Rolls-Royce has opened a new advanced manufacturing facility in Bristol following a two year government-backed project to develop lower carbon parts for new aircraft.

 

The £4m project, dubbed ENABLES, led to the development of a high temperature composite electrical harness for aero-engines, which will now be produced by the firm from next year. The technology is earmarked for Trent 1000-TEN and Trent 7000 engines that will power Boeing 787 and Airbus A330neo airliners.

 

Rolls Royce said advantages of the novel technology include a reduction in the number of parts needed around an engine casing; a reduced time needed to build, strip and overhaul the engine; and weight reduction, which promises fuel efficiency savings.

 

Located on the company's Patchway complex on the outskirts of Bristol, the new facility currently employs around 20 people, with this number expected to double once full production begins in 2017.

 

The factory comes as part of the firm's SILOET programme to develop a range of technologies to reduce the carbon impact of aircraft engines. Rolls-Royce has now filed 19 patents in different areas under the programme.

 

The two-year public-private sector partnership, which ended in 2014, enjoyed support from the aerospace R&D funding programme, a partnership between the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS); the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI); and InnovateUK. (businessGreen)