By Mike Davey
Oak Ridge, Tennessee — August 31, 2016 — The US-based Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announced in May 2016 that it had developed a new method of prepping carbon fibre for bonding, one that promised to significantly reduce its cost. News has recently broken that ORNL will partner with carbon fibre manufacturing pioneer Connie Jackson and three-time Tour de France champion Greg Lemond to bring high-volume, low cost carbon fibre to market.
The agreement will make the Oak Ridge-based LeMond Composites the first company to offer this new industry-disrupting carbon fibre to the transportation sector. The company has plans to target the renewable energy and infrastructure markets as well.
Surface preparation is actually one of the factors that makes carbon fibre so expensive, as previous methods required that the surfaces be prepared by hand, using abrasive pads, grit blasting and solvents. The new process, developed by a team led by Adrian Sabau at ORNL, uses lasers instead.
“We can provide the advantages of our carbon fiber to many industries by improving strength, stiffness, and weight reduction. If you imagine replacing steel, aluminum, and fiberglass with our carbon fibre, you begin to understand the scope of the potential market,” said Connie Jackson, CEO of LeMond Composites. “Our process will have global applications and we are ready to move forward with scaling the technology.”
A statement from LeMond Composites says that the breakthrough process invented by Jackson and a research team at ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF) will reduce production costs by more than 50 percent relative to the lowest cost Industrial grade carbon fibre. The new production method reportedly reduces energy consumed during production by up to 60 percent, further lowering the cost.
Jackson and several of her ORNL teammates joined LeMond Composites in 2016.
“We have assembled the only team in the world that has executed this proven technology which uniquely positions us to deliver a successful outcome for our customers and stakeholders,” said Greg LeMond. “From experience, I know that having the right team is a distinct business advantage.”
Carbon fibre is light, stiff and strong, making it almost ideal for automotive applications. The biggest obstacle to its widespread use has been the high-cost of production.
Growing demand from the automotive industry is due in large part to the global push to increase the fuel economy of nearly every vehicle produced. More efficient engines help, but the single best way to hit those targets is to reduce the vehicle’s weight.
“We understand the growing demand from the automotive industry and we are currently in negotiations with several of the world’s leading automotive brands and their suppliers,” said LeMond.
LeMond Composites plans to expand its campus by building its first carbon fiber production line at their recently purchased facility at 103 Palladium Way in Oak Ridge. The facility is strategically located immediately adjacent to ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility.
A statement from the company says the first commercially available product will be ready early in 2018.
