Devon-based Bindatex, a leading provider of specialist process and cutting services, has been awarded an Innovate UK grant of almost £100,000 from the Sustainable Innovation Fund.

The grant will support a critical six-month R&D project to further develop and upscale the company’s innovative 1mm wide slitting capability for next-generation composite parts manufacturing technology.

Bindatex Advanced Material cutting are world leaders in the precision slitting of carbon fibre to widths as narrow as 1mm.

The funding will support extensive R&D of bespoke technology to enable Bindatex to produce 1mm wide thermoplastic UD slit tape in volumes that meet the future growth demands of lightweight aircraft manufacturers and other key transport applications.

The grant will be pivotal in enabling Bindatex to maintain its position at the forefront of technical slitting to support companies which are developing digital composites printing solutions world-wide.

Chris Lever, Bindatex’s managing director, said: “I cannot stress how beneficial this funding from Innovate UK is to the continuing growth of Bindatex. It is going to allow us to carry out research that would not otherwise be possible at the current time due to the impact of Covid-19.

“The past seven months have not been easy, but we have continued to invest in key initiatives including our Industry 4.0 data capture system. This investment has helped us to adapt to different markets, while still maintaining the high level of service and fast turnaround times our customers rightly expect.

“The Innovate UK funding will give us an even greater capability and open up more potential markets to Bindatex, making us a more resilient UK enterprise as a result.”

One of the objectives of the project is to increase the yields of ultra-narrow slitting and reduce any in-process waste being sent to landfill as this is not sustainable at increased volumes. The aim, as the company’s manufacturing capability is ramped up, is to identify how this waste can be recycled and reused for other processes.

Mr Lever added: “There is strong demand right now for digital composite printing to replace small metallic parts on aircraft, cars, rail and possibly medical technology too — the market potential is huge.”

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £191 million to fund single and collaborative R&D projects as part of the Sustainable Innovation Fund over the next two years. The aim of these competitions is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild after the effects of Covid-19.

The Sustainable Innovation Fund is funding 1,103 projects, 1,189 UK businesses and totalling over £130 million in support around the UK.

Innovate UK executive chair Dr Ian Campbell said: “In these difficult times we have seen the best of British business innovation. The pandemic is not just a health emergency but one that impacts society and the economy. Each project is also helping to realise the ambitions of hard-working people.

“Along with every initiative Innovate UK has supported through this fund, with this project Bindatex is taking an important step forward in driving sustainable economic development.”

Bindatex reconfigured its business in March in the wake of the Government call for manufacturers to help in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The company was able to change its production systems to die cut disks for filters for the manufacture of ventilators for the NHS.