In the field of lightweight carbon fiber, Toray and Teijin will launch new materials for aircrafts. Strive to increase the supply of existing models from around 2021, and provide full-scale supply to new-generation models from around 2025. The new product is easy to achieve mass production, and the production cost of aircraft parts is expected to be reduced by about half in the future.
Carbon fiber weighs only 1/4 of iron and has ten times the strength of iron. Toray, Teijin and Mitsubishi Chemical three Japanese companies hold 60% of the global market share in this field, and they have also attracted much attention worldwide. Three Japanese companies produce composite materials combining carbon fiber and resin, and supply them to aircraft parts manufacturers.
Toray's main products are "thermosetting" composite materials that harden when heated. By adjusting the blending ratio of the resin, we have developed new products that can shorten the production period by 2-3%. The previous products were used in the main wing and fuselage of the American Boeing 787 passenger aircraft, but the production cycle was long, and the monthly supply could only produce 10 aircraft. In addition, Toray is also committed to the production of "thermoplastic" composite materials that soften after heating and can be easily processed into parts. The company has established a large number of supply channels by acquiring Dutch manufacturers in the same industry.
In terms of thermosetting products, Teijin has also developed new products to improve mass production, which will be supplied to large European airlines as early as 2020. In addition, Teijin will supply thermoplastic products to Boeing's next-generation models by 2021, and strive to increase the sales of aviation-related carbon fiber fields to three times by 2030, reaching about 100 billion yen, or about 6.4 billion yuan.
If a series of new products become popular, the production cost of aviation parts is expected to drop significantly.