Zoltek Mexico expands carbon fiber production 

It was announced on June 10 that Zoltek Companies Inc. (Zoltek, St., Louis, Miss., U.S.) a Toray Group that develops and manufactures low-cost industrial grade carbon fiber, is expanding its carbon fiber production capacity at the facility located in Guadalajara, Mexico. By expanding operations, Zoltek says the facility’s carbon fiber production capacity will increase to 13,000 metric tons annually, and will increase Zoltek’s global production capacity of its PX35 carbon fiber to a total of 28,000 metric tons.

Zoltek says it is continuing its mission to commercialize carbon fiber, and increase its position as a global leader in industrial-grade carbon fiber. Zoltek’s PX35 50K carbon fiber, which is produced in Hungary and Mexico, is said to be the established standard for large-scale industrial applications such as wind energy and automotive.

“As wind turbines continue to increase their efficiencies with longer, lighter-weight blades, we continue to see an increase in demand for our carbon fiber. We also see developing applications in automotive and energy storage. There are several favorable macro trends that we expect will continue to support our rapid growth,” notes David Purcell, executive vice president of sales for Zoltek, adding, “We will continue to aggressively expand our capacity to stay ahead of demand and ensure we support our customer agreements.” The company contends that Zoltek PX35 carbon fiber is preferred carbon fiber for industrial applications due to its balance of cost and delivered performance.