Victrex opens PEEK plant at Blackpool for aerospace composites

Victrex Polymers has opened a £10 million ‘Polymer Innovation Centre’ at its facilities in Thornton-Cleveleys, near Blackpool.

The plant is operating and will further research in PEEK and grades of PAEK thermoplastics, particularly aviation composite parts.

The manufacture of differentiated polyaryletherketones on a technical scale will help test high-performance polymer grades aimed at 3D Printing use.

Jakob Sigurdsson, CEO at Victrex, said “We continue to expand our PAEK-based portfolio, services and technologies into new markets and new applications. As an innovative world leader and pioneer in high-performance polymers, investments in science and manufacturing capability are key to continuous innovation and to improve innovation cycles and time-to-market. This new facility is another important step for us, particularly as we anticipate around 10-20% of our overall sales will come from new differentiated PAEK polymer grades and our mega-programmes in the medium term. It will further enhance our capacity for R&D, where we will continue to work in close and continuous cooperation with our customers and partners in driving new and differentiated polymer solutions.”

The centre is expected to create approximately 60 new jobs in the region over the next decade. It delivers 30-70 kg batch manufacture of novel polyaryletherketones, and can support the continual improvement in quality and performance of existing products. The centre received £1.3 million from the Regional Growth Fund.