Quartz fiber has been widely used in many high-tech fields due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, such as high strength, low dielectric constant, high temperature resistance, low expansion coefficient, corrosion resistance, etc. The following is an analysis of the past, future development and current research status of quartz fiber at home and abroad:
Past development:
Basic research and material development: The development of quartz fiber began in the mid-20th century and was mainly used for high-temperature insulation materials. Due to its excellent performance, quartz fiber has been rapidly applied in aerospace, electronics, optical communications and other fields. Early research focused on how to efficiently prepare and purify quartz fiber to improve its mechanical strength and high temperature resistance.
Application expansion: With the advancement of technology, quartz fiber is not only used for high-frequency circuit boards (such as portable phones and supercomputers), but also for high-temperature environment insulation, automotive glass manufacturing, and thermal insulation materials for the semiconductor industry.
A, Market status
Market size: In 2023, the global quartz fiber market size will reach US$10 billion, of which the Asia-Pacific region has the largest market size. China is one of the world’s largest producers of quartz fiber, with a market size of more than 30% of the world.
Market demand: There is a wide range of demand in the fields of aviation, chemical industry, electronics, textiles, etc.
Product structure: The current mainstream products in the market are quartz fiber yarn, quartz fiber cloth, quartz fiber felt, etc. Among them, quartz fiber yarn products occupy most of the market share, followed by quartz fiber cloth and felt.
Application field: Currently mainly used in aerospace, chemical industry, electronics, textile, construction, etc., among which aerospace and chemical industry demand occupies most.
B, Competition pattern
–Number of factories: There are relatively few manufacturers in the world, mainly concentrated in the United States, Japan, China and other countries. my country’s factories are mainly distributed in Hubei, Jiangsu, Shandong and other regions.
–Company scale: China’s quartz fiber industry companies are small in scale, most of them are small and medium-sized companies, but some large quartz fiber factories in the world have high R&D strength and market competitiveness.
–Brand competition: Well-known brands include Saint-Gobain Quartz in the United States; Technical Glass products Inc; Heraeus Conamic in Germany; Filament Technik Gesellschaft fur technische Garne m.b.H. &Cie.kg; Morgan Advanced Materials in the United Kingdom; Unifrax; Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation in Japan; Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd; FLH in China; ZT; SJ; TN etc.
–Future development trends:
As competition intensifies, the degree of technological innovation will continue to increase and product quality and performance will be improved.
–Market expansion: With the rapid development of aviation, chemical, electronic semiconductor and other industries, the demand for quartz fiber industry will further increase. At the same time, emerging fields such as new energy and new materials will also become new opportunities for the quartz fiber industry.
–Industrial integration: In the future, the quartz fiber industry will see a trend of corporate mergers and reorganizations and industrial integration to improve market competitiveness and economies of scale.
Current research status at China and abroad:
China:
The application of quartz fiber is mainly concentrated in high-end manufacturing fields, such as aerospace, radome, thermal protection, etc. Due to the continuous maturity of technology and policy support, the application of quartz fiber in China is gradually expanding. In 2024, the market development of quartz fiber in China is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Technological progress: Many Chinese companies such as Hubei Feilihua Quartz Glass Co., Ltd. have realized the industrialized production of quartz fiber, and gradually broke the foreign monopoly in technology.
Market application: In the field of high-frequency substrates, the application of quartz fiber is in the test and certification stage, and future demand is expected to increase with the development of 5G and 6G technologies.
Policy support: The Chinese government’s support policies for high-end manufacturing and new materials provide a good environment for the development of the quartz fiber industry.
Summary:
According to current market analysis, China’s production capacity and technology development in the field of quartz fiber are relatively fast, but due to the relatively small application scale, the specific data of the market size is difficult to accurately quantify. It can be predicted that the Chinese market will have significant growth in the next few years as the technology matures and the application scenarios increase
International:
Saint-Gobain Quartz is the world’s leading producer of fused quartz fibers. It has a production base in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, producing quartz fibers with the registered trademark Quartzel®. These fibers are widely used in aviation projects and industrial projects due to their excellent dielectric, thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. Saint-Gobain Quartz’s products include quartz wool, low-density quartz felt, quartz fiber needle felt, quartz yarn and other forms, which are widely used in radar antenna shields, aircraft engine insulation blankets, fireproof cables and other fields.
Technology and R&D:
The United States also maintains a leading position in the research and development of quartz fiber technology, especially in the field of applying quartz fiber to high-performance materials. The high purity and high temperature resistance of quartz fiber make it have important application value in high-tech fields such as military, aerospace, and aviation. Quartz fibers in the United States are not only used in traditional high-temperature resistant materials, but also expanded to a wider range of applications, such as in the substrate materials of photocatalytic reactions.
Market and competition:
Although the demand for quartz fiber in the market is growing, its production technology is still relatively complex and costly. The production of quartz fiber depends on the supply of high-purity quartz sand. Unimin has a monopoly among global suppliers, which has an impact on the US market that cannot be ignored. The market competition for quartz fiber in the United States is mainly concentrated in the application field of high-performance materials, and competitors include other high-temperature fiber materials such as carbon fiber and high-silica fiber.
Application examples:
Application examples of quartz fiber in the United States include the manufacture of F-15 fighter jets and F-22 radar covers, which show the leading position of quartz fiber in high-performance composite materials. In addition, the demand for quartz fiber in the aerospace field in the United States continues to grow, and it is used in thermal protection, electromagnetic shielding and other aspects.
Summary:
In 2024, quartz fiber will continue to play a key role in the US market, especially in the aerospace and military fields that require high-performance and high-heat-resistant materials. However, due to production costs and technical barriers, the widespread application of quartz fiber still faces challenges, but its position in specific high-end markets is irreplaceable.
Future development:
A, Performance optimization: Future research will continue to focus on improving the mechanical properties, thermal stability and corrosion resistance of quartz fiber. Especially in high-purity and ultra-high temperature applications, further optimization will enable it to work in more demanding environments.
B, New application areas: With the development of science and technology, quartz fiber may be used in a wider range of fields, such as in emerging fields such as optics, photonics, and quantum communications. The characteristics of quartz fiber make it a key material in these fields.
C, Sustainability: Considering the sustainability of the environment and resources, future research may focus on how to produce quartz fiber through more environmentally friendly methods and how to recycle quartz fiber products.
D, International cooperation: Research cooperation will become more frequent in the context of globalization, and technical exchanges and cooperation between research institutions and enterprises will promote the rapid development of quartz fiber technology and application innovation.
