Guangdong Province launches carbon fiber composites alliance, innovation center, and park

Guangdong Province has initiated three strategic projects to enhance its carbon fiber and composites supply chain. The Guangdong Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Shenzhen Municipal Government announced these initiatives on October 16 in Shenzhen's Nanshan District. The projects include a 118-member alliance, a provincial innovation center, and a new park in Shenzhen dedicated to fiber, prepreg, and composite structures.

Guangxin Group, leading the alliance, detailed the plans in an October 17 release. The alliance's founding members represent the entire supply chain, including precursor production, carbonization, composite products, and more. The expert committee features members from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Engineering, alongside foreign academicians and industry specialists. Guangxin Group was elected as the chair unit of the first council, with its Guangdong New Materials Industry Technology Innovation Application Center serving as the secretary-general unit. Guangxin was instrumental in drafting the alliance's formation plan and soliciting members across the province.

Liu Zhihong, deputy Party secretary and general manager of Guangxin Group, stated that the council aims to jointly develop high-performance carbon fiber, prepreg, and molding processes. The focus will be on expanding applications in wind power, low-altitude aviation, and new-energy vehicles.

The innovation center, led by Bromake (listed as Everbright Tongchuang), involves Guangxin, Shenzhen University, and Changsheng (Langfang) Technology Co. Ltd. The center will establish a high modulus carbon fiber database to aid material selection for downstream users and will operate on market terms, according to Nanfang+, the Southern Daily news platform.

The innovation park, covering approximately 40,000 square meters, has already welcomed four tenants. These include Shenzhen University's carbon fiber and composites joint laboratory, which spans about 10,000 square meters and serves as a pilot-scale validation platform for carbon fiber and composites in the Greater Bay Area. Other tenants are the Harbin Institute of Technology's composite materials institute, Changsheng Technology, and Shenzhen Qingkuai World Technology Co., which focuses on eVTOL and drone applications.

The development of an all-thermoplastic composite fuselage demonstrator concludes with advanced welding techniques, showcasing the potential of composite materials in aerospace and other industries. These materials offer exceptional strength-to-weight ratios and durability, driving innovations in various sectors, including space exploration and sustainable manufacturing.