Why China Leading CFRT/CFRP Composite Machinery Manufacturer？

Lightweight and high strength have always been the eternal themes in the development of new materials.

Composite materials, known for their high specific strength, high specific stiffness, excellent resistance to fatigue, corrosion, and weathering, have found extensive applications across various industries.

In recent years, thermoplastic composite materials, a significant segment of composites, have witnessed rapid development due to their advantages, including fast molding, recyclability, and high damage tolerance.

In the 1940s, driven by the needs of the aviation industry, glass fiber-reinforced plastics (commonly known as fiberglass) were developed, marking the emergence of composite materials.

From the 1950s onwards, high-strength and high-modulus fibers like carbon fibers, graphite fibers, and boron fibers were successively developed.

In the early 1960s, Mr. Akio Takeda from Japan invented a method to produce carbon fibers using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers as raw materials and obtained a patent.

In 1963, Japanese companies, Nippon Carbon and Toho Electric, utilized Takeda’s patent to develop PAN-based carbon fibers.

By 1965, Nippon Carbon achieved industrial-scale production of general-purpose PAN-based carbon fibers.

In 1964, the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in the UK successfully created high-performance PAN-based carbon fibers with tension applied during pre-oxidation.

Courtaulds, Hercules, and Rolls-Royce adopted RAE’s technology for industrial production.

The 1970s the world witness the introduction of aramid fibers and silicon carbide fibers,both offering high strength and modulus.

These high-strength, high-modulus fibers can be combined with non-metallic matrices such as synthetic resins, carbon, graphite, ceramics, rubber, or metallic matrices like aluminum, magnesium, and titanium to form composite materials with distinct properties.

In 1969, Nippon Carbon achieved success in developing high-performance PAN-based carbon fibers.

In 1970, Toray Textile Inc. of Japan, leveraging advanced PAN precursor technology and exchanging carbonization technology with Union Carbide Corporation in the USA, developed high-performance PAN-based carbon fibers.

In 1971, Toray introduced high-performance PAN-based carbon fiber products under the brand name “Torayca” to the market.

Since then, these products have continually advanced in terms of performance, variety, and production volume, maintaining a leading position globally.

Subsequently, Japanese companies such as Toho, Asahi Kasei, Mitsubishi Rayon, and Sumitomo joined the production of PAN-based carbon fibers.

In 1907, Leo Baekeland achieved a groundbreaking development by controlling pressure and temperature in the synthesis of the world’s first fiber-reinforced plastic, known as thermosetting phenolic resin.

In the 1930s, scholars like Norman Adrian de Bruyne, through extensive research, contributed significantly to the commercialization of fiber-reinforced plastics, particularly in the aviation sector.

In 1933, Games Slayter applied for a patent on a method for large-scale production of glass fibers, which, due to its high gas content, exhibited excellent insulation properties even at high temperatures.

In 1936, DuPont combined resin with glass fibers to create composite materials, known for their superior insulation and high strength, which found extensive use in construction materials.

In the late 1950s, carbon fibers and aramid fibers emerged, offering excellent mechanical properties and broadening the applications of composite materials.

All these instances underline the indispensable role of composite materials in technological advancement.

As we step into the 21st century, high-performance fiber-reinforced resin-based composite materials have become ubiquitous.

While composite materials were previously known for their costliness, the current trend of continuous carbon fiber 3D printing has made them accessible to individual users.

This includes fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite materials, such as carbon fiber-reinforced nylon thermoplastic unidirectional prepreg tape (CF/PA) and carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone unidirectional prepregs (CF/PEEK).

Though China is considered a developing nation, in recent years, technological advancements have led to the use of composite materials in various sectors, including defense, petroleum transportation, and aerospace.

In May 2023, China’s commercial aircraft C919 successfully conducted a performance test, marking the widespread adoption of carbon fiber automated placement technology (AFP technology) in our aerospace industry.

Today, Jota Machinery is here to introduce our composite machinery as a manufacturer

While we are well known for our expertise in flexible packaging machinery (slitting machines, flexographic printing machines, die-cutting machines, etc.), few are aware that we are also suppliers of composite materials machinery.

CFRT thermoplastic prepreg ud tape slitting machine

Since 2012, we’ve ventured into the field of composite materials and developed our first continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic unidirectional prepreg slitting machine, which we introduced to the market.

Since then, we’ve become a supplier for Zhejiang Suijin Composite Materials, providing CFRT unidirectional tape (UD) slitting machine, and have supported domestic automotive manufacturing companies in their prepreg slitting needs.

Continous fiber reinforced thermoplastic prepreg machine

After six years of dedicated efforts, we launched equipment for producing CFRT thermoplastic unidirectional prepregs using the melt impregnation method.

In our ud prepreg machine, continuous fibers are placed on a creel, and through roller adjustments, they are evenly tensioned and enter the fiber spreading system.

Within this system, continuous fibers are adequately spread and then enter the impregnation system.

Under high temperature and pressure, molten thermoplastic resin infiltrates and saturates the fibers, resulting in continuous  fiber reinforced thermoplastic ud prepreg composites tape.

Our thermoplastic prepreg machine can achieve widths ranging from 650 to 1500mm, suitable for producing continuous carbon fibers, basalt fibers, aramid fibers, and glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic UD tapes.

Thermoplastic resin-based composite materials began to gain traction in the 1980s due to their recyclability, and their proportion within the composite materials market has been steadily increasing.

Main categories include long fiber-reinforced pellets (LFP), continuous fiber-reinforced prepregs (MITT), and fiber thermoplastic sheet molding compounds (GMT).

Depending on specific application requirements, thermoplastic matrices are mainly composed of engineering plastics such as PP, PE, PA, PBT, PEI, PC, PEI, PES, PEEK, PI, PAI, while fiber types encompass glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, and boron fibers, among other possibilities.

As industrial manufacturing and plastic modification technologies continue to evolve, the trend of replacing metals with plastics has emerged in sectors like automotive manufacturing, mobile offices, and home furnishings.

Continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic plastics, known for their high toughness, damage tolerance, and exceptional high-temperature performance, have demonstrated their superiority in the aerospace industry.

The development of the aerospace industry has served as a significant driving force for the continuous advancement of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic plastics.

Additionally, in recent years, these materials have seen increasing penetration in markets such as automotive, sports equipment, transportation, industrial applications, medical fields, and marine vessels.

Automated fiber placement prepreg slitting machine

After several years of growth and learning in the composite materials market, we identified that fiber-reinforced composite materials could be categorized into thermoplastic and thermosetting forms.

In 2020, we conducted research on aerospace thermosetting carbon fiber prepreg tape and developed a narrow prepreg slitting machine with traverse spooling unit.

The CFRP prepreg slitting machine is designed to complement automated fiber placement(AFP) machines and is capable of slitting widths of 3.175mm, 6.35mm, and 12.7mm while providing traverse spooling for prepregs.

Following the introduction of this slitting machine, we actively participated in composite materials-related exhibitions, connected with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), and collaborated with aerospace professors for over a year.

Jota Machinery played a supporting role in the production of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd (COMAC C919).

Furthermore, our prepreg slitting machine are available with 4, 6, or 16 axes, ensuring better compatibility with automated fiber placement/automated tape laying machines.

Double Belt Press Machine

In the wake of introducing the CFRT unidirectional prepreg slitting machine, we established a partnership with China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd. (CIMC) and contributed to their business in refrigerated containers, thermoplastic composite PP honeycomb panels, and more in 2023.

In the first half of this year, CIMC purchased a 1500mm width double belt press machine from us.

Jota Machinery will be participating in the China International Composite Materials Exhibition from September 12th to 14^th in Shanghai where we will showcase our composite materials equipment.

We sincerely invite you to visit and have a professional communication.

The path of technology knows no bounds, and as stated in Jota Machinery’s mission, we are committed to making the world lighter.”