Japanese helping bring down the price of carbon fiber

Posted Mon May 12 2008 3:45 PM by Nelson Ireson

Lightweight body panels, engine under covers and other parts can be made from carbon fiber composites to save weight, which saves fuel by decreasing the mass to be accelerated by the engine. The implications for the future of fuel consumption and regulations are obvious. The only major problem facing the widespread adoption of carbon fiber is the cost - but companies in Japan are working on projects to bring carbon fiber to the masses.

Japan accounts for about 50% of the world's total carbon fiber output each year, thanks to the work of two companies, Toray and Teijin. Both are working to develop new carbon-fiber composites that combine low cost and light weight for application in the next generation of hybrid and standard vehicles.

Currently, the two primary barriers to low-cost carbon fiber production are the high energy costs of the manufacturing process and the length of time - hours, at a minimum - necessary to mold and cure carbon fiber parts, reports Automotive News.

By contrast, sheet metal requires only seconds to stamp. And despite the difficult process of smelting, molding and rolling out sheets of steel, the carbon fiber production process is still energy-intensive in comparison. Thin strands of pitch, rayon or a material known as PAN are baked in ovens at temperatures of 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (1,982 degrees Celsius) until they are 95% percent or more pure carbon, then the threads are woven into yarns or cloths to be integrated into various types of components.

Only about 1% of all the carbon fiber produced in the world is currently used for automotive applications, and the vast majority of that ends up in very high-end sports and luxury cars. Making carbon fiber and its composites available and affordable in the average car is still several years away, at least.

However, as fuel prices rise and safety standards place pressure on manufacturers to improve crash results and structural integrity without increasing weight, the viability of carbon fiber can only rise, as it is a very handy tool to solve both problems.

Reader Comments

Mon May 12 2008 5:07 PM
Minizzle says

I LOVE Carbon Fiber,,, it has been a huge benefit to the performance car industry and now the public can also benefit. The general public is bound to love this material because of its safety and the possibility of more MPG's. It is win win situation.

P.S.- GO Japan
Mon May 12 2008 5:23 PM
Gus says

It is an amazing material. Once you pick up a bicycle made of the stuff in one hand and a normal, or even aluminum bicycle in the other, you will simly be totally astounded. Until you touch it, you don't understand just what it can do.
Mon May 12 2008 5:49 PM
chris says

i'm still hoping one of the big car companies (GM or toyota,.. preferably ford of course :D) really buys into this and friggens tarts producing it huge like. i want to see it used more in common cars.
Mon May 12 2008 7:32 PM
Al says

But at least steel and aluminum are recyclable. What happens to all the carbon fiber when the car is disposed of? Put in a landfill?
Mon May 12 2008 7:58 PM
Gus says

Good question.
Mon May 12 2008 11:43 PM
wang lee says

Die Konzerns would of course not let carbon fiber go cheap until they find some alternate to grab benifit from the perfomance cars.
Tue May 13 2008 3:15 PM
ohmy says

hmm, maybe with old CF would be to be recycled or remelted into new CF? maybe?

im a cyclist and i LOVE CF, its a cyclist best friend. Its super lightweight, yet stronger than steel, and you can mold it to any shape you want.

Right now, I think the Airline industry use most of the CF of the world, right?

Plus theres the difference between different types of CF that you can manipuluate into absorbign energy into any way you want.

In a case of a bicycles, if you want more vertical compliance, you would want a a certain strand of CF, and if u want more stiffness, you want higher modulus CF to get the job done. Practically endless =)

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