Toray Expands Product Offerings in Alabama

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Toray Carbon Fibers America, Incorporated (Decatur, Alabama), a subsidiary of Toray Industries, Incorporated (Tokyo, Japan), is planning to construct a grassroot polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) unit at their complex in Decatur, Alabama. The $25 million unit will produce PTFE fibers for use as a stain resistant in fabrics, non-stick surfaces, such as cooking pans, and artificial implants for humans. Toray will market the product with Dupont's Teflon and Tefaire under a licensing agreement included in Toray's acquisition of DuPont's PTFE business. The design and engineering work for the new unit will take place at Toray's corporate office in Japan and the Decatur site will be releasing the bid packages. Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2003 with a completion date tentatively scheduled for the end of 2003.

PTFE is comprised of a carbon backbone chain with two fluorine atoms attached to each carbon. Fluorine atoms only attract their kind and repel all other types of molecules creating its non-stick ability. PTFE is a vinyl polymer that is similar to polyethylene. Roy Plunkett is credited with accidentally discovering PTFE while experimenting with non-toxic refrigerants for Dupont during the 1930's. He discovered some white powder in a tetrafluoroethylene gas tank that was actually polymerized tetrafluoroethylene gas.