Toray Industries of Japan (Toray Industries) develops high tensile modulus carbon fibers and thermoplastic particles made from such fibers. These particles are suitable for injection molding and can be used to efficiently produce complex, rigid and light-weight parts, thereby reducing the negative impact on the environment. Toray said that these product advantages can greatly improve cost performance. The company will promote the commercial development of such fiber and pellet products in the next three years.
Toray's new Torayca T series high-strength carbon fiber can be used in pressure vessels, automobiles and other industrial applications, as well as aerospace. In 2014, the company launched Torayca T1100 carbon fiber, which has the world's leading tensile strength, reaching 7.0 GPa and a tensile elastic modulus of 320 GPa.
In 2018, the company commercialized the Torayca M40X to further expand the potential of carbon fiber in the field of high-end sports equipment and aerospace structural materials. The product uses patented nano-scale fiber structure control technology to balance high compressive strength, tensile strength (5.7 GPa) and tensile modulus (377 GPa). The diameter of such fibers is 5 microns, which limits the production efficiency, and the manufacturing cost is a problem.
In the recent development process, Toray tried to further upgrade the Torayca MX series control technology to create a 7-micron fiber with a unified internal structure to solve this challenge. As a result, the tensile modulus of elasticity of the fiber reaches 390 GPa, which is about 70% higher than the standard level of Torayca series industrial application products, providing better cost performance.
Compared with traditional high tensile modulus products, Torayca thermoplastic particles made of newly developed carbon fibers can maintain longer fibers through the molding process. The tensile modulus of these granules can reach 41 GPa, comparable to 45 GPa for magnesium alloys. At the same time, the specific gravity of the particles is only 1.4, while the specific gravity of the magnesium alloy is 1.8. Through the injection molding process, the use of these particles to manufacture complex parts will greatly increase productivity and help reduce weight.
Toray hopes to develop a variety of applications for its latest pellet products, including next-generation lightweight automotive components and the entire industrial field.