On July 4, the 2024 (11th) Carbon Fiber Industry Development Conference, hosted by China Chemical Information Center and co-organized by Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co., Ltd., opened in Langfang, Hebei Province. Academicians, experts, scholars and business representatives from the carbon fiber and composite materials industry discussed the current situation, trends and ideas of industrial development.
The trend of domestic substitution is obvious
Shi Dongmei, Chief Technical Engineer of the High-tech Research and Development Center of the National Natural Science Foundation of China
New materials are an important material support for the development of new productive forces on the mainland. The United States, Japan, the European Union and other developed countries and regions attach great importance to the basic support and leading role of new materials, actively formulate new material development strategies, and further highlight the strategic layout of new materials. Shi Dongmei, chief engineer of the High-tech Research and Development Center of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, said that at present, the global new material industry is fiercely competitive, and new materials are becoming customized, composite, multi-functional, green, low-carbon, more resistant to extreme environments, and closer to the performance limit.
Wang Wu, Deputy General Manager of China Chemical Information Center
As the "king of new materials" in the 21st century, carbon fiber has excellent mechanical properties and is widely used in wind turbines, aerospace, sports and leisure fields. Wang Wu, deputy general manager of China Chemical Information Center, said in his speech at the conference that the production capacity of the carbon fiber industry in mainland China has expanded rapidly in recent years, surpassing the United States for the first time in 2021 to become the world's largest carbon fiber producer, and in 2023, the operating capacity of carbon fiber in mainland China will account for almost half of the global carbon fiber production capacity. With the rapid launch of the production capacity of the leading carbon fiber enterprises in the mainland, the gap between supply and demand in the carbon fiber market has gradually eased, and domestic carbon fiber has become the mainstream supply in the Chinese market, and the trend of domestic substitution is getting stronger and stronger. In 2023, the localization rate of carbon fiber in mainland China will be about 77%, and China will account for five of the top ten companies in the world in terms of production capacity. In the next few years, the total expansion plan of domestic carbon fiber enterprises is expected to be close to 300,000 tons, and the mainland carbon fiber industry is gradually achieving self-sufficiency.
Wen Shumei, Senior Engineer of the Intelligence Division of China Chemical Information Center
According to Wen Shumei, senior engineer of the intelligence division of China Chemical Information Center, the global demand for carbon fiber in 2023 will be 115,000 tons, a decrease of 14.8% compared with 135,000 tons in 2022, mainly due to the weak market demand for wind power. China's total demand for carbon fiber in 2023 will be 69,000 tons, down 7.2% from 74,000 tons in 2022. With the enhancement of import substitution of domestic carbon fiber, imported carbon fiber has shown a cliff-like decline.
Fang Jing, Director of R&D Department of Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co., Ltd
In 2022, the demand for domestic carbon fiber products in mainland China will be 45,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 53.80%, and the demand for imported products will be 29,400 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 11.20%. In the view of Fang Jing, director of the R&D Department of Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co., Ltd., with the continuous expansion of the application of carbon fiber composite materials, the demand for carbon fiber will continue to grow. The total global demand for carbon fiber is expected to reach 188,400 tons in 2025 and 341,700 tons in 2030. Although Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co., Ltd. is not the first echelon of domestic carbon fiber in terms of production capacity, it is the first enterprise in mainland China to realize the large-scale and stable production of T700 and T800 dry-jet wet-spun high-performance carbon fiber, and has fully mastered the large-scale production engineering technology of T1000, T1100 and M40 carbon fibers, and the performance indicators of carbon fibers of various specifications have reached or exceeded the level of similar products in the industry. At present, Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co., Ltd. has 12 series of fibers, covering high-strength type, high-strength medium model, high-strength and high-strength model and other categories, which are widely used in high-end sporting goods, low-altitude economy and many other fields.
Carbon fiber composites should adhere to independent innovation,
Recycling still faces challenges
Ni Qingqing, academician of the Japanese Academy of Engineering and deputy director of Zhejiang Modern Textile Technology Innovation Center
Ni Qingqing, academician of the Japanese Academy of Engineering and deputy director of Zhejiang Modern Textile Technology Innovation Center, said that in the context of "double carbon", lightweight in the field of rail transit such as aviation, wind power, automobiles, and high-speed rail is the most effective means of energy conservation and carbon reduction. The excellent properties of carbon fiber and its composite materials make it widely used in aerospace, rail transit, vehicle manufacturing, weapons and equipment, construction machinery, infrastructure construction, marine engineering, petroleum engineering, wind energy, sporting goods and other fields. Carbon fiber is listed as one of the key strategic materials by the national strategic program, and the development planning goals are: in 2025, the technical maturity of domestic high-strength medium-mold, high-modulus and high-strength carbon fiber and its composite materials will reach level 9; By 2025, in combination with the research and development process of domestic large aircraft, some key components of aviation carbon fiber composite materials have obtained CAAC, FAA, EASA and other airworthiness certifications. At present, the high-performance carbon fiber material industry in mainland China has a rapid development momentum, mainly for the aerospace market, and at the same time focuses on the new energy market for wind power generation, as well as the new automotive lightweight material market. The construction of carbon fiber and its composite material industry chain will greatly promote the wide application of lightweight and high-strength composite materials in aviation, automobile, high-speed rail and other transportation fields, and it will have good social and economic benefits for energy conservation and carbon emission reduction.
Sun Hongjie, deputy chief engineer of the Institute of Aerospace Materials and Technology
Sun Hongjie, deputy chief engineer of the Institute of Aerospace Materials and Technology, pointed out that carbon fiber composite materials are representatives of advanced composite materials, and their development and application degree reflect the development level of national advanced materials technology. High-performance PAN carbon fiber is the premise and foundation for the development and application of carbon fiber composite materials. While developing in the direction of high performance, multi-function and low cost, Continental's carbon fiber composite technology should adhere to independence and technological innovation to achieve the sustainable development of Continental's advanced composite technology.
Yu Zhengrong, chief engineer and technical assistant to the general manager of Langfang Feize Composite Materials Technology Co., Ltd
Yu Zhengrong, chief engineer and technical assistant to the general manager of Langfang Feize Composite Materials Technology Co., Ltd., said that carbon fiber reinforced composite materials will continue to expand in the industrial/consumer goods industry. In the increasingly competitive products at all levels, the importance of innovative mass production processes, R&D ideas and products is becoming more and more important. In the future, the focus should be on related applications such as sustainability and environmental protection, lightweight solutions, smart manufacturing and automation, versatility and high performance.
Yang Bin, founder of Nantong Fuyuan New Material Technology Co., Ltd. and professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Yang Bin, founder of Nantong Fuyuan New Material Technology Co., Ltd. and professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, pointed out that the global demand for carbon fiber will reach 190,000~300,000 tons in 2030, and the mainland wind power market will grow rapidly. The leading role of primary carbon fiber is changing from Japan to China, which has led to a sharp expansion of domestic demand for carbon fiber, and the inevitability of the recycling industry is rapidly increasing, and carbon fiber has entered the era of repeated use. Carbon fiber recycling is a big industry, and if it is recycled several times, its scale is several times that of the primary carbon fiber industry. Recycled carbon fiber has a small amount of supplement to the primary carbon fiber industry, and it is more of a new industry.
She said that the industrialization status of carbon fiber recycling and reuse is: the application in the field of composite materials has not yet begun, and the application in the field of polymer processing is rising. Competition in the carbon fiber recycling industry is shifting from competition in initial recycling technology to competition in integrated recycling-reuse solutions. Taking the automotive field as an example, the direction of domestic recycled carbon fiber recycling and reuse is: first, chopped recycled carbon fiber (for modified plastics), and second, recycled carbon fiber felt (for re-preparation of thermosetting and thermoplastic composites).
The application in the field of low-altitude economy can be expected
At present, in addition to traditional applications such as wind turbines, aerospace, sports and leisure, carbon fiber has also emerged as a new application scenario of low-altitude economy. Although it is a long time before the large-scale industrial landing, carbon fiber, as an important supporting material for low-altitude aircraft, is still very promising for future application prospects. According to Wen Shumei, the scale of the mainland's low-altitude economy will reach 505.95 billion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 33.8%.
Li Hongyun, chief technical expert of AVIC Composite Materials Co., Ltd., said in a high-end interview that the low-altitude economy is a new development direction advocated by the government and the future development potential is expected to exceed trillions of scale output value, and the industry is currently in the stage of investment fever. This is also a very good opportunity for carbon fiber composite companies. Because the demand for carbon fiber and composite materials for low-altitude aircraft, which accounts for a large proportion of the low-altitude economy, is very large: first, the amount of composite materials used in a single aircraft is basically higher than 80%, or even as high as 90%; Second, there are great opportunities for future flights, and the low-altitude aircraft used for different purposes such as transporting people, transporting goods, emergency rescue and disaster relief, agriculture, forestry and plant protection are of a large order of magnitude, and can be as many as thousands or tens of thousands. These two major needs provide a very good development opportunity for the development of the field of carbon fiber and composite materials.
Sun Liye, Vice President of United Aircraft Group and General Manager of Beijing ABP
On how to develop the low-altitude economy, Sun Liye, vice president of the United Aircraft Group and general manager of the Beijing ABP, gave three suggestions: First, it is necessary to "build" aircraft, second, it is necessary to "engage" infrastructure construction, and third, it is necessary to "grasp" applications.
The low-altitude economic take-off will bring an incremental market for carbon fiber composite materials, and the carbon fiber industry is expected to usher in explosive growth. Fang Jing pointed out that the demand for carbon fiber for a single electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) is 100~400kg. As of May 2023, there are approximately 6,300 eVTOLs on order worldwide. Assuming that all these demands are released by 2030, it is expected to boost the demand for 1,000-ton carbon fiber.
During the conference, the unveiling ceremony of Hebei Carbon Fiber Industry Technology Research Institute was also held.