James Cropper and Hexcel Unimat Shortlisted for Composites UK Innovation Award

Hexcel

Hexcel and James Cropper have been shortlisted for the Composites UK Innovation of the Year Award 2026 for Unimat, a carbon fiber composite material designed to reduce waste and enable recycled fiber use in demanding applications. Unimat uses James Cropper's Vectis fiber alignment technology to achieve up to 95% fiber alignment within a nonwoven architecture. The material is available in both recycled and virgin carbon formats and works with existing manufacturing processes including prepreg layup, resin transfer molding, and compression molding.

• Unimat uses Vectis fiber alignment technology to achieve fiber orientation of up to 95%, improving mechanical performance for recycled carbon fiber use.
• The material is manufactured in Cumbria, UK in widths up to 1,200 mm and works with established composite manufacturing processes.
• Hexcel and James Cropper developed Unimat to address the fact that more than 30% of carbon fiber becomes waste during manufacturing.
• Unimat won the Unsurpassed Innovation Award at CAMX 2026 in September, preceding the Composites UK Innovation shortlist.
• The partners developed the material through the European Composites Circular Alliance, supporting the industry's shift toward circular manufacturing.