Graphene enhanced carbon fibre collaboration

RNS Number : 8494X

Versarien PLC

11 May 2016

 

11 May 2016

Versarien plc

("Versarien" or the "Company")

Graphene enhanced carbon fibre collaboration with Bromley Technologies

Versarien plc (AIM: VRS), the AIM quoted advanced engineering materials group is pleased to announce it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Bromley Technologies Ltd ("Bromley Technologies") to collaborate on the development of graphene enhanced carbon fibre products using Versarien's graphene nano platelets.

Bromley Technologies, founded in 2000 by Dr Kristan Bromley, four time Olympian and World Champion Skeleton racer, is focussed on developing and marketing innovative, game changing products and technologies, particularly in the action sports domain.  Bromley Technologies has particular expertise in carbon fibre composite structures and it is intended that Versarien will collaborate in the design and testing of a wide variety of graphene enhanced composite structures, using Versarien's patented process. 

The initial focus is expected to be on products in the elite sports area, where the early adoption of new technology to gain a performance advantage is common place. These products are also expected to showcase the use of graphene in carbon fibre composite structures more widely.

Dr Kristan Bromley, CEO of Bromley Technologies, commented: "The opportunities that Graphene technologies offer within the sports industry are disruptive and extremely exciting. We are delighted to be working with Versarien plc in exploring these opportunities. Our mission at Bromley Technologies is to develop high performance sports products that help athletes win medals on the world stage. With a focus on developing new Skeleton innovations for use at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, we are positioned as a business to continue to push boundaries and in doing so tap into a new era of technology."

Neill Ricketts, CEO of Versarien plc commented: "We are delighted to be working with Dr Bromley and his team. I am particularly excited by the prospect of the addition of Versarien's graphene technology to products being developed for elite international athletes, delivering significant performance gains in sports where success is measured in fractions of a second.  Elite sport also acts a clear proving ground and demonstrator for cutting edge technologies that can then be applied to mass market applications.

As early adopters of new technological applications, the sporting sector is very attractive space for Versarien to operate in, in addition to this, the testing process is relatively fast in comparison to the more traditional engineering and industrial projects we have completed in the past."

For further information please contact:

Versarien plc	www.versarien.com
Neill Ricketts - Chief Executive Officer	[phone]
Chris Leigh - Chief Financial Officer
WH Ireland (Nominated Adviser)	www.wh-ireland.co.uk
John Wakefield / Ed Allsopp	[phone]
IFC Advisory (Financial PR and IR)	www.investor-focus.co.uk
Tim Metcalfe / Graham Herring / Heather Armstrong	[phone]

Notes to Editors:

About Versarien

Versarien plc (AIM:VRS), is an advanced engineering materials group. Leveraging proprietary technology, the Group creates innovative engineering solutions for its clients in a diverse range of industries. Versarien has three subsidiaries:

Versarien Technologies Ltd owns the exclusive rights to a patent-protected additive process for creating advanced micro-porous metals targeting the thermal management industry and manufactures extruded aluminium heat sinks for the electronics and computing industries. www.versarien-technologies.co.uk 

Total Carbide Ltd, a leading manufacturer in sintered tungsten carbide for applications in arduous environments such as the oil and gas industry. www.totalcarbide.com 

2-DTech Ltd, which specialises in the supply, characterisation and early stage development of graphene products.   www.2-dtech.com  

About Bromley Technologies

The company's origins lie in the high speed adrenaline fuelled Olympic ice sport of Skeleton. It all started in 1994 when aerospace company BAE Systems sponsored the British Skeleton Team by developing cutting edge sled technology. This sponsorship programme was at the time driven by Kristan Bromley, a recently graduated aerospace materials engineer working for BAE as a special projects engineer. The British Skeleton Technology story was born!

Between 1994 and 2000, the project yielded unprecedented success on the track. In 1999 British Skeleton, underpinned by BAE technology achieved world number one status in the men's, women's and team field.

The twist in the story came in 1995 when Kristan, after committing to a PhD in Sports Engineering at The University of Nottingham in support of the project, decided to learn to ride Skeleton sleds to create more testing opportunities and efficiency for the sled R&D. A keen motocross racer, Kristan transferred racing skills from his childhood passion that of Skeleton and soon found himself challenging for a place in the national squad. The result of this combined engineer turned athlete was a career where Kristan held GBR number one status for an incredible 17 consecutive years. Kristan's sporting career includes over 100 world cup events, 4x Olympic Games and multiple gold medal winning performance on the world stage making him one of the most successful Skeleton athletes in the sports history. Kristan's finest performance came in 2008 when he was the sport's first person in its 100 year history to win all three major titles in the same year - the coveted 'Triple Crown' (European Champion, World Cup Series Champion & World Champion).

 

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