AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO DRIVE GROWING DEMAND FOR CARBON FIBER

CARBON FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE APPLICATIONS

Carbon fiber has long been a popular choice for manufacturing components that are set to undergo extreme environmental stress. Aerospace and Defense products in particular have taken advantage of the composite’s high strength-to-weight ratio for decades. But the material’s relatively high production cost had historically served mostly as a barrier for other industries such as Automotive and Sporting Goods.

We’re happy to report that’s no longer the case, according to recent industry reports that show an increasing demand for carbon fiber reinforced composites a leading factor in global demand that’s expected to reach $28 billion by 2024. Much of this can be traced clearly back to recent European and U.S. Regulations focused on increasing automotive fuel efficiency. The drive towards lightweight, ultra efficient vehicles is on.

In short, lighter weight vehicles need to happen. Carbon fiber can reduce the weight for automotive components significantly without losing part strength. But carbon fiber was too expensive to be valuable for high volume automotive component manufacturing. It was a dilemma many product designers found themselves scratching their heads over.

Not anymore.

IMPROVED MANUFACTURING FOR MORE COST EFFECTIVE CARBON FIBER PRODUCTION

That’s because recent improvements in manufacturing techniques are quickly making carbon fiber a more relevant–and realistic–option for automotive manufacturers, Aerospace and Defense projects, and even sporting goods manufacturing. All of that means we’re going to continue seeing a lot more of these composites in the coming years. $28 billion worth, in fact.

Do you have questions about carbon fiber? Want to know if carbon fiber reinforced composites are right for your parts? Contact KASO today to speak with one of our materials selection experts.