SGL Group inaugurates carbon fiber precursor line in Portugal
03 October 2016
SGL Group has inaugurated the production line for carbon-fiber precursor at its FISIPE site in Lavradio, near Lisbon in Portugal. Precursor is a polymer-based fiber which is used as the main raw material for the production of carbon fibers. The production line has been set up by converting and enhancing parts of the existing production facility in Lavradio.
The build-up was completed following four years of research and development, construction work and qualification procedures. Over this period, SGL invested a total of €30 million in Lavradio into different elements of the precursor production including the spinning line.
As part of the global production network of SGL Group, the precursor from Portugal is being used for the production of the new generation of high-end industrial SIGRAFIL carbon fibers in Moses Lake, Washington State (US) and Muir of Ord (Scotland). The carbon fibers will then be used in various applications in the automotive, aerospace, as well as in other industries.
With the new precursor line at our Lavradio site we now have the complete value chain of high-quality carbon fiber materials available in-house to further support our customers in developing and utilizing innovative lightweight solutions.
—Andreas Wüllner, Chairman of the business unit Composites – Fibers & Materials (CFM) at SGL Group
The precursor production is part of SGL Group’s path forward towards sustainable profitable growth targeting a 50% sales increase until 2020 in the fields of composites and graphite materials and systems. In future, the company will focus on supporting and accelerating developments linked to the megatrends of mobility, energy, and digitalization.
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