Multi-process Development Goes Hand In Hand, Fiber-Resin-Based Composite Materials Usher In Great Development

 

1. Carbon fiber composites have become the main driving force for the rapid growth of the global composites market

 

Composite materials refer to materials with new properties that are composed of two or more materials of different properties through physical or chemical methods at the macroscopic (microscopic) level. Among them, fiber-reinforced composite materials have high specific strength, large specific modulus, designable material properties, good corrosion resistance, durability, and fatigue resistance. They are the most widely used and largest category of composite materials.

 

According to Markets and markets data, the global composites market size in 2021 was US$88 billion, and it is expected to reach US$126.3 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. According to the data of reinforced materials, Markets and markets data show that the carbon fiber composites market will grow from US$17.5 billion in 2020 to US$31.5 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 12.4%.

 

Among them, glass fiber composites still have the largest market share, with an estimated market size of US$46 billion in 2020, a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% between 2020 and 2027, and it is expected to reach US$60 billion in 2025.

 

1. Carbon Fiber Composites have become the main driving force for the rapid growth of the global composites market

 

Composite materials refer to materials with new properties that are composed of two or more materials of different properties through physical or chemical methods at the macroscopic (microscopic) level. Among them, fiber-reinforced composite materials have high specific strength, large specific modulus, designable material properties, good corrosion resistance and durability, and good fatigue resistance. They are the most widely used and largest category of composite materials.

 

According to Markets and markets data, the global composites market size in 2021 was US$88 billion, and it is expected to reach US$126.3 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%. According to data from Markets and markets, the carbon fiber composites market will grow from US$17.5 billion in 2020 to US$31.5 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 12.4% based on reinforced materials.

 

Among them, glass fiber composites still have the largest market share, with an estimated market size of US$46 billion in 2020, a compound annual growth rate of 5.3% between 2020 and 2027, and is expected to reach US$60 billion in 2025.

 

Figure 1 Global Composite Material Market Size Forecast (Reinforcement Material Types)

Unit: US$ billion

 

According to the downstream market, due to the high unit price, the aerospace field is the largest terminal market for composite parts, and it is expected to grow from US$37.9 billion in 2021 to US$57.9 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.8%

 

Figure 2 Global Composite Market Size Forecast (Application Field Type)

Unit: US$100 million

 

2. Resin-based Composite Materials Continue To Dominate

 

According to the type of reinforcing materials, fiber-reinforced composite materials can be divided into glass fiber composite materials, carbon fiber composite materials, aramid fiber composite materials and other categories. According to the different matrix materials, they can be divided into resin-based, ceramic-based, metal-based, etc. Among them, resin-based composite materials have become the most widely used and fastest-growing composite materials due to their low density, high specific strength and specific modulus, high fatigue strength, good damage safety characteristics, strong corrosion resistance and heat resistance, good dielectric properties and electromagnetic wave permeability, accounting for more than 80% of composite materials.

 

Figure 3 2021 Global Composites Market by Matrix Classification

 

 

Data source: “2021 Global Carbon Fiber Composites Market Report”, Guangzhou Saio Carbon Fiber Technology Co., Ltd.

 

3. The Market Size Of China’s Carbon Fiber Resin-based Composite Materials is Close to 40 Billion Yuan

 

According to the survey, benefiting from the strong demand growth in the downstream market, especially the explosive growth of China’s wind power market in 2020 and the outstanding performance of China’s aviation, aerospace and defense military market in 2021, China’s carbon fiber resin-based composite materials market size has shown a rapid growth trend, and will continue to maintain an annual compound growth rate of 24.21% in the next 3-5 years.

 

Figure 4 2019-2026 China Carbon Fiber Resin-based Composite Materials Market Forecast Unit: 100 Million Yuan

 

 

4. Various Resin-Based Composite Material Production Processes Meet the Application Needs of Composite Materials in Different Fields

 

After the types of fiber and resin are determined, the performance of fiber-reinforced composite materials is mainly determined by the molding process. Therefore, the molding process of composite materials is an important development foundation and condition for the composite materials industry. The molding process of composite materials can be divided into nearly twenty types, among which the main types are hand lay-up molding, injection molding, resin transfer molding (RTM), bag pressing, vacuum infusion molding, autoclave molding, hydraulic kettle molding, resin casting, pultrusion and extrusion molding.

 

Figure 5 Comparison of Resin-based Carbon Fiber Composite Materials

 

5. Vacuum Assisted Forming Technology is Getting More and More Attention in the Aerospace Field

 

Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion (VARI) or Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) is a new low-cost molding technology for manufacturing large composite parts. It eliminates gas in fiber reinforcement materials under vacuum, uses the flow and penetration of resin to impregnate fibers and fabrics, and solidifies under certain temperature conditions.

 

VARI molding technology is a molding method that uses the flow and penetration of resin to impregnate fibers and fabrics under vacuum pressure and completes curing under vacuum pressure. Compared with traditional processes, VARI molding technology does not require autoclaves, but only requires a single-sided rigid mold (the upper mold is a flexible vacuum bag film) to lay fiber reinforcement materials.

 

The mold is only to ensure the structural surface requirements, simplify the mold manufacturing process, and save costs. In addition, it is only formed under vacuum pressure without additional pressure, which helps to reduce costs. Therefore, this method mainly has the characteristics of low cost, low porosity, performance close to the autoclave process, and suitable for manufacturing large parts.

 

In view of the limitations of the RTM method, the VARI method can only transfer the resin to the reinforced fiber preform wrapped in the vacuum bag through appropriate process measures under vacuum conditions, and complete the curing process of the structure under vacuum pressure. This method gets rid of the dependence on autoclave equipment. For various structural parts widely used in the aerospace field, this is a manufacturing method that can significantly reduce costs and has broad application prospects.

 

Figure 6 Application of Resin-based Carbon Fiber Composite Materials in Large Aircraft

 

According to Stratview Research data, the global vacuum-assisted molding process material market reached US$775 million in 2016 and is expected to reach US$1.182 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate of 7.27%. Vacuum auxiliary materials for aerospace and vacuum auxiliary materials for wind turbine blades will occupy the vast majority of the market, reaching US$581 million and US$316 million respectively in 2021.

 

Figure 7  Global Vacuum Auxiliary Material Market Size Forecast

Unit: 100 million US dollars

 

 

Affected by the decline of the rush to install wind power, the use of vacuum auxiliary materials for wind power has decreased. In 2021, China’s vacuum auxiliary materials market saw a slight decline, with a market size of 1.43 billion yuan. It will take some time for the market for vacuum auxiliary materials for wind power to recover, but with the acceleration of the airworthiness certification of the domestically produced large aircraft C919, C919 will enter the small-batch production stage in 2023, becoming a new driving force for the sustainable development of the vacuum auxiliary materials market.

 

Chart 8 Forecast of China’s Vacuum Auxiliary Materials Market Size From 2017 to 2026

Unit: 100 million yuan

 

 

1. C919 Received Airworthiness Certificate, China’s Carbon Fiber Composite Materials Development Received A Shot In TheArm

 

Operational cost is the focus of civil aviation operations, and weight is closely related to civil aviation operating costs. According to the “Current Status and Prospects of Aerospace Materials Development”, the direct economic benefit of reducing the structural weight of small civil aircraft by 1 pound is $500,000/pound, while for fighter jets, this value is $4 million/pound, and for commercial transport aircraft, it is $8 million/pound.

 

Carbon fiber composite materials are ideal materials for large integrated structures. Compared with conventional materials, they can reduce the weight of aircraft by 15% to 30% and reduce the structural design cost by 15% to 30%. The proportion of composite materials used in the structure and interior materials of major international civil aircraft is gradually increasing. For example, the proportion of carbon fiber composite materials used in Boeing’s 787 and Airbus’s A350 exceeds 50%. At present, the proportion of carbon fiber composite materials used in C919 is 12%, and there is still great potential for improvement.

 

Unlike the situation in which the aerospace and defense military industries occupy the largest market share in the international carbon fiber composite material market, the application of carbon fiber reinforced resin-based composite materials in China’s aerospace industry is still in the growth stage. China’s domestic aviation equipment industry has developed well since the 13th Five-Year Plan. Carbon fiber reinforced resin-based composite materials, as materials for important structural parts or interiors such as the entire fuselage, wings, vertical tail, and cabin doors, have obvious comprehensive performance advantages. With the production of domestic large-tow carbon fiber in 2022, the cost of carbon fiber composite materials is expected to further decline, promoting the in-depth application of carbon fiber composite materials in the aerospace field.

 

With the acceleration of the industrialization of the C919 domestic large aircraft, 2022 will become the starting point for the full launch of the domestic civil aviation equipment market. The market size of carbon fiber reinforced resin-based composite materials in this field will maintain a growth rate of more than 26.41% in the future.

 

Figure 9 Forecast Of The Market Size Of Civil Aviation Resin-based Carbon Fiber Composite Materials From 2019 to 2026