PRE-CONFERENCE
Carbon-Based Rayon Replacement Seminar
A Special Track of Carbon Fiber 2026
Tuesday, November 10 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, followed by tours
Rayon has been used for the last few decades as a specialized precursor to manufacture a specialized carbon fiber (CF) that has properties that make it well-suited for applications with stringent ablative requirements. Unfortunately, Rayon is being phased out globally and current demand for ablative CF for hypersonics/defense applications is threatening the limited supply of this material. Sentiment among suppliers for these applications is that an affordable, sustainable, safe Rayon replacement is of paramount importance.
CW's Carbon Fiber Rayon Replacement program will be held November 10 as a special track of programming at Carbon Fiber 2026 and is designed to attract DOD and DOD supply chain representatives to help them understand the Rayon challenge and what resources might be needed to advance the effort to replace Rayon.
*This is an ITAR-controlled event and is limited to U.S. citizens.
SEMINAR AGENDA
8:00 - 8:15 AM | Welcome
Mike Favaloro, CompositesWorld
8:15 - 9:00 AM | Title TBA
Syensqo
9:00 - 9:30 AM | Carbon Fibers for Ablative PMC Insulators After ENKA
Alex Shih, Lockheed Martin
9:30 - 10:00 AM | LR1406 – A Unique PAN-Based Carbon Cloth Phenolic Solution for High Temperature Ablative and Carbon/Carbon Applications
Charlie Burton, Barrday
10:00 - 10:30 AM | Break
10:30 - 11:00 AM | Modified Automatic Tape Laying and Single-Cycle Densification of C/C Hypersonic Structures
Riley Turner, Textron Systems
11:00 - 11:30 AM | Methods to Tailor Resistivity of Carbon Fibers to Improve Performance Characteristics
Christopher Robertson, AvCarb
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM | Field-Assisted Sintering Technique for Carbon/Carbon
Wes Chapkin, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
12:00 PM | Tours
Pre-Conference Market Update
A Special Track of Carbon Fiber 2026
Tuesday, November 10 | 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
The carbon fiber industry is navigating shifting demand, new capacity and a changing global competitive landscape. The Pre-Conference Market Update gives attendees a data-driven look at where the carbon fiber market stands today and where it's headed.
Led by industry analysts and market experts, this half-day program covers global supply and demand trends, emerging regional markets such as India, and how capital investment and M&A activity are reshaping the carbon fiber value chain, giving attendees the context they need to make informed business decisions heading into Carbon Fiber 2026.
SEMINAR AGENDA
8:30 - 8:45 AM | Welcome
Scott Francis, CompositesWorld
8:45 - 9:45 AM | The Carbon Fiber Market Landscape
Jeff Sloan, JEC
9:45 - 10:30 AM | Indian Carbon Fiber Market
Aditya Joshi, Stratview Research
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Following the Carbon: How Capital and M&A are Reshaping the Carbon Fiber Value Chain
Yannick Willemin, Catalysium
*You will receive additional information about the seminar location and badge pick-up in a separate email. Pre-conference seminars are separate from the Carbon Fiber 2026 conference and can be purchased alone or in addition to the conference. The Carbon-Based Rayon Replacement Seminar is an ITAR-controlled event and is limited to U.S. citizens.
Pre-Conference Seminar: $495 early bird | $550 standard