[pageLogInLogOut]

#Composites

Teijin’s carbon fiber and resin used in world’s first laptop-sized automated people mover

Teijin Limited announced today that thermoplastic materials made with its Tenax® carbon fiber and Panlite® polycarbonate alloy resin have been adopted for use in the world’s first laptop-sized automated people mover (APM), the WALKCAR®, developed by cocoa motors. Inc.

The WALKCAR®, which is small enough to be carried in a bag, measures just 21.5 cm by 34.6 cm, roughly the size of a 13-inch laptop computer, and weighs only 2.9 kg. The WALKCAR® can travel about 7 km at a maximum speed of 16 km/h on a single charge. Operated by simply shifting one’s center of gravity, the APM requires neither a handle nor controller, and stops automatically as soon as the operator steps off.

The sturdy but lightweight WALKCAR® is made with Teijin’s thermoplastic carbon fiber reinforced  laminates Tenax® TPCL, thermoplastic  woven  fabric Tenax® TPWF  and polycarbonate alloy resin Panlite®.


(c) 2020 Teijin
(c) 2020 Teijin


(c) 2020 Teijin
(c) 2020 Teijin

 

Compared to steel, Tenax® offers 10 times the strength at just one quarter of the weight. Panlite® polycarbonate resin boasts some 200 times more  impact  resistance  than  fiberglass  but  only  half  of  the  weight.  The  impressive characteristics  of  these  Teijin  materials  is  why  the  amazing WALKCAR® is  able  to combine low weight and high durability.

The WALKCAR®  went  on  sale  in  Japan  in  June  and  overseas  sales  will  begin  from August 11. Orders can be placed via the cocoa motors' website:

https://en.cocoamotors.com/

Teijin develops high-performance materials and offers them in solutions targeting diverse fields under a long-term vision of becoming a company that supports the society of the future.


More News from Teijin Aramid

#Yarn & Fiber

Teijin Aramid: Taiichi Machida to succeed Peter ter Horst as CEO

Peter ter Horst will step down as Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2025, after 19 years of dedicated service. Effective October 1, 2025, Taiichi Machida will take over as CEO.

#Yarn & Fiber

Teijin announces availability of DPP-compliant products aligned with Europe’s ESPR Environmental Regulation

Teijin Limited announced today that it has started rolling out initiatives to enable aramid fibers and carbon fibers to be accompanied by Digital Product Passport (DPP) technology, which enhances supply chain transparency by verifying the origins of materials and supporting sustainability claims. The company is using the supply chain traceability system from Netherlands-based Circularise B.V., in which Teijin has invested since November 2024, to develop DPPs for each product.

#Composites

Teijin Carbon showcases new eco-friendly Tenax Next™ R2S 513 6mm short carbon fiber at JEC World 2025

Teijin Carbon, a leading manufacturer of carbon fiber products, is presenting its latest development in sustainable materials at JEC World 2025 (hall 6, G22). New Tenax Next™ R2S 513 6mm is a short carbon fiber product in rice-shaped form for reinforcing thermoplastic compounds that not only offers exceptional performance characteristics but also reinforces the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and circularity.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Teijin to invest in Circularise B.V. and adopt its supply chain traceability platform to promote the Circular Economy

Teijin Limited announced today that it will invest in Circularise B.V., a company based in The Hague, Netherlands, which develops product traceability management systems using blockchain technology. Teijin will also implement Circularise’s software to improve visibility into its global supply chain. Circularise’s proprietary “Smart Questioning”(*) solution, which utilizes Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology, provides both anonymity and transparency to ensure a highly reliable product traceability system.

More News on Composites

#Associations

Driving innovation in technical textiles, digitalisation and testing

Members of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) can look back on 2025 as a year marked by notable technological advances and continued progress in global trade, despite an uncertain and volatile market.

#Composites

MEL Composites delivers advanced hull infusion for Técnico Solar Boat’s hydrogen-powered São Gabriel 01

MEL Composites has reinforced its partnership with Técnico Solar Boat through the successful hull infusion of the São Gabriel 01, an 8m long, 2.4m wide, hydrogen-powered hydrofoiling vessel. Designed to compete at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge in July 2026, the São Gabriel 01 is the team’s most technically demanding project to date and showcases the future of sustainable marine engineering by combining advanced composite manufacturing with clean energy systems.

#Composites

Sicomin appoints CS Kompozyty as exclusive Distributor for Poland

Sicomin is pleased to announce the appointment of CS Kompozyty as its exclusive distributor for Poland. The partnership will provide Polish composite manufacturers with comprehensive access to Sicomin's broad range of performance epoxy resins, green epoxies, hardeners, and adhesive solutions, supported by local technical expertise and rapid delivery capabilities.

#Composites

JEC World 2026 reveals the list of finalists for the Innovation Awards

Each year, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards recognize collaborative, innovative, and ambitious projects that illustrate the potential of composite materials. Created in 1998, this benchmark program aims to identify, promote, and reward the most innovative composite solutions worldwide. In 28 years, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards have attracted more than 2,200 participating companies from around the world. A total of 269 companies and 811 associated partners have been recognized for the excellence of their innovations.

Latest News

#Fabrics

MUNICH FABRIC START: Between Attitude and Sensuality

The future begins where we reimagine it. After seasons of restraint, Spring.Summer 27 marks a conscious counter-trend: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom are replacing pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance – as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion, and algorithmic predictability. The overarching theme of PLEASURE stands for fashion as an emotional space, as an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces, and materials become vehicles for self-confidence and joie de vivre.

#Denim

organIQ seek: smart alternative to potassium permanganate

CHT Group announces new technical findings within its organIQ seek platform that significantly advance the transition toward permanganate-free denim bleaching. Through extensive industrial testing and application research, CHT confirms that organIQ seek can now be used with remarkable effectiveness as a substitute for potassium permanganate in spray bleach, while remaining aligned with sustainability expectations and cost realities in the European market. At the COLOMBIATEX in Medellín as well as at the Exintex in Puebla and the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam the CHT Group will present organIQ seek as an alternative to potassium permanganate.

#Functional Fabrics

PERFORMANCE DAYS: Focus topic shifts to the beginning of the value chain

Following the last Focus Topic in October 2025, which placed Textile-to-Textile Recycling at its core, PERFORMANCE DAYS continues to drive the conversation around circularity – this time with an expanded and more upstream perspective. The upcoming Focus Topic, “Textile to Textile: The Role of Collectors and Sorters,” presented during the spring edition on March 18–19, will spotlight one of the most essential yet often overlooked components of a functioning circular textile system: the efficient collection and sorting of post-consumer textiles.

#Knitting & Hosiery

Proven performance, optimised costs – the new RE 6 EL

Nowadays textile companies increasingly need to produce small production runs and respond to market changes with instantaneous pattern changes in order to operate profitably – meaning they require machines that offer maximum flexibility, reliability and cost efficiency. KARL MAYER understands the challenges of the market and is launching its new RE 6 EL. The Raschel machine offers the core strengths of the classic RSE 6 EL and essentially the same performance parameters, but has been further cost-optimised largely due to local production advantages. This makes the newcomer an efficiency champion in production, especially when it comes to frequent pattern changes.

TOP