US institute promotes carbon fibre use in auto industry

HOUSTON (ICIS)–A US manufacturing institute is launching a project to promote the adoption of carbon fibre and vinyl ester composites into automotive applications, US specialty chemicals producer Ashland, carbon fibre firm Zoltek and other companies said in a joint statement on Friday.

The companies are partners in a project by the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing (IACMI) that focuses on the optimisation of vinyl ester resins and fibre sizings for the fabrication of carbon fibre composites.

The project will develop vinyl ester resin/fibre sizing/ carbon fibre combinations that are styrene free and that have room temperature storage capability of at least three months and cure times of less than three minutes.

Advancements in this area would increase productivity, decrease scrap and material costs, and enable adoption into the automotive industry, the companies said.

“The success of this IACMI project will help catalyse the adoption of carbon fibre and vinyl ester composites into automotive applications by producing a more cost-effective technology with lower material costs, a more productive technology with reduced cure time and reduced scrap, and a safer technology with the elimination of styrene,” they added.

Ashland serves customers in a wide range of industrial and consumer markets, including automotive, adhesives, architectural coatings, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical.

Zoltek develops low-cost carbon fibre and carbon fibre intermediate products for use in automotive parts, wind turbine blades, thermoplastic compounding, offshore drilling, civil engineering, marine, and various other commercial products.

The automotive industry is a major global consumer of petrochemicals which contribute more than a third of the raw material costs of an average vehicle.