TOKYO, JAPAN: Mitsubishi Rayon Co Ltd (MRC) said it will construct a new plant at Vilshofen in Bavaria, Germany, for producing sheet moulding compound (SMC) intermediate materials in order to reinforce and expand its carbon fibre and composite materials business in Europe.
The factory is expected to commence operation in September 2016 with annual production capacity of 1,000 metric tonne, to be expanded up to 6,000 tonne as demand further increases in the European market
. After completion of the expansion, MRC’s overall production capacity grows to 9,000 tonne, triple the current production capacity at the Toyohashi plant in Japan.
SMC is a type of intermediate material of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP). This sheet-shaped material with fibre several centimetre long dispersed in resin is press-moulded into automotive parts. Compared with prepreg intermediate materials (carbon fiber fabric impregnated with resin), SMC can be used for moulding complicatedly shaped parts in a short period of time. With its uniform mechanical characteristics similar to metal, lighter weight and higher strength can be achieved rather easily by using carbon fiber and utilizing existing know-how on parts design.
By adding SMC intermediate materials to the product line, MRC will enhance its capability to make proposals to the users and work to expand the carbon fibre and composite material business in Europe.
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