The National Composites Centre (NCC), based in Bristol, UK, has secured funding from the country’s Department of Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to build precursor and carbonisation lines for carbon fibre production.

The two lines – the first of their kind in the UK – will be built by Cygnet Texkimp to enable carbon fibre production in an open-access environment of benefit to all parts of the supply chain, from chemical suppliers to researchers, manufacturers and OEMs.

The new equipment will be capable of producing both precursor and carbon fibre tows at industrial scale filament counts in continuous processes, at volumes sufficient for small scale composite manufacturing and testing.

The ability to test new ideas at this scale is a key step in the development of new feedstocks and processes before they can be scaled up to pilot production volumes. The modular lines will help to accelerate the development of novel new materials produced from more sustainable feedstocks and with improved process efficiency and control.

A key challenge in carbon fibre production is high energy consumption and the use of fossil-fuel based chemicals which results in a high embodied energy of the material. Utilising UK green energy will automatically reduce the carbon burden compared to material bought in from across the globe.

“We’d like to thank DSIT for supporting this national asset that shows NCC’s strategic commitment to continue to explore and invest in building new capabilities in areas where we can deliver impact and unlock future investments,” said NCC CEO Richard Oldfield. “We will collaborate with academia, RTOs, government and industry to maximise the impact of this hugely strategic technology for the composites materials and manufacturing industry.”

“Working with the NCC on this strategically important project will enable us to extract decades of knowledge from within our business shared by colleagues and partners who are among the world’s most respected authorities in carbon fibre engineering,” added Cygnet Texkimp CEO Luke Vardy CEO. “This will directly benefit the UK and the organisations looking to bring this technology to market.”

NCC and Cygnet Texkimp will work together to design, build, test and commission the equipment over the next 12 months.

www.nccuk.com