A Derby composites firm is celebrating after scooping another major award recognising its work to design weight saving frames for train carriages.
Composite Braiding, based at the iHub innovation centre, on Infinity Park, was part of a consortium of manufacturers who won the Railway Vehicles and Infrastructure award at the JEC Composite Innovation Awards 2020.
Composite Braiding is a manufacturing firm specialising in thermoplastic composite braiding technology - an innovative process which provides a stronger, tougher and more flexible alternative to woven composites.
Along with its partners FAR-Composites, Transport Design International and the Warwick Manufacturing Group, operating under the name ‘Project Brainstorm’, it designed, developed and manufactured a lightweight alternative to metal frames for train carriages.
The consortium has developed a braided composite tubular frame which was much lighter and comparatively as strong as a metal alternative. The process also proved to be better for the environment and is much easier to fix than the standard composite structures.
The latest accolade comes after the same consortium won the Technical Innovation of the Year title at the Global Light Rail Awards last year.
Steve Barbour, managing director at Composite Braiding, said: “To follow-up our win at the Global Light Rail Awards with this one is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved with Project Brainstorm.
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“We’re thrilled to have been recognised for our work on this challenging but hugely rewarding project.
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“The outcomes and impacts achieved by the Brainstorm project could be adopted quickly by light rail manufacturers or developed and adapted for additional applications within transportation and engineering.
“It was great that the awards were able to take place online despite the current health pandemic and we can’t wait to celebrate as a team in person.”