Toray Composite Materials America to double Torayca T1100 production capacity
The upgrade to the company’s Decatur, Alabama, carbon fiber plant is set to begin April 2023 in order to support rising demand in defense applications.
An overhead view of the Decatur, Ala., U.S. carbon fiber facility. Photo Credit: Toray Composite Materials America Inc.
Toray Composite Materials America Inc. (TCMA, Tacoma, Wash., U.S.), a global carbon fiber and advanced composite materials producer, announces a significant upgrade of its carbon fiber facility located in Decatur, Ala., U.S. The $15 million investment will double the production capacity of the high-performance Torayca T1100 carbon fiber and add critical redundancy. The upgrade is set to begin in April 2023 and completed by September of the same year.
The upgrade is in response to the rising demand for defense applications in the U.S., significantly increasing the availability and shortening lead time of Torayca T1100 next-generation intermediate modulus plus (IM+) carbon fiber. According to TCMA, this material is a critical component in several U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) weapon systems, as well as structural applications in future vertical lift (FVL) platforms (see one example, “Overair’s Butterfly eVTOL prototype to integrate composites-intensive design”).
“We’re excited about adding capacity and flexibility at our Decatur plant for our defense customers,” Dennis Frett, president of TCMA, says. “Not only are we doing our part to reinforce the country’s industrial base and the [current] administration’s “Made in America” priorities, but we’re also strengthening our country’s domestic capacity for advanced materials technology.”
Toray is one of the largest producer of carbon fiber in the U.S. and has a fully integrated supply chain. 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, Wash., and Spartanburg, S.C., producing precursor, carbon fiber and prepreg.
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