Cytec opens new UK application centre for composites products

Speciality materials and technology company, Cytec Industries Inc., has opened a new Application Centre in Heanor, UK, for the development of composites products.  

The company says this opening is a key milestone for Cytec in its strategy to develop new composite products and technologies to serve the high volume production markets such as automotive.

The new centre, which is adjacent to its existing manufacturing and R&D sites, is an investment of $13 Million (approx.. £8.5million) by Cytec, which the company says  demonstrates its commitment to the industrial markets and its long term vision for the adoption of composites by the serial automotive industry.

“The opening of the Cytec Application Centre is an exciting time for the company – it is the next step in our strategy to work collaboratively with our customers in the development of volume production technologies for composite manufacture which will be key to the future of mass transportation,” said Markus Aschauer, Vice President, Cytec Industrial Materials.

Cytec has developed new materials such as rapid cure thermoset prepregs and HP-RTM resin systems and is now working with partners and customers to develop application technologies to enable the refinement of these new materials and their use for part manufacture, demonstrating to its customers how our materials can be used in a high-volume production setting.

“Application Engineering, the ability to integrate design, materials and part manufacturing, is a key enabler to the increased adoption of composites and is a core competence Cytec has built over several years. This new centre will allow us to further exploit this competence and expand our solutions offering to meet the affordability and high-rate needs of our customers,” said Carmelo Lo Faro, Cytec Chief Technology Officer.

The new centre’s capability ranges from press moulding and injection equipment, to robotics for automated pick and place, material formatting, trimming as well as recycling and 3D printing capabilities.