BUSINESS NEWS
Disruptive Tech from Wiltshire set to revolutionise the plastics industry worldwide
An innovative Calne-based firm has been awarded nearly £ 500,000 from the Government ’ s SMART Innovate UK scheme to continue researching and testing its groundbreaking plastic welding technology .
This revolutionary polymer welding technology gives discrete yet strong welds . Its goal : to achieve the same strength and flexibility as the original material , an aim which has already gathered substantial interest from the automotive repair sector in the UK . The funding , part of Innovate UK ’ s £ 23 million investment to deliver disruptive research and development innovations that can significantly impact the UK economy , will help Pinweld and its partners , TWI Ltd and Rainbow Engineering , move into the next phase of development at TWI ’ s Cambridge facility .
Keven Chappell , Founder of Pinweld , said , “ When we went to visit the National Body Repair Association ( NBRA ) with the initial research findings , the response was overwhelmingly positive , resulting in continuous support for the Pinweld technology . This led to an introductory meeting with senior engineers at Thatcham Research , Berkshire , who confirmed the views of the NBRA . Our work in this one sector alone ( automotive ) could have significant global sustainability benefits as we look to support the circular economy .”
Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the world today . In 2018 the UK signed a global commitment to eliminate plastic pollution by ‘ significantly increasing the amounts of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products ’ or ‘ innovating to ensure 100 per cent of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused and recycled ’.
The company ’ s initial focus is the UK car body repair market working closely with the National Body Repair Association ( NBRA ) and Thatcham Research in Berkshire . The technology can also be applied to a wide variety of industries using different plastics , including those that are recycled . Interest has also come from a broad range of sectors including water distribution , aerospace , and manufacturing .
Scott Andrews , Principle Project Leader for Novel Polymer Technologies at TWI , said , “ The possibility that Pinweld enables continuous joining of highperformance thermoplastic and thermoplastic composite materials , of varying thicknesses without the need for an additional material at the joint , would be game-changing . The team at TWI are very
“ Our work in this one sector alone ( automotive ) could have significant , global , sustainability benefits ...”
excited to be at the forefront of the Pinweld plastic welding development programme . Validation of the process could enable Pinweld to become the go-to joining solution for many large high-performance plastic components and structures .”
Previous support has been given to the project through the Sustainable Technologies Business Acceleration Hub ( STBAH ) and it has also received support from the Advanced Engineering Business Acceleration Hub ( AERAH ). Both programmes are funded through the European Regional Development Fund ( ERDF ) and supported by Bath SETsquared and the University of Bath . Business support , mentoring , workshops and opportunities to collaborate with members at the University has also led to extensive new areas to explore for the Pinweld technology .
For more info : www . pinweld . com
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