Japan develops rapid curing carbon fiber reinforced prepreg

Japan's DIC Corporation and its local partners have developed a fast-curing carbon fiber-reinforced prepreg that reportedly has the world's fastest curing time and can be stored at room temperature
.

DIC, Shilian Co.
, Ltd.
, and Fukui Industrial Technology Center recently completed a research project aimed at commercializing fast-curing prepregs made of carbon fiber composites for automobiles
.
The project was selected by the New Energy and Industrial Development Organization (NEDO) as the main research project and was subsidized for a three-year period from July 2018 to June 2021
.
The three companies have also developed large-scale production processes and began providing samples in July using a demonstration plant operated by World Union
.

Carbon fiber reinforced prepreg is an intermediate material made by processing bundles of carbon fibers into flat sheets and impregnating the flat sheets with resin
.
Due to its light weight and high strength, carbon fiber reinforced prepreg is increasingly used in aircraft, aerospace and automotive to improve fuel economy and reduce body weight, which highlights the positive for further growth in demand in the coming years expected
.
Forming and processing CFRP composites, including prepreg sheets, is often time-consuming, and techniques to reduce molding times are considered critical to their widespread use
.

The research project combines DIC's radiation-curable resin, Fukui Industrial Technology Center's high-speed tow spreading technology, and Shilian's high-precision impregnation technology, using its resin film-forming and coating capabilities to achieve carbon fiber-reinforced prepreg The minimum curing time of the material is the world's leading level of 30 seconds
.
In addition, unlike traditional epoxy prepreg sheets, this new product can be stored at room temperature and does not require refrigerated or refrigerated storage facilities, thereby reducing storage costs
.

Going forward, DIC and World Union will continue to work together to encourage the adoption of this carbon fiber reinforced prepreg by manufacturers in multiple industries, including automakers
.
By increasing molding and machining productivity, the company expects to further drive the popularity of carbon fiber composites to help reduce weight, improve fuel economy, and reduce energy consumption in end-use products
.