Project OPTIMA Targets High-Rate Thermoplastic Composite Manufacturing for Aerospace
Source announcement: 29 October 2026 | VIP industry brief: 1 November 2026
A two-year UK collaboration called Project OPTIMA is working to connect thermoplastic composite material development with automated, production-scale aerospace manufacturing. The initiative brings together project lead CCP Gransden, the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), and textile specialist Sigmatex.
The partners plan to develop thermoplastic unidirectional tapes and engineered woven reinforcements, then assess how these materials perform in high-rate forming and manufacturing processes. The programme also includes in-line monitoring, machine-learning-assisted process optimisation, and digital product passports intended to track materials and production data through the manufacturing chain.
AMRC will focus on tape development and process modelling, Sigmatex on fabric architectures, and CCP Gransden on aerospace demonstrator components produced in its industrial manufacturing cell. The project is supported through the ATI SME Programme.
Industry significance: OPTIMA addresses a practical challenge for composite manufacturers: turning promising thermoplastic materials into repeatable industrial processes with traceable quality data. Its anticipated manufacturing benefits remain project objectives until demonstrated and independently validated.
Original source: Composites UK — Project OPTIMA announcement (29 October 2026).
