Described by one member of the Composites Working Group as “the last to be contracted and the first to deliver”, tooling is one of the five priority growth areas identified and targeted in the forthcoming ATI Composites Strategy, to be published after the launch of the latest UK aerospace technology strategy.
The vision set out in the ATI Composites Strategy is for the UK to establish an integrated domestic supply chain for tooling, capable of supporting advanced, high‑rate composite processing while retaining critical intellectual property and technical know‑how within the UK. By 2030, this capability is expected to be demonstrated for the next generation of products, with key technologies reaching TRL 6 to enable downstream industrialisation.
It’s fantastic to see industry mobilising towards this vision including with the recently launched Tooling Grand Challenge by GKN Aerospace in collaboration with Axillium and supported by Composites UK. This initiative is aiming to establish a consortium to deliver against 13 technology areas spanning the development, integration and industrialisation of next‑generation tooling solutions. Taken from the advanced tooling capability technology roadmap developed by the ATI Composites Working Group these areas are:
- Alternative materials for CTE (Coefficient of Thermal Expansion) equivalence
- Design and simulation methods and tools for right-first-time tooling
- Re-usable and re-configurable tooling
- Intelligent tooling for advanced composite processing
- Novel sensing for process control
- Integrated heating and cooling for large scale and high integrity
- Multi-material tooling for enhanced quality and durability
- Vacuum integrity of complex multi-split tools
- Advanced machining and metallic joining technologies
- Tool coatings and injected finishes, alternative to PFAS – REACH compliant
- Rapid response tooling manufacturing methods
- Metamaterials in tooling applications
- Automation and integration of tooling operations – Tooling as a System
A strong domestic tooling supply chain is fundamental to a resilient and competitive UK aerospace composites sector. The manufacture of composite structures relies on multiple specialised tools. These tools embed core product and process intellectual property through both their design and manufacture, making them strategically important assets.
As the sector moves towards high‑rate composites manufacturing, tooling must evolve accordingly. Future tooling solutions need to be active, intelligent, fully instrumented, and highly automated, enabling real‑time data acquisition, analysis, and in‑process correction. This capability is essential to improve quality, reduce cycle times, and minimise waste, all key enablers for cost‑effective, scalable production required to enable a competitive UK supply chain.
ATI Programme‑funded projects have already delivered notable progress in this space including LATCAP led by Datum Tool Design focused on tooling for large composite structures. However, challenges remain, particularly in the design, integration, industrialisation, and delivery of right‑first‑time tooling solutions that can be developed, manufactured, and supported within the UK on increasingly compressed timelines.
In parallel, high‑rate manufacturing environments demand minimal equipment downtime, placing additional requirements on tool handling, cleaning, sealing, automation, and system integration. Addressing these challenges holistically will be essential if the UK is to fully capture the opportunity presented by next‑generation composite aerospace products.
To access the draft roadmap and detailed descriptions of the individual technology areas, please register your interest via this link. Your feedback will directly inform the final version ahead of publication.
Read more about the Market Spotlight: Growing UK Composite Capability in this blog.
The ATI Programme is delivered in partnership with Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK.
Cover image: ©Datum Tool Design – Datum Tool Design’s new open access innovation facility housing a 22m 5-axis machine supported by ATI Programme funding. Datum has partnered with QUB/AMIC on research and the access to the facility.
