Rising demand for carbon fiber applications is good for the development of the carbon fiber raw fiber industry

The carbon fiber production process is relatively complex and can be divided into raw fiber preparation link/carbon fiber production link/composite material production link. The core technology of carbon fiber is raw silk production, and the production process is polymerization, rubber making, and spinning. In the production of carbon fiber precursors, acrylonitrile is the most direct material, accounting for about 50% of the cost, followed by natural gas and oil. The main cost of carbon filament is raw filament. Producing 1 ton of carbon fiber usually requires 2 tons of raw filament.

In the field of carbon fiber precursors, spinning technology requirements are relatively high. After years of development, carbon fiber raw silk spinning technology globally and in my country has been improved, forming two processes: wet spinning and dry-jet wet spinning. Carbon fiber products produced by the dry-jet wet spinning process have fewer surface defects, better tensile properties, and excellent processing properties, so they are widely used. Although the spinning speed of the wet spinning process is relatively slow, it can form large-scale production. It is currently mainly used in the production of large-tow carbon fiber precursors. Due to the low production scale, it can reduce production costs.

According to the released “2021-2025 Carbon Fiber Raw Fiber Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” shows that carbon fiber has excellent performance. It has a wide range of applications and is currently used in many fields such as aerospace and wind power. Benefiting from the development of high-end domestic equipment and the government’s support for the new energy industry, my country’s carbon fiber market demand continues to rise. In 2020, domestic carbon fiber consumption will be approximately 50,000 tons, and is expected to reach 150,000 tons by 2025. Benefiting from the rising demand for carbon fiber market, the carbon fiber raw silk industry has been driven by rapid development. It is expected that China’s carbon fiber raw silk market demand will be around 160,000 tons by 2025.

There are many carbon fiber raw silk manufacturers in China, including Carbon Valley + Baojing, Zhongfu Shenying, Guangwei Composite Materials, Jiangsu Hengshen, Lanzhou Bluestar, Zhongjian Technology, Taigang Steel and other companies. In 2020, carbon fiber raw silk in the valley The production capacity has reached more than 100,000 tons, of which Carbon Valley + Baojing has a production capacity of 40,000 tons, an increase of 22,000 tons compared with 2019. Domestic carbon fiber raw fiber production capacity continues to grow, and the capacity utilization rate has also increased, increasing from 15% in 2016 to about 52% in 2020. Since carbon fiber is a dual-use material for both military and civilian use and is highly sensitive, major global companies have restricted the export of carbon fiber raw filaments. Currently, there have been no cases where international carbon fiber giants have exported carbon fiber raw filaments to China in bulk.

Industrial analysts said that carbon fiber raw silk is an important part of carbon fiber production and has a high technical threshold. Benefiting from the development of the domestic carbon fiber industry, the demand for carbon fiber precursors in the domestic market continues to grow, and the industry has developed rapidly. There are many carbon fiber raw silk production companies in my country, and their production capacity is showing a trend of continuous expansion. The production capacity of leading companies continues to grow, gradually showing competitive advantages, and market concentration has increased.