Loop Technology are absolutely thrilled and delighted to have received this prestigious honour and to be recognized in this way by JEC, the organisers of the biggest composites event in the world.

Loop Technology’s FibreLINE system delivers a seismic breakthrough in the preforming process for manufacturing composite aerostructures such as aircraft wings and fuselage sections. It provides end-to-end automation and a step change in material deposition rates for the industry.

Thank you to our recognized partners for this award in the National Composites Centre, FANUC, Güdel and Zund, for all their contributions to the development of FibreLINE and the projects this technology is used in.

Loop Technology’s Managing Director, Alun Reece, attended the ceremony at the Palais des Congrès in Paris alongside Samantha Reece, Marketing Director, and Matt Hardman, Technical Sales Manager.

Upon receiving the award, Alun said: “It’s very flattering and very humbling, it’s been quite a journey. We’re conscious that any development in a company starts as an acorn and aims to be an oak.

Not only has it been a collaboration within Loop Technology in the UK, it has been an international collaboration with their recognized partners for this award in Gudel, Zund, FANUC and the National Composites Centre.”

Loop Technology’s FibreLINE system has developed over several years as the technology has updated and evolved. The entire system is made up from their suite of pioneering end effectors that automate the entire preforming stage in composites manufacturing. FibreLINE cuts, sorts and sequences large plies of carbon fibre and other material, before picking, forming and placing it with incredible accuracy without damage. The material is inspected to ensure integrity and then heat staked to secure in place, before moving to the next stage of manufacturing.

At the centre are both FibreFORM and FibreROLL, two revolutionary pick and place end effectors that handle large plies and deposit them onto the mould at a breakthrough rate when compared to other methods such as AFP/ATP and manual layup. FibreEYE leverages advanced optical scanning to ensure each ply is placed defect free.

The JEC Innovation awards identify, promote and reward the most innovative composite solutions worldwide and have engaged 2100 companies globally over the last 27 years. The awards are split into 11 categories from across industries including aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, building and maritime. The finalists are selected by an internal JEC jury and then the winner is selected by an external jury made up of composites professionals.