The company developed its new grade carbon fibre with a uniform structure by optimising the structural design of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based precursor and by optimising the manufacturing process. Compared to the company’s previous product, the existing grade carbon fibre that has been mainly used for aircraft applications, Tenax XMS32 offers 10% more tenacity and 10% greater tensile modulus. In addition, resin adherence has been significantly improved through new surface-modification technology to refine the chemical characteristics of the carbon fibre’s surface and control its smoothness on the nano level.

Carbon fibre used in aircraft, automotive, high-end sports and leisure applications must offer very high levels of stiffness, as well as improved tenacity and tensile modulus. The trend toward the thin-walling of products causes problems with stiffness and tensile modulus properties. It had generally been difficult to realise both tenacity and tensile modulus in PAN carbon fibre due to decreased tenacity resulting from increased tensile modulus.

Toho Tenax is developing prepreg using the new material for airplanes and expects to develop prepregs for automotive and high-end sports and leisure applications in the foreseeable future. Going forward, Toho Tenax will continue extending its lineup of carbon fibre ranging from yarn to structural parts, to meet wide-ranging requirements.

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The Automotive Business Development Group launched on the 1st of April as a new entity directly under the Carbon Fibres & Composites Business Unit. It’s responsible for marketing thermoplastic CFRP formerly handled by Toho Tenax and the Teijin Composites Innovation Centre, which will now focus on developing technologies for individual projects.

Integrating and reorganising these functions will enable the Teijin to accelerate its CFRP business, especially in the highly promising automotive field. Teijin wants to become Japan’s leading provider of CFRP composites for automotive applications.

Current efforts are focused on developing automotive CFRP products for global automakers in Japan and other countries. Toho Tenax, which spearheads Teijin’s carbon fibres and composites business, is developing automotive-use products such as high-efficiency thermoset CFRP and rapid-curing carbon fibre sheet pre-impregnated with matrix resin.

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The commercialisation of Tenax-E HTS45 P12 12K 800tex and Tenax-E IMS65 P12 24K 830tex is planned for 2014 with both new fibre types being produced at the German production site in Oberbruch.

Both products are compatible with high temperature thermoplastics (PEEK, PPS, PEI, etc.) as well as for lower temperature matrices like Polyamide based systems (PPA, PA12, PA6, etc.). The P12 sizing also allows low viscosity and in-situ reacting thermoplastics to be combined with Tenax carbon fibre.

Both fibres can be processed easily into a variety of textiles like woven fabrics, multiaxial fabrics, commingled yarn and 3D fabrics. Furthermore, they can be used for pultrusion and prepregging processes. The new yarn completes Toho Tenax port-folio of short carbon fiber for thermoplastic injection moulding applications.

Based on these new specialised carbon fibers, Toho Tenax is manufacturing successfully thermoplastic unidirectional prepreg tapes. Tenax TPUD has already been selected for a variety of aerospace developments and industrial programs.

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