Toray’s 2021 CAMX Exhibit: Showcasing Advanced Carbon Fiber & Composite Solutions

Toray Industries (Tokyo, Japan) and its North America carbon fiber divisions — Toray Advanced Composites (Morgan Hill, Calif., U.S.), Toray Composites Materials America (TCMA, Tacoma, Wash., U.S.) and Toray Performance Materials Corp. (TPMC, Camarillo, Calif., U.S.) — are highlighting its wide range of high value-added products for the composites market. Toray’s specialized product portfolio includes carbon fiber and advanced thermoplastic and thermoset composites materials for aerospace, defense, industrial and automotive industries. 

Toray Advanced Composites highlights the latest advances in advanced thermoplastic composite materials with Toray Cetex TC1225, an LMPAEK-based composite material which exhibits high-quality and cost-effective processing characteristics together with outstanding mechanical performance properties. Available in both unidirectional tape and woven fabric pre-consolidated laminates, Cetex TC1225 is suitable for a broad range of processing methods and is said to advance the adoption of advanced thermoplastic composites in to demanding markets including aerospace, medical, and high-performance industrial.

Toray Advanced Composites also presents Toray AmberTool HX56 composite tooling prepreg. Now available through an extended dedicated supply base in the U.S., this high-performance tooling prepreg is reported to have robust handling characteristics that provide excellent drape for complex shapes like those needed in the motorsport market. According to the company, the prepreg has been a key enabler to the high-end motorsport market in Europe for more than 20 years. Like all AmberTool products, Toray AmberTool HX56 enables the production of precision composite tools with superior accuracy and surface finish.

Alternately, TCMA showcases 2700, its newest, versatile resin technology geared towards emerging aerospace programs. This technology accommodates flexible cure temperatures (250°F to 350°F/121°C to 177°C) and can be press-cured in less than 10 minutes, which makes it ideal for high-quality, high-volume, cost-effective compression molding. Other processing methods include out of autoclave (OOA), vacuum bag-only (VBO) processing, AFP/ATL and hand layup. Formulated for heat resistance and low absorption, TCMA says the 2700 prepreg system is engineered for applications where parts may be exposed to high-heat and high-humidity environments. It is said to provide very low void content and excellent all-around structural properties. In its final configuration with various Torayca unidirectional carbon fibers and woven carbon or glass fabrics, the versatility of this epoxy prepreg lends itself to aerospace primary and secondary structures, urban air mobility (UAM) aircrafts and other industrial and recreational applications.

TCMA also introduces Torayca T1100, a next-generation intermediate modulus (IM) carbon fiber with excellent processability in high-performance manufacturing methods such as weaving, prepreg and filament winding. Originally developed for aerospace applications, IM fibers may be used in recreational and industrial applications as well. Toray’s T1100 IM+ carbon fiber reportedly offers significant improvements in both tensile modulus and strength versus traditional IM fibers.