Cygnet Texkimp industrialises McLaren Automotive’s ART high-rate fibre deposition technology and licenses solution for multiple markets
Cygnet Texkimp has industrialised a revolutionary, high-rate fibre deposition solution from a concept originally developed by global supercar manufacturer McLaren Automotive.
The ART (Automated Rapid Tape) technology is designed to overcome the challenge of producing high quality, complex, composites intensive parts at viable rate and forms part of a development programme spearheaded by McLaren’s in-house innovation team.
Cygnet Texkimp and McLaren have now agreed an exclusive licensing agreement that allows Cygnet Texkimp to market the solution to other industries including aerospace, space, defence, wind energy and industrial as part of a long-term strategy to enable high-rate, sustainable manufacture of composites.
McLaren commissioned fibre handling expert Cygnet Texkimp to develop its technology into a full production-scale machine after the two companies took part in the ASCEND programme.* The solution was originally developed to enable the high-rate manufacture of ultra-lightweight composite parts, including highly loaded and complex aerodynamic components, for McLaren’s supercar portfolio.
A prototype high-rate deposition machine has been installed at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) in Sheffield. The technology is already integrated into McLaren’s manufacturing processes and is producing structural components for current supercar programmes, including the McLaren W1 Ultimate Supercar
A second industrial-specification ART machine, currently being built at Cygnet Texkimp’s Innovation Centre in Cheshire, will be installed at the MCTC in November 2025, delivering increased manufacturing capacity.
The ART solution has been developed to manufacture high performance carbon fibre composite parts at rate and with minimal scrap, using less carbon fibre more effectively. Lengths of dry composite tape are laid down in rapid and accurate formation, at a speed of up to 2.5m/s, in a way that significantly reduces the potential for waste generated by off-cuts that cannot be reused. Up to 95% of the dry tape feedstock used to layer a component goes into the final part.
The solution creates new possibilities for innovation in automotive and aerospace engineering and design through its cutting-edge fibre placement technology. This element of the technology enables manufacturers to accurately tailor the load bearing and stiffness characteristics of the finished part through the strategic positioning of the fibres. Specific adjustment of fibre orientation within the composite material allows for anisotropic stiffness: rigidity can be enhanced in specific directions while flexibility can be maintained elsewhere. This allows new ways to design highly loaded, complex aerodynamic components that can also be made visually distinct.
The process has also been highly automated and digitised to offer extensive handling and real-time monitoring capability. In this way, end users can determine that every part has been manufactured to identical specifications, which in turn leads to significant time saving benefits linked to speed of manufacture and reduced test frequency.
A full-scale demonstration machine will be built at Cygnet Texkimp’s Innovation Centre where it will be available for customer trials in early 2026. Within the centre, organisations will also benefit from Cygnet Texkimp’s world-leading tape manufacturing capability which includes advanced machines to manufacture dry carbon fibre tapes alongside high performance thermoset, thermoplastic and ceramic prepreg materials.
Luke Vardy, Cygnet Texkimp CEO, said:
“ART combines McLaren’s extensive knowledge and experience of highly specialised carbon fibre engineering with our world-leading fibre handling and processing expertise and understanding of mechanics and controls.
“The technology unlocks enormous potential for large-scale global markets to access the benefits of a highly specialised carbon fibre and composites manufacturing solution first developed for aerospace and high performance automotive-grade composites. It is relevant to many industries for the manufacture of composite structures that are optimised for superior performance.”