CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/697353
TRENDS AEROSPACE JULY 2016 18 CompositesWorld The composites industry appears to be on the verge of taking another step in its quest for afordable, high-quality carbon fber. Advanced Carbon Products LLC (ACP, Hitchins, KY, US) reports that it has developed and patented a contin- uous manufacturing process for the production of meso- phase pitch carbon fber precursor that will cost as little as US$1.50/lb. Chris Boyer, ACP's VP of marketing, says the company received a US patent in 2015 for producing isotropic pitch, the feedstock for the mesophase pitch, for which ACP developed and received another patent earlier this year. The isotropic pitch is referred to internally by ACP as ACP10; mesophase pitch is referred to as ACP20. The key to driving down cost, Boyer says, is the company's ability to manufacture the isotropic pitch and mesophase pitch in continuous (rather than batch) short- residence-time processes. He says the company believes that with further process optimization, it could reduce the cost of mesophase pitch to less than US$1.50/lb. In terms of the potential quality of the carbon fber result- ing from the low-cost mesophase pitch, Boyer says ACP's anisotropic pitch is chemically similar to anisotropic pitch Coming to carbon fiber: Low-cost mesophase-pitch precursor WHETHER YOU'RE BUYING 2 OR 200... ...THERE'S A SUPERIOR TOOL IN YOUR FUTURE! Tools for Composite, Aluminum, Titanium, Steel. Quick Turnaround on Tools & Coating. ORDER RAPID CUSTOM MADE: 800.428.TOOL (8665) TO BUY ONLINE STOCK: SUPERIORTOOLSERVICE.COM