Aerospace materials manufacturer Toray CMA has introduced a fast-cure version of its 3960 pre-preg system that reduces composite curing time by up to 45 percent, offering a potential solution to one of the most persistent bottlenecks in aircraft production.
The new material, designated 3960-FC, is designed for primary aircraft structures, rotorcraft components, mid- to large-sized drones, and launch vehicles. It builds on the existing 3960 system — a pre-impregnated carbon fibre material with epoxy resin — by accelerating the heat-driven curing stage without altering the material’s structural characteristics.
“3960-FC accelerates manufacturing cycles while maintaining the mechanical and structural performance customers expect,” said Jeff Cross, director of aerospace business development at Toray CMA.
The timing is significant. Airbus ended 2025 with a record backlog of 8,754 aircraft, and manufacturers across the industry are under pressure to increase production throughput. Composite curing has long been a rate-limiting step in aerospace manufacturing, as thousands of individual components per aircraft require carefully controlled heat cycles in autoclaves.
The 3960-FC system has demonstrated equivalence with the NCAMP (National Center for Advanced Materials Performance) database, a widely used aerospace benchmark that should ease qualification for manufacturers. It retains the key mechanical properties of the standard 3960 system: exceptional toughness, hot/wet performance, high tensile strength, stiffness, and damage tolerance.
The material is also designed with a low exotherm risk — less prone to heat buildup than many accelerated epoxy systems, particularly in thick composite structures — and is compatible with automated manufacturing methods including Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) and Automated Tape Laying (ATL). It also supports vacuum-bag-only (VBO) processing and compression moulding consolidation, which can shorten production cycles further and reduce tooling costs.
The Washington-based company said the material could help manufacturers increase production rates with existing infrastructure. However, each manufacturer must still qualify the material, integrate it into existing production lines, and satisfy certification requirements — steps that will determine how quickly 3960-FC translates from specification sheet to factory floor.
Sources: Aerospace engineers cut composite curing time by almost 50% with 3960-FC material (Interesting Engineering, July 2026)