Carbon fibers are a unique and preeminent material in the manufacturing industry. Be it automotive, aerospace, chemical industry or medical equipment, CFRP is massively used in the manufacturing of components required for the mentioned industries due to their unique characteristics which make it a leading premiere. The two main applications of carbon fiber parts and carbon fiber sheets are in specialty technology, which includes aerospace and nuclear engineering, and in general engineering and transportation, which includes engineered components such as gears, fan blades and automobile bodies.
The use of carbon fiber in itself is not the rule. Typically, customers apply carbon fibers for fortification and/or functionality of composite materials, made with resin, ceramic or metal as the matrix. Carbon fibers are widely applied to a wide variety of applications with supreme mechanical characteristics (specific tensile strength, specific modulus) and other characteristics due to carbon fiber composite material (low density, low coefficient of thermal expansion, heat resistance, chemical stability, etc.). These characteristics make the CF so unique and distinctive, which is why almost every manufacturing industry participates in it.
The attributes characterizing the performance and special characteristics of carbon fiber define its uniqueness. These features include:
The next generation of carbon fiber composites, such as prepreg composites, could reduce the weight of passenger cars by 50% and improve fuel efficiency by around 35% without compromising performance or safety; a breakthrough that would save more than $5,000 in fuel over the life of the car at today's gas prices. In addition to its uses in the manufacture of cars and trucks, advances in carbon fiber will help American manufacturers reduce costs and improve the performance of wind turbine blades and towers, electronics, components energy storage and power transmission lines.
Moreover, in 3D printing technology, carbon fiber composites add value by their presence. It is a sophisticated technology used for several applications and does not require a large equipment configuration. This technology makes it possible to print several objects in a short time. Continuous carbon fibers are used in 3D printing as if they offer high strength and stiffness compared to other metallic materials. The content and orientation of the carbon fiber is controllable, which facilitates the optimization process. 3D printing using carbon fibers also enables high precision in manufacturing parts for various end-use industries such as aerospace, automotive, and dental. This technology will revolutionize the carbon fiber manufacturing process and provide significant opportunities for market players.
The starting material, a carbon-rich acrylic similar to those used in sweaters and rugs, isn't that expensive at $3 a pound. But turning it from a solid into pits of carbon requires huge, power-hungry machines to heat it up for hours. In addition, there is 50 percent waste. After three heating cycles, at temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius, the electricity bill is enormous. And that's just for the strands. Now each fiber must be woven into mesh sheets, an equally demanding and costly step. Each strand must pull its weight to ensure even resistance. Once the fibers are woven into sheets, a resin is added to define its final shape. Screw that and you have to start all over again. Overall, carbon fiber can start at $3 a pound, but by the time it reaches a bike frame manufacturer, it will cost closer to $20 per m² for prepreg composite fabric. Add over 1,000 hours of development/implementation work, a few mistakes, a lot of waste, and your $4,000 carbon fiber bike frame doesn't seem so expensive anymore. Moreover, manufacturing and assembly machinery are not the only technological cost factors to consider. New composite manufacturing software comes to market. For example:
Software vendors are also introducing products to help identify upstream manufacturing risks. This will reduce costly errors before they happen, further reducing cycle times and carbon fiber manufacturing costs.
Therefore, these factors drive the costs of carbon fiber composites / prepreg composites at such heights. The carbon fiber market, by application, is dominated by the composites segment, both in value and volume. The growth is due to the large-scale use of the composite form of carbon fiber in various industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, and wind power. The scalability and scope of carbon fiber manufacturing and machining is spread across the globe, especially in Europe, which holds the largest market share of the carbon fiber market, as there are a large number of offshore wind installations, particularly in the UK and Germany.
Although manufacturers focus on producing carbon fiber at low cost, mass production and commercialization would take time. To compete with PAN fibers, the cost of carbon fibers must be reduced by mass production. The applications of carbon fiber are still limited due to its high cost, justifying the uniqueness of its characteristics and the high price associated with the final product.
