GENERAL NEWS
Drone“ vertiport” from metal flat packs
“ The [ drone ] aircraft of the future are here. The places to land them are not,” said Swedish design technology company, STILFOLD. As a result, the company has launched STILPOD: what it terms“ the world’ s first softwaredefined vertiport.”
“ Folded from recycled aluminium, shipped flat in a single standard container and operational in hours rather than months, STILPOD cuts the embodied carbon of conventional concrete vertiports by 81 percent and leaves zero permanent footprint when uninstalled. After three years of validated development with RISE and Advanced Air Mobility under Sweden’ s Vinnova iPOD programme, we are now opening the technology for global commercial deployment,” continued STILFOLD.
The programme delivered structural validation, operational field testing and a deployment-ready system designed against the certification pathways now being finalised by EASA and the FAA.
“ The eVTOL market is projected to surpass US $ 23 billion by 2030, with longer-horizon estimates for urban air mobility crossing US $ one trillion, but ground infrastructure has been a massive bottleneck. Until now, landing
The STILPOD.
platforms for drone traffic have been expensive and time-consuming construction projects characterised by cast-in-place concrete, heavy excavated masses and millions in costs. The recently completed Swedish innovation project, STILPOD( Vinnlva project iPOD- Industrial Origami for Drone Ports), is a game-changer,” it added.
By utilising STILFOLD’ s patented technology for folding sheet metal, the consortium, which also includes RISE( Research Institutes of Sweden) and Advanced Air Mobility, has validated a unique, modular landing platform. Instead of months of groundworks, the new vertiport is folded and assembled in a few hours at a fraction of the cost, said STILFOLD.
“ Infrastructure has been the slowest link in emerging air mobility. We have been building the airports of the future with ancient technology. By combining our software-driven manufacturing technology with a vertiport system, we simplify the construction process. We can now ship complete vertiports in flat packs all over the world,” explained Jonas Nyvang, CEO of STILFOLD.
The same platform addresses adjacent demand profiles: humanitarian logistics, disaster response, expeditionary military aviation and temporary installations where permanent construction is not viable. The technology is dual-use by design.
STILFOLD’ s proprietary platform combines origami, kirigami and curved-folding methodologies to transform flat sheet material into advanced, load-bearing surface structures without moulds, casting or heavy fixed tooling. The result is lighter and lower-carbon by design, digitally reconfigurable from a single production line and shippable as a flat-packed kit. n
www. stilride. com
www. stilfold. com
Strong sales growth at ADS Laser Cutting
UK-based metalwork firm, ADS Laser Cutting, is looking ahead with renewed optimism after reporting strong growth in sales and profitability during the first half of 2026. The performance positions the business for further growth and development during the second half of the year.
“ During the six-month period to the end of June 2026, sales increased by 15 % compared to the same period last year, whilst profitability was up by 17 %. This performance places us on a strong footing to exceed our full-year turnover target of £ 11.6m,” it said.
The business attributes its performance to strong customer relationships, operational improvements and continued investment in its people, equipment and service capabilities.
Duncan Keates, joint managing director of ADS Laser Cutting, added:“ Despite continued economic volatility and uncertainty, we’ ve delivered a very positive first half of the year. Several factors have combined to place us in this position of strength, from strategic material purchasing and accurate, competitive estimating
Laser cutting operations at ADS Laser Cutting in Leicester, UK.
through to proactive sales activity and the skills and commitment of our shopfloor team.
Duncan Keates.
“ Most importantly, we’ ve continued to focus on the strong, long-term customer relationships that have always been fundamental to ADS. We continue to enjoy a strong flow of work from existing customers, while also securing new opportunities that enable us to expand our capabilities and enter new markets,” he continued.
As part of its continued growth strategy, ADS Laser Cutting strengthened its industry credentials by achieving BS EN 1090 Execution Class 3, commonly known as EXC3. The certification enables the business to compete for larger and more technically demanding structural steel projects where safety and structural performance are critical, creating opportunities across commercial construction, infrastructure, transport, energy, heavy engineering and public sector developments.
ADS Laser Cutting has also continued to strengthen its leadership and operational teams, including the appointment of Steve Tyler as operations director. Other recent appointments include a new preproduction manager, a material and stores manager and an additional internal sales role.
Further investment during the second half of the year includes the phased implementation of a new ERP system. n
https:// adslaser. co. uk /
10 | ismr. net | ISMR September 2026