1063

Ceramic composites specialist Pyromeral opens up new markets

Pyromeral Systems, a French SME specialising in the manufacture of ceramic composite materials for the motor racing industry, has broadened its range of skills and invested in new machines to meet the needs of the defence and electric or hybrid flying taxi markets.

Ceramic composites specialist Pyromeral opens up new markets
READING TIME

3 minutes, 40 secondes

10 million. This is the amount invested by Pyromeral Systems, a French company based in Barbery in the Oise region (60), to diversify. That’s the equivalent of its annual sales for 2024. Specialising in ceramic composites resistant to very high temperatures, this family-run SME, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, has been working for many years for the world of motor racing.

The regulatory hurdle

What’s special about the world of Formula 1? The very frequent changes in regulations. By incorporating the latest technological advances into car and circuit standards, these adjustments increase competition between the teams by reducing the impact of innovations exclusive to one team. However, they are also very restrictive for industrial partners.

Motor racing has been our number one market for almost 20 years. We manufacture parts for them that can be modified every two years as regulations change. In the 2010s, for example, we were making blown diffusers, but then the regulations changed and banned them. This lack of stability led us to diversify,” explains Guillaume Jandin, sales director of the company, which has around sixty employees.

In 2010, Pyromeral adapted its technologies to the defence industry in order to reduce its dependence on Formula 1. In 2019, the promising market for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, whose batteries are prone to catching fire, emerged. “The failure rate can be one cell in 1 million, bearing in mind that there are on average 100,000 cells per vehicle. This puts the potential failure rate for vehicles of this kind at 1 in 10. This failure can occasionally lead to a fire or thermal runaway,” notes Guillaume Jandin to explain the role played by Pyromeral Systems’ materials. “Our technologies are fire-resistant and lightweight. We have carried out thermal runaway tests (1300°), and our materials are particularly resistant to this,” he adds.

A patented technology

Michel Davidovics, president and founder of Pyromeral Systems, invented the patented ceramic composite technology at the heart of the family business. It is used to replace metal in the hot zones of vehicles, making them lighter and more efficient. A liquid mineral matrix at room temperature is used to impregnate the fabric with carbon fibres, silicon carbide or oxide to obtain a prepreg.

We manufacture the parts by draping the prepreg over shaping tools using a low-temperature process. We then autoclave the material to compact it. Outside the autoclave, once the part has been removed from the mould, we dry it and then fire it at 1000°C so that it becomes ceramic. The mechanical properties are inferior to those of organic composites, but we can withstand temperatures of up to 800 or 1000°C. Our materials can withstand fire and kerosene flames (1100°C) for 15 minutes at thicknesses of 0.6 mm,” explains the Pyromeral Systems sales manager. At the end of the production line, production offcuts are crushed and can be re-used as mineral fillers in other types of product.

Investing in the future

The market for ceramic composite parts for Formula 1 requires more craftsmanship than for flying taxis. In Formula 1, time is of the essence, while the quality of parts for eVTOLs is of the utmost importance, because thermal parts for racing cars are not structural. The custom work on parts carried out by the operators has necessitated a switch to mass production for the eVTOLs. In Formula 1, the largest parts measure 50 cm, whereas they reach up to 1 m for flying taxis. All these differences required major investment.

Since 2020, we have moved into the industrialisation phase for these new markets and bought a building. We had to set up an industrial production unit to be able to produce 10 to 100,000 m² of prepreg per year. To achieve this, we invested €10 million, including €2 million in subsidies and a €1 million repayable advance from the French government. The project is scheduled to run for 5 years, and we are currently finalising the qualification of the machines,” explains Mr Jandin. Between now and 2028, Pyromeral Systems will have to invest in several lines to be able to produce several tonnes of resin a year.

We also need to acquire another impregnation line, large autoclaves and ovens, laser projectors that we weren’t using for Formula 1, and CAD equipment. These investments will enable us to meet all our defence and eVTOL needs,” continues Mr Jandin.

Already ISO 9001 certified, Pyromeral is also preparing for EN 9100 certification in 2 years’ time. The structure opened in 2024 in the United States to serve the US aerospace market alone is already 9100 certified: ” We have set up a sister company in California, in Silicon Valley, because the eVTOL market is more mature there and already in the pre-industrial phase, whereas in Europe we are still at the prototyping stage. We’re working with Joby Aviation, for example,” says Mr Jandin.

Pyromeral’s turnover is currently split between Formula 1 (40%), defence (40%), eVTOLs (10%) and other industrial activities (10%). French weapons specialist MBDA now holds almost 25% of the company’s capital. “This gives our companies mutual security,” says Mr Jandin. Thanks to its investment plan and diversification, the company is aiming to achieve sales of €15 million over the next three years and to take on around twenty more employees.

Photos: Pyromeral

More information pyromeral.com

Subscribe to the JEC Composites e-Letters

Subscribe to the JEC Composites e-Letters

Email(Required)
e-Letter(s) Subscription(s)(Required)
"JEC Composites Market News" e-Letter: compilation of the latest international news and trends with a dedicated feature each month, 4 issues per month (every Wednesday), up-to-date agenda, edit in English. "JEC Composites Informations" e-Letter: compilation of the latest international news and trends with a focus on the francophone market, 2 issues per month (alternate Thursdays), up-to-date agenda, edit in French.
This field is hidden when viewing the form