Victrex, a UK-based expert in high-performance polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymers is constructing a major Polymer Innovation Centre in northern England. Financial assistance for the project has come in the form of £1.3 million in grant funding from the UK government’s Regional Growth Fund, subject to satisfactory due diligence, which recognises the vital, rapidly accelerating importance of high-performance polymers in the global marketplace.
"Victrex is continuing to invest in technological leadership in advanced polymers," commented Dr John Grasmeder, technical director. "Improved application performance at the same or reduced cost is a common objective that we’re helping our customers to address across industries. The aircraft industry, for example, is now embracing newly developed technology for major cost and weight savings combined with accelerated assembly times. That's just one example among hundreds."
High-performance polymers based on polyaryletherketones (PAEK), including Victrex Peek, are increasingly being sought out for this and other demanding applications in industry sectors that include consumer electronics, automotive, energy and medical. At the same time, Victrex is helping manufacturers to meet the need for demanding, more efficient processing techniques, to save costs and speed up time-to-market. In a fast-moving market that thrives on continuous advances in R&D, the planned Polymer Innovation Centre will increase capacity to turn lab concepts – engineers' dreams – into real-world solutions and processes that can sustain mass production. The facility will enable the scaling up of new products and applications to full commercialisation for Victrex's global customers.
“This boost from the UK government's Regional Growth Fund is great news for Victrex, in enabling our company to continue pioneering the market for high-performance polymers well into the future," said David Hummel, chief executive.
