GKN plc : Minister opens £multi-million facility to develop efficient, lightweight aero-engine technology

Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise today opened a facility that will develop new composite aero engine components.

The facility has been developed by CTAL, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace, to pilot pioneering manufacturing processes for aero-engine fan blades and fan-cases made of composite materials.  Lighter, but as strong as traditional metal components, composite blades and cases could improve aero-engine performance and reduce their environmental impact by reducing the overall weight of the engine.

CTAL's £14.8m facility will employ 70 highly skilled engineers on the Isle of Wight and has been  supported with £7.4m in funding from the UK Government.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said:

"The UK has the world's largest aerospace industry outside the USA with a 17 per cent share of the global market, which is worth approximately £23bn per year to our nation's economy.

"I am pleased to officially open this state-of-the-art facility and to see for myself the work of GKN Aerospace and Rolls-Royce in developing sustainable aviation technologies that will have benefits for marine, health, construction and energy sectors.

"It is ventures like this that are helping to place Britain as a world leader in the growth area of low carbon solutions, while affirming our commitment to providing the technological needs of the future."

Marcus Bryson, CEO and President, GKN Aerospace and GKN Land Systems explains: "The processes we develop here will be at the heart of the drive to improve the performance of tomorrow's aircraft engines. This facility will help us ensure we and our supply chain sustain the level of technological progress necessary to meet major global aero-engine opportunities in the future. The UK's aerospace industry is the home of many pioneering aerospace technologies and is one of the country's leading exporters.   Events such as this are a clear reminder of the positive impact we have, and must continue to have, on the UK economy.  This is also a clear demonstration of our commitment to the UK government's growth agenda for the manufacturing sector."

Colin Smith, Rolls-Royce, Director of Engineering said: "Rolls-Royce maintains a long term commitment to research and development, with a particular focus on reducing the emissions from our products.  This state-of-the-art facility gives us an opportunity to develop world leading composite technology and manufacturing techniques. These high technology lightweight components have the potential to significantly improve the competitiveness of our engines and hence reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of future aircraft. "

The development of lightweight, composite components is becoming increasingly important as the aerospace industry strives to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

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Editor's Notes:
Market background - Composite materials offer the benefits of low weight and high strength and are corrosion free and fatigue resistant. Their use reduces aircraft fuel consumption and emissions whilst also cutting costly and time-consuming maintenance activity.  Their application on the airframe has grown from around 1% of the structure 30 years ago to over 50% of the structure of the latest generation of aircraft. In order to effectively manufacture complex, often curved aero-engine structures in the quantities required, new, sophisticated and high speed manufacturing techniques such as those the Environmental Lightweight Fan (ELF) and The Strategic Investment in LOw-carbon Engine Technology (SILOET)  programmes are focused on, will be critical.

CTAL is a Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace joint venture established in 2008 to bring together Rolls-Royce's expertise in advanced engine technologies with GKN Aerospace's composite research and automated manufacturing capabilities. 

The new facility supports the final stages of work through the UK government funded Environmental Lightweight Fan (ELF) collaborative research programme. The goal of this programme, which commenced in 2007, has been to develop, prove and bring to market readiness advanced, high-rate production processes for new carbon fibre engine fan blades. These blades will improve aircraft performance and reduce engine emissions. This final phase is focused on optimising volume manufacturing processes and is complemented by the addition of lightweight fan systems work under the 'SILOET' (Strategic Investment in LOw-carbon Engine Technology) collaborative research programme, also UK government funded. This programme aims to accelerate the development and introduction of low carbon aircraft engine technology with a consequent effect on engine fuel economy and emissions.

The Environmental Lightweight Fan (ELF) programme is focused initially on technology acquisition for the automated manufacture of a composite fan blade.  More broadly it aims to introduce novel automated manufacturing processes which will have application beyond aerospace.  It is fully aligned with the UK government's National Aerospace Technology Strategy (NATS) which is a partnership among UK Government, industry and academia addressing UK competitiveness in aerospace technology through to 2020. It is also supports the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) goals, which have been accepted by UK government, to reduce environmental emissions from aviation.

The Strategic Investment in LOw-carbon Engine Technology (SILOET) programme will accelerate the development and introduction of low carbon aircraft engine technology. The results from this programme are expected to deliver a 2% improvement in engine fuel economy and enable delivery of ACARE goals. The programme started in 2009 and is expected to finish in 2013.

Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce today has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,500 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.

GKN Aerospace is the aerospace operation of GKN plc, serving a global customer base and operating in North America, the Asia Pacific and Europe. With sales of GBP1.5bn, the business is focused around three major product areas - aerostructures, propulsion systems and transparencies, plus a number of specialist products - electro-thermal ice protection, fuel and flotation systems, and bullet resistant glass.  The business is equally split along military and civil lines with significant participation on all major aircraft programmes today.  GKN Aerospace is a major supplier of complex composite structures; offers one of the most comprehensive capabilities in high performance metallics processing and is the world leading supplier of cockpit transparencies and passenger cabin windows.

For further information, please contact:

Simon Kirby
Business Partner - Engineering, Research and Innovation
Rolls-Royce plc
PO Box 31
Derby
DE24 8BJ
t:  [phone]
m: [phone]
e: [e-mail]

Sandra Fearon
Public Relations Manager for Aerospace
Mobile: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]