MANCHESTER, UK—April 8, 2025—Fibre and fabric production technologies, particularly in composite reinforcements, have played a crucial but underrecognized role in the advancement of the UK’s Formula One industry. The British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is determined to change this narrative.
Motorsport Valley
“If there’s one thing the UK does well, it’s Formula One, with seven of the ten F1 teams located within just an hour of each other in the midlands region known as Motorsport Valley,” explains BTMA CEO Jason Kent. “They are all connected to a national network of around 4,500 companies involved in motorsport and high-performance engineering, worth nearly £9 billion annually and employing 40,000 people. This network significantly relies on the services provided by many of our member companies.”
“With the exception of the engine, virtually every part of a Formula One racing car now starts from a textile, including the bodywork, the tyres, and many of the latest fuel systems,” says Richard Kirkbright, project manager at Leeds-based Roaches International. “This has influenced developments in the broader automotive sector as well as in the aerospace industry.”
Show Cars and Memorabilia
While Roaches is well-known for developing textile testing systems, it has also supplied advanced autoclaves to the UK’s composites industry over the years. A recent delivery was made to Northampton-based Memento Exclusives, a specialist in producing show cars that work directly with F1 and its leading teams.
Each major F1 team sponsor is provided with one or two show cars for exhibitions and various promotional events aligned with the racing calendar. Although these cars lack engines and may feature fewer carbon fibre plies, they remain identical to the latest models raced by F1 teams.
Memento Exclusives operates its own in-house carbon fibre parts manufacturing facility, and the integration of the Roaches autoclave has significantly enhanced its capabilities in show car production.
Master Bakers
“Composite materials undergo a metamorphosis in the autoclave which subjects them to both mechanical and chemical processes,” explains Richard Kirkbright. “Trapped air and volatiles are expelled while plies are consolidated under precise pressure. Heat cycles are then introduced to cure the resin systems, resulting in flawlessly crafted components. Autoclave specialists are akin to master bakers, knowing exactly how to treat their ingredients at every stage of the process to achieve the desired final product.”
“The Roaches autoclave now enables us to cure large components with full control and achieve a swift turnover of parts while ensuring the highest quality finish,” adds Terry Wasyliw, Head of Build for Memento Exclusives.
McLaren’s Influence
McLaren, headquartered in Woking, UK, was the first F1 team to produce a car chassis entirely from carbon fibre composites back in 1981, initiating the creation of a completely new global supply chain.
This year, McLaren unveiled a groundbreaking innovation in supercar engineering—automated aerospace-derived Rapid Tape (ART) carbon fibre, developed at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Sheffield. This technology is being used to create the active front wings of the W1 hypercar, which has a starting price of $2.1 million.
Additionally, a rear floor component was developed for McLaren as part of the recently completed £39.6 million ASCEND program, which involved various UK partners, including BTMA member Cygnet Texkimp.
Handling, Converting, and Decarbonization
Cygnet Texkimp supplies a diverse range of handling and converting machines to the composites industry, including bespoke creels, prepreg, coating, slitting, and filament winding machines.
Its technologies are utilized in constructing composite components for aerospace and automotive applications, as well as in producing tyre cord. Recently, it has advanced the construction of hydrogen storage vessels, which are considered the future of F1 propulsion alongside electric vehicle batteries.
Cygnet Texkimp has been part of the F1 supply chain for over 20 years, with most carbon fibre used in the industry processed on one of its VHD creels. The company is also the largest independent manufacturer of prepreg machines globally and is currently leading the design and construction of the UK’s first carbon fibre research lines for a project spearheaded by the National Composites Centre (NCC) to accelerate the development of more sustainable carbon fibres.
Moreover, Cygnet is licensed to design and build the DEECOM® composite recycling system, developed by new BTMA member Longworth Sustainable Recycling Technologies. The first DEECOM® system was recently commissioned by the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester, utilizing a zero-emission, low-carbon pressolysis solution to reclaim pristine fibres and resin polymers from production waste and end-of-life composites.
“Decarbonisation is a major priority for manufacturers globally,” states Cygnet CEO Luke Vardy. “At Cygnet Texkimp, we’re developing the capability to process technical fibres in ways that enable lightweighting, hydrogen power, and electrification, reduce waste, and revolutionise the end-of-life management of composite materials and parts. Together with our industry partners, we’re introducing some of the most innovative new fibre processing technologies to deliver real-world benefits that support sustainability goals.”
Prepregging
Another new BTMA member, Emerson & Renwick (E+R), specializes in print, forming, vacuum, and coating technologies and also provides technology for producing carbon fibre prepregs—integrated rolls of fabric and resin.
Its latest 1.7-metre-wide line, supplied to a customer in Italy, operates at speeds exceeding 40 metres per minute for web coatings or prepreg fibre and resin consolidation, or a combination of both processes. This line features an ultra-precise three-roll reverse roll coater for processing high-viscosity thermo-activated resins and allows for automatic changeover of sensitive woven fabric materials at zero tension, incorporating three high-precision calendaring nips with hot/cool plates. The system also includes multiple unwind and rewind systems for intermediate lamination, with reliable lap splicing and zero-speed splicing equipped with a web accumulator for the main product rewind.
E+R has also participated in a consortium working on developing lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries as part of the £540 million UK Faraday Battery Challenge. Once viable, Li-S batteries promise to deliver high energy density at low cost for sustainable electric vehicles, starting with F1.
Strong Links
“In addition to our robust base of textile testing and control companies, many other BTMA members are engaged in further F1 and advanced composite projects,” concludes Jason Kent. “We are also establishing strong connections with key UK research hubs, including Sheffield University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Northwest Composites Centre in Manchester, the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering in Bolton, and the National Composites Centre in Bristol.
“The BTMA recently became an associate member of Composites UK as well, recognizing that this sector is the crucible of innovation for tomorrow’s textiles.”
