Paintball firm makes a splash with Innovation Vouchers
A PAINTBALL company has used a £3,000 Innovation Voucher to develop technology that prevents paintballs breaking in the hopper.
Working with academics from the University of Wolverhampton, Angel Paintball Sports, which is based in the city, has created a new system using magnets, which offers a much softer system of operating and leads to fewer broken or jammed paintballs.
Bart Walkerdine, president and chief operating officer at the leisure firm, said problems occurred when a broken paintball jammed a player’s hopper, allowing their opponents to unleash volleys of fire.
He said paintballs needed to be fragile so that they burst on impact, but the company did not have the time or resources to develop new technology.
“When we heard about the Innovation Voucher scheme, we thought it would be the perfect way to access the skills we needed to take the project forward,” he said.
“We’re at a stage where we now have a prototype drawn up which we can take into production. We wouldn’t have achieved this if it wasn’t for the Innovation Voucher scheme.”
The new technology will also benefit Birmingham manufacturer Barkley Plastics, which has been manufacturing goods for the paintball firm for more than 20 years.
The Innovation Vouchers scheme, administered by the Innovation Voucher Advice Centre at Aston University, is an initiative which allows SMEs to receive £3,000 worth of academic support from one of 13 universities.
Now in its seventh round, the Innovation Vouchers scheme, which is funded by Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund, has helped 485 businesses from the region. A further 90 businesses will receive Innovation Vouchers in this current round.
Andrew Wilson, project manager at the Innovation Voucher Advice Centre, said: “Angel Paintball Sports’ voucher is a colourful example of how academics can help to innovate, and is just one of the many varied uses Innovation Vouchers have been put to.”
SMEs are invited to apply online at www.innovationvouchers-wm.org. The closing date for applications is 4pm on Thursday, May 6. Alternatively, for further information contact the Innovation Voucher Advice Line on 0121 204 883 or email enquiries@innovationvouchers-wm.org.
