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HiRACOS (High Rate Aerospace Composite Optimised Structures) addresses the challenge of high-rate composite technologies for Aerospace to allow the rate increase in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Narrowbody markets. These technologies will then be applied in two technology demonstrators, i.e., an AAM composite rotor blade and a composite nose wheel for the Next Generation Single Aisle (NGSA). HiRACOS will addresses four key technologies highlighted by the ATI Destination Zero Roadmap, that is, "High rate composites, adaptable tooling, deposition, cure, and inspection", "Design optimisation for NNS and net shape technologies, optimised material utilisation", "High efficiency, low noise propeller systems" and "Next-gen low weight and cost sustainable landing systems". Carbon ThreeSixty (CTS), Syensqo, the National Composites Centre (NCC) and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) will develop an overarching high-rate composite technology that includes novel material systems from Syensqo and processes like TFP, braiding, core, preforming and stabilisation methods, Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM), Prepreg Compression Moulding (PCM) and post-moulding methods. These technologies will be supported by reliable digital models and validated through mechanical testing and advanced composite inspection. Additionally, CTS and Syesnqo (with the consortium) will deliver an AAM composite rotor blade where the developed technologies can be applied. HiRACOS will deliver a composite rotor blade with a 15 minute takt time and that is 58% cheaper than established competitors. This technology will be ready to enter the market in 2030\. In addition to the rotor blade developments, CTS (with the consortium) will deliver a composite nose wheel for the NGSA. HiRACOS targets to deliver a composite nose wheel with a 100 minute takt time, 25% lighter and with a similar price point to current alloy ones. This technology will be ready to enter the market in 2035 in line with the NGSA EIS. Current structural aerospace composites are manufactured with technologies and materials that are challenging for scaling-up, still produce considerable waste during manufacturing, are labour intensive and, ultimately, conduct to cost prohibitive components. To fight these challenges, the aerospace industry has the need to evolve from current "blackmetal" approach to optimised designs, invest on lower cost materials and processes and adopt manufacturing processes that are cost-effective, viable at high-volumes and produce near-zero waste. HiRACOS will be a key project to support the aerospace industry in this transition.

The pilot Centre of Expertise for Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) (formerly Sustainable Materials Translational Research Centre (SMTRC)) is a collaboration funded by the Innovation Accelerator (IA) programme (2023-2025) via Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Innovate UK (IUK). It is led by major regional and national stakeholders in material science research and innovation and builds upon Greater Manchester's expertise in advanced materials in support of the growing adoption and scaling of sustainable materials and products. CEAMS is being delivered as part of Innovation Accelerator programme (2023-2025), to support the development of sustainable materials and products. This builds on Greater Manchester's leadership in advanced materials and is being delivered in partnership with leading national organisations in material science. To date, the consortium has delivered projects to companies (of which 25 are SMEs), across a wide range of sectors, with strategic themes emerging in sustainability, circularity and clean energy. New capabilities have been developed to address industrial challenges, from the identification of sustainable replacement polymers for corrosion resistant pipes to the development of coatings for sustainable ceramics and the recycling of carbon fibre and other complex products. The consortium has expanded GM innovation capacity via new job creation as well as developing new processes to work together effectively and efficiently to deliver to stakeholders, including common business development activities, a single front door, and jointly delivered projects across multiple centres. This will be a direct and enhanced continuation of CEAMS (with some focusing of project partners), with delivery of new translational R&D projects primarily with SMEs across Greater Manchester that align to the key areas for CEAMS's long-term future, and at least three technology development projects and two grand challenge projects that address industrial challenges related to sustainability, e.g. supply chain circularity.

Air travel has brought families and nations together and connected the remotest places on our globe. It has brought opportunities and enabled the dreams of many. But air travel should not cost us our planet. Business and regional aviation will only remain environmentally and socially acceptable if aircraft propulsion systems are developed that can operate with zero polluting emissions. These zero emissions propulsion systems must also deliver strong economics and the necessary aircraft payload-range performance needed for practical airline and business use. Due to poor energy density restricting aircraft range, there is now the recognition that batteries and gaseous hydrogen propulsion systems are a false dawn for aviation and more innovative solutions are needed. ZeAero (Zero Emissions Aerospace), Intelligent Energy, Rockfort Engineering, Wessington Cryogenics and the National Composites Centre through the Sparrowhawk project are actively developing a novel modular liquid hydrogen-electric aircraft propulsion system that produces zero damaging emissions in operation and achieves class leading power density and specific energy. It achieves this through the application of multiple innovative design features to promote safety and efficiency. This propulsion system will: 1) deliver zero emissions in service -- benefiting the environment, 2) reduce aircraft maintenance and operating costs -- compared to current aviation propulsion units, and 3) not compromise on the high safety standards demanded by the aviation industry. The consortium for this industry-leading zero emissions propulsion system project includes the following UK companies and is led by ZeAero the lead developer of this system who are experts in the development of novel non-polluting aviation technologies and aircraft design. Rockfort Engineering who are specialists in EV powertrains, batteries and ancillary systems providing consultancy and low volume design and build services. Wessington Cryogenics, a global leader in the design and manufacture of cryogenic storage vessels for research and industrial applications. The National Composites Centre who are the UK's Centre of Excellence for Composites R&D and a world leader in composite technology, and Intelligent Energy a world leading hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer with 23 years' experience and products across eight industries. Together our capabilities, experience and proprietary solutions for the field of zero emissions and hydrogen aviation will make practical non-polluting flight possible.

Our project will explore the redesign of a modular precast concrete rail platform system, (including the support structure above foundation, slab, and coping stone). We aim to meet the needs of a low-carbon future by investigating the use of non-metallic reinforcement and alternative binders, aligning with Theme 14 'Sustainable solutions for construction materials'. The key technical challenge to be addressed is how to replace steel reinforcement with a combination of non-corroding Basalt Fibre Reinforced Polymer (BFRP) rebar and/or dispersed reinforcement in a form of BFRP macro fibres, in the most efficient way. Carbon reductions will be achieved through the following measures: * Complete substitution of steel reinforcement * Full replacement of traditional Portland cement * Concrete volume reduction via leaner design * Reduced dead load leading to smaller foundations * Lower weight of transported elements * Prolonged service life * Lower production energy demand and faster production times when switching from reinforcing cages to distributed reinforcement (i.e. fibres). The project will deliver conceptual designs based on Portland Cement and low-carbon concrete, including a comparative Environmental Impact Assessment to demonstrate the carbon savings and identify areas to make the biggest impact. A test plan will be designed for a future demonstrator to assess the performance of the proposed rail platform system in the short and long term, which will be reflected in the whole life cost assessment to demonstrate the environmental and commercial merit of the project. Our project plan is broken down into 6 Milestones as follows: * M1: Market Analysis * M2: Concept design for performance & durability * M3: Sustainability Improvements * M4: Design of the test plan for future demonstrator * M5: Reporting & Next Steps * M6: PM/Governance Deploying this innovation will help increase product lifespan which reduces the replacement frequency, improves the whole life carbon and also extends the period between track shut-downs and minimises passenger disruption. The **National Composites Centre** (NCC) is the UK's leading centre of excellence and innovator in composites technology. NCC are partnering with **FP McCann** **Ltd**, a UK-based construction materials manufacturer and civil engineering company whose core business is manufacturing and supplying precast concrete products. NCC and FP McCann are currently involved in a DESNZ-funded project that is making progress in decarbonising the production of drainage pipes and headwalls using non-metallic basalt FRP macro fibres in place of steel through design, production, testing, validation and LCA assessment. We are keen to apply our learnings to new applications in the rail industry.

This project will develop light-weight, composite-material pipes for Liquid Hydrogen for use in zero-emissions commercial aircraft. The clean aviation sector is growing rapidly driven by net-zero targets. Hydrogen will replace conventional fossil-fuel powered engines. Traditional pipes for industrial users of liquid Hydrogen are made from stainless steel and are heavy. The Enoflex lighter composite-material pipe specifically designed for aviation will reduce the weight of the aircraft and so be a more fuel-efficient and operational-cost effective solution. The project will mature the pipe technology and manufacturing process to TRL6 over 3 years. The project test work will be done in laboratories, ready for flight trials after the project. Enoflex is the lead partner. It is a UK developer and manufacturer of composite-material pipes for cryogenic, liquified gases in Energy Transition applications. The Enoflex pipe is made from a Single Polymer Composite that is particularly tough at cryogenic temperatures compared to carbon-fibre material. Enoflex will take start with its existing technology and manufacturing processes used in the Liquid Natural Gas industries and adapt and extend it for the demanding requirements of the aerospace sector. National Composites Centre and National Physical Laboratory are project partners with expertise in composite-materials manufacture and testing for aerospace and cryogenic applications. They will provide a rigorous scientific base to the project. After the project, Enoflex will manufacture pipes for the Liquid Hydrogen aviation market from its Southampton factory. Design and manufacturing jobs will be created. The pipes will be sold to well established fuel-system Tier1s who are pivoting from kerosene to Liquid Hydrogen technology.

To support the UK's ambitious net zero goals and foster sustainable resource management and optimization, it is crucial to establish robust, unified methodologies for evaluating the environmental impacts of both existing and emerging technologies, ensuring alignment with governmental priorities. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the predominant method for evaluating environmental impacts of products and materials. LCA ISO standards are specifically designed to provide a framework and methodological structure for LCA, including technical terms used in the process, whilst not being prescriptive for detailed decisions. This means that LCA studies are often not comparable due to different assumptions and system boundaries. As global supply chains navigate carbon-regulated territories, further prescriptive standards and policies becomes a necessity. Dependence on LCA results that are either inaccurate or lack transparency could lead to unintended consequences or trade barriers. Moreover, the absence of guidelines that accurately represent the impact of innovative technologies, such as those based on circular economy principles or biobased products, could dampen innovation and investment. It is vital for the UK to cultivate a regulatory landscape that encourages best practices within the Foundation Industries to avoid the risks of disinvestment or relocation of businesses. The LCA Regulatory Science & Innovation Network (LCARSIN) unites leading figures from academia, industry, and policy-making throughout the UK to research and devise a harmonised approach. This initiative aims to guarantee consistent and transparent assessment and reporting of environmental impacts of materials. It also seeks to develop the necessary framework and tools to guide UK regulators and contribute to international climate change regulation, thereby reinforcing UK's position as a thought leader in this domain.

This project will mature and validate a range of innovative materials and processes to underpin a future wide-body Business Class (BC) seat to be known as "EcoSuite" and to enable substantial enhancements to Wide-body First Class (FC) bespoke seats. The innovations introduced via EcoSuite are aimed at addressing market concerns around weight, environmental impact, lead-time and cost. Realisation of the EcoSuite will require the project to mature a range of sustainable and lightweight materials, develop and refine new efficient manufacturing processes, and validate the new material and process technologies via the integration of the new technologies into EcoSuite demonstrators.

AVIATION_1 will deliver structure and systems technologies which are required to integrate ultra-efficient and zero-carbon emission engines onto the wings of an aircraft to provide a significant improvement in aircraft efficiency and reduction in CO2 emissions. The next generation of commercial aircraft will use 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Hydrogen fuels. By 2035, Airbus aims to be the first aircraft manufacturer to offer a hydrogen-powered aircraft. This supports the aerospace industry's decarbonisation roadmap to reach 'net-zero carbon emissions' by 2050\. As well as engines, the wings are one of the biggest levers to improve aircraft performance. The next generation wings have the potential to contribute more to efficiency gains than the next generation of engines. Improving aerodynamic performance through optimised wing design will allow future aircraft to significantly reduce fuel burn and carbon emissions. The next generation of engines are likely to be larger and heavier, with more complex supporting systems. It is critical that technologies and new designs are developed for the wings to ensure these major components are integrated to maximise efficiency gains. The technologies must also be capable of being manufactured at high production rates to ensure aircraft can be delivered at the rate our customers and the global market demands. AdVanced wIngs enAbling ulTa effIcient propulsiON 'AVIATION' is a two-phase programme which will build upon the achievements of the Airbus led, ATI-funded Wing-of-Tomorrow programme to deliver more complex wing geometries, which can be produced by a high-rate industrial system. This project will develop novel solutions to integrate new propulsion and complex systems with minimal penalties, whilst enhancing the industrial viability for the next generation of aircraft. AVIATION_1, Q4 2024 to Q4 2026, will mature technologies to enable the most ambitious and innovative new wing configurations, applicable to both SAF and Hydrogen powered aircraft.

The primary intent of this proposal is to establish the capability required to secure manufacturing content for the UK on the next generation of composite wing. However, the automated deposition technologies and enabling capabilities will also directly benefit other applications and programmes, such as composite fan cases and Advanced Air Mobility structures. As such, this proposal addresses key technology bricks in all 3 major ATI strategic focus areas; ultra efficient process development, lightweight solutions for Zero emission and cross-cutting enabling processes. Traditional aerospace primary structure carbon fibre technologies can only deliver between 8 -13 articles/month (dependent upon type of material). The next generation single aisle aircraft needs to have production capabilities that can reach and exceed rate 60/month. To achieve this, further development of the NCC's already novel and unique Ultra High-Rate Deposition capabilities and supporting processes is required. Using the learning from Wing of Tomorrow and current knowledge within Industry, HVMC and academia, existing manufacturing cells and end effectors will be enhanced, and new capability acquired to demonstrate readiness of large-scale composite manufacturing for rate 60+. This work addresses key technology bricks in the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)s structures, manufacturing & assembly roadmaps. The detailed requirements of the capital acquisition program will be defined during the early phase of the program and will influence and inform potential suppliers. This will enable specification development, solution development, procurement, and delivery of the equipment at which point the NCC will ensure the capability is ready to use on customer projects. An industry led Industrial Advisory Group (IAG) will be set up to ensure that the specifications meet their needs. The main scope of the Capital Acquisition is comprised of 3 key sections: **Section 1 - Deposition and cure** \*NCF deposition system (Ultra-High-Rate Deposition Cell) \*Enhanced Fibre Placement \*Automated Dry Fibre Stringer preforming \*LSRI enhancement and tool clamping system for RTM **Section 2 - Rate Enabling Technologies** \*Net edge preform and cure \*Automated in-process verification & digital systems integration \*Rapid tool cleaning \*Rapid post cure NDI and metrology **Section 3 - NCC facility modifications** \*Building modifications required to accept the new equipment \*Infrastructure systems modifications for the acquisitions The proposed capability is not only a key dependency of the £40m Wing Industrial Accelerator programme, Project 2, but is also supporting the Rolls Royce Ultrafan casing development. There is also considerable interest and potential future programs spillover from the energy and Defence sectors.

Hydrogen Zero Emission Maritime (HyZEM) brings together leading UK and Australian technology partners to deliver transformational progress for zero-emission maritime hydrogen innovation. It specifically addresses decarbonisation of vessels through development of interconnected modular hydrogen storage and hydrogen propulsion technologies to de-risk and accelerate market adoption of marine hydrogen. This programme also delivers technical and economic feasibility studies for a real-world demonstration of zero-emission on-vessel hydrogen storage, propulsion, and bunkering technology and hydrogen port storage and refuelling infrastructure and associated local supply chains. **UK Partners** * **Steamology** Zero-emission steam turbines at TRL5/6 experimental deployment in workboat scalable to MW power * **The National Composites Centre (NCC)** World's leading research centre for composites materials including H2-storage tanks, and one of the UK's seven High Value Manufacturing Catapults. * **Duodrive Ltd** Expert in marine propulsion developing an advanced, high efficiency and intelligent Contra-Rotating Propulsion system. * **Chartwell Marine & R3Energise** Industry leading CTV designers, vessel operators engaged with decarbonisation and vessel efficiency for Windfarm O&M * **Freeport East** Freeport for Felixstowe&Harwich with strong Government backing, unique infrastructure links, co-location with growing world-class innovation clusters * **ORE-Catapult** Supported SMEs, global industry and academic collaborations accelerating UK companies in offshore renewable energy. **Australian Partners** * **Rux Energy --** developing breakthrough nano-materials and integrated systems for physisorbed safe, high-efficiency low-cost hydrogen-storage * **University of New South Wales Centre for Automated Manufacture of Advanced Composites (AMAC)** -- leading Australian composite materials research centre Our project meets competition scope and eligibility focussing on the technical design, integration, operation and regulatory approval of several advanced high power on-vessel hydrogen technologies, so reducing the cost associated and barriers to adoption of marine hydrogen solutions. The team are experts in their respective specialist fields with complementary technologies and experience of collaborating effectively. A clear plan for future demonstration utilising a new generation of high efficiency Crew Transfer Vessels in partnership with Scottish Power Renewables for high volume Renewable Energy low carbon Hydrogen supply Rux Energy's patented sorption technology is transforming hydrogen storage, and will collaborate with NCC and UNSW AMAC to develop, prototype and test marine-optimised safe, high-efficiency, low-cost advanced composite tanks. Steamology steam turbines are zero emission, the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen only produces water without ANY Carbon, NOx, Sox or particulates Duodrive novel propulsion technology provides the most efficient drivetrain to convert stored energy matching duty cycle demands.

Engineering and manufacturing companies need to have flexible but consistent regulations to be able to co-create and collaborate effectively. Sharing data and decisions in a safe and effective way across extended supply chains will dramatically accelerate the introduction to market of new and more sustainable products. The MERGE network will bring together regulators, industry, academia and suppliers to develop new scientific tools and techniques to enable model-based enterprise methods to be used as a catalyst to achieve this transformation.

There is pressure in and on the aerospace sector to embed sensors in flight-ready systems and subsystems in order that Condition Monitoring may provide continuous and early-warning reports as to the flightworthiness of such systems during their manufacture, while on the ground or during maintenance intervals. Theta Technologies is a UK-based global leader in the commercialisation of the Nonlinear Resonance technique for Non-Destructive Testing of aerospace components. Applicable components can be metallic, composite or ceramic, and they can be conventionally or additively manufactured. Nonlinear Resonance offers a unique opportunity to detect the formation and propagation of very fine cracks (known as 'contact cracks' or 'stealth flaws') or delaminations (such as 'kissing bonds') and impact damage far in advance of any eventual failure. The nature of the method, however, requires that transmission and reception sensors and their relationship with the system under test must be sufficiently and reliably linear, in order that any nonlinearity detected can be confidently associated with flaws in that system. The project will conduct a performance assessment of a range of sensors when embedded into composite subassemblies. The intended outcome is best-practice knowhow indicating which sensors and couplings are appropriate for a range of aerospace subsystems in order to carry out Conditioning Monitoring of aerospace structures using Nonlinear Resonance.

There is increasing industrial, regulatory and consumer demand for the use of greener alternatives across a range of everyday products, with a particular focus on formulated non-food items. It is also a key strategy for the UK government and manufacturers to use biobased alternatives to petrochemical-derived ingredients across the chemical industry. Bio-refining of a range of low-value biomass residues offers a way to produce intermediate chemicals to replace fossil-based materials, whilst simultaneously increasing their value and reducing their impact on the environment. However, current biorefining technologies are wasteful, inefficient and often unprofitable. Bio-Sep, using its novel, patented ultrasonic processing technology, aims to make a step-change in biorefining while stimulating investments in the UK bioeconomy. In collaboration with a strong consortium of global leaders in process innovation, chemicals, composites and automotives, Bio-Sep aims to optimise the Sonichem technology for specific, renewable, consistent, and widely-available UK biomass and generate platform chemicals directly relevant to the paints, coatings, cosmetics, construction, resins, pharmaceuticals, and additives markets. The consortium will explore the use of lignin to pioneer composite resin formulations that contain high-levels of renewable, non-petrochemical content, and utilise low-carbon feedstocks. As part of the project, applications of this material to composites for automotive applications will be investigated. The main outcome of the project will be optimised and validated ultrasonic fractionation of UK biomass residues, achieved in a commercially-viable and environmentally-sustainable manner under mild operating conditions, to produce high-quality lignin. The lignin will be demonstrated as suitable for the production of renewable, low carbon and bio-based feedstocks for composite materials relevant to the automotive sector. These outcomes allow Bio-Sep to provide a basis for the scaling of the innovation, promote the Sonichem biorefinery concept more widely, and advance subsequent commercialisation with exploitation partners across the chemicals industry.

Future business and regional aviation will only remain environmentally acceptable if these aircraft can operate with zero polluting emissions and can do so with strong economics and good aircraft payload-range capabilities. The Kestrel project develops a modular hydrogen-electric aircraft propulsion system that produces zero damaging emissions in operation and achieves class leading power density and specific energy using novel design features. The Kestrel propulsion system not only will deliver zero emissions in service but will do so with lower maintenance and operating costs than legacy aviation propulsion units and without compromising on safety. The Kestrel Consortium partners are committed to the important mission of the decarbonization of aviation. Partners include the ZeAero% (Zero Emissions Aerospace), experts in the development of novel non-polluting aviation technologies and aircraft design, Rockfort Engineering, experts in propulsion system control, and Evolito Aero, leaders in the development of high power-density aviation electric motors. Intelligent Energy are the UK's leaders in Fuel Cell technology, whilst Wessington Cryogenics are a leader in cryogenic storage development. The National Composite Centre is the UK's leading industrial composites research partner. Together the Kestrel Consortium partners bring wide capability, experience and proprietary novel solutions to the field of zero emissions and hydrogen aviation, making non-polluting flight possible.

Low carbon alkali activated cementitious materials (AACMs) have the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of concrete (upto **80% reduction in embodied carbon**). However, their uptake has been slow due to the limited evidence base for their performance in use, with suppliers consequently unwilling to invest to increase manufacturing capacity. One of the main issues is the level of protection afforded to steel reinforcement with long-term durability data needed for reinforced concretes, especially in aggressive environments. The use of non-corroding basalt fibre reinforcement (BFR) eliminates this risk. **Demonstration and performance monitoring** of BF-reinforced AACM concrete in field trials at GCRE will provide **evidence of** **fitness-for-purpose**, addressing user/specifier concerns, providing data to support standards development and encouraging the supply chain to invest in capacity. The project will deliver a feasibility study to **align recent innovations in AACM/BFR concrete with applications for concrete structures at the GCRE**. The objective will be to carry out a Phase 2 project to manufacture and 'install' concrete components made using AACMs and BFR at priority applications at GCRE, supported by a targeted testing programme to better characterise and address technical barriers to use at scale. We will build upon the knowledge from our recent National Highways M42 haul Road project to utilise a combination of AACM Geopolymer concrete and Basalt fibre rebar to offer a minimal feasible embodied carbon solution whilst attaining long-term durability through removal of the corrosion risk associated with steel rebar. Linear and/or discrete ground-retaining structures would present a strong option although other applications will also be considered. The structure/s will incorporate sensing technologies to enable us to verify stress vs applied load and the design prediction and to enable long term performance monitoring exposed to real world weathering and fatigue and ultimately performance validation of these new material systems. **The learning generated will provide confidence** to users and support the development of standards. It will also enable challenges associated with the manufacture of larger scale manufacturing to be understood and supply chains to be reengineered to facilitate wider uptake. The feasibility study will be led by Bastech Ltd (basalt fibre reinforcement), with Tarmac (manufacture of concrete made using AACM), Skanska (rail sector-focused construction contractor), the Building Research Establishment (durability and performance of cementitious materials including AACMs) and the National Composited Centre (structural performance monitoring, composite rebar design support and sustainability).

WingTek is developing an innovative rigid Wingsail System to accelerate the deployment of wind auxiliary propulsion on large commercial vessels, with the goal of reduced fuel use, costs, pollution and CO2 emissions. The 55,000 commercial ships that make up the global shipping industry consume over 200M tonnes of fossil fuel each year, produce harmful gas and particulate emissions and generate 700M tonnes of CO2 annually, which is 3% of the global total. Fuel costs are currently very high, low sulphur fuels to reduce pollutants cost even more and new green CO2-free alternative fuels are not yet widely available. As a result ship owners are experiencing significant economic and increasing regulatory pressure to reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels and find ways of mitigating the cost of the more environmentally friendly alternatives. There is no simple, single alternative to the use of diesel fuels in ships. Transitioning commercial shipping away from fossil fuels to satisfy these demands will require a hybrid mix of technologies to achieve emissions targets economically. It is here that wind assistance, used as "auxiliary propulsion" rather than primary propulsion, can play a significant and effective role. Wind is widely available, free at the point of use & needs no new fuel production and distribution infrastructure. It is inexpensive to exploit and produces no emissions. Its strength as an auxiliary propulsion system is in allowing the main engine to run at lower revs whilst maintaining normal vessel speeds - saving fuel whichever type is used - and reducing costs, pollutants and CO2 emissions. This project delivers two full-size prototypes of a new rigid Wingsail designed for mass-deployment on commercial ships. This design is simple, robust and lightweight making it ideal for mass manufacture. It is self-powered, needing no power from the vessel, which means installation is simpler, faster and less expensive. Most importantly, the design ensures the vessel lights are not obscured by the wingsail and so still meets the international Collision Regulations after installation. Two operational prototype units will be manufactured as part of this project, one installed on shore for permanent testing and one installed on a UK commercial vessel for extended sea-trials over several months to demonstrate and measure real-world fuel savings.

In the highly competitive world of commercial air travel, Airlines require the most efficient, low-emissions aircraft to address rising fuel costs and remain profitable to compete with their rivals. To address this demand and support the Industry target of net zero-emissions by 2050, Airbus will launch new narrowbody aircraft, culminating in a zero-emission Aircraft, called ZEROe by 2035, powered by hydrogen. These aircraft will be designed using the latest technology of equipment and composite structure, much of which is still under development. Currently Airbus wings are manufactured in the UK. However, this is for metallic wings and low-rate composite wings, which are both very labour intensive. A new production system needs to be developed. To be successful it must encompass the entire supply-chain. To meet airline demand, the challenge is to develop a production system that can ramp-up production to 60 pairs of wings a month within two years of the aircraft going into service with the airlines. This has never been achieved in the aerospace industry. To avoid delays, this development needs to be undertaken before full production can be launched. Working with UK companies and Universities, Airbus in the UK has launched a portfolio of ten funded projects called Wing-Accelerator to undertake this out-of-cycle development, which will focus specifically on high-rate manufacture of composite wings. It will develop the automation, digitalisation, logistics and connected industrial network required. Project 2 will develop the technology to enable high-rate production of the Wing Upper Cover in the UK. Today on Airbus widebody aircraft, state-of-the-art production can manufacture 11 composite cover sets a month. These are produced in Germany. Therefore rate 60 will be a World's first. The aim of Project 2 is to develop a covers production line that can be installed at Airbus's Broughton Plant, Wales and secure manufacture of the upper covers for the new, sustainable aircraft in the UK. This will create and safeguard 2139 jobs at Airbus and many times more in UK supply-chain, boosting these companies' revenues Airbus is working in partnership with the National Composite Centre, part of the UK's Catapult Network. The NCC is the UK's Centre of Excellence for Composites Research and Development. It is recognised as a world leader in composite technology, accelerating the development and uptake of digital technologies for sustainable composites and growing the market for composites. Partners: Airbus, NCC

Greater Manchester (GM) has world class research capability in developing advanced materials and has a growing materials innovation cluster within the city region. Globally there is a gap in companies able to provide sustainable materials for manufacturing supply chains, and also a market failure in industries ability to scale up and adopt sustainable materials in manufacturing applications. This presents a major economic opportunity for GM -- and there are plans to realise this through GM Combined Authority's (GMCA's) and Rochdale Development Agency's (RDA's) development of a Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials & Sustainability (CEAMS), which will be built in Atom Valley/Rochdale. Our programme, "Supply Chain Pilots for the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials & Sustainability (p-CEAMS)", supports GMCAs ambitions in the development of CEAMS, leveraging GM's existing strength in materials research, alongside the UK's High Value Manufacturing Catapult's (HVMC's) competency in building supply chain capability. Our programme: 1) Addresses current supply chain gaps in provision of sustainable advanced materials by: \*Connecting regional businesses to National supply chain needs in advanced materials including polymers, composites, biomaterials, technical textiles, coatings, and digital manufacturing of materials (Materials 4.0) \*Supporting regional businesses to develop solutions to these needs \*Demonstrating scale up AND application of new advanced materials and digital technologies in industrial processes, through collaborative pilot projects 2) Supports the development of CEAMS and ensures this becomes a long-term capability for GM by transferring activity and follow-on work into the CEAMS -- creating starter pipelines for this investment 3) Uses the activity to catalyse strategic links to inward investment, accelerating advanced materials business clustering in GM through collaborative creation of new material supply chain enterprises, and through the attraction of existing advanced material supply chain companies to GM. Our consortium, comprised of Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), University of Manchester (UoM) Institutes (Royce, GEIC, SMI Hub), National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Science and Technologies Facilities Council (UKRI-STFC), and the UK's High Value Manufacturing Catapult, will exploit existing infrastructure within GM and nationally to catalyse cross-sector and cross-supply chain collaborations, developing viable business models to ensure quality and sustainability of AdM systems that deliver innovations, revenue and productivity/GVA benefits for GM businesses and the region .

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The RACHEL project builds on previous technology development in terms of both practices and the partnership, bringing a mix of large OEM's (Spirit Europe and ITP UK), SME's (Causeway and Reaction), research and Academia (NCC and various universities) plus subtiers of UK suppliers, all bringing novelty and agile working. The aim is to develop technologies and architectures that deliver an effective and practical hydrogen combustion gas turbine powerplant able to operate safely, practically and reliably with Liquid H2 fuel across the full operating range, and to deliver a commercially viable product. The UK government 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, and Jet Zero pushes forward the goal of sustainable air travel. Similarly, the Aerospace Technology Institute has called on the UK aviation industry to prioritise sustainability and lead action on environmental imperatives. Transition to alternative energy sources to today's kerosene is regarded as one of the technology priorities, and hydrogen is one fuel that could power aircraft in the coming 10-15 years. Particularly, development of a hydrogen-fuelled gas turbine combustion system has been identified as a key enabler for zero carbon emission flight, as gas turbine powered aircraft currently account for 96% of today's aviation carbon emissions. This is far from easy. Despite the advantage of being a very clean fuel, producing almost pure water as an exhaust product, hydrogen unfortunately has a very low energy density compared to kerosene, meaning that the fuel will have to be in the form of a cryogenic liquid to enable aircraft to fly any appreciable distance. The extremely low temperature of liquid hydrogen, -253 °C, is an incredibly harsh environment for the engine components, and many technological challenges will have to be overcome to produce a hydrogen-powered gas turbine that has the same exacting requirements of quality, performance, reliability and safety as today's engines. Combustion of hydrogen brings many challenges, both in terms of the transportation of the hydrogen fuel (cryogenic and gaseous) and also the heat management and secondary and tertiary oil systems. As the system leverages electrical power, the incorporation of electrical systems and the integration into the powerplant is key in this project. Additionally, innovative tank solutions will not only develop solutions capable of gaseous fuel storage but will also solve the issue of purging media storage. The exciting project is jointly funded through contribution from the project partners and UK government agencies, BEIS, Innovate UK and ATI.

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The Airbus X-Wing Beta project will manufacture, deliver and validate, in flight test, a demonstrator of a new wing concept that will reduce CO2 emissions and block fuel towards Airbus journey for zero-emissions aircraft. The wing will embody active control technologies enabling ultra-high span wings that provide a significant performance benefit through loads and weight reduction, and aerodynamic optimisation applicable to conventional propulsion or as an enabler for zero emissions aircraft. The wing will be exposed in the future to real operation conditions in flight test, to validate its performance benefits.

AiBuild is a UK-based SME which offers CAM and process control software (AiSync) for large-format polymer additive manufacturing (AM). AiBuild is seeking funding from InnovateUK to develop a novel infill generation feature for AiSync to enable the additive manufacture of thermally-stable composite moulds, unlocking the cost and lead-time savings of AM over existing mould-manufacturing processes.

Rotor blades and propellers are an established means of providing lift/propulsion for various aircraft types. As the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) market expands, the demand for lightweight rotor blades is predicted to increase exponentially, particularly for use on a new breed of e-VTOL full electric urban & sub-regional based vertical take off and landing aircraft. HALOS (Highly Automated, Lightweight, Optimised & Scalable) Rotor Blade seeks to demonstrate a highly scalable and low cost manufacturing methodology for future rotor blades that will be capable of meeting the forecasted demand from the sector. The existing supply chain for composite propellers and rotor blades is not presently capable of meeting the requirements of AAM, predominantly due to the volume requirements which are driven both by higher numbers of aircraft (due to lower complexity and cost) and also the number of blades required per aircraft. The design requirements of AAM, such as a mix of VTOL and forward flight, multiple rotors with low disk loading, short flight duration and low noise do require a different style of blade. There is therefore a need for a new approach and manufacturing methodology to meet the requirements of this new market and breed of aircraft, meeting aerospace standards but with volume and cost requirements more akin to that seen in the automotive industry. HALOS Rotor Blade brings together an agile, high growth SME (Carbon ThreeSixty) with the facilities and expertise of the NCC to address the above requirements through an innovative design and collection of manufacturing technologies which combine high performance with low cost and volume scalability and is supported by several large aerospace manufacturers.

LANDOne develops world-leading ambitious technologies to deliver the **next-generation landing-systems design**, manufacturing and assembly solution for the next generation **sustainable,** **digital, smart and connected aircraft**. LANDOne delivers novel technologies, extends the use of existing ones to the aeronautical sector and also develops methods, tools and capabilities to ensure that the future products are competitive and stay competitive. The innovation produced in **LANDOne spans across the whole life** of our landing-system and it is organized in four streams: * **Industrialisation** to optimize design and processes for industrialisation and cost reduction * **Maintenance & services** to reduce maintenance footprint through zero unplanned maintenance, increasing aircraft availability * **Performance & Autonomy** to improve aircraft and airport operation performance * **Sustainability** to minimize end-to-end environmental footprint to deliver a sustainable product, protecting the environment in line with Airline and industry environmental targets LANDOne aims at providing substantial improvement on the following figures of merit: **fuel consumption, industrial CO2, noise emission, non recurring cost, development time, time to market, recurring cost, final assembly line build time, direct maintenance cost, operational interrupt, in-service revenue, production rate ramp-up target**. LANDOne will push the innovation boundaries on the following subjects: * Develop methods, tools, processes and capabilities to ensure the **Landing-system architecture** is the optimum for future aircraft, * Optimise manufacturing and assembly of aircraft and landing-systems components using **automated and digital assembly** techniques, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, modular design and industry automation; * Develop **novel advanced sensors**; * Develop **Predictive Health Monitoring** services; * Improve the maintenance experience by **automatization of maintenance and enhanced human-machine interfaces**; * Wide-spread use of **Artificial Intelligence (AI)** capabilities for * design optimization * Improvement of maintenance activities * pushing boundaries of certification for AI algorithms on safety critical functions; * Digital traceability of landing-systems parts to build **digital twins**; * Develop methods, tool, process and capability to deploy **MBSE at aircraft level** to implement optimization of system of systems; * Develop advanced modelling and simulation for extending **virtual testing**; * Preparing for the **electrical revolution** by developing next generation actuation and exploring energy harvesting to power it; * **protecting the environment** by reducing consumables, developing sustainable manufacturing and decreasing the acoustic footprint; LANDOne provides the best opportunity for the UK companies to collaborate between them as well as with research organisation and Universities to be ready to deliver the next-generation Landing-system out of the UK.

Landing-Gear Industrial Breakthroughs "I-Break" will develop and manufacture major components with innovative techniques such as powder hot isostatic pressing, additive manufacture and composites. The Landing-Gear major components; main fitting, sliding piston and actuation are drivers of the aircraft key competitiveness factors; * Development time and cost (NRC), * Recurring cost (RC) * Industrial environmental impact Manufacture has changed little over time, relying on large forgings with no UK footprint. I-Break will develop solutions to be applied on the Next-Generation and Zero Emissions aircraft ready for exploitation. Innovative industrial means are essential to secure breakthrough improvements in the key competitiveness factors.

Data centres, and the networks and systems that surround them are the future work horse of digitised economies. The data processing that they provide is a well-known driver for economic growth, providing cutting edge storage and computing systems that increasingly underpin all aspects of business and society. These data centres are huge system of systems, comprising thousands of components coming from a diverse, global supply chain. To account for the ever growing amount and complexity of data that needs to be processed these systems are becoming more complex and have started to incorporate novel chip sets within heterogeneous architectures to provide more efficient training of machine learning problems. Quantum technologies, has long been described as the solution to the world's most challenging data problems. Quantum computing has the ability to significantly enhance our ability to process optimisation, machine learning and sorting problems which are beyond the reach of today's computers, and quantum communications provides the answer to ever-increasing challenges of security. However, to date, very little activity has taken place to understand from a systems perspective how quantum technologies can integrate with existing data centres. Quantum computers and communications systems are often described in isolation, more or less at-odds with the direction of the industry for the last 50 years. This misses the possibility for very significant near term value to be created with quantum/classical hybrid systems. For the first time ever, this project seeks look at quantum technologies through the lens of the existing industry. It brings together experts in classical data centres and networking, quantum computing and quantum communications and will develop a blueprint for a quantum/classical hybrid data centre and a quantum internet.

In the same way that the airline industry has benefit from the use of composite materials to reduce fuel emissions, the marine transport can take advantage of many of the same characteristics and more, to enable clean shipping. This feasibility study focuses on the efficiency savings and upscaling that can be achieved through the application of composite materials across a maritime propulsion system. Not only will this directly reduce greenhouse emissions and enable the transition to low emission and zero carbon energy systems such as batteries, fuel cells or hydrogen, but it will also grow the national maritime supply chain, provide more UK jobs and benefit the economy through increased exports. Teignbridge Propellers International is a world-leading designer and manufacturer of bronze-cast precision performance propellers, stern-gear and propulsion products. Teignbridge will apply their maritime industry expertise to improved design and modelling of a scalable propulsion system with propeller diameter up to 6m. The National Composites Centre, as a core part of the core High Value Manufacturing Catapult, aim to accelerate the growth of UK industrial output by enabling design and manufacturing enterprises to deliver winning solutions in the application of composites. This project partner will bring their expertise to support this new application of composites through material selection, manufacturing process selection, composite design techniques and testing guidance. The main output of this feasibility study will be a preliminary design for a composite propulsion system, maximising the opportunities and benefits of composite materials to improve efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enable the use of low density and zero carbon fuels. The commercialised propulsion system will help maintain the UK as a major maritime nation, growing the UK supply chain through improved and competitive products that target the global shift towards zero emission shipping. This will result in more UK jobs and further economic benefits from increased exports. The study will also produce the route-to-market business case, plan and investment requirements for progressing the upscaled propulsion system design through to demonstrator phase on a UK vessel. The business case will consider not just the on-vessel emissions savings but also an assessment of the materials and processes used across the lifecycle of the propulsion system to truly understand the sustainability of the proposed solution.

Out-of-autoclave Resin-Infused composites provide a key opportunity for the Aerospace industry. Promising high manufacturing rates, lower manufacturing costs, and environmental sustainability through reduced weight of aerostructures. The CoSInC (Composite Smart Industrial Control) project partners have scoped an ambitious and innovative programme of work targeting key bottlenecks and challenges to achieve a robust, repeatable and rate-enabled industrial system. The project will deliver validated simulations for the various stages of manufacture as well as a next-generation digital manufacturing system. This is a collaborative project between Airbus, MSC, Planit Software, the National Composites Centre (NCC), and the Centre For Modelling and Simulation (CFMS).

Project H.E.N.R.Y brings together academic knowledge and supply chain capability in order to evaluate the opportunity for hydrogen pressure vessels as a suitable method for mobility applications. Battery electrification, whilst answers several emission challenges, also has its limitations. Not only because of energy density challenges but potentially also the use of scarce resources. This project will demonstrate how hydrogen can be commercially used within the automotive industry and in turn compare the sustainability aspects against battery systems The opportunity for the UK that this represents will become evermore significant as other markets, ie. Rail and Aerospace, review their power source strategies

The AIRBUS X-WING Alpha project is a demonstrator of a new wing concept that will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, supporting Airbus' ambition for zero-emission aviation. The wing uses active control technologies to enable ultra-high span wings, providing significant performance benefits through loads and weight reduction. This aerodynamic optimisation can be applied on aircraft with conventional propulsion or act as an enabler for hybrid or zero-emissions aircraft. The wing will be exposed in the future to real operational conditions in flight tests, in order to validate its performance benefits.

Traditional methods of airframe assembly are manually-intensive and inefficient. After components are placed together and drilled, they are disassembled, inspected and reworked before being reassembled and joined with fasteners. This is due to assembly fit-up, materials and dynamics, along with quality and rate requirements, making hole generation challenging. This project will develop a scaled-down test-rig, which can mimic dynamics of production assemblies, and techniques for inferring hole quality from in-process data. Outputs will facilitate hole generation testing and hole verification using in-process data. This will enable adoption of assembly processes without intermediate disassembly, drastically improving aircraft assembly efficiency.

Actuation Lab is engineering the world's most powerful actuators for extreme environments. Actuators are engineered devices that make machines move. Actuation Lab has developed a revolutionary fluid powered actuator technology, the Callimorph, designed from the ground up to best exploit the unique properties of modern composite materials. The ultra-lightweight Callimorph is composed of a single part, eliminating the sliding seals that cause so many issues in traditional piston actuators, while also exhibiting the excellent specific strength and corrosion resistance inherent to composite materials. The result is a high-performance maintenance free actuator, able to survive in the world's dirtiest, dustiest and saltiest environments. The Callimorphs survivability in extreme environments is of great interest to the marine, Oil and Gas and offshore renewable energy industries, where this technology has the potential to reduce costly failures and maintenance while extending product life and reducing hazards and costs associated with handling bulky traditional actuators. This project entails taking the Callimorph from a TRL 4 demonstrator to a TRL 7 product, ready for in-service testing. This project is a collaboration between Actuation Lab Ltd and the National Composites Centre.

The CERCOMPUK project aims to undertake a crucial and unique study aimed specifically at UK needs and capability in CMC materials technology. The work, undertaken by a consortium formed by the NCC, the MTC and AMRC, will cover material supply chain, lower cost alternatives, material processing, performance benchmarking, machining, inspection, manufacturing facility requirements and repair operations to provide industry with a full spectrum of information that has never been undertaken as a single, industry focussed study.

ASCEND is an industry led, cross-sector consortium brought together by GKN Aerospace, focussed on developing & accelerating UK composites capability to meet the requirement of single aisle, business jets & future mobility markets. ASCEND will develop the UK value chain in readiness for a step-change in use of lightweight structures, at high-rates. ASCEND brings new entrants, established small, high-growth & Tier-1 partners together to collaborate on delivering flexible automated capability. Connecting best in-class of talent, experience, & market access in one programme. ASCEND delivers UK capability for advanced, lightweight structures to meet demand in electric & hybrid propulsion aerospace structures.

GTTC-Wheel will see Carbon ThreeSixty, in partnership with the National Composites Centre and in collaboration with Leonardo Helicopters, leverage their combined expertise to design, develop, characterise and manufacture a revolutionary, ultra-low mass proof of concept CFRP wheel for rotorcraft applications. This includes developing the optimum route-to-market and further quantifying the prospective business opportunity arising from the disruptive innovation in a rapidly growing sector of the aerospace market.

**Project Description:** To demonstrate the "_fingerprinting_" of multiple representative aerospace parts made using composites and the ability to discriminate between them as a result of the fingerprinting, ideally for those parts to be actual production parts provided by an aerospace prime. **Need:** Counterfeit parts are: "_A product produced or altered to resemble a product without authority or right to do so, with the intent to mislead or defraud by passing the imitation as original or genuine_". The estimated counterfeit market size for all products exceeds $460Bn. The aerospace and automotive parts are in 10th place among the most counterfeited products, accounting for 2% of this illegal business (almost $10Bn). A 2008 report by the Boeing Company states that anything can be counterfeited including fasteners (bolts, nuts, rivets) and materials. Fake parts in the aerospace industry are among the most dangerous as they put unsuspecting people at risk of injury or death. The need is to create a mechanism for operators to have certainty as to device provenance to protect against the risk of catastrophic failure and resulting economic damage to manufacturers and operators resulting from counterfeit parts use. **Innovation**: Our combination of patent-pending innovations will allow composite components to be given a unique 'fingerprint' such that composite products can be traced through the supply chain and validated prior to use.

**Vision:** We will apply novel techniques developed for medical imaging to Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of critical composite components in aircraft to transform the sensitivity and speed of testing, and hence transform maintenance economics. The long-term intent is to develop a new approach that can be applied in manufacture and routine maintenance. The vision is to develop NDT technologies that will be adopted by prime aircraft component manufacturers, and this will then drive adoption in the through-life maintenance programme to deliver value in terms of reduced manufacturing costs and reduced through-life cost-of-test. **Objectives:** 1\. To deliver a demonstrator for a new type of imaging modality for NDT of composites for aviation applications. 2\. The National Composite Centre ('NCC' a UK Research Technology Organisation) will work with Adaptix to integrate micro-fiducials (tiny specks whose position can be imaged) into composites and validate them for aviation use. 3\. The National Physical Laboratory ('NPL' a UK RTO as Contractor) will work with Adaptix to validate that: 3.1 The micro-fiducials do not affect critical physical properties; and, 3.2 That imaging is capable of better identifying the target failure modes than existing inspection modalities. **Focus:** We will focus on identifying delamination and wrinkles as these are the failure-modes with the greatest safety and economic relevance. In order to drive adoption, we will work with a specific early adopter and on high-value composite part to illustrate the value to an aerospace Prime. **Innovation:** We will deliver an imaging system to image composite structures tagged with micro-fiducials which will go beyond laminography in the ability to detect key failure modes. We aim to prove that the inclusion of micro-fiducials can enhance the ability to detect failure modes without adversely affecting the physical properties of a device, and in doing so overcome objections to the use of the technique.

Marine propulsion is a multi-billion pound industry undergoing a rapid change from direct drive diesel and petrol to electric. To support this change there is an urgent need for innovative electric propulsion systems like those being developed by RAD. The technology that RAD has developed is safer (no external rotating blades), more robust to becoming entangled with debris and has minimal moving parts. Reducing product and manufacturing complexity and costs are critical if such a product is to fill this current gap in the marine UK PEMD market. This is a collaborative project between RAD Propulsion Ltd, iNetic Ltd and the National Composite Centre. The team will undertake industrial research targeted at significantly reducing Bill Of Material (BOM) costs, improving manufacturability and enabling early life product monitoring of the PEMD element of the marine rim-drive hubless propulsion system that RAD has developed. This project is focused on the manufacturing element of our products PEMD technology and so directly underpins the UKs move towards electrification and is a key step in Driving the Electric Revolution Electric rim drives and hub-less propellers are not new technologies but the merging of the two together into a single product to achieve the levels of performance needed in the target market means its introduction will be transformative to the marine market in the sub 50kW power range. The operating environment, the required manufacturing tolerances and the performance demands placed on the product in this market introduces specific technological /manufacturing process challenges that this project will address, namely: * the hydrodynamic drag effects from the motor housing are critical if the required boat speed is to be achieved. * the rim drive and the materials its manufactured from must withstand submergence in salt water for prolonged periods Our product not only opens the way to a huge new market sector but is a stepping stone towards the introduction of green technologies into a sector that is traditionally dominated by fossil fuel engines. There is clear commercial opportunity and conservative analysis indicates that the current global electric propulsion market in this size range is ~£150-200m/year with strong indications of growing to £1.5Bn+/year over the next decade. We have assembled a strong and experienced project team consisting of RAD Propulsion Ltd (Lead Partner), iNetic Ltd (motor supplier) and are supported by the National Composite Centre (NCC) who will provide specialist materials and manufacturing expertise in the use of composite materials.

This feasibility study is focused on the investment case and supply chain opportunities in the manufacture of powertrain systems and subsystems for hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrains for heavy-duty vehicles. Arcola Energy as the UK's leading developer of fuel cell electric powertrains will work with strategy consultancy E4tech to carry out market analysis of the heavy duty sector and the position of the UK in the global hydrogen and fuel cell supply chain. In parallel the National Composites Centre, acting as the gateway behalf of the wider catapult network, will identify supply chain and R&D opportunities for the supply of subsystems meeting the requirements of powertrains for this sector. This is expected to lead to partnerships and further R&D in batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen storage, power electronics and traction motors and drives. The main output of the feasibility study will be a business plan and investment case for Arcola Energy as the basis for seeking investment to support scale-up. The study will also produce a public report for dissemination identifying the technology requirements and market value for key powertrain components. This will be shared to support APC roadmapping exercises and to provide a market signal to potential suppliers.

Our project concerns developing a sustainable composite tooling board.

RACE forms a partnership between iCOMAT, the NCC and a UK OEM to develop and commercialise manufacturing methods for hybrid metal-composite parts, aiming at introducing the light-weighting benefits of composites, in a cost-efficient way. Building upon iCOMAT's novel manufacturing technology of Continuous Tow Shearing, the team will test the design and manufacture freedoms of this process by applying it to a representative automotive component. Typical automotive parts are reinforced through multiple internal components. These internal structures can be replaced through the direct deposition of composite tapes that are consolidated in-situ through the iCOMAT technology. This eliminates the need for multiple parts, secondary processes and expensive tooling, improving overall equipment efficiency through reducing downtime.

The market for hydrogen powered vehicles now has greater emphasis due to its low carbon potential and is predicted to grow substantially by 2040\. The recent launch of advanced hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles from Toyota and Hyundai have showcased the potential of the technology and refuelling infrastructure is gradually being rolled out especially in Germany, Japan, California and the UK. The UK government has recently announced a £73.5m grant to JaguarLandrover to develop a fuel cell powered SUV which demonstrates a significant belief in the technology as a future solution for mobility applications. BMW are also actively working with Toyota on Hydrogen vehicle development. Compared with IC engines and electric powertrains, Hydrogen technology for vehicles is still in its infancy. Opportunities exist with the pressurised storage of hydrogen to reduce costs, leakage, the user experience during refilling, and weight, all of which would improve hydrogens viability as a low carbon alternative fuel. The National Composites Centre in Bristol has been conducting research into hydrogen storage and have identified a variety of areas for improvement as well as how the UK should develop its supply chain in order to serve this emerging new technology area. Ultima Forma is a specialist manufacturer of advanced metal parts using their patented electroforming process. This process we believe has the potential to address a number of the issues identified by the NCC and this feasibility study is designed to assess by testing new electroformed material solutions for strength and hydrogen permeability. The National Composites Centre will work with Ultima Forma to conduct computer based structural analysis of high-pressure (700 bar) tanks to make an assessment for how the overall structure could be designed in a lighter more cost effective way that incorporates Ultima Forma technology. A performance / cost assessment will be made together with other benefits such as improvements to the user experience.

* This six-month project will enable the development of a recycled carbon fibre and bio resin sustainable aerospace passenger seatback, which is fully FST compliant and passes 16g, prior to a pilot production run in its next development phase. This will be an enabler in the ambition for a carbon neutral narrow body commercial aircraft which Airbus are planning on entering into service in 2035\. * This project will demonstrate how recycled carbon fibre can be utilised in a structural interior component. The development will include adaptations of non-woven carbon felt matting and the production of a unidirectional carbon fibre material 'sliver' which is capable of achieving the necessary structural load bearing requirements of a 16g crash-tested seatback. A new sustainable bio resin, novel impregnation methods, automation of the lofting process and nesting and efficient cutting of the dry cloth prior to impregnation will allow for any waste to be directly returned to produce new dry cloth. * The aerospace industry need sustainable solutions to enable them to recover from the pandemic. Aircraft manufacturers are looking to commission new energy-efficient planes rather than attempt to refurbish an existing fleet, with safety, lightweighting, and fuel saving as the main drivers. The post COVID-19 passenger of tomorrow will not only be expecting a hygienic and modern interior environment, made possible in part through the use of composite materials, but will be much more knowledgeable about environmental concerns. To attract a new customer base and win back previous clients, airlines will need to demonstrate their commitment to both a COVID secure environment and a sustainable environmental policy.

The development of a robust, highly-loaded composite-metallic joint for Aerospace Engines. Utilising new, high-temperature composite material developments and underpinned by cure modelling, the technology delivers optimised components.

**TUPROOFS** will create an energy generating highly insulating and easy to install, quality controlled, factory made roof that generates enough renewable (zero carbon) energy to power the home and export excess electricity while preventing energy loss upwards through the roof. TUPROOFS is a key breakthrough product enabling an active solar roof where energy yield repays the capital costs plus dividend, attractive to owner/occupiers/private and social landlords, driving widespread employment and COVID-19 recovery. It also conforms to the Construction Innovation Hub platform and will be compatible with other elements being developed in the technical area. We expect TUPROOFS roofs will become one of the elements of the Midland High Growth \[MHG\] initiative being promoted by the West Midlands Combined Authorities, a group of local authorities with the aim of applying deep retrofit to dwellings across their area. It will help to eliminate fuel poverty while making homes more comfortable and driving energy use down to energy neutrality and zero carbon. ACTL and the project partners are proud to be associated with the MHG initiative where senior executives from several large local companies and charities are being seconded to the initiative to improve life and living standards across the Midlands and drive industrial recovery from COVID-19 in a socially inclusive and green way. We are excited that by delivering deep retrofit initially in the Midlands where we can help demonstrate the benefits. We believe the systems will be diffused across the UK and ultimately deliver deep retrofit to the 25 million homes in the UK that currently buy approximately £34 Billion worth of energy when their net energy purchase could be around zero. If widely adopted the number of people employed by deep retrofit will be in the 100s of thousands and help the UK emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time we'll prepare the ground work for new off-site manufacturing in new factories with new rapid on-site deep retrofit construction technologies bringing new employment into areas where there was already high unemployment even before the pandemic. The project will develop and install two prototype TUPROOFS roofs during the 9 months of the project to demonstrate their efficiency and efficacy and work with partners Hadley Group, NCC, MHG, BIPVco and Go Monitor to prepare outline designs for the creation of large scale production as the project successfully demonstrates the benefits of the TUPROOFS roof.

The novel composite Ebike offers a sustainable and lightweight Ebike frame development using thermoplastic materials. Starling Cycles, a Bristol based bike manufacturer, Composite Braiding Limited, a Derby based braiding specialist and the National Composites Centre, a Bristol based High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre specialising in composite materials and processing R&D, joined forces to develop an innovative and sustainable answer to existing steel and composite bicycle frames. Existing composite bikes are not easily repairable or recyclable, and manufacturing processes are unsuitable for a high-wage economy, like which exists in the UK. The proposed processes, braiding and tailored fibre placement, shall ensure high performance through automated and reliable manufacturing processes. Those processes are also well-known for their high production rate, reliability and low waste, thus enabling local production. In addition, the range of an Ebike is, in part, determined by the weight the motors need to power during travel. Thus, lightweighting the structure helps to increase the maximum distance the bike can travel before recharging is required. The project will produce a cost model, life cycle assessment report and fully assembled and tested e-bike demonstrator in their first step towards commercialisation. The positive impact on the UK economy shall include the re-shoring of bike manufacture and creation of up to 100 jobs within the supply chain. Also, the technologies could be used in many other areas of sports and leisure, but also transportation or construction. It is hoped that this novel ebike will help contribute toward a more sustainable future for the UK, with increased uptake in cycling through a more accessible means of private transport - leading to a reduction in traffic and thus air pollution. This will improve the UK public's quality of life, fitness and wellbeing.

"The SEISMIC consortium members have successfully delivered SEISMIC I; the development of a standard structural frame platform and connector with a complementary digital configurator, the frame has now been adopted by the Construction Innovation Hub (The Hub). SEISMIC II will continue this work, to develop repeatable components for the platform frame which will deliver a world leading solution for mass production of government built assets. The Construction Sector Deal requires the delivery of better performing buildings that are built quickly, at a lower cost and be energy and carbon efficient. The project aims to deliver these metrics through a 'demonstrator' manufactured by the consortium members for industry wide exploitation. The demonstrator will be offered to the Hub, as a 'market ready' example to aid the onward 3-year development programme. SEISMIC II will build on the achievements of SEISMIC I, progressing to develop core platform elements, namely the floor, external and internal walls, facade, ceiling and roof elements of the building. It will also seek to enable supply chain engagement to develop existing products to the standard SEISMIC frame solution to create a true platform of reconfigurable components reducing waste, cost and carbon dioxide emissions and increasing speed of delivery. SEISMIC II will develop a maturity matrix tool which will be used to support the productionisation of the construction supply chains companies. In addition, the project seeks to widen sector engagement, from school deployment, into other sectors. Following the principles of Platform-Design for Manufacturing Assembly (P-DfMA) the consortium will develop components to maximise the passive performance facilitating the design of energy positive buildings with embedded data driven metrics providing better-performing buildings, built more quickly at lower cost. The project substantially decouples the work from the construction site, giving opportunity to develop production facilities in areas of economic deprivation. The UK has 12 of the 20 poorest regions in Northern Europe. The industrial partners are well placed to invest in these regions once the market is predictable, mass volume & standardisation is established, and continuity of pipeline is in place. Proposed consortium members, blacc, Elliott, McAvoy and MTC are industry leaders in the adoption of MMC, they have delivered the UKRI SEISMIC I project to standardise school components and develop an online configurator tool. SEISMIC II will strengthen this foundation with new partners Tata Steel, Active Building Centre and National Composites Centre, all leading organisations in their fields."

The aerospace industry has pioneered the use of composites due to their strong incentive to reduce the weight of aircrafts, driven both by economic (reduced fuel consumption) and environmental benefits (reduced emissions). To maintain its competitive position in the aerospace market, the composites industry faces two major challenges: (i) improve the structural efficiency of composites and, (ii) reduce their production cost and increase their production rate.Current composite structures are optimised by stacking straight-fibre layers at different orientations. As structures have complex load paths, this approach often leads to overdesigned components. It is more efficient to design with layers of curved fibres, changing their orientation constantly to follow the load path (fibre-steering). Fibre-steering expands drastically the design space for composites and can improve all aspects of structural performance, such as weight, bearing strength and aeroelastic tailoring, as well as the production cost and rate, which are all key interests in the global aerospace industry.Continuous Tow Shearing (CTS) is a fibre-steering technology, UK patented, that can steer carbon fibre tapes along curved paths without defects, which allows the manufacture of defect-free carbon fibre composite components of complex geometry and the optimisation of their performance. This technology can have a significant impact on future composite products in aerospace, automotive and wind energy sectors where the structural efficiency, the reduction of production cost and the increase of manufacturing rate are becoming more and more critical.This project will demonstrate a step-change improvement in producing lightweight and cost-efficient composite structures for the global aerospace industry based on a carbon fibre tape laying machine with the CTS capabilities. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the viability of a cost-efficient manufacturing process for composite aero-structures. The project will evaluate the structural performance and highlight and compare the production advantages of the CTS process compared to the state-of-the-art.

The advantage of high power density machines (achieved via increased speed) is the reduction of system weight for a given magnitude of power conversion, allowing compact designs. The UK has positioned itself as a leader in high power density traction motor design and development for vehicle propulsion. In order to reduce the size of these motors whilst increasing the speed and hence power density of the motors, composite elements and novel assembly processes are employed to meet the performance requirements. These very high power density motors have typically been geared to niche, development volume applications. Demand for these technologies is increasing as the technology is adopted more widely, however there is currently no supply chain within the UK capable of meeting the required volumes efficiently and competitively. Existing supply chains are only capable of delivering low volumes of the required technologies, or high volumes of conventional, lower specification rotors. The innovation within this project is the upscaling and adaptation of current production technologies to develop a flexible manufacturing process capable of manufacturing high speed permanent magnet radial rotors with composite sleeves, and composite axial rotor plates. The project will review and identify the most feasible solutions for all process steps, from initial machining of rotor shafts, assembly and grinding of the magnets, manufacture of the composite sleeves (radial rotors) or composite rotors (axial rotors), to final assembly and balancing.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

THE CHALLENGE: To meet society's future requirements for mass transport and personal mobility, there is a need to develop technologies for producing structural components that are affordable, resource efficient and predictable. This will require a continued shift towards the use of lightweight materials and flexible, rapid manufacturing. High-performance fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, including carbon fibre, are well-suited to these demands. The ability of FRPs to create low weight, high strength structures has been demonstrated in high-end automotive/motorsport and aerospace. However, two significant barriers to the widespread use of high-performance FRPs remain: Cost: high-performance reinforcements such as carbon fibres are expensive, precluding their wide-spread use in mainstream automotive and other sectors such as rail, energy and construction. Manufacturing: composite part manufacturing tends to be batch-based and relatively slow, constraining both production volumes and flexibility. THE PROPOSED SOLUTION: SMART-Tape will overcome these barriers by developing novel multi-material (hybrid) processes, using carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic tapes in conjunction with low-cost metallic and polymeric substrates, for volume automotive applications. Carbon fibre tapes will be placed onto substrate components by robotic Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) in an intelligent, efficient manner, to improve strength and/or other properties. Therefore, the minimum amount of high-cost, high-performance carbon fibre material will be used to give the maximum effect. SMART-Tape will develop and optimise the materials and processes, and demonstrate the technology on real-life automotive case study parts. Virtual representations will be made of the flexibility of the manufacturing technique to showcase its wide applicability. The project will provide vital evidence to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 organisations of the benefits of this multi-material approach, encouraging investment in the UK supply chain and putting it at the forefront of intelligent, efficient and flexible manufacturing.

This project will develop low cost thermoplastic prepreg (pre-impregnated) tapes based on 'textile' carbon fibres. These novel materials will significantly reduce the cost of lightweight, high performance composite parts, opening up new opportunities in markets including automotive, energy, sports and aerospace. This will generate significant growth for the UK and US economies, including revenue from sales of tape and creation of skilled jobs. The Carbon Fiber Technology Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in US has developed a method for producing low cost carbon fibres by using acrylic fibres, normally used for textiles, as the precursor. These 'textile' carbon fibres are up to 50% cheaper than conventional carbon fibres, with similar modulus and approximately 30% lower strength, making them suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. So far, these fibres have been tested in thermoset (epoxy) prepreg and pultrusion applications, but little is known about how to use them to make thermoplastic prepreg tapes, where challenges include impregnating with very high viscosity resins and achieving good compatibility with thermoplastic resins. The tow count (number of fibres in a bundle) and linear density (grams per metre) of the 'textile' carbon fibres are typically much higher than conventional carbon fibres. This provides potential advantages in the manufacture of thermoplastic prepreg tape in terms of production cost and output rate. However it also presents major challenges including the ability to spread the fibres to make a tape of high quality and consistency, and achieving good impregnation of a relatively bulky fibre bundle with high viscosity thermoplastic resins. This project will address these challenges by manufacturing and testing 'textile' carbon fibres specifically for thermoplastic processing, and by developing and optimizing high quality, low cost carbon fibre thermoplastic tapes using novel technology developed by Composites Evolution in UK. The application process for the tapes will be proven on industrial-scale automated tape laying (ATL) and automated fibre placement (AFP) machines at the National Composites Centre in UK, and a demonstrator part will be produced, in association with an automotive end-user, to showcase the benefits of the new materials.

The objective of the project is to research and develop a range of composite materials (known as bulk moulding compounds) using recycled carbon fibres reclaimed from end-of-life (EOL) aircraft and aerospace production waste. The material will be suitable for large scale volume production of lightweight automotive components, using material that is currently sent to landfill or burned. This approach will reduce the environmental impact of the vehicle through reduced energy usage in manufacturing when compared to the production of virgin carbon fibres. All the consortium members are UK based but the output has large scale export potential and job creation possibilities. GKN can supply aviation waste CFRP and process the developed material giving a circular supply chain. FTI Group will develop the BMC materials and TTUK supply the reclaimed fibres.

This project led by Drive System Design and supported by the National Composite Centre is investigating the development of a novel highly integrated electric drive unit. These will ultimately improve operation efficiency and help towards the delivery of zero emissions, as well as reshoring manufacturing capacity and capabilities to the UK. Drive System Design (DSD) is an innovative engineering consultancy specialising in design, development and control of driveline systems. It was founded in 2007 and has inherited decades of experience from its key personnel each of whom are leaders in their individual fields of engineering. Working directly for OEMs or Tier 1s or other specialist consultants, DSD supports the industry with a range of services focussed on delivering innovative driveline and powertrain solutions. . In design engineering, this encompasses the generation of concept drivetrain configurations rights through to the micron sensitive design of gear tooth micro-geometry to achieve the most ambitious refinement targets. In control engineering, skills span from the generation of entire suites of software to the ultra-high speed control of electrically actuated systems working at more than 50 kHz. In test and development DSD has one of the largest capabilities in the UK covering the highly accurate characterisation of precision actuators & electronics up to vehicle level dynos with 28,000 Nm capability. DSD also has a proven track record in the build of prototype systems. Opened in 2011 and forming a core part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the National Composites Centre's (NCC) mission is to accelerate the growth of UK industrial output by enabling design and manufacturing enterprises to deliver winning solutions in the application of composites. It offers opportunities to companies, of any size, to develop, scale-up and validate new and existing composites processes and related simulation tools. The NCC currently has more than forty members from a wide range of industrial sectors. Since its inception, the NCC has been involved in collaborative projects working with a wide range of funding bodies from Innovate UK, the Aerospace Technology Institute, Clean Skies and Horizon 2020 among others. Within this collaboration, the NCC will lead the application of high performance materials and the design and development of a cost effective high volume manufacturing process.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

"The EB-Auto consortium is evaluating the material combination of basalt fibre combined with thermoplastic resin when processed using high rate processes for manufacturing of composite intermediate materials. It will establish the value proposition for this technology and a new offer for high rate affordable composites for the automotive sector. It has the potential to quickly develop into a market opportunity as the project consortium contains most of the UK and global supply base to get this to market. It brings together the supplier of fibre with several converters who can process the material into tapes, 3D wovens and braids. These material formats will be evaluated to understand their benefits and potential place in the market by a UK HVM Catapult centre and a leading University with support from a global auto OEM."

The aim of the project is to research the feasibility of producing the most power dense electric motor available for zero emission vehicles whilst reducing price by 35% and also CO2 generated during manufacture compared to current generation. CT expects that improving the power density and reducing the cost of manufacturing high performance, high efficiency electric motors will help accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles. The aim of this project is to understand feasibility of such a "Future Motor" .

The List-P project led by Omnia and supported by Tata Technologies, Arrival, Polymer Industries, Foresight Innovations, the National Composite Centre and the University of Exeter is investigating the development of a novel lightweight composite sandwich panel for medium and heavy goods as well as passenger vehicles. These will ultimately improve operational efficiency and help towards the delivery of zero emissions, as well as reshoring manufacturing capacity and capabilities to the UK. Omnia are specialists in delivering new material solutions and intelligent products. Its focus is on thermoplastic panel technology and the supply of its unique range of composite sandwich panels. These not only offer excellent strength to weight characteristics, but also durability, innovation and sustainability. Over the last decade Omnia has provided its customers with intelligent solutions based on sound engineering, economic and socio-economic principles. Some of its clients include, PepsiCo International, Williams F1, BP, Northgate Group, Royal Mail, DHL and TNT. The List-P project brings together experts from across the supply chain in order to provide an end-to-end solution and optimise design and manufacture of future automotive panels.

Building on the success of the Trent family of three shaft engines Rolls-Royce have announced their intent to develop UltraFan®, a novel Ultra High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) geared architecture. This provides a significant improvement in propulsive efficiency and will be available for the next generation of aircraft 2025 and beyond. A fundamental enabler for this new architecture is the development of SiC-SiC based Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) technology that will enhance the competitive position of future Rolls-Royce Civil Large Engine (CLE) products through the introduction of CMC turbine components which offer a significant benefit of Specific Fuel Consumption (SFC) improvement, along with weight reduction, increased cyclic life and reduced component manufacturing lead times. Rolls-Royce will work in partnership with the National Composites Centre, the University of Oxford and the University of Swansea and utilise the UK manufacturing services supply chain to achieve this overall aim.

The automotive industry is heaviliy being driven towards weight reduction as a means of achieving ever more demanding emissions (CO2 and fuel economy) requirements. Lower weight solutions for traditional steel and aluminium chassis components are failing to deliver the step improvements required to give lighter LCVs or the required weight reductions for Hybrid Vehicle Architectures. This project focuses on the development of hybrid composite/steel material solutions; used in a optimised way to save weight via step reductions in material weight but also via reduction of parts and interfaces across a full Transit van chassis. This will be done by using some of the latest Design and Process optimisation tools available on the market today. An essential part of the project is the selection and development of a reliable, robust and cost effective composite manufacturing process since rapid, repeatible and productive processese are key to accelerate the use of composites for mass production vehicles. The aim of the project is to achieve a 37% weight saving (circa 25Kg) over the existing full steel Transit Van chassis without reducing any of the vehicles perfomance attributes

"An Ultra High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) geared architecture needs to be developed to support Rolls-Royce's next generation of product offerings to be competitive in the large civil gas turbine market. Underpinning this objective is the requirement to develop the Externals sub-system element of the UltraFan® programme. The EXCITE project is intended to address the design challenges inherrent for the Externals Sub-System that are associated with the change to UltraFan® engine architecture. This will enable realisation of the Externals Sub-System and component definitions for the UltraFan® demonstrator programme delivering a TRL6 level for the product and therefore demonstrating the enabling sub-system technology to support the envisaged UltraFan® product entry into service in 2025. "

Advanced carbon fibre composite materials score well on performance, strength, and weight; but high cost and manufacturing complexity limits its broader market adoption. Comingled Carbon Fibre is an innovative material which may offer the potential for lower-cost, higher volume composites manufacture. Our project will advance the manufacturing readiness of Comingled Carbon Fibre (CFF) technology in the UK. Through this innovation in Carbon Fibre Materials & Manufacturing, we aim to increase manufacturing output, productivity and value capture in the UK.

Composite materials are used in many industries, including aerospace and automotive, due to their advantageous material properties. The manufacturing processes used to make the composite components found in cars, aircraft etc. all use heating technologies to melt, soften or cure the constituent materials. There is a on-going need to increase the speed and quality of these processes, in order to satisfy growing demand in each industry, but current trial-and-error heating methods leave little opportunity for rapid and significant improvement. Therefore, a deeper understanding is required of the heating performance of the materials involved, combined with a knowledge of which heating technology is best for each process. This project will provide the knowledge required to achieve such improvements by combining physical testing and numerical simulation to inform the composites industry of the most appropriate heating technology for each particular manufacturing process and, furthermore, to give guidance on how to use that technology most efficiently. It will compare existing heating technologies, such as infrared lamps and lasers, with a new, innovate technology known as a Xenon flashlamp, and aims to provide improvements in the speed, cost and quality of manufacture as well as reduce the energy and waste materials used in such processes. A successful outcome to the project will help to maintain and enhance the UK's position at the forefront of composites manufacture.

PACE is an Ultra-Fan® enabling rig project provides necessary advanced X-Ray capability and tooling to validate the next generation of geared architecture engines. A key number of Rolls-Royce subcontractors including the Hyde Group (Pylon) will deliver a number of key capabilities including X-Ray and image analysis and tooling for engine assembly in excess of £17m supporting this important validation project.

This project brings together a consortium to improve the performance, autonomy and efficiency of the New Holland concept gas tractor in order to overcome significant technical challenges and bring it to a point of comparison with conventional diesel powered tractors at a commercially viable cost. The tractor is to be as close to a diesel as possible in terms of physical appearance and performance so as to be a realistic option. The main objective being to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of tractors used on farm and within the wider community, such as municipal use. As there is a great demand for carbon neutralisation and high pressure on farmers to be environmentally friendly, this tractor would be a route to achieve this. The link with Anaerobic Digestion plants (and the potential for energy independent farms) provides a further significant environmental impact opportunity.

Automated Technologies for the Manufacture of Composite Propulsion and Aero-Structures (AutoProStruct) is an enabler to deliver Ultrafan and Digital Propulsion programmes led by Rolls-Royce and Dowty Propellers. Underpinning this objective is the requirement to establish automated manufacturing and inspection capabilities in a research environment to develop and validate suitable autoclave and out-of-autoclave technologies for the manufacture of next generation propulsion structures. AutoProStruct infrastructure proposal is led by the National Composites Centre – a High Value Manufacturing Catapult centre, specialising in composites material design, simulation and prototype manufacture. The project will establish a world leading research capability in the UK to manufacture and inspect composites structures up to 5m length and 5m width. The capability will include an AFP-ATL Hybrid Cell, an Automated Preforming cell, an automated Composites Integrity and Verification cell and a High Temperature (<300°C) Resin Moulding capability.

The demand for cleaner, cheaper and yet more comfortable air travel is prominent in today’s world of increasing passenger numbers. It is forecast that there will be an increase in turboprop aircraft satisfying the demand for short and medium distances as the fuel savings compared to regional jets will outweigh the slight speed advantage they have. It is therefore essential that propulsion technology for turboprop aircraft continues to improve and contributes towards the goals established in the Aerospace Technology Institute’s strategy and the Flight path 2050 targets. Digital Propulsion is a project with world leading partners, led by Dowty Propellers that will ensure that UK organisations are leading the way for the world in this field. It will utilise the most up to date design and manufacturing methods to not only reduce costs, but also increase performance. Emitted noise will be reduced, improving the passenger experience. Futuristic blade design along with improved lighter control systems will contribute towards fuel savings. The most advanced manufacturing technology will be utilised to increase production while reducing the cost of manufacture. All of the work packages in Digital Propulsion will embed the Digital Thread. This is a web of data that creates the manufacturing health record of machines, which includes data from everything to operator logs to weather patterns, and can be added to as needed. From the start of a customer engagement, through manufacturing at GE's "Brilliant Factories," to the servicing of our products, we're weaving together our processes and technology for productivity gains.

High-rate, High-volume Technologies for Large Aero-structures (HiStruct) is an enabler to deliver Wing of the Future programme led by Airbus. Underpinning this objective is the requirement to establish a manufacturing pilot line in a research environment to develop and validate suitable out-of-autoclave technologies for the manufacture of next generation wing boxes for the single aisle aircraft. HiStruct infrastructure proposal is led by the National Composites Centre – a High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre, specialising in composites material design, simulation and prototype manufacture. The project will establish a world leading research capability in the UK to manufacture composites structures up to 20m length and 5 m width. The capability will include an automated dry fibre deposition pilot line, large scale resin infusion capability and a 20m long modular curing oven for out-of-autoclave curing.

This project matures key technologies that will reduce costs to the operator; save fuel; improve ground operations; simplify manufacturing and simplify maintenance. The Project also defines how these Technologies will be deployed together on a future Wing/LG configuration for the first time successfully. Airbus will work with multiple partners and sub-contractors to mature these technologies, and prepare a definition of the Future Landing Gear. Each technology provides one or more benefits: New load/torque sensing technologies coupled with new ground control algorithms will limit structural loads during braking and save weight in the wing and the landing gear structure, thereby saving fuel. New composite components if suitably deployed could further contribute to Landing Gear weight reduction and fuel saving. The new ground control algorithms will simplify pilot workload on the ground, and ease operation under failure conditions. New robust sensing technology will improve basic reliability of brake temperature and tyre pressure sensing and enable a faster return to service in the event of an overload condition. New sensors and wheel modifications will enable dispatch with hotter brakes and achieve a shorter aircraft Turn Around Time. New Landing Gear materials which are corrosion resistant will reduce the cost of major overhaul and increase the time between them whilst the introduction of new maintenance tools will speed up and improve the servicing of the Shock Absorber. The Future Landing Gear project will mature each of these new items so that they can be deployed as necessary to existing aircraft programmes and also work out how they will be deployed together on the Landing Gear in a new aircraft application for the first time with minimal risk.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Led by Williams Advanced Engineering, a consortium including Aston Martin Lagonda, Unipart Powertrain Applications, Warwick Manufacturing Group, National Composites Centre, Coventry University, Aspire Engineering and Productiv, will address the need for high performance electric vehicle (EV) batteries by: 1) realising a novel flexible battery technology with unrivalled module/system performance; and 2) establishing a UK pilot facility for high performance batteries. The H1PERBAT project takes an integrated full life cycle approach to remove constraints on capacity, energy density and thermal management of EV batteries at module and system level to realise a step change in performance for demanding EV applications. The test/optimisation of durability, integrity and safety of technology at cell, module and system level for validated vehicle integration is targeted. The novel pilot facility will realise unique UK capability in module/system-level R&D and scalability to medium production volumes to flexibly target UK/global EV OEMs.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

Capitalising Heuristic Advanced Sub-system Maturation (CHASM) This project will deliver the design and manufacture of components including fan disc, fan OGV, ESS and Oil Tank to integrate into a UHBR engine. Each component presents its own unique design and manufacturing challenges that will need to be overcome in order to The work packages will be developed by Rolls-Royce working in partnership with the National Composites Centre and Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and utilising the UK manufacturing services supply chain.

Design of Engineered Lightweight Innovative Casings for Engines (DELICE) Building on the success of the Trent family of three shaft engines Rolls-Royce has announced its intent to develop UltraFan™, a novel Ultra High Bypass Ratio (UHBR) geared architecture. This provides a significant improvement in propulsive efficiency and will be available for the next generation of aircraft 2025 and beyond. A fundamental enabler for this new architecture is the development of a large diameter, low speed, low pressure ratio fan system. This project will result in the design and manufacture of the world’s largest composite fan case in support of the UltraFan™ demonstrator programme. Rolls-Royce will work in partnership with the National Composites Centre the University of Oxford and utilise the UK manufacturing services supply chain to achieve this overall aim.

Utilising proprietary technology and expertise initially developed for Formula 1 motor racing, GPF One is seeking to develop and commercialise a portfolio of novel carbon fibre composites with broad industry application. In the proposed project, GPF One will work collaboratively with the National Composites Centre to evaluate the technical feasibility of radically enhancing the performance of its advanced composite materials for application in a variety of demanding environments.

GKN through its expertise in composites and vehicle structures (Autostructures) sees a potential to offer their Automotive OEM customers vehicle structures incorporating composite lightweight components.Legislation is driving lower CO2 targets, historically achieved through powertrain efficiencies however the industry is in agreement the technological focus will have to shift to light weighting to achieve ever tighter limits. GKN knows that adoption of new technology will only happen once the business case supports it, this will require an efficient supply chain and lean manufacturing processes capable of meeting the customers’ requirements for cost, volume and quality.The focus for this project will centre upon GKN working to establish a UK based, light weight supply chain supporting this high value and “sticky” technology, building a consortium of industry experts concentrating on technologies in the areas of manufacturing processes, joining technology and non-destructive testing, which will be essential to meet the customer needs and provide lightweight structures in automotive volumes.

UTC Aerospace Systems is a leader in the provision of advanced systems to the aerospace market and is delighted to have been included in this investment. The funding opportunity will allow the company to develop new technology for advanced engine and nacelle systems to support future aircraft programmes which directly benefit the UK. The investment will allow UK based engineers to be directly employed working on this important R&D programme. It also links UK industry with other UK based research partners. The lessons learnt will be transferred to other areas of the UTC Aerospace systems global market business.

The Large Landing Gear of the Future project will develop, mature and demonstrate key technologies that will improve the efficiency of aircraft landing gears in their design, manufacture, operation and cost of ownership. It will take a holistic view of the landing gear system construction and life cycle seeking to benefit from closer integration of key components and functions that have historically been addressed separately. The project will use technology demonstrators representative of an operational landing gear to validate the project outcomes. Messier-Dowty Ltd will lead a strong consortium of partners and subcontractors drawn from UK industry, the High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centres and academia to deliver the project.

This project will develop competitive product capability and high manufacturing productivity for Composite Structures. The development of composite moulding and composite curing processes will enable cost and weight reduction on static composite components for future engines. The work packages will be developed by Rolls-Royce working in partnership with the National Composites Centre and utilising the UK manufacturing services supply chain

Aerospace industry is going through a phase where there is an evolution towards lightweighting the aircrafts by using light weight composite materials. This has huge financial and environmental implications for all stakeholders. There is an increasing need to develop techniques which can process these materials (joining, welding, etc.) at a similar rate to conventional metal components. A thorough feasibility study of ultrasonic welding, the process variables involved and its suitability for commercialization will be done in this project. The project will also compare parts processed by ultrasonic welding to established manufacturing techniques. The key outcomes and understanding from this project will be fed into a larger industrialisation project which will assess the suitability, repeatability and mechanical properties of composite parts proceseed by using ultrasonic welding techniques. The UK aerospace industry and the entire supply chain can benefit fom the understanding of a clean, fast and reliable joining technique and this feasibility study is the first step towards achieving that goal.

Kite Power Solutions Ltd (KPS) is the UK's only developer of a technology to generate electricity from the wind using kites. KPS was formed in 2011 to develop this innovative disruptive wind energy technology. KPS predicts a market entry in 2025 for a 3MW floating offshore system which has a cost of electricty 50% of conventional wind turbines, lower than the wholesale price of electricity removing the requirement for subsidies. This project enables KPS to further scale the existing demonstrated technology with leading UK businesses. These collaborators are BVG Associates supporting the optimisation of the power conversion system; Artemis Intelligent Power providing support in the drive train development; Imperial College supporting aerodynamic development of the wings; The National Composites Centre optimising kite material and manufacturing processes; Keynvor Morlift Ltd to conduct mooring and installation assessments; Banks Sails as KPS kite manufacturing partner. The project will also involve engagement with the wider public and the environmental stakeholders to assess the impacts of the rollout of KPS kite energy technology.

This project aims to strengthen the competitiveness of UK high value manufacturers by delivering and demonstrating breakthrough composite manufacturing technologies. The workpackages will be developed by Rolls-Royce working in partnership with the National Composites Centre (NCC) and utilising the UK manufacturing supply chain.

Omnia are specialists in delivering new material solutions and intelligent products. Its focus is on thermoplastic panel technology and the supply of its unique range of composite sandwich panels. These not only offer excellent strength to weight characteristics, but also durability, innovation and sustainability. Over the last decade Omnia has provided its customers with intelligent solutions based on sound engineering, economic and socio-economic principles. Some of its clients include, PepsiCo International, Williams F1, BP, Northgate Group, Royal Mail, DHL and TNT. Omnia (CS) Ltd is investigating the ways in which its innovative, lightweight composite materials can be combined with cutting edge technology that deliver exciting developments to the transport sectors. These developments will ultimately improve operation efficiency and payload capability as well as reshoring manufacturing capacity and capabilities to the UK.

The Little Owl is an industry led project to research into a novel method of 'clean' efficient propulsion for an unmanned air system with associated technologies to facilitate extended time-on-station and long endurance.

This project will qualify a carbon fibre subsea jumper for deep water oil and gas production. Jumpers that connect the subsea infrastructure are key enablers for these projects. However existing steel products have become very large to accommodate the positional uncertainties, relative motion and environmental loading. Furthermore these products have limited life and require complex integrity management programmes leading to high costs and energy demands from vessel operations. The m-Jumper programme partners have identified an opportunity to qualify a standard lightweight carbon fibre jumper that can be installed by a much smaller installation vessel. This will reduce the installation time, the size and energy consumption of the vessel and the overall cost of the installation. The longevity of the composite jumper will increase the product lifetime, further reducing energy consumption from integrity management vessel operations as well as reducing the cost and impact of repair and replacement.

Composite Metal Technology, together with the National Composites Centre and two industrial partners, YASA Motors and GE Aviation, are collaborating on a TSB-funded project to accelerate the take-up of advanced materials. Aluminium matrix composites (AMCs), when used as inserts within aluminium castings, can produce components of low weight and inertia, reduced package size and exceptional mechanical properties. However the lack of a comprehensive, validated set of computer design and analysis tools currently limits applications to simple component designs. This project will develop a new set of computer tools, enabling the industrial partners to design and manufacture complex AMC-reinforced components incorporating novel material architectures, without the need to resort to a ’make and test’ approach which results in unacceptably long product development timespans. The project will produce a step change in the number and variety of components that can benefit from the weight reduction opportunities afforded by these materials by providing industry with the tools to produce accurate predictions of component performance and optimised designs.

This project matures key technologies that will reduce costs to the operator; save fuel; improve ground operations; simplify manufacturing and simplify maintenance. The Project also defines how these Technologies will be deployed together on a future Wing/LG configuration for the first time successfully. Airbus will work with multiple partners and sub-contractors to mature these technologies, and prepare a definition of the Future Landing Gear. Each technology provides one or more benefits; Electric Taxi will save fuel by using the efficient aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) to provide electrical power to move the aircraft using motors embedded in the wheels. New load/torque sensing technologies coupled with new ground control algorithms will limit structural loads during braking and save weight in the wing and the landing gear structure, thereby saving fuel. New composite components if suitably deployed could further contribute to Landing Gear weight reduction and fuel saving. The new ground control algorithms will simplify pilot workload on the ground, and ease operation under failure conditions. New robust sensing technology will improve basic reliability of brake temperature and tyre pressure sensing and enable a faster return to service in the event of an overload condition. New sensors plus Hydraulic Fluid Ignition testing and wheel modifications will enable dispatch with hotter brakes and achieve a shorter aircraft Turn Around Time. New Landing Gear materials which are corrosion resistant will reduce the cost of major overhaul and increase the time between them whilst the introduction of new maintenance tools will speed up and improve the servicing of the Shock Absorber. The Future Landing Gear project will mature each of these new items so that they can be deployed as necessary to existing aircraft programmes and also work out how they will be deployed together on the Landing Gear in a new aircraft application for the first time with minimal risk.

The PROTEST project is a collaboration between EADS Innovation Works, Airbus, Hexcel, Cardiff University and the National Composites Centre. The increase in the use of composite materials within the aerospace industry has raised concerns over the impact of lightning strikes on these structures. The aerospace industry has been developing its understanding of damage mechanisms to composite structures from lightning strike tests over recent years that has led to a number of isolated computational models. Despite these developments, the most recent aircraft programmes have suffered from non-compliance to safety requirements and late modifications to design have been needed to ensure certification. This project will address two key aspects; the derivation and collation of specific data on the impact of lightning strike on key elements of the structure of an aircraft, and the integration of this information and existing models into predictive tools available for the design process. The project will form a core component of the research within the Aerospace Technology Institute in the development of the next generation of aerostructures.

VIEWS is a five year programme of work which brings together a consortium of Prime and leading Tier One supply chain companies within the civil aerospace sector with the followingaim: “To maintain and strengthen UK Aero structures manufacturing capability for conventional and next generation airframe structures in support of maintaining complete wing capability for UK manufacturing.” The VIEWS Programme is aligned to the ATI strategy to Protect, Exploit and Position UK key Aerostructures Tier 1 companies in an already established consortium including GKN Aerospace, Bombardier, Spirit & GE Aviation. VIEWS aims - To help sustain 12,600 aerospace jobs within the collaboration, a key contribution in an existing UK market value of £24Bn and to maintain UK global position as second only to the US aerospace sector. Protection of core capability and investment in future technology is vital to ensure that current eroding 17% market share is increased. By sustaining and growing our knowledge base, manufacturing capability, will lead to new capacity which is essential to achieve growth in new markets where advanced manufacturing technology is a key differentiator.

Airbus is running a strategic programme called ‘Wing of the Future’ as part of the UK Aerospace Technology Institute funding initiative. The overall aim is to secure a robust set of innovative technologies at the integrated wing-level and an industrial capability to deploy those concepts in order to ensure Airbus’ programme needs related to wing can be satisfied over the next twenty years. ‘Wing Integrated Systems Technologies’ WIST is a key project within the Wing of the Future Programme and will focus on the development of novel systems architectures, equipment and installation component technologies to support high volume and low cost composite wing manufacture, assembly and equipping. In conjunction with other projects within the Wing of the Future collaborative framework, WIST will be organised in three key phases, each of two years duration. WIST includes a number of critical wing technology streams for Airbus including Fuel Systems, Ice Protection and Electrical and Optical Networks and is supported by a selection of strategic partners from respected research and industrial fields.

Airbus is running a strategic programme called ‘Wing of the Future’ as part of the UK Aerospace Technology Institute funding initiative. The overall aim is to secure a robust set of innovative technologies at the integrated wing-level and an industrial capability to deploy those concepts in order to ensure Airbus’ programme needs related to wing can be satisfied over the next twenty years. ‘Wing Design, Manufacture and Assembly’ WDMA is a key project within the Wing of the Future Programme and will focus on the development of wing-box structural concept and build solutions which are able to satisfy the requirements for very high production-rates and low costs which are essential to meet the business-case for future products. In conjunction with other projects within the Wing of the Future collaborative framework, WDMA will be organised in three key phases, each of approximately two years duration. WDMA includes a number of critical wing technology streams for Airbus including design, optimisation and innovative manufacturing processes for a future wing configuration. The project is supported by a selection of strategic partners from respected research and industrial fields.

Airbus is running a strategic programme called ‘Wing of the Future’ as part of the UK Aerospace Technology Institute funding initiative. The overall aim is to secure a robust set of innovative technologies at the integrated wing-level and an industrial capability to deploy those concepts in order to ensure Airbus’ programme needs related to wing can be satisfied over the next twenty years. Concept Integration (CI) is a key project within the Wing of the Future Programme and will focus on the industrialisation of technologies, development of disruptive solutions for future products in the timeframe 2025+ and will be responsible for integration activities across the suite of Wing of the Future technologies. In conjunction with other projects within the Wing of the Future collaborative framework, CI will be organised in three key phases, each of two years duration CI includes a number of key integration streams for Airbus including leading the collaboration with target Programmes in order to ensure short term exploitation (EIS in 5-10 years) of technologies bringing ‘quick-win’ weight and cost benefits, and also ensuring suites of integrated technologies are optimised and matched to the particular requirements of the aircraft application. The project is supported by a selection of strategic and associate partners from respected research and industrial fields.

Airbus is running a strategic programme called ‘Wing of the Future’ as part of the UK Aerospace Technology Institute funding initiative. The overall aim is to secure a robust set of innovative technologies at the integrated wing-level and an industrial capability to deploy those concepts in order to ensure Airbus’ programme needs related to wing can be satisfied over the next twenty years. Wing Integrated Leading Edge and Trailing Edge (WILETE) is a key project within the Wing of the Future Programme and will focus on the development of leading and trailing edge structure component and assembly technologies to support high volume and low cost composite wing manufacture, assembly and equipping. In conjunction with other projects within the Wing of the Future collaborative framework, WILETE will be organised in three key phases, each of two years duration. WILETE includes a number of critical wing technology streams for Airbus including integration of LE and TE structures with the wing box structure, and integration of electrical systems including ice protection and flight controls. The project is supported by a selection of strategic and associate partners from respected research and industrial fields.

The project is a collaboration between Tata Motors European Technical Centre, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Motors, India’s largest automotive company and owner of Jaguar Land Rover, two higher educational establishments: Warwick Manufacturing Group part of the University of Warwick and the National Composites Centre, and two SMEs: Expert Tooling and Automation a leading supplier of automation and assembly systems to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and FAR-UK a new design and manufacturing consultancy but with over 20 years of automotive composites experience. The programme will address the current limitations preventing high volume usage of composite components in the automotive industry. These limitations are: 1. Material and processing cost – making them uncompetitive compared to metallic solutions 2. Processing time - current too long by an order of magnitude. 3. Lower volume techniques generate a high percentage of waste material. 4. Incompatibility with post production processes used in high volumes e.g. the high temperatures used in E coat and paint application.

A key target of the ACARE Flightpath 2050 vision for aviation in Europe is that of reducing CO2 emissions by 75% (relative to 2000 levels), a key contributor to which will be a reduction in aircraft drag. Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) offers the potential for significant drag reductions – in the order of 5% of overall aircraft drag – by extending the surface area over which the boundary layer flow remains laminar, driving down the level of skin friction drag. However, delivering an NLF wing concept in the context of a commercial transport aircraft presents significant challenges, not only for the aerodynamic design of the wing shape, but perhaps more importantly for the structural design and manufacture of the wing, including the integration of all the necessary sub-systems (high-lift devices, ice protection systems, ...); and the subsequent in-service operation. Building upon and continuing the work performed under the APART and SAWOF programmes, ALFET will enable the consortium to improve the understanding and develop the relevant design tools and philosophies in respect of:- 1) NLF aero wing shape for new wing planforms adapted for the technology, including robustness to the effects of surface imperfections and the definition of surface tolerance requirements 2) The structural design and manufacture of a cost-effective NLF wing concept, delivering the required aero performance particularly in terms of surface quality during the life of the aircraft 3) The conceptual design of new wing planforms to maximise the benefits of NLF, integration at an overall aircraft level, including fuel planning, in-service operability and assessments of net benefit The overall objective is to deliver the capability – i.e. the tools, processes, philosophies and underlying understanding – to perform the multi-disciplinary, integrated design and manufacture of a Natural Laminar Flow wing aircraft concept; essentially to bring the NLF technology towards TRL6 maturity.

SAMULET II Project 9 Composite Fan System Manufacturing Development aims to develop a number of manufacturing technologies associated with components of an integrated composite fan system. At the conclusion of this research Manufacturing Capability Readiness Level (MCRL) 6 will have been achieved. This develops the manufacturing capability to a level of maturity capable of deployment in a production facility. The underlying technologies will reduce cost of product, improve quality, increase the rate of manufacture and mitigate supply chain risk.