Engineer at the NCC’s ultra high-rate deposition (UHRD) fiber line. Source | NCC

The National Composites Centre’s (Bristol, U.K.) aerospace innovation capabilities have received a major boost through new investment to expand its technologies for high-value aerostructures, including next-generation wing technology and other critical structures to support future aircraft platforms.

The NCC’s £15.8 million High-Rate Manufacture Capital Acquisition Project (HRMCap) was awarded by the Department for Business and Trade, Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and Innovate UK. The investment will be used to enhance the NCC’s open-access technologies with a suite of 12 customer-ready capabilities to de-risk and accelerate innovation in high-rate large composites structure manufacturing.

While strengthening the U.K.’s position as a hub to develop and mature composite technologies for aerospace applications, the investment will also enable the NCC to push the boundaries of current practice to increase production rates and the performance of products, and accelerate the uptake of composite materials into current and future aircraft generations.

Mike Biddle, executive director net zero, Innovate UK, notes that it will benefit applications and programs for ultra-high-rate next-gen wing manufacture, composite fan case production and advanced air mobility structures.

Traditional aerospace primary structure carbon fiber technologies typically deliver between 8-13 articles per month, dependant on material. However, the upcoming narrowbody aircraft requires production capabilities that reach or exceed rates of 60 articles per month. NCC’s expanded solution resolves this by further developing its ultra high-rate deposition capabilities and supporting processes. Beyond anchoring future wing manufacturing in the UK, HRMCap’s multi-sector capabilities will deliver impact in wind energy, defense and other sectors.

NCC is working with a dedicated UK Industry Advisory group to design, build, test and commission the new capabilities to ensure HRMCap’s specification meets industry needs and is ready for use. Innovating for industry, NCC’s open access high-rate manufacture technologies are available to manufacturing companies, primes and supply chain companies that could benefit from enhanced support of industrial R&D. Organizations interested in accessing NCC’s innovation capabilities can enquire via aerospace@nccuk.com.