Composite Manufacturing Solutions
WH Scott Group delivers composite manufacturing solutions for customers who need components and structures that are lighter, more corrosion resistant and longer lasting than the metalwork they replace. From a single bespoke moulding to a repeat production run, we design, manufacture, inspect and deliver composite components for safety-critical and industrial applications across the UK and Ireland.
Composite Manufacturing Solutions for Industry and Infrastructure
We are an engineering group first. That matters, because most composite problems are not really moulding problems — they are load, environment, geometry, compliance and whole-life cost problems. Our engineers work from your requirement, not from a catalogue, selecting the fibre, resin system, laminate and manufacturing process that will actually perform in service.
Whether you are replacing a corroding steel assembly, reproducing a component nobody makes any more, reducing installed weight to simplify a lift, or developing a new product from scratch, we can support you from initial concept through design, prototyping, manufacture, testing and delivery.
Composite manufacturing is the process of combining a reinforcing fibre — most commonly glass or carbon — with a polymer resin to create a single engineered material, then forming it into a finished component. The result is a material you specify rather than simply buy: strength and stiffness can be placed where the loads are, and the same component can be made corrosion resistant, electrically non-conductive, fire retardant and dimensionally complex at the same time.
What customers actually ask us for
- A component that already exists but keeps failing.Corrosion, fatigue, weight or handling injuries. We re-engineer it in a fibre reinforced polymer that suits the environment.
- A component that no longer exists.Obsolete, discontinued or undocumented parts, reverse-engineered from a sample, a survey or an old drawing.
- A component that has never existed.New product development, from concept sketches and performance targets through to a manufacturable, compliant design.
- A component that has to be installed somewhere difficult.Remote, live, congested or access-restricted sites where a lighter, pre-assembled composite structure removes plant, permits and risk.
In every case the deliverable is the same: a composite component that has been engineered for its duty, manufactured under a controlled quality system, verified before it leaves us, and delivered to site with the documentation your project needs.
Talk to our composite manufacturing specialists about your component, drawing or problem — we will tell you honestly whether a composite is the right answer.
Start a ConversationOur Composite Manufacturing Capabilities
Composite design and manufacture managed as one process, with one point of accountability — from the first set of loads to a finished, verified component on site.
Composite Design and Engineering
Composite engineering starts with your requirement — loads, deflection limits, environment, service life, interfaces, installation method — and turns it into a design that can be built and proven. Our engineers carry out design calculations, critical element analysis, stress analysis and finite element analysis, together with laminate design and joint and connection detailing.
Composite design is not steel design with different numbers. Fibre orientation, ply sequence, resin selection, bonded and bolted joint behaviour and long-term creep all change the answer. Where a project requires independent design verification, we can arrange third-party checking.
Material and Process Selection
The most valuable engineering decision usually happens before anything is manufactured. We assess the practical combinations of material, design approach and manufacturing process available to your project, then recommend the one that meets the technical requirement at a sensible cost.
That recommendation accounts for quantity, component size, surface finish, tolerance, fire performance, temperature, chemical exposure, inspection requirements and how the part will be transported and installed.
Pattern Making and Tooling
Consistent composite components come from good tooling. We produce patterns and mould tools sized and specified for the process and production volume in question — single-use or short-run tooling for prototypes and one-offs, and more durable tooling where repeat production, tighter tolerances or higher cure temperatures are involved. Split, hinged and multi-part tools allow complex geometry to be released cleanly.
Prototyping and Development
Before committing to production tooling or a full run, we can manufacture prototypes and pre-production samples so that fit, form, function and installation can be proven.
Prototyping is where expensive surprises are removed: interfaces are checked against the real structure, laminate performance is confirmed against the design assumptions, and installation is rehearsed. Design changes at this stage cost a fraction of what they cost later.
Moulding and Laminating
Our composite manufacturing operations cover the moulding and laminating processes used for structural, industrial and advanced composite manufacturing work, including hand lay-up, resin infusion, resin transfer moulding, filament winding and oven-cured laminates.
Laminating is carried out to defined ply schedules with controlled materials, environmental conditions and cure and post-cure regimes, so that what is built matches what was designed.
Composite Fabrication, Machining and Assembly
Few composite jobs finish at the mould. We trim, machine, drill and bond mouldings, fabricate structures from pultruded FRP profiles and laminated panels, bond in inserts and reinforcement, and assemble complete units with fixings, gaskets, sealing details and metal interfaces. Where a structure combines composite and steel elements, the group’s structural steel design and fabrication capability — including coded welders and CNC cutting, milling and drilling — sits alongside our composite work, so the whole assembly is engineered and built as one.
Delivering finished, pre-assembled units also means fewer parts, fewer site operations and shorter installation windows.
Where an assembly incorporates lifting points, anchorages or load-bearing metal interfaces that fall within LOLER or PUWER, the group’s statutory examination and certification teams can bring those items into scope and issue the statutory documentation alongside the manufacturing records.
Finishing and Protective Coatings
Appearance and durability are specified, not incidental. We finish components with pigmented gel coats, applied coatings, anti-slip surfaces and textured or moulded-in detail, and can match colour and surface requirements where a structure has to sit within an existing scheme or a heritage-sensitive setting. Edges, cut-outs and drilled features are sealed so the laminate remains protected in service.
Composite Repair and Refurbishment
Composite structures do not have to be replaced when they are damaged. Impact damage, delamination, gel coat breakdown, abrasion and UV degradation can frequently be repaired, in many cases using cold-cure methods that can be applied in situ without hot work — a significant advantage on live, occupied or hazardous sites.
We can survey existing GRP and FRP assets, assess the damage, and recommend repair, refurbishment or replacement on engineering grounds rather than commercial ones.
Composite Materials
Composite materials are engineered, not selected off a shelf. The fibre carries the load, the resin transfers it between fibres and protects them, and the way the two are combined determines almost everything about how the finished component behaves.
Glass Fibre Composites
Glass reinforced polymer is the workhorse of industrial and infrastructure composite manufacturing, and GRP manufacturing is where most of our work sits. GRP typically weighs around a third of an equivalent steel section, does not corrode, is electrically and thermally insulating, is non-magnetic, and needs little maintenance beyond inspection and cleaning. It also moulds well, which means complex shapes, integrated features and consolidated assemblies are achievable without fabrication and welding.
Reinforcement is normally E-glass, supplied as woven roving, biaxial and multiaxial fabrics, chopped strand mat or a combination, with the architecture chosen to suit the load paths and the moulding process.
Fibre Reinforced Polymer Structures and Profiles
FRP is the wider family that GRP belongs to, and the term normally used for load-bearing structural work: platforms, walkways, handrails, ladders, frames, decks, towers, masts and complete footbridge structures. FRP manufacturing for structural duty combines moulded elements with pultruded profiles and laminated panels, connected using bonded and bolted details designed for composite behaviour rather than borrowed from steelwork practice.
Because FRP is light, whole structures can be built off site and installed in a single lift — often with smaller lifting plant, shorter possessions and less disruption than the steel equivalent.
Carbon Fibre Composites
Where stiffness and weight are critical and budget allows, carbon fibre offers substantially higher stiffness than glass for the same mass. It earns its cost in weight-critical structures, deflection-sensitive components and applications where the installed or moving mass drives the whole design.
Carbon fibre is electrically conductive, so galvanic compatibility with adjacent metals has to be designed for. We use carbon fibre selectively — including in hybrid laminates alongside glass — where the engineering case supports it.
Resin Systems, Cores and Fire Performance
Resin selection is often what determines service life. Polyester resins are cost-effective for general-purpose work; vinyl ester offers improved chemical and water resistance for aggressive or immersed environments; epoxy provides higher mechanical performance and better bonding for demanding structural applications.
Where fire performance is specified, fire retardant resin systems and additives can be used to reduce surface spread of flame and heat release, with performance evidenced against the relevant standard for the sector.
Core materials — foams, balsa and honeycombs — allow stiff, light sandwich panels to be produced with far less material than a solid laminate, which is why they appear in decks, covers, panels and enclosures.
Composite Manufacturing Processes
Each process has a natural home. Choosing correctly controls cost, weight, finish, repeatability and lead time.
Hand Lay-Up (Open Mould)
Reinforcement is placed into an open mould and resin is applied and consolidated by hand. It is the most flexible and lowest-tooling-cost route, and it handles very large or awkward geometry without difficulty.
Resin Infusion
Dry reinforcement is laid up in the mould, sealed under a vacuum bag, and resin is drawn through the laminate by vacuum. Because the fibre-to-resin ratio is tightly controlled, infusion produces a lighter, stronger, more consistent laminate with lower void content — and a cleaner, lower-emission working process.
Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM and Light RTM)
Reinforcement is placed in a closed, matched mould and resin is injected under pressure. Both faces come out moulded, dimensional control is good, and cycle times are repeatable.
Filament Winding
Continuous resin-impregnated fibre is wound onto a rotating mandrel at controlled angles. Fibre is placed exactly where the hoop and axial loads act, which makes it extremely efficient for cylindrical geometry.
Prepreg and Oven-Cured Laminates
Reinforcement pre-impregnated with a controlled quantity of resin is laid up and cured under heat, and where required under pressure. Resin content and cure are tightly governed, giving high, repeatable mechanical performance.
Pultruded Profile Fabrication and Assembly
Pultruded FRP sections — beams, channels, angles, box sections, gratings and handrail components — are manufactured to standardised structural grades and then cut, machined, bonded and assembled into finished structures. Pultruded profiles for structural use are commonly specified to BS EN 13706.
Choosing the Right Composite Manufacturing Process
The market lists these processes but rarely helps you pick one. This is the short version of the conversation we would have with you.
| Process | Tooling cost | Typical volume | Surface finish | Laminate consistency | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand lay-up | Low | 1 – 50 | One moulded face | Good | Large, bespoke, one-off, repairs |
| Resin infusion | Low–medium | 1 – 200 | One moulded face | Excellent | Structural panels, decks, sandwich parts |
| RTM / Light RTM | Medium–high | 50 – 1,000+ | Two moulded faces | Excellent | Repeat parts, covers, housings |
| Filament winding | Medium | 1 – 1,000+ | Moulded bore | Excellent | Pipes, tubes, tanks, masts |
| Prepreg, oven cured | Medium–high | 1 – 500 | One or two faces | Excellent | High-performance, weight-critical parts |
| Pultruded fabrication | None (stock profiles) | Any | As-manufactured profile | Standardised grades | Platforms, walkways, handrails, frames |
If you are not sure which route suits your component, send us the drawing or the problem. Process selection is part of our engineering service, not an extra.
Quality Assurance, Inspection and Testing
In composite manufacturing the material is created at the same moment as the component. You cannot inspect the material before the part exists, which is why quality has to be built into the process rather than checked at the end.
It is also where WH Scott Group differs from most composite manufacturers: inspection, non-destructive testing, materials testing and certification are established disciplines within our group, not services we buy in.
In-Process Quality Control
Incoming materials are controlled by batch and shelf life. Lay-up follows a documented ply schedule. Laminating conditions, consolidation and cure are monitored and recorded, and dimensional checks are taken against the design at defined hold points.
The result is traceability from raw material to finished component.
Non-Destructive Testing of Composite Components
Composite-specific defects — delamination, disbonds, dry areas, voids, porosity and impact damage — can be assessed without cutting the part. Our group has long-established non-destructive testing capability, and the method is matched to the material.
Laminates and bond lines are examined using ultrasonic techniques, including phased array ultrasonics, supported by radiography where porosity, inclusions, core damage or water ingress are the concern. The metallic elements and welds within a composite assembly — inserts, brackets, frames, lifting points and fabricated interfaces — are inspected using the appropriate conventional methods, including dye penetrant, magnetic particle inspection and, for welds, time-of-flight diffraction.
Where components form part of a wider asset, the same teams carry out corrosion mapping, structural inspection and condition assessment.
Mechanical and Materials Testing
Where a specification calls for evidence rather than assurance, coupons and samples can be tested to confirm laminate quality and mechanical performance — glass content, cure state and hardness, together with tensile, flexural and interlaminar properties as required.
Completed structures and assemblies can be proof or load tested and certified, drawing on the group’s established load testing experience.
Documentation and Certification
Every project can be released with the documentation the specification demands: material certificates, laminate records, dimensional reports, inspection and NDT reports, test certificates, and installation or maintenance guidance.
WH Scott Group operates certified management systems including ISO 9001 quality management, ISO 45001 occupational health and safety, ISO 14001 environmental management and ISO 27001 information security, and holds sector approvals including RISQS for rail and Achilles UVDB Verify for utilities. See our accreditations in full.
Industries and Applications
Composites are chosen wherever corrosion, weight, electrical isolation, complex geometry, restricted access or long-term maintenance cost drive the design.
Rail
Corrosion resistance, non-conductivity, low weight and short installation windows make FRP well suited to rail infrastructure. Lighter assemblies mean smaller plant and shorter possessions. Where fire performance is specified for rail applications, materials are selected to meet the standard called up by the project.
Civil Engineering and Infrastructure
FRP is established in civil infrastructure where durability and installed weight govern. The free-form capability of moulded composites also allows colour, shape and texture to be controlled in a way structural steel cannot match — useful in visually sensitive settings.
Water and Utilities
Continuous exposure to water, effluent and treatment chemicals is where steel is at its weakest and composites at their strongest. Non-conductive FRP is also valuable around electrical and instrumentation infrastructure.
Marine and Subsea
Composites have a long marine record for good reason. Corrosion resistance removes coating and cathodic protection burdens, and reduced weight can reduce lifting vessel requirements.
Renewable Energy
Renewable assets are typically remote, exposed and expensive to access, which rewards light, durable components.
Industrial Manufacturing and Process Plant
Within factories and process plant, composite manufacturing solves problems of chemical attack, wash-down, weight and handling — including lightweight components that reduce manual handling risk and repeat-lift injuries.
Bespoke Composite Manufacturing
Most of our composite manufacturing work is bespoke. Standard products only solve standard problems, and the components customers come to us with are rarely standard.
We can help if you have…
- A specific component requirement with a defined duty, envelope and interfaces, and no off-the-shelf answer.
- An existing component that needs reproducing — obsolete, discontinued or undocumented. We can reverse-engineer from a sample, survey or legacy drawing and re-specify it in an appropriate material.
- A new product in development that needs engineering input to become manufacturable, compliant and commercially viable.
- A weight problem. Installed mass driving crane capacity, foundation size, transport cost, manual handling risk or structural loading.
- A corrosion problem. Coastal, immersed, buried, chemically aggressive or wash-down environments where steel maintenance has become the real cost.
- A challenging operating environment. Temperature, UV, abrasion, electrical isolation, fire performance or restricted access.
- A durability problem. A component that keeps failing in service because the material was never right for the duty.
When a Composite Is the Right Answer — and When It Is Not
The starting point is a conversation with an engineer, not a quotation form. We will want to understand loads, environment, service life, interfaces, quantities, installation method and programme — and we will tell you where the design can be simplified, where parts can be consolidated, and where cost can be taken out without compromising performance.
Steel usually still wins
- High-volume standard sections in benign environments
- Very heavily loaded members where stiffness governs
- Where existing detailing and supply chains are already efficient
Composites tend to win
- Corrosion is driving maintenance or replacement cost
- Weight is limiting installation, handling or capacity
- Electrical or thermal isolation is required
- Geometry is complex or would need many fabricated parts
- Access is difficult and site time is expensive
- Whole-life cost matters more than initial purchase price
Because we engineer in steel as well as composites, our recommendation is not driven by what we would prefer to manufacture.
Where the Whole-Life Cost Actually Sits
“Whole-life cost” is easy to assert and rarely broken down. These are the cost lines that usually decide a composite-versus-steel comparison, and they are the ones we will work through with you.
| Cost line | Fabricated steel | Structural FRP |
|---|---|---|
| Initial supply | Usually lower | Usually higher, especially at low volume |
| Transport and lifting plant | Heavier units; larger cranes and more lifts | Lighter units; smaller plant, often a single lift |
| Site time and access | Longer installation; more permits and possessions | Shorter windows; more work moved off site |
| Protective coating | Initial system plus recoating cycles through life | Colour and finish moulded in; no recoating cycle |
| Corrosion management | Inspection, remediation, cathodic protection where immersed | Not applicable to the laminate; fixings and interfaces still need attention |
| Planned maintenance | Regular; often access-constrained and disruptive | Low; inspection, cleaning and occasional local repair |
| Downtime and disruption | Driven by recoating and remediation | Driven mainly by inspection intervals |
The balance depends entirely on the application. On a dry, accessible, lightly loaded structure, steel frequently wins on every line. On an immersed, coastal, chemically loaded or access-restricted asset, the coating, corrosion and downtime lines usually decide it — and they decide it in favour of a composite.
Why Choose WH Scott Group for Composite Manufacturing?
Among UK composite manufacturers, very few sit inside an engineering group that also designs, fabricates, inspects, tests and certifies safety-critical equipment. That is the difference here.
An engineering group, not a moulding shop
WH Scott Group has been solving safety-critical engineering problems since 1897. Composite manufacturing sits within a group whose day-to-day work is design, fabrication, inspection, testing and certification of equipment that people’s safety depends on.
Design and manufacture under one roof
Design calculations, stress analysis and finite element analysis, tooling, moulding, fabrication, machining, assembly and finishing — managed as one process with one point of accountability, so nothing is lost between designer and manufacturer.
Accredited inspection and testing capability inside the group
Non-destructive testing, materials testing, corrosion assessment, structural inspection and load testing are long-established WH Scott Group disciplines, delivered from laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, by inspection bodies accredited to ISO/IEC 17020, and by NDT personnel certified under an ISO/IEC 17024 accredited certification scheme. Very few composite manufacturers have that capability in the same group. Where a project requires genuinely third-party verification — independent of the manufacturer — we will say so and arrange it.
Certified and sector-approved
ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001 certified management systems, structural steelwork to BS EN 1090 with UKCA and CE marking up to execution class EXC2, RISQS for rail, Achilles UVDB Verify for utilities, SafeContractor, Acclaim and Cyber Essentials. See our accreditations.
Genuine UK and Ireland coverage
A group of specialist engineering businesses operating across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland — so support does not stop at delivery. Find your nearest location.
Multi-disciplinary by default
Composite, structural steel, lifting, access, inspection and asset integrity expertise in the WH Scott Group of companies. Where the right answer is a hybrid — composite panels on a steel frame, an FRP platform on a fabricated support — we can engineer and build all of it.
Safety-critical mindset
Our core business is equipment that must not fail. That discipline — documented, traceable, verified — applies to every composite component we manufacture.
Composite Manufacturing FAQs
What is composite manufacturing?
Composite manufacturing is the process of combining a reinforcing fibre, such as glass or carbon, with a polymer resin matrix to create an engineered material, then forming that material into a finished component. Because the fibre type, orientation, quantity and resin system are all specified by the designer, a composite can be tailored to the loads and environment a component will actually see.
What materials are used in composite manufacturing?
The most widely used material in industrial and infrastructure work is glass reinforced polymer (GRP), part of the wider fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) family. Carbon fibre is used where high stiffness and low weight justify the cost. Resin systems include polyester, vinyl ester and epoxy, selected for chemical exposure, temperature, mechanical duty and fire performance. Core materials such as foam and honeycomb are used to create stiff, lightweight sandwich panels.
What types of composite components can be manufactured?
Typical components include access platforms, walkways, handrails and ladders; covers, enclosures, kiosks and panels; tanks, vessels, ducting and linings; towers, masts and tubular members; bridge decks, footbridges and bridge enclosures; machine guards and industrial mouldings; and impact protection structures. Both single bespoke items and repeat production runs can be manufactured.
Can WH Scott Group manufacture bespoke composite components?
Yes. Bespoke composite manufacturing is the majority of our work. We can develop a component from a performance requirement, a concept, an existing drawing or a physical sample, including reproducing obsolete or discontinued parts. Our engineers advise on material, laminate and process selection so the finished component suits its duty and can be manufactured economically.
What are the benefits of composite materials?
Glass reinforced composites typically weigh around a third of an equivalent steel section, do not corrode, need little maintenance, and are electrically and thermally insulating and non-magnetic. Complex shapes can be moulded in one piece, consolidating what would otherwise be several fabricated parts. Lower weight simplifies transport, lifting and installation, and durability in aggressive environments often reduces whole-life cost even where initial cost is higher.
What industries use composite manufacturing?
Composite components are used extensively in rail, civil engineering and infrastructure, water and utilities, marine and subsea, renewable energy, and industrial manufacturing and process plant. They are chosen wherever corrosion, weight, electrical isolation, complex geometry, restricted access or long-term maintenance cost drive the design.
Can composite components be prototyped before production?
Yes. Prototypes and pre-production samples can be manufactured so that fit, form, function and installation are proven before production tooling is committed. Prototyping is the cheapest place to find a problem: interfaces are checked against the real structure, laminate performance is confirmed against the design, and installation is rehearsed.
Can composite components be inspected and tested?
Yes. Composite components can be inspected in process and verified on completion using ultrasonic testing and phased array ultrasonics, which detect delamination, disbonds, dry areas and voids in a laminate, supported by radiography where porosity, inclusions or core damage are the concern. Dye penetrant and magnetic particle inspection are used on the metallic elements and welds within a composite assembly, not on the laminate itself. Laminate quality can be confirmed by materials testing, and completed structures and assemblies can be proof or load tested and certified.
How do I get started with a composite manufacturing project?
Contact our composite manufacturing team with whatever you have — a drawing, a specification, photographs of an existing component, or simply a description of the problem. It helps to know the loads, operating environment, required service life, quantities, interfaces and target programme. We will review the requirement, advise on the most suitable material and process, and provide a costed proposal.
Talk to Our Composite Manufacturing Specialists
If you have a composite component to manufacture, a steel assembly that keeps corroding, an obsolete part to reproduce, or a new product to develop, the fastest way forward is a conversation with an engineer.
- Discuss a project and get an engineering view on feasibility, material and manufacturing route before you commit budget.
- Request technical advice on material selection, laminate design, joints and interfaces, fire performance or compliance.
- Discuss a bespoke component — from a concept, a drawing, a specification or an existing part that needs reproducing or improving.
- Request a quotation for prototypes, one-off manufacture or a repeat production run, with the inspection, testing and certification your specification requires.
Send us a drawing, a photograph or a description of the problem. We will tell you what we would recommend, what it will take, and whether a composite is genuinely the right answer.