News (Sponsor type)

The 11 winners of the latest JEC Composites Innovation Awards were announced during the JEC World Premiere, which took place on Monday 12 January 2026 in Paris.

Composite Braiding had received a lot of interest in its technology for rail infrastructure as it could significantly reduce steel and concrete use and therefore, greatly help decarbonisation, along with reducing the overall cost and complexity of installing infrastructure. Then, the Connected Places Catapult's 'Clean Futures Accelerator,' a UK government-backed programme focused on reducing carbon emissions in rail infrastructure, acted as a catalyst. The team found the perfect application for its technology thanks to Amey, a provider of engineering, operations and decarbonisation solutions for transport infrastructure and complex facilities. It was the highest loaded twin track cantilever the company had installed, making Composite Braiding start at the most difficult end of the spectrum.

Why are rail infrastructures now a strategic area for the adoption of thermoplastic composites?

Rail wants to decarbonise and reduce costs. Our technology delivers an over 80% reduction in carbon footprint as well as an installed cost which is better than today's steel technology. On top of that, it at least doubles productivity and uses materials that are electrically insulative – which is important when you are dealing with 25000 volts! They can also be recycled or repurposed at end of life.

How does combining braiding with rapid consolidation enable economically viable large-scale production?

We can braid the commingled preforms at rates of over a mile per shift. It's highly automated and repeatable. The rapid consolidation then allows us to obtain parts in minutes as opposed to hours. That delivers much higher volume and provides cost reduction. As a simple example, when we started the process, a 35mm diameter tube 500mm long would take 2.5 hours to consolidate and would use 70kWh of energy. Today's numbers are under 5 minutes and 1.5kWh, which means more than 95% energy saving.

What tangible benefits does this solution deliver in terms of public cost, worker safety and rail decarbonisation?

In delivering this programme, we set out to be able to have an installed cost that was better than today's standard, saving the taxpayer money and making electrification more affordable. The structures are also much lighter — the weight of the cantilever has been reduced from over 1,700kg to 277kg, representing a weight saving of over 80% — and the Amey Overhead Line Electrification installation team commented on how quick and easy it was to install. They particularly highlighted the safety benefits as well as productivity. Regarding decarbonisation, we have much lower manufacturing energy use combined with easier transportation and installation. This gave us an over 83% reduction in carbon footprint and we have identified ways to increase this benefit even further. We can deliver what the rail industry wants: more affordable, lower carbon infrastructure.

Composite Braiding will exhibit at JEC World 2026 at the Composites UK booth.

And on 10 March 2026 at 9.30am, you can meet the winners in Agora 5!

Cover photo: The Composite Braiding team receiving its JEC Composites Innovation Award at the JEC World Premiere