Teijin’s Tenax Carbon Fiber Prepreg Selected for UltraFan Aeroengine Nacelle

On June 1 Teijin Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) announced that its Tenax carbon fiber prepreg has been adopted for a part of a nacelle — a streamlined housing or tank — for a next-generation aircraft engine demonstrator, the UltraFan, to be used by Airbus (Toulouse, France). A prototype of the nacelle part, which Nikkiso Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) is developing for Airbus’ Propulsion of Tomorrow project, will be delivered to Airbus by the end of 2021. 

The Tenax prepreg used for the nacelle part is said to have been developed especially for aircraft applications using high-performance and rapid-curing epoxy resin. Notably, says Teijin, the Tenax prepreg can be molded at a lower temperature and in a shorter time than conventional prepregs for aircraft applications. In addition to general autoclave molding, the prepreg also is reportedly suited to press molding for mass production, achieving excellent quality required for aircraft applications. Furthermore, it is compatible with automated fiber placement (AFP), and as a result, can be combined with automatic laminating technology and short-time molding to maximize production efficiency. Teijin says the productivity and cost efficiency of the Tenax prepreg were key reasons why it was adopted for Nikkiso’s nacelle.

Teijin adds that it is intensively accelerating its development of mid- to downstream applications for aircraft, one of the strategic focuses of its medium-term management plan for 2020-2022. Going forward, Teijin intends to further strengthen its carbon fiber and intermediate material businesses (see “Teijin launches carbon fiber intermediate material brands”) to contribute to increasing global sustainability, aiming to become a company that supports the society of the future.