Composite Specialist Toray Marks 100th Anniversary

Advanced materials specialist Toray is marking its 100th anniversary during the Farnborough International Airshow. The Toray Group was founded in Japan in 1926 as a rayon producer. It began developing carbon-fiber technology in the 1960s and is now regarded as an innovator in carbon-fiber and thermoplastic composites for aerospace. 

Among the recent additions to Toray’s product range is TC1810, a polysiloxane-­based preceramic resin system for applications such as battery containment, thermal protection systems, heat shields, and leading edges. The ultra-high-temperature material can operate within a range of 500 to 1,832 degrees F.

Another new offering is 3960-FC, a fast-cure variant of Toray’s 3960 epoxy prepreg system that reduces cure time by up to 45%. The material can be used in aerospace manufacturing processes, including automated fiber placement and automated tape laying.

In January, Toray’s Advanced Composites division in the Netherlands, along with partners Airbus, Daher, and Tarmac Aerosave, won the JEC Innovation Award for Circularity and Recycling for a project aimed at reducing composite waste when aircraft are scrapped at the end of their life. The project involved the recycling of pylon cover fairings from an A380 widebody airliner.