Abstract
PAN based carbon fiber (PAN-CF) consumption has been remarkably expanded for a recent few years. PAN-CF production trials started in 1960's and now more than 70% of its production roughly estimated as 10,000 tons per year to be consumed is made by Japanese PAN-CF makers and their subsidiary companies. The usage of PAN-CF is diversified from aircraft and aerospace field and sporting goods field to industrial field like civil engineering, energy stocks and wind generation. Such diversification of applications leads critical PAN-CF shortage. For solving such shortage, PAN-CF producers have plans to expand their production capacity, which will be completed PAN-CF by end of 1998.
