High-performance fiber is the focus of the development of the global material field due to its high strength, high modulus, light weight, high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance. Among them, high-performance carbon fiber, para-aramid, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber are the three most important high-performance fibers, which are widely used in the aerospace, defense and military industries, and are important in energy, transportation, civil engineering, marine engineering, etc. The industrial field is also an indispensable national strategic material and a symbol of national strength.
National policy documents such as China’s “Thirteenth Five-Year” National Strategic Emerging Industries Development Plan, Industrial Strong Foundation Project Implementation Guide, First New Material Application Demonstration Guidance Catalog, New Material Standard Pilot Action Plan, etc. all apply the above-mentioned high-performance fibers to R&D To deploy.
Para-aramid fiber
In terms of para-aramid, the global production capacity in 2018 was 92,000 tons, of which 44% in the United States, 36% in Japan, 7% in South Korea, 10% in China, and 3% in Russia. The output during the same period was 82,000 tons. From the perspective of China's production capacity, the domestic consumer demand in the same period was 8,500 tons, and the gap was relatively large. The domestic applications of para-aramid are concentrated on fiber optic cable reinforcement, cable webbing, friction sealing and safety protection, composite materials, etc. It is expected that the demand will reach 12,000 tons in 2020 and 20,000 tons in 2025, with great room for growth.
carbon fiber
In terms of carbon fiber, global production capacity reached 92,600 tons in 2018, but demand still has a lot of room for growth, and it is expected to grow at a rate of 10% per year. In recent years, China's carbon fiber market has achieved ultra-high-speed growth. In 2018, consumer demand reached 31,000 tons, with an annual growth rate of 32%. In 2018, my country's carbon fiber production capacity reached 26,800 tons. At present, the effective domestic carbon fiber supply is only 9,000 tons.
In recent years, China's carbon fiber technology has advanced rapidly. T300, T700, and T800 have all been industrialized. T1000, M40, M40J, M55J and other high-strength and high-modulus carbon fibers have been prepared in batches, covering high-strength, high-strength medium-mold, high-mold, The four series of high-strength and high-mold have initially met the needs of the defense military industry. They have grown rapidly in the fields of wind power, pressure vessels, composite materials, and sports equipment. The output has increased rapidly. It is expected that domestic demand will reach 50,000 tons in 2020.
UHMWPE fiber
In terms of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, the global production capacity in 2018 was 42,200 tons, of which 12,200 tons were foreign production, mainly including 6,000 tons in the Netherlands, 3,000 tons in the United States, and 3,200 tons in Japan. The annual output was about 11,000 tons. At present, the global annual demand for carbon fiber is about 30,000 tons. With the further development of the military and civilian fields, it will continue to grow rapidly in the next five years.
Judging from the situation in my country, the annual production capacity of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber is about 25,000 tons, and the product quality and technology have strong market competitiveness. Products are mainly used for cut-resistant gloves, ropes, security products, etc.
Development proposals
China's leading high-performance fiber technology group should increase and accelerate its investment in the research and development of high-performance fibers, seize the opportunities, and make new contributions to the development of China's high-performance fiber industry. It is suggested that the future technical development can focus on the following three directions:
One is the high-performance products, specialization, and integration of structure and function. Focusing on the needs of major application areas such as automobile lightweight, high-speed rail, large aircraft, wind power, marine engineering, environmental protection, etc., we design and develop new specialized, serialized high-performance fiber varieties with high strength, high mold, high temperature resistance, long service life and strong reliability. , From the past to run, to run side by side, and then lead.
The second is that the processing technology is more efficient, stable, energy-saving and low-cost is the development trend. Attention should be paid to the high-efficiency purification technology of monomers, high conversion conversion and stabilization control technology, high-concentration spinning stock solution and high-efficiency continuous preparation and low-degradation technology, to accelerate the large-scale innovation development of engineering design technology, and to form advanced technology and independent intellectual property equipment.
The third is the automation, mechanization and intelligence of the production and processing system. Accelerate the integration with informatization and networking, improve the production efficiency and quality of high-performance fibers, reduce costs, and expand the scope of market applications.