Composite Integration won the ‘Innovation in Composite Manufacture’ category in this year’s Composites UK Industry Awards.
Since being founded 20 years ago, the Saltash-based company has grown to serve a wide range of sectors including marine, wind energy, aerospace and automotive, with customers in more than 20 countries.
It has developed tooling, meter mixing equipment and process technology to provide customers with the ability to manufacture a wide range of components at both high volume and large scale, with the largest components up to 85m in length.
Composite Integration won the award for its recent work within the aerospace sector. The innovation involved it pushing the boundaries of traditional composite manufacturing processes, working alongside Hill Helicopters to develop a complex, vacuum tight, multi-part tool and appropriate process techniques to manufacture a carbon fibre prototype helicopter fuselage in a single piece, with no bonded joints.
MD, Richard Bland, said: “Hill Helicopters gave us an incredibly difficult challenge, and thanks to the ambition, skill, passion and hard work of the project team, supported by Innovate UK funding, the work was extremely successful and pushed the boundaries of what was considered possible. It was an honour to be recognised by Composites UK for our commitment to being at the forefront of innovation in composites manufacturing.”
