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The words ‘carbon fibre’ probably bring to mind exotic Italian supercars and high-tech racing cars built on British industrial estates, but it could be about to be synonymous with Geelong. Yes, Geelong.
The CSIRO has announced the morning that Australia now has the capability to create carbon fibre from scratch and in volume, thanks to the development of a ‘wet spinning line’, located at Waurn Ponds, a south-western suburb of Geelong.
Built in Italy, the wet spinning line turns a chemical mixture into 500 individual fibre strands, each thinner than a human hair, which are wound onto a spool before being cooked in a carbonisation oven.
CSIRO Director of Future Industries, Dr Anita Hill, said in a statement: “Together with Deakin, we’ve created something that could disrupt the entire carbon fibre manufacturing industry. This facility means Australian can carry out research across the whole carbon fibre value chain, from molecules, to polymers, to fibre, to finished composite parts.”
Quickstep has also announced today that it has received a $1.45m government grant to develop carbon fibre composite seats for automotive applications.
