Japanese manufacturer Toray Industries (Tokyo; www.toray.com) has announced the development of a new variety of regular tow carbon fibre. To provide large scale production, the company will also build a carbonisation facility at its plant in Guadalajara / Mexico, operated by subsidiary Zoltek Companies (St. Louis, Missouri / USA; www.zoltek.com), in order to satisfy the growing demand for carbon fibre. The new line is expected to go onstream by the end of 2018.

According to Toray, the global market for carbon fibre is growing at a rate of 10% annually, as various industries contribute to continuing demand for the material. Market breadth is increasing, too, for which Toray’s production portfolio ranges from ultra high-performance carbon fibres for aerospace applications to high strength and average elastic modulus carbon fibres for common industrial applications. Growth in demand is driven in particular by the automotive industry, as electric and fuel-cell vehicles call for more lightweight material. To satisfy such needs, Toray has developed its “Z600” material that is available in two variations, large tow and regular tow, to be used in applications such as pressure vessels.

In its medium-term strategy, Toray aims on “expanding the business in growth fields and creating new demand through development of new products,” a task it identifies as very important for its carbon fibre composite business, which the company plans to expand significantly.