The Chemical Industries Association welcomes the launch bythe Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) of the UK Composites Strategy. The Strategy seeks to promote the growth of UK industrial involvement with these versatile materials, primarily fibre reinforced plastics. There are many exciting opportunities to exploit these technologies in strong, lightweight, corrosion resistant aircraft and vehicle components, wind turbine blades, static structural building components such as long arch bridges, and many others.
The chemical industry a key enabler of these low carbon manufacturing capabilities. The polymers, plastics, resins and epoxies referenced in the Strategy are products of the chemical industry. Producers of these specialised resins will add their skills to developing composite materials with the right physical properties for the final application, as well as assisting in improving the manufacturing process itself.
Commenting at the launch CIA Chief Executive Steve Elliott said "chemicals are at the heart of manufacturing and our industry supports UK manufacturers along many important advanced technology supply chains. I warmly welcome the Government taking practical action to support manufacturing in the UK by giving financial backing to establish the National Composites Centre to promote technology transfer."
Composite materials are formed by combining two or more materials that have quite different properties. The componentstogether give the composite unique properties, but within the composite the different materials retain their separate identities- they do not dissolve or blend into each other. Many composites are manufactured but they also exist in nature. A piece of wood is a composite, with long fibres of cellulose (a very complex form of starch) held together by a much weaker substance called lignin. Cellulose is also found in cotton and linen, but it is the binding power of the lignin that makes a piece of timber much stronger than a bundle of cotton fibres.
Contact Name: Fiona Ferguson