Nov 22 2013
Composites UK celebrated industry innovation by presenting the UK Composite Industry Awards 2013 at the annual awards dinner on 12th November 2013 at the Crowne Plaza, NEC Birmingham UK.
The prestigious black-tie dinner coincides with the Composites Engineering Show each year and is one of the premier networking events on the calendar. Over 150 industry players turned out to join the showcase of UK achievement with awards being sponsored and presented by key industry figures.
Of the eight awards presentedin total on the night, four are dedicated to showcasing innovation in manufacture, materials, design and environmental development. The four other awards recognise outstanding support in employee development, training, health and safety and environmental initiative.
The winners of the 2013 innovation awards are as follows:
Innovation in Manufacture – JETCAM UK Ltd for their Crosstrack software suite which provides complete traceability from the finished part right back to the roll or rolls and also delivers full material life traceability. This enables companies to significantly reduce waste and thus improve cost effectiveness.
The award was presented to Martin Bailey of JETCAM UK Ltd by David Beardsworth of sponsoring company Composite Fibreglass Mouldings.
Innovation in Materials –Scott Bader Ltd for their Crestabond MMA structural adhesives range utilising urethane acrylate technology and enabling very fast cure times. The range allows users to eliminate the use of primers and reduces the surface preparation time prior to bonding allowing the user to bond a wide variety of dis-similar substrates.
The award was presented to Jonathan Stowell of Scott Bader Ltd by Robert Stevenson of sponsoring company Eastman Machine Company.
Innovation in Composite Design –GKN Aerospace for the design and manufacture of the A350 XWB rear spar. Automated carbon fibre placement machines were developed for large, complex structures and carbon fibre material with properties that allowed the design of the spar to carry customer specified aircraft loads
The award was presented to Chris Gear of GKN Aerospace by Peter Chivers of sponsoring company The National Composites Centre.
Environmental –EcoTechnilin UK Ltd for development of the first fully bio-based floor panel used in the Jaguar F-type convertible. The prepreg material uses 100% natural fibres with sugar-based bioresin. Once cured in a simple process involving heat and minimal pressure the rigid panels can be used in a variety of applications.
The award was presented to Tim Sweatman of Ecotechnilin by Stella Job, Environmental Officer at Composites UK.
Winners of the innovation awards also showcased their technology in the main features area at the show and presenting in the Composites UK awards forum session on Tuesday 12th November.
Chris Little, Chairman of Composites UK said ““The UK Composites industry is at the forefront of technological development and exciting product application both at home and overseas. In an ever-increasingly competitive environment it is important to celebrate our successes. Our awards showcase individuals and companies who go the extra mile to develop the technology and skills needed to highlight the UK as major player in the sector”.