Carmarthenshire-based Haydale (www.haydale.com), the global advanced materials group, is working alongside Swansea University, GTS Flexibles, Alliance Labels, Tectonic International, ScreenTec, Alliance Labels, Malvern Panalytical and the English Institute of Sport on the Welsh government’s SMARTExpertise programme.

This is intended to benefit industry in Wales by developing new concepts and advanced inks, using Haydale’s advanced materials, then creating the AFM2 Product Pipeline for the scale-up to volume production of applications of ‘functionalised’ micro and nano materials.

With a focus on ‘market pull’, the AFM2 Product Pipeline will turn a demand-driven idea into a bench prototype, followed by pilot production for market and customer evaluation.

As previously announced, Haydale (in collaboration with the Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating) has developed and refined a range of proprietary printing inks using its ‘functionalised’ graphene for the development of advanced wearable technology to be embedded into a range of clothing for athletes in training for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

These inks fulfil a range of functions in sensing and conditioning, combined with ease of printing for use in the rapidly growing wearable-technology market.

Professor Tim Claypole at Swansea University said: “This is a really exciting project, which will take innovative concepts manufactured by printing advanced functional materials and rapidly transition them from proof of concept into high-volume profitable products.

“It will drive more applications for inks containing the unique functionalised nano carbons created by the Haydale Plasma Functionalisation process.”