Money for materials

The Transport Innovation Network (iNet) is releasing funds for research into new materials for use in the aerospace, marine and automotive industries.

The £223,000 investment will fund a collaborative project in the East Midlands to create lightweight materials to replace traditional aluminium alloys used in industry.

Loughborough and Nottingham University will be working alongside textile manufacturer, M Wright and Sons, to develop manufacturing techniques that could make the use of these materials viable for components such as aircraft skin panels and wing ribs.

David Pickering of the Transport iNet, said: ‘This Transport iNet Higher Education Collaboration grant is crucial in establishing and maintaining a strong, efficient and low-cost manufacturing base in the East Midlands for new materials. This is an internationally significant project that will contribute towards the reduction in carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency across the whole of the transport industry in the future.’

Michael Wright, of M Wright and Sons, added: ‘Through working with the universities we are able to add credibility to our own products at an international level. It is a very long-term process, but the aerospace industry is keen to embrace new technology so with this research project we are well placed to be at the forefront of new manufacturing techniques.

‘It is also important to mention that our company has been lucky to have had substantial grant support from the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), which has placed us in the position to develop products from the fast-growing composite industry.’