PUBLISHER: Allied Market Research | PRODUCT CODE: 1239501
PUBLISHER: Allied Market Research | PRODUCT CODE: 1239501
The commercial aviation industry is increasing utilizing carbon fiber composites to provide greater stiffness and strength-to-weight ratios in aircrafts. With the rise in air traffic, aircraft manufacturers are increasing their production quantity and quality to facilitate air transportation. Commercial aircraft manufacturers are replacing conventional materials like aluminum and titanium alloys with carbon fibers for primary aircraft structures.
There is an increase in demand for carbon fiber material to manufacture various parts of commercial aircraft with optimum aerodynamic characteristics. For instance, in January 2022, Irkut's (Moscow, Russia) MS-21-300 aircraft made its first flight from the airfield of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. The wing of the aircraft is made from Russian-sourced carbon fiber. The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia invested $58 million for the creation of domestic materials for the composite wing.
An increase in demand for carbon fiber in the military aircraft industry has been witnessed for manufacturing of fuel-efficient, reliable aircrafts with longer range and reduced carbon emissions. Numerous manufacturers supply carbon fiber to aerospace companies to develop aerodynamically efficient structures. For instance, Hexcel, a composite material manufacturer, is currently qualified to provide materials to a broad range of more than 100 military aircraft and rotorcraft programs. These programs include the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, 35 Jet Fighter, and the F/A-18E/F Hornet.
Aviation companies are entering into agreement with carbon fiber manufacturers to develop aircraft parts with maximum strength, reduced weight, and minimum drag. For instance, in July 2021, Hexcel signed a long-term agreement with Dassault Aviation (Paris, France) to supply carbon fiber prepreg for the Falcon 10X program. Under this contract, the company aims to incorporate high-performance carbon fiber composites in the manufacturing of its aircraft wings. Such developments to manufacture durable and lightweight aircrafts is expected to drive the demand for composite carbon fiber during the forecast period.
Moreover, defense organizations from various countries partner with research universities to develop advanced carbon fiber to reduce manufacturing costs. For instance, in November 2022, Montana State University started a research project funded by a total of $25.8 million in contracts from the U.S. Army. This research included the development of a method to produce "stretch-broken" carbon fibers that can be easily molded into the complex shapes of aircraft and significantly reduce manufacturing costs. Therefore, constant research to create carbon fiber for manufacturing of lightweight and fuel-efficient aircrafts is expected to provide significant opportunities for the growth of the market.
The aviation carbon fiber market is segmented on the basis of raw material, type, end use, and region. By raw material, it is bifurcated into PAN-based carbon fiber and pitch-based carbon fiber. By type, the market is classified into continuous, long, and short. By end use, it is fragmented into commercial, military, and others. By region, the market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.
Some major companies operating in the market include: Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation, Nippon Steel Corporation, SGL Carbon, Teijin Limited, Toray Industries, Inc., Hexcel Corporation, Solvay, Hyosung, OJSC SvetlogorskKhimvolokno, and DowAksa.