ACP Technologies and ORNL Advance U.S. Carbon Fiber and Synthetic Graphite Production

Updated on July 06, 2026 • 4 min read

ACP Technologies and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have strengthened domestic carbon materials manufacturing through a long-term collaboration that has successfully transitioned advanced pitch materials from laboratory research to pilot-scale production.

The partnership supports the commercialization of synthetic graphite and pitch-based carbon fiber, two strategic materials used across aerospace, defense, transportation and energy storage industries.

New Pilot Facility Expands U.S. Manufacturing Capacity

ACP Technologies recently opened a new 75-pound-per-hour continuous pilot production facility in Ashland, Kentucky, marking a major milestone in scaling advanced pitch manufacturing.

The new facility follows years of research conducted at ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF), where scientists helped optimize pitch materials for commercial carbon fiber production. ACP also plans to commission a larger commercial manufacturing plant in 2029.

According to ACP CEO Tom Holcombe, ORNL’s research provided critical process-property data that enabled the company to improve mesophase pitch performance and reliably spin it into carbon fiber.

ORNL Helped Optimize Pitch-Based Carbon Fiber

ACP began collaborating with ORNL approximately seven years ago to develop lower-cost petroleum-derived pitch as an alternative precursor for carbon fiber.

Researchers led by Nidia Gallego conducted extensive laboratory testing to evaluate:

• Mesophase pitch behavior
• Fiber spinning performance
• Material characterization
• Process consistency
• Stabilization optimization
• Defect identification

The iterative research allowed ACP to continually refine its material formulations before moving toward industrial-scale production.

Scientists also identified microscopic particulate issues that affected filtration and continuous fiber spinning, enabling further improvements to manufacturing reliability.

Carbon Fiber Technology Facility Accelerated Commercialization

As the technology matured, development shifted to ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, which provides pilot-scale manufacturing infrastructure bridging laboratory research and commercial production.

The facility’s melt-spinning line can produce up to 65 tons of precursor fiber annually, allowing companies to validate manufacturing processes under industrial conditions before investing in commercial plants.

According to ACP, access to the complete manufacturing workflow—including precursor production, stabilization, fiber handling and downstream processing—significantly reduced commercialization risk.

Strategic Materials for Multiple Industries

The advanced pitch materials developed through the collaboration support several high-value industries.

Potential applications include:

• Carbon fiber composites
• Synthetic graphite
• Lithium-ion battery materials
• Carbon-carbon composites
• Aerospace structures
• Defense systems
• Automotive lightweighting
• High-temperature industrial applications

Mesophase pitch has become increasingly important as demand grows for domestic battery materials and lightweight structural composites.

DOE Supports Domestic Supply Chain Development

The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and the Transportation Technologies Office (TTO).

DOE officials said facilities such as ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility help companies reduce commercialization risk, accelerate manufacturing investment and strengthen domestic supply chains for strategically important materials.

The collaboration also supports broader U.S. efforts to expand domestic production of critical advanced materials while creating new manufacturing opportunities and skilled jobs.

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This article is developed based on real engineering experience, machine testing data, and practical production knowledge from Jota Machinery’s work in advanced composite manufacturing.

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Industry Outlook

Demand for lightweight carbon fiber composites and synthetic graphite continues to increase as aerospace, electric vehicles, energy storage and defense industries seek higher-performance materials with secure domestic supply chains.

The ACP-ORNL partnership demonstrates how government-supported research infrastructure can accelerate commercialization of advanced materials, helping bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and large-scale industrial manufacturing.