Mitsubishi Chemical to establish CFRTP pilot facility

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. (MCC, Tokyo, Japan) reported in Dec. 2020 that it has established a new pilot facility for carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) materials. The facility will be located in Fukui Prefecture (part of Japan's Honshu island) and is scheduled to start operation by the end of 2021.

In addition to MMC’s track record of successful CFRP applications, with support from the Industrial Technology Center of the Fukui Prefecture and leveraging technological synergy within the MCC Group, MCC says it has recently established technology enabling the manufacturing of high-quality CFRTP with low void content. In the future, MCC plans to market the product as a new series in its KyronTM thermoplastic composite brand and roll it out to the Japanese CFRTP market, which until now has relied chiefly on imported products.

Further, against a backdrop of tighter environmental regulations, the need for lighter aircraft and automotive bodies are growing in the mobility sector, and MCC claims the use of CFRP is predicted to increase in these industries as a result of its light weight and strength. Until now, says MCC, CFRP using thermoset resins has been the main product in this segment, but to promote CFRP utilization, more widespread use needs to be made of CFRTP.

The company adds that it will proactively expand its CFRP business by harnessing the power of the MCC Group to develop new products capable of fulfilling increasingly diverse and sophisticated customer needs and providing optimal and timely solutions to the mobility sector, where remarkable technological innovation is taking place.