“What Andrew Carnegie did to the steel industry in the late 1800s, 4M’s technology will do to the carbon fiber industry.” Dr. Truman Bonds

4M is commercializing the world’s first plasma oxidation oven for carbon fiber. 4M has proven to the industry that the patented atmospheric plasma technology produces an equal or better carbon fiber. Our oven is one-third the size of conventional technology for the same production capacity, and utilizes 75% less energy. The technology reduces the cost of carbon fiber by 20%. This cost and time reduction is the critical advantage that will significantly increase the global supply and use of carbon fiber. 

Oxidation is a critical step in the production of carbon fiber because it takes the most time, energy and expense and is the major source of downtime.  4M’s Plasma Oxidation resolves these concerns, significantly reducing the fiber handling and eliminating other operational issues.  Because plasma oxidation oxidizes the precursor material faster and uses less energy, carbon fiber production will be much more profitable. This technology enables the production of three times as much product in the same operational footprint, utilizing less energy, less personnel and ultimately resolving a significant barrier to meeting market growth using traditional technology.