Ultra-light carbon fiber composite material wins cutting-edge technology award
The ultra-light carbon fiber composite material won the cutting-edge technology award, participated in the private lunar exploration project, and took stock of the latest progress of Toray in Japan.
Overview of Toray Carbon Fiber Products
On July 15, Toray's official website announced that Toray's "Research and Development of Lightweight Innovative Composite Material CFRF" won the "Sankei Shimbun" Award at the 35th Innovative Cutting-Edge Technology Award hosted by Sankei Shimbun. "
Toray's development of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is excellent in light weight and mechanical properties, has contributed to reducing the weight of structures such as aircraft, automobiles, wind power plants, and pressure vessels, as well as improving energy efficiency. At the same time, it has achieved high performance in a wide range of application fields such as sporting goods, medical equipment, and electronic equipment.
The award-winning "CFRF" (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Foam, carbon fiber reinforced foam) is a composite material that uses resin to solidify carbon fibers into a grid structure, and is also a porous body with a majority of internal air. That is to say, although the specific gravity is low, it functions as a structure, and the weight can be further improved.
CFRF can expand sheet-like substrates and form three-dimensional shapes. Since the sheet-like base material has in-plane isotropy, it can also be used for lamination and lamination with other materials while having stable expansion formability. By combining with traditional CFRP, it becomes a sandwich structure with excellent tensile, compressive, bending and other properties. At the same time, through the composite with graphite sheet, carbon fiber composite material with thermal conductivity comparable to metal can be designed.
Toray applies its lightweight technology and integrated molding technology cultivated through the development of racing cars to the development of space probes such as lunar landers and lunar rovers that fly under the same extreme environmental conditions as racing cars, and will be used for ispace's civilian moon. The lunar exploration program "HAKUTO-R" provides CFRP airframes and parts.
Toray Carbon Magic Participates in the Civilian Lunar Exploration Project
On July 20, Toray's official website announced that Toray Carbon Magic Co., Ltd., headquartered in Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, will participate in the private lunar exploration program "HAKUTO-R" conducted by ispace Co., Ltd. "
Toray Carbon Magic applies its lightweight technology and integrated molding technology cultivated through the development of racing cars to the development of space probes such as lunar landers and lunar rovers that fly under the same extreme environmental conditions as racing cars, and will be used for ispace's The civilian lunar exploration program "HAKUTO-R" provides CFRP airframes and parts.
HAKUTO-R is a civilian lunar exploration program conducted by ispace, in which it will develop its own lander (lunar lander) and rover (lunar exploration rover) for two missions to the moon and the moon. Use SpaceX's Falcon9 for lunar missions in 2022 and 2024. The plan will carry out technical verification for lunar information acquisition and construction of Earth-Moon transportation services.
Toray Carbon Magic has gradually cultivated the design, manufacturing technology and advanced production technology of carbon fiber composite materials in the development and manufacture of racing parts. In 2013, it became a member of the Toray Group, the world's largest manufacturer of carbon fiber composite materials. So far, the company has skillfully integrated the design and processing technology built on its own strength and the carbon fiber composite technology cultivated by Toray to create Many high-performance and high-function products with new value have been produced.
In June 2020, Toray Carbon Magic, together with Tokai University, Sky Perfect JSAT, and with the support of the Japan New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) project, carried out the development of an all-carbon fiber composite fuselage solar drone, and successfully Flight tests were carried out. At the 2021 JEC Connect 2021 conference, this all-CFRP airframe solar-powered drone jointly developed by Toray Carbon Magic, Tokai University, and Sky Perfect JSAT won the Aerospace Innovation Award.
