Loughborough firm set to create jobs after signing deal with MOD
A Loughborough firm is set to be at the forefront of new x-ray technology and create new jobs after signing a licence with a Ministry of Defence technology transfer organisation to develop the next generation of safe and rapid inspection equipment.
Axi-Tek has signed the deal with Ploughshare Innovations – the technology transfer arm the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). Developed by the Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the new technology produces higher resolution images while simplifying product design.
The first product to take advantage of the new technology will be the Axi-Tek CSI-100 which will make the inspection of aircraft components quicker and easier due to its reduced size and weight. Future products will cater for applications as wide-ranging as factory in-line and in-field industrial inspection, to security and bomb disposal.
Nick Fox, managing director of Axi-Tek, said: “We are excited to have secured this novel technology as it now paves the way for a new line of portable backscatter x-ray imaging products. We expect to see the first CSI-100 available to the aviation industry in quarter 4 next year, with specialist security variants coming online early the following year.
Ploughshare’s chief executive, James Kirby, added: “This licence deal with Aki-Tek further demonstrates how Ploughshare maximises the investments Dstl has made in Science & Technology by taking defence innovations and finding commercial uses for them. Aki-Tek’s unique products will benefit their operators, assist with the public’s safety and security, and also create jobs and prosperity.”
The technology will be suitable for the inspection of carbon fibre aircraft wings where it can detect impact damage hidden deep in a wing structure. The CSI-100 will initially be tailored for this non-destructive inspection application for both reinforced carbon and glass fibre components in aircraft structures.
It could also be used in the security industry and will allow operators to quickly investigate the contents of objects and suspicious packages.
Initially funded by a grant from Innovate UK, the CSI-100 is based on more than three years of collaborative research with a team from Axi-Tek, University College London, QinetiQ and Rolls-Royce.
