India achieves milestone in technical textiles with installation of carbon fibre precursor line

India celebrates a significant achievement as the country’s first carbon fibre precursor state-of-the-art line, capable of producing 4000 filaments, is successfully installed in BTRA’s High-Performance Fibre Lab. This milestone was unveiled during the 61st Joint Textile Conference (JTC), hosted by the Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) in collaboration with Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA), Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), and South India Textile Research Association (SITRA).

During the conference, industry veteran Narendra M Dalmia, CEO/Director of Strata Geosystems, highlighted the transformation of Textile Research Associations (TRAs) into global benchmarks, particularly in the field of technical textiles. Dalmia urged industry players to actively engage with TRAs to contribute to the advancement of technical textiles.

Roop Rashi, the Textile Commissioner of India, underscored the crucial support provided by the Government of India to both the industry and TRAs. Rashi acknowledged the challenges within the textiles value chain, emphasizing the government’s commitment to assisting in navigating market challenges, supply chain intricacies, and the overall ecosystem. Rashi encouraged industry stakeholders to share suggestions during conferences to collectively address challenges within the textile industry.

The carbon fibre precursor, a crucial material for crafting carbon fibre, is primarily made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), constituting approximately 90 percent of carbon fibre production. The remaining 10 percent comprises rayon or petroleum pitch. Carbon fibre filaments, typically sized at 5 and 8 μm in diameter, are combined into tows containing 5000–12000 filaments, known as ’12 K filaments.’ Stabilizing the precursor fibres significantly influences the production of durable carbon fibres during the subsequent carbonization process. BTRA’s latest line in the Fibre Lab is poised to play a pivotal role in India’s pursuit of its technical textile mission.