Ultima Forma, Polar Technology explore electroformed coating for aerocomposites

Platform technologies developer Ultima Forma (Tadley, U.K.) and Polar Technology (Eynsham, U.K.), an engineering business specializing in composite and metallic technologies, are collaborating to expand the adoption of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials for aerospace applications. A combination of both partners’ technologies will target improvements in CFRP’s ability to withstand the thermal and erosion requirements of demanding environmental conditions.

Propeller blade leading edges and other aerodynamic structures are vulnerable to continual erosion from grit, sand, ice and water droplets, or damage in highly stressed areas, encouraging crack propagation. Protecting these areas with a thin layer of metal on the surface can reportedly extend their lifetime by a factor of 10.

An electro-deposited erosion protection layer, as developed by Ultima Forma, can be carefully controlled, readily adapted to different designs and scaled through automation as the volumes of propeller blades increase, such as with the U.K.’s new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) entrants; more than 10,000 eVTOL aircraft deliveries are expected to be made by 2040, each reliant on several multi-blade rotor assemblies for propulsion.

Ultima Forma says its patented material systems are tailored to meet the environmental challenges of different components. These include functionally graded, resilient, thickness-controlled metals at different locations made by an automated manufacture process. Only the electro-deposited metal is required, minimizing weight and mass distribution. The metallization process is said to achieve low-energy, zero-waste, net-shape manufacture that operates close to room temperature, thus minimizing the carbon footprint of the manufacture process and the product.

As part of this collaboration, Polar Technology specialists will be producing aerofoil-shaped composite components, which the erosion protection layer will be applied to. “Polar Technology consider electroformed coating of composites to be an enabling technology on our route to a sustainable and healthier future,” says James Bottoms, engineering manager for composite products. “The solution could provide the performance and safety advantage required to meet the demands of eVTOL flight among other applications in the aerospace sector. Working with our partner, Ultima Forma, we want to offer our customers the best technology for the protection composite rotor blades, improving product life cycle, reducing operational waste and manufacturing cost as well as offering performance improvements over existing technologies.”