Skip to main content

Flying high: Irish aerospace collaboration secures €2.5m DTIF funding

Flying high: Irish aerospace collaboration secures €2.5m DTIF funding

Image credit: Nick Bradshaw

A trio consisting of two Irish SMEs and Technological University Dublin has received Government funding for its plans to further develop lightweight tech for the aerospace industry.

The €2.5m funding comes from the Government’s Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF).
Galway-headquartered ÉireComposites and University College Dublin spin-out PlasmaBound are the two SMEs teaming up with TU Dublin on the newly-funded project.

Both companies have a track record in the aerospace and materials sector. Their collaboration will see them combine their expertise in lightweight composite materials tech to work on ways the aerospace industry can benefit from it.

Lightweight composite materials are currently underutilised in the aerospace industry, and this is something the new project is aiming to change.

When used in aerospace projects, the materials can allow for reduced weight and therefore increased fuel efficiency.

However, the fast and cost-effective bonding of these materials is difficult. It can be labour-intensive and expensive, particularly when it comes to effective surface preparation – a process that is key to the successful bonding of the materials.

PlasmaBound has already created its own patented surface treatment called Controlled Polymer Ablation (CPA), which is applied prior to bonding of lightweight composite materials.
CPA selectively removes the top layer of polymer via plasma ablation with minimal thermal input and without damaging the fibre reinforcement of the composite material.

It is an automated process, and it was previously prototyped successfully by ÉireComposites.
TU Dublin will bring its material testing and surface characterisation capabilities to the project. These skills will be utilised to show that the CPA process results in significantly higher forces prior to failure. TU Dublin researchers will benchmark the CPA technology against traditionally prepared surfaces and demonstrate the improved repeatability, reliability and sustainability.

The funding from the Government will enable the trio of collaborators to further advance the development of the treatment.

Alan Barry, CEO and co-founder of PlasmaBound said, “The development of this plasma ablation process by this DTIF project consortium will remove a significant barrier and allow much greater adoption of lightweight materials in multiple areas of the manufacturing process for the aerospace industry.”
Barry also said that the project would “generate further economic growth in all regions of Ireland and create high-quality jobs for skilled people who live and work in rural Ireland.”

PlasmaBound secured a €750,000 investment from Business Venture Partners last December.

Blathnaid O’Dea
This article originally appeared on www.siliconrepublic.com and can be found here
 

You Might Also Be Interested In

  • 3 minute read
  • Published 15/10/2025

Workday To Invest €175M in Dublin AI Centre of Excellence, Adding 200 Jobs

Workday, Inc. (NASDAQ: WDAY), the enterprise AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, today announced a three year €175 million investment and 200 specialised roles to establish its AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Dublin

Read more
  • 3 minute read
  • Published 14/10/2025

Food Tech Company Foodhub Announces Global Headquarters in Dublin, creating over 35 new jobs

The independent food tech company Foodhub has announced the relocation of its global headquarters to Dublin, with the creation of over 35 new jobs to support its Irish expansion

Read more
  • 3 minute read
  • Published 13/10/2025

HarbourVest Partners Grows EMEA Operations with Dublin Expansion

HarbourVest Partners, a global private markets asset manager with over $147 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2025, has reinforced its commitment to Ireland with the opening of its new office at One Haddington Buildings, Dublin 4

Read more