ICOMAT Produces 5-Meter Composite Wing Skin Using Rapid Tow Shearing

Updated on August 07, 2026 • 5 min read

ICOMAT and the National Composites Centre (NCC) have successfully manufactured a 5-meter aerospace composite wing skin using Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology, marking what the partners describe as the largest and most representative aerospace validation of the process to date.

The demonstration moves RTS beyond flat-panel trials to a full-scale aircraft structure manufactured directly on complex three-dimensional tooling, providing an important step toward high-rate composite aerostructure production.

Moving Beyond Flat Composite Panels

The demonstrator measures approximately 5.8 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, with laminate thickness varying from approximately 6 mm to 11 mm.

Manufactured using aerospace-grade prepreg materials, the structure was produced on representative aerospace tooling before undergoing:

• Deposition
• Cure
• CNC trimming
• Painting

The complete manufacturing process was carried out at ICOMAT’s production facility in Gloucester, United Kingdom.

What Is Rapid Tow Shearing?

Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) is an automated composite manufacturing process that separates fiber steering from tape width.

Conventional Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) and Automated Tape Laying (ATL) systems typically require narrower tapes when laying material over complex curved surfaces. Narrow tapes improve steering capability but reduce deposition speed.

RTS approaches the problem differently.

Instead of reducing tape width, the process allows wide-format carbon fiber tapes to follow complex load paths while maintaining high deposition rates.

According to ICOMAT, this approach reduces manufacturing defects commonly associated with steering conventional prepreg tapes across highly curved geometries.

Wide Tape Deposition Improves Productivity

ICOMAT’s patented system can deposit:

• Prepreg tapes
• Dry carbon fiber tapes

with widths up to 200 millimeters.

The company says wider material formats allow significantly higher deposition rates compared with traditional AFP or ATL systems when manufacturing complex aerospace components.

Automated Manufacturing Workflow

The RTS production system combines:

• Six-axis robotic positioning
• Linear track automation
• Proprietary CAM software
• Automated ply cutting
• Active tape-edge monitoring

Thickness transitions are created automatically through integrated four-axis cutting, enabling angled ply drops without manual intervention.

According to ICOMAT, real-time tape alignment ensures accurate placement throughout the manufacturing process.

The system also allows engineers to control laminate consolidation according to downstream manufacturing requirements.

Built to Aerospace Manufacturing Standards

The demonstrator was developed jointly by ICOMAT and NCC.

The project combined:

• ICOMAT’s deposition technology
• Robotic programming
• Manufacturing methodology

with:

• NCC’s aerospace design expertise
• Industry-standard tooling
• Manufacturing validation

Rather than maximizing fiber shearing, the team intentionally minimized shearing during this demonstration to remain close to existing aerospace certification practices.

Future demonstrators will explore more aggressive fiber shearing strategies to evaluate potential improvements in production speed and laminate quality.

Supporting Future Aircraft Production

The partners believe RTS could support future manufacturing of:

• Commercial aircraft
• Defense aircraft
• Space structures

by reducing composite manufacturing costs while increasing production rates.

As aircraft manufacturers continue pursuing larger composite structures and higher production volumes, automated fiber placement technologies capable of balancing speed and quality remain an important area of development.

Professor’s Analysis

The significance of this demonstration extends well beyond producing a single wing skin.

One of the long-standing limitations of conventional AFP has been the trade-off between deposition rate and geometric complexity. When fiber paths become highly curved, manufacturers typically reduce tape width to avoid wrinkling and steering defects. While this improves laminate quality, it substantially lowers productivity because more placement passes are required.

Rapid Tow Shearing attempts to break this compromise. By allowing wide tapes to conform to complex surfaces without conventional steering limitations, RTS has the potential to combine high deposition rates with improved laminate quality. The fact that this 5.8-meter demonstrator was produced on representative aerospace tooling rather than flat panels significantly increases its industrial relevance.

Equally notable is the project’s conservative approach. The team deliberately minimized fiber shearing to remain compatible with current aerospace certification practices before exploring the full performance potential of the technology. This staged validation strategy reflects the realities of aerospace manufacturing, where demonstrating process reliability is often as important as demonstrating technical capability.

If future trials confirm both manufacturing efficiency and structural performance, RTS could become an important complement—or, in selected applications, an alternative—to conventional AFP for next-generation composite aerostructures.

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