【Deep Coating Society Coating Information】Fiber resin matrix composites ushered in great development

First, carbon fiber composite materials have become the main driving force for the rapid growth of the global composite materials market

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

According to Markets and markets, the global composites market was valued at $88 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $126.
3 billion in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.
5%.

By reinforcing materials, the carbon fiber composites market will grow from $17.
5 billion in 2020 to $31.
5 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of 12.
4
%.
Among them, glass fiber composites still occupy the largest market share, with a market size estimated at $46 billion in 2020, a compound growth rate of 5.
3% between 2020 and 2027, and is expected to reach $60 billion
in 2025.

Exhibit 1 Global composites market size forecast by type of reinforcement 

: US$ billion

In the lower segment, the aerospace sector is the largest end market for composite parts due to higher unit prices, and is expected to grow from $37.
9 billion in 2021 to $57.
9 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 8.
8%.

Exhibit 2 Global Composites Market Size Forecast by Application Type

: billion dollars

Second, resin matrix composites continue to dominate

According to the types of reinforcement materials, fiber reinforced composites 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, it can be divided into resin base, ceramic base, metal base, etc
.
Among them, resin matrix composites have become the most widely used and fastest developing composite materials due to their advantages of small density, high specific strength and specific modulus, high fatigue strength, good breakage safety characteristics, strong corrosion resistance and heat resistance, good dielectric properties and electromagnetic wave transmission, etc.
, accounting for more than 80%
of composite materials.

Exhibit 3 Global composites market segmented by matrix in 2021

Source: 2021 Global Carbon Fiber Composite Market Report, Guangzhou Saio Carbon Fiber Technology Co.
, Ltd

Third, China's carbon fiber resin matrix composite market size 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 industry market in 2021, the scale of China's carbon fiber resin matrix composite market has shown a rapid growth trend, and will continue to maintain a compound annual growth rate
of 24.
21% in the next 3-5 years.

Exhibit 4 2019-2026 China carbon fiber resin matrix composites market size forecast: billion yuan

Fourth, a variety of resin matrix composite production processes to meet the application needs of composite materials in different fields

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

Exhibit 5 Resin-based carbon fiber composites comparison

Fifth, the vacuum-assisted molding process has received more and more attention in the aerospace field

The 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 gases in fiber reinforced materials under vacuum, utilizes the flow and penetration of resin to impregnate fibers and their 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 cure under vacuum pressure.
In contrast to conventional processes, VARI molding technology does not require autoclaves, but only a single-sided rigid mold (upper molded with flexible vacuum bag film) to lay fiber-reinforced 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 and there is no additional pressure, which helps to reduce costs
.
Therefore, this method mainly has the characteristics of
low cost, low porosity, performance close to autoclave process, and suitable for manufacturing large parts.
Due to the limitations of the RTM method, the VARI method can only transfer the resin to the reinforced fiber preform wrapped in a vacuum bag under vacuum conditions with appropriate process measures and complete the curing process of the structure under vacuum pressure
.
This method gets rid of the dependence on autoclave equipment, and for various structural parts widely used in the aerospace field, this is a manufacturing method with obvious cost reduction and broad application prospects
.

Diagram 6 Application of resin-based carbon fiber composites in large aircraft

According to Stratview Research, the global vacuum-assisted molding process materials market reached $775 million in 2016 and is expected to reach $1.
182 billion
in 2022 at a CAGR of 7.
27%.
Aerospace vacuum auxiliary materials and wind turbine blade vacuum auxiliary materials will occupy the vast majority of the market, reaching US$581 million and US$316 million
, respectively, in 2021.

Exhibit 7 Global vacuum auxiliary materials market size forecast

: US$ billion

Affected by the rush to install wind power, the amount of vacuum auxiliary materials for wind power has decreased, and China's vacuum auxiliary materials market will usher in a slight decline in 2021, with a market size of 1.
43 billion yuan
.
It will take time for the market of vacuum auxiliary materials for wind power to recover, but with the acceleration of the progress of domestic large aircraft C919 airworthiness certification, C919 will enter the stage of small batch production in 2023, which will become a new driving force
to promote the sustainable development of the vacuum auxiliary materials market.

Exhibit 8 China vacuum auxiliary materials market size forecast 2017-2026

: 100 million yuan

6.
C919 was issued an airworthiness certificate, and the development of China's carbon fiber composite materials ushered in a strong needle

Operating costs are the focus of civil aviation operations, and weight is closely related
to civil aviation operating costs.
According to the "Development Status and Prospect of Aerospace Materials", the direct economic benefits of each 1 pound reduction in the structural weight of small civil aircraft are 500,000 US dollars / pound, compared with 4 million US dollars / pound for fighter aircraft and 8 million US dollars / pound
for commercial transport aircraft.
Carbon fiber composite material is an ideal material for large monolithic structures, which can reduce the weight of aircraft by 15%~30% and reduce the structural design cost by 15%~30%
compared with conventional materials.
The proportion of composite materials used in the structure and interior materials of major international civil aviation aircraft has gradually increased, such as Boeing's 787 and Airbus' A350, and the proportion of carbon fiber composite materials has exceeded 50%.

At present, the proportion of C919 carbon fiber composite materials is 12%, and there is still great potential
for improvement.

Unlike the international carbon fiber composite market, the aerospace and defense industry industries occupy the largest share of the market, and the application of carbon fiber reinforced resin matrix composites in China's aerospace industry is still in the growth stage
。 And China's domestic aviation equipment industry has been well developed since the "13th Five-Year Plan", carbon fiber reinforced resin matrix composite materials as the entire fuselage, wings, vertical tail, hatch and other important structural parts or interior materials, comprehensive performance advantages are obvious, 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 C919 domestic large aircraft, 2022 will become the starting point for the full launch of the domestic civil aviation equipment market, and the market size of carbon fiber reinforced resin matrix composites in this field will maintain a growth rate
of more than 26.
41% in the future.

Exhibit 9 Civil Aviation Resin-based Carbon Fiber Composites Market Size Forecast 2019-2026

Source: Composite Application Technology

Source: Composite Application Technology

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