Toray celebrates commissioning of expanded Torayca T1100 production line
Doubled carbon fiber production capacity at Toray’s Decatur, Alabama, plant will support rising demand in U.S. defense.
From left to right: Major General Tom O’Connor, Dennis Frett, Andrew Matthews and General (Retired) Paul Kern. Source | Triston Holmes, 2024
On Jan. 29, Toray Composite Materials America Inc. (TCMA, Decatur, Ala., U.S.) celebrated the commissioning of its upgraded carbon fiber production line at its Decatur, Alabama, facility. The $15 million upgrade doubles the production capacity of Torayca T1100 carbon fiber and adds critical redundancy to support the rising demand for defense applications (read more, “Toray Composite Materials America to double Torayca T1100 production capacity”). Toray says that its T1100 carbon fiber is vital to several U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) weapons systems and the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.
Present at the event was Congressman Dale Strong of the Fifth Congressional District of Alabama, as well as cross-section of local and federal government, industry and academia. Major General Tom O’Connor, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, participated as the featured guest in a policy discussion led by former commander of the Army Material Command, retired General Paul Kern. The discussion focused on the importance of a strong domestic industrial base following the Ja. 11, 2024 release of the DOD’s inaugural National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS).
Toray has already begun production using this new capability and are in the process of qualifying the new line with a number of customers. “Our team in Decatur worked tirelessly to advance the commissioning of our upgraded carbon fiber production line to support the strong demand from the defense industry,” Dennis Frett, president of TCMA, notes. “As the DOD prioritizes developing a resilient supply chain as part of the NDIS, Toray’s focus is to ensure that we are doing our part to produce and increase material availability for various defense programs.”
Toray claims to be the largest carbon fiber and prepreg producer in the U.S. The Decatur plant has operation lines from precursor to carbon fiber and is one of three Toray manufacturing facilities. The company has other locations in Tacoma, Washington, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, producing precursor, carbon fiber and prepreg. Toray’s comprehensive portfolio of carbon fiber composite materials supports customers in aerospace and defense, industrial and automotive industries.
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