Hot on the heels of an award win, Alun Reece, CEO of Loop Technology, tells Louise Davis how his company’s joined-up approach is shaping the future of composites manufacturing
Like many engineering sectors, the composites industry is gradually embracing the benefits delivered by greater automation. And UK company Loop Technology is one of the pioneers here: its expertise lies in bringing automation to composite manufacturing – with a special focus on the highly demanding aerospace sector. “Aircraft manufacturers are aiming to build lighter, more aerodynamic, fuel-efficient aircraft using composite materials to address the unmet demand and record backlog,” explains Alun Reece, CEO of Loop Technology.
So, how does automation come into play? “In aerospace manufacturing, automation systems have to be able to perform myriad complex tasks, often on very large-scale structures to a tight tolerance,” answers Reece. “The innovation in robotics around scale, precision and collaborative working is continually opening up opportunities in aerospace and the momentum within the industry is gathering pace. The versatility offered by modern robotics is redefining the way manufacturing tasks are done, driving down costs while driving quality up,” he observes.
This versatility is perfectly illustrated by Loop Technology’s flagship FibreLine system. In January 2025, it was recognised in the Aerospace Process category of the JEC Composites Innovation Awards. Reece describes the award-winning solution as an end-to-end automated composite preforming system that, “delivers a step change in production rates for composite parts and components such as aircraft wings and wind turbine blades.” Additionally, FibreLine 2×1 is a different configuration that builds smaller composites parts – such as fairings, wing tips and automotive panels.
The FibreLine system cuts, sorts and sequences large plies of carbon fibre and other composite material. It then picks, forms and places this material into the designated mould with extremely high accuracy, without damage. The material is inspected to verify ply position and integrity, before tacking, consolidation and then moving to the next stage of the process. Reece points out that FibreLine “drastically” reduces the number of pieces that need to be brought together to make a part. “The system lays up much larger, multi-layer plies than other methods and material is placed into the mould at a record speed. This is an enabling solution for the composites industry that offers a way to meet the growing demand for parts and components in several different sectors,” he states.
TAKING FLIGHT
Although Loop Technology works with a variety of global manufacturers and Tier 1 OEMs across industries such as automotive, renewables and defence, the aerospace sector is becoming a particularly enthusiastic customer of its solutions. “FibreLine is being used to automate dry fibre layup and inspection in projects that aim to facilitate the manufacture of lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft and meet the growing demand within aerospace,” explains Reece. “One system is currently installed at the National Composites Centre as part of the Airbus ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ programme. Another system will shortly be installed at the Innovation facility at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), which is part of the Composites at Speed and Scale (COMPASS) programme. The inaugural project at this Innovation facility is the Isothermic High-Rate Sustainable Structures (IHSS) project, led by Boeing, alongside Sprit AeroSystems, AMRC and Loop Technology.”
Because automation for fibre-reinforced composites is a burgeoning area, R&D projects such as the above form a critical part of Loop Technology’s everyday work. Commenting on this aspect, Reece notes: “FibreLine is being used in several high-profile R&D projects that have the ultimate goal of using automation to increase the production rate of composite aerostructures. Additionally, at our HQ we have our own R&D facility, which is being used to continually evolve the FibreLine system as well as to test customers’ components and parts.”
Reece is also focused on R&D on the AI front – and Loop Technology already uses AI within its product offerings. “Our composite inspection system, FibreEye, leverages advanced imaging techniques with AI to create a comprehensive inspection ecosystem and document defect characteristics and locations,” Reece explains.
GET A GRIP
Another popular area of Loop’s expertise lies in composite grippers; a solution that quickly became a necessity in composite manufacturing due to the risks involved in composite handling. For safety-critical aerospace engineering applications, damage or deformation of composite plies caused by handling simply cannot be tolerated. The FiberLine system includes FibreForm, an advanced composite gripper system that manipulates much larger plies than many other methods.
“Our FibreForm system uses high flow vacuum generator grippers to create lift on the composite fabric whilst managing shear forces to ensure no damage is done to the material,” details Reece. “It then forms the composite plies into a wide range of shapes including concave, convex, omega and double curvature profiles. It does this, where necessary, to match the highly complex geometric surfaces of the mould, placing the ply precisely on the surface. This sophisticated layup system has developed and evolved over a number of years, through the dedication and hard work of our engineers.”
ALL PART OF THE SERVICE
As well as selling products, Reece has adopted a service-driven business model from the off, reflecting his belief that a properly integrated approach will ultimately benefit all players in the broader composites industry. Highlighting Loop’s offerings here, he says: “Our service and support team provide targeted training, expert servicing through maintenance visits and callouts, extended warranties, advice on future upgrades and more, on a range of our products and systems.” As well as FibreLine for high-rate composite preforming, the company also delivers systems and software across the advanced manufacturing industry. “We specialise in industrial robotics, motion control and machine vision and have expertise in fields such as assembly, metrology, labelling and machining,” explains Reece.
Automation is at the heart of all of the company’s efforts; and a further example is that Loop Technology provides automated laser cleaning systems and distribution of CleanLaser models, providing full training and an optional laser safety training course for its customers. “Additionally, we are the UK reseller for Robotmaster offline programming, providing training and support in that regard as well,” Reece notes. “This software provides manufacturers with the ability to quickly and easily program robots to perform manufacturing tasks, making robotic automation accessible to a much wider audience.”
In a further nod to his focus on automation, Reece also reveals that Loop Technology has recently announced a partnership with Kobots, a firm that provides smart automation solutions to the construction industry. Loop will be selling Kobots’ automation systems in the UK. “We will also provide training, service and support for these automation systems that deliver increased efficiency as well as a reduction in health and safety hazards for the dry lining sector,” he confirms.
FUTURE-PROOF FLIGHT PLANS
One example of Loop Technology’s future-focused, integrated approach is the use of its FibreLine system as part of the Ultra High-Rate Deposition System at the National Composites Centre (NCC), which is used on the Airbus ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ programme. On this, Reece comments: “The initiative is designed to increase the performance and production rate for the next generation of fuel-efficient, low-emission aircraft.” Indeed, the programme is designed to explore radical new approaches to the design and manufacture of aircraft wings, with composites being a key focus area.
On this programme, a complete ply stack of dry fibre piece parts (approximately 170 individual dry fibre pieces) were deposited and some of the full 17m length plies were deposited at close to maximum rate, equating to approximately 30 seconds for an individual 17m ply. Reece notes: “Since its installation in 2020, the NCC has used the Ultra High-Rate Composite Deposition System to make huge leaps forward in composite manufacturing. They are on track to deliver a dry-fibre deposition rate in excess of 350kg per hour – 75% more than the initial targets.”
