VAP infusion-molded carbon fiber belts

Industrial-grade carbon fibers make high-performance applications more accessible

Polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers with a high degree of carbonization (>99%) and the associated industrial production process were first developed in the 1960s. The high mechanical performance (E-modulus and strength) of this new material offered new possibilities for composite applications, but was also priced accordingly for decades. This limited its use to companies and industries that could either sell their products at a high price, had no other technical alternatives, or, as in the case of the aerospace industry, could afford it. Around the year 2000, this situation changed: new suppliers entered the market, offering so-called „high-tow carbon fibers“ in industrial quality (~240GPa / 4000 MPa, 50K) at lower prices, thus enabling other industries to use these fibers in their applications.