Cosby
06-20-2007, 01:20 AM
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http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2007-06-05-carbon-fibers-usat_N.htm
Aircraft orders put carbon fiber prices in steep climb
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
Booming demand for new jetliners is driving up the cost of carbon fiber, a high-tech material used in products ranging from cars to hockey sticks.
Prices for carbon fiber now run as high as $20 a pound, compared with as little as $5 a pound three or four years ago, says Mike Musselman, managing editor of High Performance Composites magazine. Spot shortages have developed, too. Carbon fiber manufacturers are boosting production, but it may be another year before all the new lines are running.
Carbon fiber is a woven synthetic that, helped by resins, hardens into a solid plastic, stronger yet lighter than many metals.
Lower weight is making Boeing's new 787 jetliner a hit, with 584 on order. Half the weight will be from carbon fiber and other composites in the fuselage, wings and tail that will cut fuel use by up to 20%.
Airbus plans to use carbon-fiber wings on the 787 rival, the A350. Qatar Airways said last week it will boost its A350 orders to 80, an increase of 20.
"Boeing and Airbus are scarfing up what's available," Musselman says. "The rest of the folks get what's left."
Carbon fiber supplier Zoltek has tripled capacity over the past year to service the growing market. "We've been able to raise prices significantly in a two-year time frame," CFO Kevin Schott says.
Where the carbon fiber crunch is showing up:
•Cars and accessories. Specialty sports carmaker Saleen in Irvine, Calif., says the costs of the carbon fiber that it uses in the body of its $580,000 S7 supercar have more than doubled over the past year. It raised the 2007 price by $25,000 because of it.
Illstreet.com, an Internet business that sells carbon fiber car hoods to automotive enthusiasts, has seen costs almost double. It's had to switch to a higher grade of carbon fiber to avoid shortages it faced last year. "It was taking three to four weeks for product to come in," owner Chris Osborne says. He says he hasn't increased prices.
•Bicycles. Bike makers use carbon fiber for lightweight frames. "Without a doubt, they've seen increased prices, but that's been going on for some time," says Megan Tompkins of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Trek and Cannondale lined up supply in advance of the crunch and haven't had to raise prices. "We kind of hedged our bet," Trek's Jim Colegrove says.
•Hockey sticks. Easton Sports has tested new carbon fibers over the past few years. Some of the sticks have had "subtle redesigns" to accommodate the new grades of fibers, says Ned Goldsmith, senior vice president. But prices weren't increased, and, "It has been seamless for the customers," he says.
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2007-06-05-carbon-fibers-usat_N.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2007-06-05-carbon-fibers-usat_N.htm
Aircraft orders put carbon fiber prices in steep climb
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
Booming demand for new jetliners is driving up the cost of carbon fiber, a high-tech material used in products ranging from cars to hockey sticks.
Prices for carbon fiber now run as high as $20 a pound, compared with as little as $5 a pound three or four years ago, says Mike Musselman, managing editor of High Performance Composites magazine. Spot shortages have developed, too. Carbon fiber manufacturers are boosting production, but it may be another year before all the new lines are running.
Carbon fiber is a woven synthetic that, helped by resins, hardens into a solid plastic, stronger yet lighter than many metals.
Lower weight is making Boeing's new 787 jetliner a hit, with 584 on order. Half the weight will be from carbon fiber and other composites in the fuselage, wings and tail that will cut fuel use by up to 20%.
Airbus plans to use carbon-fiber wings on the 787 rival, the A350. Qatar Airways said last week it will boost its A350 orders to 80, an increase of 20.
"Boeing and Airbus are scarfing up what's available," Musselman says. "The rest of the folks get what's left."
Carbon fiber supplier Zoltek has tripled capacity over the past year to service the growing market. "We've been able to raise prices significantly in a two-year time frame," CFO Kevin Schott says.
Where the carbon fiber crunch is showing up:
•Cars and accessories. Specialty sports carmaker Saleen in Irvine, Calif., says the costs of the carbon fiber that it uses in the body of its $580,000 S7 supercar have more than doubled over the past year. It raised the 2007 price by $25,000 because of it.
Illstreet.com, an Internet business that sells carbon fiber car hoods to automotive enthusiasts, has seen costs almost double. It's had to switch to a higher grade of carbon fiber to avoid shortages it faced last year. "It was taking three to four weeks for product to come in," owner Chris Osborne says. He says he hasn't increased prices.
•Bicycles. Bike makers use carbon fiber for lightweight frames. "Without a doubt, they've seen increased prices, but that's been going on for some time," says Megan Tompkins of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Trek and Cannondale lined up supply in advance of the crunch and haven't had to raise prices. "We kind of hedged our bet," Trek's Jim Colegrove says.
•Hockey sticks. Easton Sports has tested new carbon fibers over the past few years. Some of the sticks have had "subtle redesigns" to accommodate the new grades of fibers, says Ned Goldsmith, senior vice president. But prices weren't increased, and, "It has been seamless for the customers," he says.
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2007-06-05-carbon-fibers-usat_N.htm