The new generation

mainstream products fall into place, but what are the opportunities and challenges that subcontractors moving into the sector can expect?

While the potential for new business opportunities generated by the expansion of the composites sector looks set to change the face of manufacturing, there are still many unknowns as far as the actual development of the industry is concerned. In the UK, composite processing has so far remained on a niche scale, but the first shoots of a new industry are beginning to appear to support the anticipated demand.

Lancashire-based Synergy Composites, situated close to the UK’s North West aerospace cluster, is one of only a handful of subcontractors in the country focused solely on composite production. The company was established several years ago by two former BAE Systems engineers - operations director Lee Moffatt and sales and marketing director Andrew Ellel - after deciding there was a gap in the market and officially began trading as Synergy in June 2009. Since then the company has been completing phase one of its development plan, gearing up for production, attaining the necessary quality accreditations and has wasted little time in becoming involved in a variety of research programmes. It has also recently entered into a long-term contract to produce materials for the major Norwegian manufacturer, Trelleborg AEM and is now seeking to add to its portfolio with more production work.

Starting out in the sector has not been easy, but as high as the risks are, so are the rewards and Ellel believes that while it is important for the sector’s growth that more companies like Synergy emerge to support the industry, the barriers can be particularly high. “A machine shop can be set-up with a single mill and after you’re doing so many hours work per day, you invest in another mill and grow organically,” he explains. “With composites that model doesn’t work. You can’t manufacture anything without a clean room, an autoclave, post-cure ovens and resin transfer equipment so you need to be prepared for a large capital investment and a lot of time and effort.”

The company’s initial investment encompasses all of this plant as well as an extensive suite of inspection equipment. Once the company is firmly established, phase two will add services such as 5-axis milling and painting, with the aim being to have the capability to produce finished components and subassemblies.

Although he wants Synergy to be involved in every sector, Ellel explains that he sees the greatest opportunities in the automotive sector, as much like aircraft such as the Boeing 787 have already done in the aerospace industry, the next generation of mass produced cars will see much greater use of composites, creating a step change in demand. Aerospace, which offers many opportunities as far as new materials and techniques are concerned, will also be particularly important due to the high value of parts, but also the most challenging due to its quality and efficiency requirements.

Proving itself to these markets as a new company will be the next big step for Synergy, which it plans to achieve through the relentless pursuit of quality, be it through the extensive utilisation of MRP software from 123insight and material life management software from Jetcam or the strict adherence to six sigma and the quality systems learned through the two founders’ previous work. This has recently been proven through the company’s achievement of ISO:9001 status in just three months, and it has now set its sights firmly on the aerospace AS9100 and automotive TS16949 standards.

Further aiding its acceptance will be the fact that Synergy has positioned itself with an ‘advanced composites’ focus, with the company aiming towards developing specific expertise in the use of prepregs and thermoplastics as well as new grades of E-glass and S-glass fibre products which will be important in the renewable sector. This is also demonstrated in the high standard of the equipment at its facility. Its clean room for example, adheres to the strict temperature and humidity controls required of the aerospace sector, and its autoclave is capable of an unusually high 450°C and 20 bar pressure, which will be important for processing some of the newer aerospace resins, thermoplastics and future experimental work.

With this equipment, the long-term aim of the company is not only to develop new materials, but bring the cost of production down so that composites can be used as a viable alternative for traditionally metallic components further down the value chain. As such, the other major challenge for start-up composite manufacturers can simply be the level of expertise required for the establishment of efficient, repeatable processes, regarded by many as the so-called ‘black art’ of black metal production.

When it comes to this aspect of the business however, Ellel is keen to change peoples’ attitudes: “As far as I’m concerned there is no ‘black art’,” he describes. “We just don’t yet know what all the variables are and how they can best be controlled. Some people say ‘we always make a bad one now and then’, but to me that’s not acceptable. The throughput we’re seeing now compared to when we started production has already undergone a vast improvement. We’re at an 80-90% yield now but there’s no reason why we can’t attain ‘right first time’ procedures before too long.

“At the moment we’re defining processes and creating a baseline. Sometimes things that are often overlooked such as how long the material is in the bag before curing, the shelf life of the material or the temperatures pre-, during and post-processing can cause crucial variations in form. You have to look at everything. We also plan to run health checks every morning on our equipment.”

Despite being near the beginning of the technology maturity curve with many aspects of production, Ellel believes that with the UK composite subcontracting industry in its infancy, there is great opportunity not only to align itself with major programmes but also to take the lead in research.

While unable to talk about the specifics of current projects, Ellel adds: It’s a very exciting time and we want to link up with the key research centres and OEMs and develop the supply chain of the future. We’ve developed some processes and materials already and are assisting several companies in developing cost-effective out of autoclave and heated mould techniques for the renewable sector.”

Although the future still contains many unknowns, what is clear from visiting a company like Synergy, is that there are many different opportunities for those looking to get into the composites sector. The trick for new companies will be finding the right niche and processing know-how to instil confidence in their customers.

www.synergycomposites.com