Mitsubishi Rayon and Fiberline in a JV for cost-effective carbon fiber composite laminates

30-Sep-16

Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. (a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings) and Fiberline Composites A/S have recently announced the formation of a joint venture company for manufacturing and distributing carbon fiber composite laminates for wind turbine blades (hereinafter, “composite laminates”). Share holding will be in the following ratio- Fiberline: 51%; MRC: 49%

MRC will supply high-performance large tow carbon fiber produced at its Otake Production Center to the joint venture based in Denmark. The joint venture will leverage the molding and processing technologies of Fiberline, a composite pultrusion manufacturer, to enable light-weight, price competitive composite laminates supply to the wind turbine blade market.

In recent years, the size of wind turbine blades have become longer as the widespread installation of off-shore wind power systems and the increasing importance of low wind site development demand more efficient power generation. Such large-sized wind turbine blades require carbon fibers replacing conventional glass fibers due to their rigidity and light-weight properties. In particular, composite laminates made in pultrusion processes are superior in composite performance and process speed compared to other carbon fiber composite materials, this being reflected in the full scale adoption of these by the world’s leading turbine manufacturer. Consequently pultruded laminates have become the industry standard. MRC will seek to expand its share in the carbon fibers wind turbine market through this joint venture.