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Step inside our factory of the future

At our newest facility, we’re developing components for cleaner, quieter, more efficient jet engines.

At our new Composite Technology Facility in Bristol, UK, engineers have a sense of being part of something bigger.

“We’re shaping the future of aviation – developing technologies for engines that will be cleaner, quieter and more efficient than ever before,” says Andy Webb, Managing Director of the facility.

At the state-of-the-art new advanced manufacturing hub, engineers are using robotic technology to make composite fan blades and cases. The parts reduce weight in a jet engine, resulting in less fuel burn and lower emissions.

Composites: better together

Hundreds of layers of carbon fibre material are applied to our fan blades

Composites: better together

Composite materials are made up of two or more different materials which when combined, have superior properties than each material on its own. Composites are often lighter, stronger, more durable or able to withstand higher temperatures. They are used across many industries because of their superior properties, but intensive Research and Development is set to unlock their potential even further.

The new facility will focus on carbon-fibre composites, which are used in the aerospace industry to reduce weight significantly. The lighter an aircraft is, the less fuel it burns, creating fewer emissions. A Rolls-Royce fan system made with carbon-fibre composites can save almost 700kg per aircraft, the equivalent of seven passengers and their luggage.

Carbon-fibre composite material is layered onto a fan case mould

“We’ve been developing carbon-fibre technologies for several decades and we already use the material for parts within many of our engines,” says Andy. “Composite components feature on both our Trent XWB and Pearl 15 engines.”

“The new facility will take this technology to the next level – pushing the limits of what we can do with composite technology and exploring how we can produce composite fan blades and cases on a large scale, as well as developing new composite components for use across our Civil Aerospace and Defence engine products.”

A revolutionary new engine design

Composite fan blades being tested at our cold weather test facility in Manitoba, Canada

A revolutionary new engine design

The fan blades and fan cases currently being made at the facility are a feature of the Rolls-Royce UltraFan^®engine demonstrator, a revolutionary new engine design which will reduce fuel burn and CO₂ by at least 25 per centcompared to the first Trent engine.

UltraFan will feature composite materials to reduce weight and withstand higher temperatures. The composite fan blades and cases that are being made at the new facility have already been extensively tested. They’ve been put through their paces around the world, completing aerodynamic performance, bird-strike, containment, icing, and water ingestion tests, as well as ground and flight testing.

“There are three ways we’re working towards decarbonising aviation: reducing the impact of existing technologies; pioneering new technologies, such as electrification, in aviation; and working with the industry to accelerate the use of sustainable fuels,” says Andy. “This facility is pivotal in achieving our first goal of reducing the impact of existing technologies.”

Automation and education

At the facility, robots glide through a long hall, lifting fan blades from one station to the next, where around 500 layers of carbon-fibre materials are built up.

The fibre is pre-filled with state-of-the-art toughness-enhanced resin material. Heat and pressure are then applied, and each blade is finished with a thin titanium leading edge, which offers protection against erosion, foreign objects and bird strikes.

The hub is a Global Centre of Excellence for composite technology at Rolls-Royce

The process is fully automated, but highly-skilled engineers are involved throughout, looking for improvements and ensuring the system is flawless.

The facility is a hub for composite development, with talented engineers from around the world working on projects. “We have more than 20 different nationalities here, from across Europe, Asia, South America and as far as New Zealand,” says Andy.

Our fan blades are inspected to the greatest level of detail

While many of our employees are highly experienced in composite technologies, specialist training schemes are also in place for employees to learn about composite materials, and re-train from different parts of Rolls-Royce. “Machine operators and engineers who have traditionally worked with metals have re-trained with composite materials to work alongside our composite specialists, which is a different skillset and requires different knowledge,” Andy adds.

During 2020, the facility will be used to make the fan blades and cases for the UltraFan demonstrator engine, ready for ground testing in 2021. Each one will be inspected meticulously, and the team will work on how they can industrialise the process, ready for production.

Renewable energy sources are used at our Bristol Civil Aerospace and Defence facilities

Setting the standard for environmentally-friendly manufacturing

While the parts developed at the facility will reduce aviation’s impact on the environment, the building is also highly efficient. It minimises waste and energy usage, and maximises the use of raw materials.

“It was really important that we made this facility as environmentally friendly as it could possibly be,” says Andy. “It uses low-energy, very low emissions processes. No temperatures exceed 180 degrees Celsius in our manufacturing process, which is very low in manufacturing and reduces the energy we need to operate the facility.”

The manufacturing process also reduces waste. Around ninety per cent of the raw materials that come into the facility are used to make the blades and cases, and the ten per cent that is trimmed from the edges is recycled for other applications. Looking years down the line, when the blades and cases reach the end of their life in service, they can be fully recycled.

“We’ve committed to achieving zero emissions at our operations and facilities by 2030, and this building is a great example,” adds Andy.

Working together for a sustainable future

Composite fan blades being prepared for test at our testbed in Dahlewitz, Germany

Working together for a sustainable future

We’re working with the aviation industry to achieve challenging targets to reduce emissions from aviation, and our composite technology is a key contributor to this.

The new facility benefits from manufacturing techniques that have been developed in partnership with the National Composites Centre in Bristol, and research conducted at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre at the University of Bristol, as well as several other universities and research centres based in the UK and in Europe.

Since 2008, the UK Government has provided funding and support for Rolls-Royce composite technology research and development, including £7.4m of funding to support a previous facility on the Isle of Wight. The equipment from here has been moved and developed further at the new facility in Bristol.

Our composite fan system is part of a wider partnership between Rolls-Royce, Clean Sky, Innovate UK, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Aerospace Technology Institute, ITP Aero and GKN.