UK's Lucideon Plans £500 Million Investment in Ceramic Matrix Composite Facility

en.Wedoany.com Reported - International materials technology company Lucideon plans to build a new Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) manufacturing facility at Keele University Science Park in Staffordshire, with total investment exceeding £500 million (approximately €584 million) over the next seven to ten years. The company hopes the facility will establish a domestic supply of oxide and non-oxide CMC materials and components for applications such as aerospace, defense, space, and nuclear energy, reducing the UK's reliance on international supply chains.

CMCs are lightweight materials formed by combining ceramic fibers with a ceramic matrix, capable of operating in ultra-high-temperature environments and withstanding both thermal and mechanical shock. These properties make them suitable for scenarios where traditional materials struggle to meet performance requirements, particularly aerospace propulsion systems and other demanding high-temperature environments.

The proposed investment covers equipment, buildings, recruitment, research and technology development, as well as validation and certification. Under Lucideon's plan, the project will combine private funding with government investment of slightly over £200 million (approximately €234 million).

To advance this initiative, two companies—Oxide Ceramic Systems Limited and Non-Oxide Ceramic Systems Limited—have already been established. Lucideon plans to lead the project, advancing it as a joint venture with industrial partners and research institutions, with both oxide and non-oxide composite technologies forming part of the proposed manufacturing capability.

The project will leverage the AMRICC Centre in Stone, Staffordshire. Hosted and managed by Lucideon, the centre is an open-access advanced ceramics pilot-scale facility, established following a £18.27 million (approximately €21.3 million) grant awarded to the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group by UK Research and Innovation in 2021.

Lucideon showcased the CMC manufacturing technologies and processes under development at the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow. The proposed Staffordshire facility will take this work to industrial-scale production, with the broader goal of establishing a UK domestic supply chain for high-performance CMC materials and components.