The production of carbon fiber precursor has long been regarded as a bottleneck for China's high-end carbon fiber self-supply, and now a substantial breakthrough has emerged. In mid-August, a 5,000-tonne DMSO dry-jet wet-spinning PAN-based precursor complete equipment, developed by Jinggong Technology together with Zhejiang Huachuang, Donghua University, and Zhejiang University of Technology, passed a scientific and technological achievement appraisal in Shaoxing. The overall technology was rated as internationally advanced, with two key indicators reaching world-leading levels.
Background
The core significance of this appraisal lies in its direct targeting of the precursor preparation, the most technically challenging segment of the carbon fiber industry chain. PAN-based precursor is the foundation of carbon fiber performance, and its complete equipment and process have long constrained China's self-supply of high-end carbon fiber. This project, precisely addressing this pain point, achieved breakthroughs in multiple core technologies after two years of intensive research.
From the technical indicators, the project demonstrates significant innovation in four dimensions: polymerization, spinning, solvent recovery, and intelligent control. In polymerization, the 60-cubic-meter large-capacity high-uniformity polymerization reactor and precise temperature control technology solved engineering scale-up problems such as heat transfer lag and local mixing insufficiency in high-viscosity systems, achieving a temperature uniformity of ±0.4°C in the reactor. In spinning, a multi-stage symmetrical pressure equalization distribution technology controls the terminal pressure deviation of high-viscosity dope to ±1%, with spinneret outlet pressure fluctuation reduced to 1‰, process speed reaching 280 meters per minute, and single-line capacity reaching 5,000 tonnes per year.
Industry Impact
The ripple effects of these technical breakthroughs on the upstream and downstream of the industry chain cannot be ignored. For upstream raw material suppliers, the DMSO recovery rate of no less than 99.5% and steam consumption of no more than 2.2 tonnes per tonne mean significantly lower production costs and reduced environmental pressure. For downstream carbon fiber manufacturers, the stability of precursor quality directly determines the consistency of carbon fiber performance. The intelligent control capability of this equipment—the MOM system enabling visible production, traceable quality, manageable equipment, and controllable energy consumption—will help improve the yield rate of high-end carbon fiber.
More importantly, the significance of this achievement extends far beyond a single project. For a long time, China's high-end carbon fiber precursor equipment has heavily relied on imports, with high procurement costs and risks of technology blockade. The successful appraisal of this domestic complete equipment provides an alternative for domestic carbon fiber enterprises and is expected to break the foreign monopoly. For Shaoxing, a major textile and chemical fiber hub, this project also signals that its industrial landscape is extending from traditional textiles to high-performance fiber materials, a clear sign of regional industrial upgrading.