Fri, 24 October, 2025
TWI Technology Fellow, Chris Worrall will present at the Advanced Engineering Conference in Birmingham on 29 October, 2025.
The talk, ‘PLEIADES: Integrated Sensor-Based Robotic Induction Welding,’ is taking place from 10:30-10:45 during a session on ‘Invisible Intelligence.’ The presentation, which is part of the conference’s Composites Engineering Forum, will highlight work undertaken at TWI on the robotic induction welding of thermoplastic composites.
This work forms part of the three-year collaborative PLEIADES project, which aims to address the need for advanced composite materials for the aerospace industry.
The increasing demand for advanced materials for aircraft manufacturing has led to projections that the composites aerostructures market is projected to grow to 116 billion Euros by 2030. These materials need to be both lightweight and able to withstand harsh environments, improving aircraft performance and delivering cost savings.
PLEIADES (‘Advancing Aerospace Composites through Induction Welding and New Vitrimeric Formulations Enhanced by Integrated Photonic Sensors, Providing Data to Digital Supply Chain, SHM, Maintenance’) will make significant steps towards meeting the requirements of the aerospace industry.
The TWI-led project brings together a range of expertise, disciplines and technologies to contribute to the advancement of composite aerostructures and promote the digital transformation in aviation.
You can find out more about the project, here:
https://pleiades-project.eu/
PLEIADES has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 101192721.