotive sector. It is a lightweight but strong material with high conductivity and has been growing in demand as a substitute for steel in the automobile, construction and military sectors.
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani in 45th AGM announced the company’s plan to build India’s 1st and World’s Largest Carbon Fibre Plant at Hazira, Gujarat. The plant will be developed as part of the company’s Oil to Chemical segment (O2C) in which RIL has committed an investment of ₹75,000/- crore in the next five years. The development of India’s First Carbon Plant from the Industry Giant comes as part of their vision for new materials.
Committing to their vision for new materials, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, in the 45th AGM on Monday, announced to build India's first and one of the world’s largest Carbon Fibre. The plants will have a capacity of 20,000 MTPA based on Acrylonitrile feedstock. Overall, in the Oil to Chemical segment (O2C), Ambani Ambani announced an investment of ₹75,000 crore over the next five years to expand capacities in existing and new value chains. These value chains are - Polyester value chain, Vinyl chain, and New Materials.
Worlds leading Carbon Fiber Manufacturers.
Hexcel
Founded in 1948, Hexcel produces PAN carbon fibers in the U.S. and Europe and is highly successful in the aerospace market.
Hexcel carbon fibers, sold under the trade name HexTow, can be found in many advanced aerospace composite components, though the company has not branched out to a more practical ground utility of their product.
Carbon fibers have recently begun to replace aluminum in aerospace engineering because of their strength and resistance to galvanic corrosion that occurs in space.
Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd.
Mitsubishi Rayon Co. (MRC), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings, produces PAN filament carbon fibers used in composite applications where light weight and high strength are required. The U.S. subsidiary, Grafil, manufactures carbon fiber under the Pyrofil trade name.
Although MRC's product can be used for aerospace engineering, it is more commonly used in commercial and recreational equipment and gear, such as motorcycle jackets and gloves, and in carbon-based sports gear, such as golf clubs and baseball bats.
Nippon Graphite Fiber Corp.
Based in Japan, Nippon has been manufacturing pitch-based carbon fibers since 1995 and has made the market considerably more affordable.
Nippon carbon fibers can be found in many fishing rods, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, golf club shafts, and bicycle frames because of the increased durability of the composite and the relative inexpensiveness of the product.
Solvay (formerly Cytec Engineered Materials)
Solvay, which acquired Cytec Engineered Materials (CEM) in 2015, makes fibers under the trade names of Thornel and ThermalGraph. It is a manufacturer of continuous and discontinuous carbon fibers, made from both pitch- and PAN-based processes.
Continuous carbon fibers have high conductivity and are well suited for aerospace applications. Discontinuous carbon fibers, when combined with thermoplastics, are well suited for injection molding.
Toho Tenax
Toho Tenax manufactures its carbon fiber using the PAN precursor. This carbon fiber is commonly used in automotive, aerospace, sporting goods, and other fields because of its relatively low costs but high quality and durability.
Professional motorcycle racers and skiers often wear gloves made with Toho Tenax carbon fibers. The company also has supplied materials used in the construction of astronauts' spacesuits.
Toray
Toray manufactures carbon fibers in Japan, the United States, and Europe. Using a PAN-based method, Toray carbon fiber is made in various modulus types.
Higher modulus carbon fiber is often more expensive, but less is required because of the increased physical properties, making these products popular in all fields despite the higher cost.
Zoltek
Carbon fiber manufactured by Zoltek, a subsidiary of Toray, can be found in numerous applications including aerospace, sporting goods, and industrial areas such as construction and safety gear.
Zoltek claims to manufacture the lowest-cost carbon fiber on the market. PANEX and PYRON are trade names for Zoltek carbon fibers.
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