CompoTech PLUS showcasing 30 years of CFRP innovations at JEC World 2025

This year, the company is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in business. The JEC stand will be showcasing 30 years of developing its unique, innovative carbon fibre processing technologies and custom designed high performance, lightweight, carbon composite components. Examples of CompoTech successfully replacing steel and aluminium include new CFRP applications in aerospace, defence, racing and leisure marine, sports equipment, industrial automation, machine tools and specialist metrology equipment.

The 30th anniversary is a significant milestone for the cofounders, Ondrej Uher and Vitek Sprdlik, who met in the early 1990s while studying engineering at the Czech Technical University; both had a passion for competitive whitewater canoeing. While still studying, Ondrej and Vitek developed their first fibre-winding machine, with the processing technology to use true, zero-degree fibre placement for optimal composite fibre performance. The first successful application was to make a lighter and stronger paddle shaft, used in the summer of 1995 by Vítek and Ondrej, who represented the Czech Republic at the World Championship in white water canoeing in Bala, Wales.

Over the last 30 years, CompoTech has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to continuous innovation in fibre processing technology development to produce CFRP components with optimal composite fibre performance. Key developments to date include:

• 1995 – Compo Tech Plus spol. s.r.o. registered as a trading company: The company was established in Spring 1995 in their first factory in Sušice, where the first fibre-winding machine production operation was set up.

• 1998 First continuous loop connection – wound by hand for a hang glider frame application. A new carbon composite spar was developed for a “topless” design hang glider produced by British company Airwave Gliders.

• 2000 – First America’s Cup racing yacht application:  A new design of the CFRP headfoil for the Italian America’s Cup team, Prada Challenge, leading on to various projects with other America’s Cup racing teams in future years. 

• 2001 –  R&D development of use of graphite “Pitch” fibres: Developed processing capabilities to wind delicate “pitch” fibres without damaging them, so retaining their ultra-high modulus properties, enabling lightweight CFRP parts to be designed using both pitch and PAN fibres. This processing innovation opened the door to many new industrial applications, replacing steel and aluminium.

• 2002 – First automotive robot press line application: production for Bilsing Automation of a new epoxy carbon composite T-boom designed for the press line end of arm technology (EOAT) and X-bar beams.

• 2003 – First wind turbine blade application: development for Aerolaminates, (now Vestas) of thick-walled carbon shafts for wind turbine blade tip attachments using zero-degree axial fibres, which were 50% stronger than other products tested. CompoTech proved itself as a reliable OEM supplier of large volume parts.

• 2005 – Square Beam R&D collaborative developments: CompoTech’s R&D collaboration with CVUT (Czech Technical University, Prague) focused on the use of axial fibres in beam internal structures and surface pressing technologies to produce stronger, stiffer square beam profiles, primarily for industrial applications.

• 2006 – Development of a 3D Cellular composite:  R&D focus on creating parts with high axial content and thick profiles to cope with high shear resulted in the development of a 3D Cellular composite, produced using overwound off-axis layers of Pitch fibres pressed into a structural epoxy carbon profile.

• 2011 – CompoTech moves to a new, purpose-built, facility:  the new factory site provides space for more R&D and bigger production capabilities, including developing a prototype 12m vertical winding machine.

• 2012 – First carbon Gantry structures. Beam technology is applied to y-axis gantry structures. CompoTech design and produce a lightweight CFRP traverse for a, high performance, laser cutting machine for Polish company Powertech (now Eagle Laser); the epoxy carbon design gantry achieved 6G acceleration, making it the fastest machine on the market at the time.
  
• 2013 – Hybrid Composite-Metal machine tool components. New applications developed, combining wound pitch fibre and steel to create “hybrid” spindle shafts and CNC milling tools. This process development was used to design an innovative 4-disc cutter, light enough to use on unmodified CNC milling machines, increasing productivity by up to 70%.

• 2018 – Innovative new 6-axis robot winding. CompoTech’s innovative winding system developed with Fanuc robot integration and proprietary control software.

• 2019 – JEC Innovation Award for Czech Aero L 39ng aircraft aileron. Development project between CompoTech and Aero Vodochody Aerospace for the Czech Aero L 39ng jet aircraft, produced a new design carbon composite aileron structure and production process which required no secondary bonded ribs or spars. The project was honoured with a JEC Innovation Award in 2019.

• 2020 – Development of the CDuro mountain bike:  CompoTech combines its unique technologies in the new carbon composite bike design, using both 6-axis fibre placement and its innovative Integrated Loop Technology (ILT) connection process to join the bike frame subcomponents.  The CDuro bike was commercialised in 2024.

• 2021 – First commercial CF telescopic mast application: previous R&D work on a tubular CFRP telescopic sailing boat mast demonstrator project was used to develop a retractable telescopic mast with a proprietary deployment system. Carbon epoxy retractable telescopic masts for the camera were manufactured and fitted onto mobile surveillance vehicles currently being used by various National police bodies. 

• 2022- CompoTech expands to supply custom AFL machine: The engineering team workwith PalletX to develop a custom-built ‘turn-key’ automated 7-axis fibre layup machine. The process was developed for carbon lattice with proprietary advanced winding technologies, automated production control systems, and software.

• 2023 – Development of Award-winning Kongsberg Ultimate new CFRP gantry beam: CompoTech developed an innovative new design foam cored integrated CFRP beam for the award-winning Kongsberg Ultimate machine, which is currently the highest productivity digital cutting table on the market for packaging and display materials. 

• 2024 – Customised Advanced Winding machine – developed for long-standing customer and leading optical technology company, Meopta. The custom-built Advanced Winding Technology platform was ordered to provide Meopta with in-house composite component development and production capabilities, technically supported by CompoTech.

• 2025 – Cost-effective production of non-crimp fabrics and preforms:  As well as being able to produce finished carbon fibre (CF) components, CompoTech’s highly flexible automated winding machine can also cost-effectively produce non-crimp fabrics or variably shaped dry fibre preforms from carbon, graphite and aramid fibres, using as little as single bobbin of the technical fibre specified.

Meet CompoTech during JEC World 2025

During JEC World 2025, CompoTech will be promoting its most recent non-crimp fabric technical innovation. This latest development offers OEMs and the wider composites market an alternative to conventional loom technology for producing a custom-made technical fabric preform for a prototype, providing a commercially viable way to enable innovative composite NPD projects to progress to TRL 6 and beyond.

Throughout the show, Dr Humphrey Carter, Head of Business Development, along with the founding owners, Ondrej and Vitek, will be on hand to discuss their 6-axis AFL and advanced winding technologies and automated machine production capabilities for making bespoke performs and finished components, and to find out more about both current and future market needs.  

Cover photo: CompoTech’s innovative 6-axis AFL technologies and advanced winding system developed in 2018, complete with Fanuc robot integration and proprietary control software, providing precision zero-degree carbon fibre axial placement of both PAN fibres and the more delicate Pitch fibres, which are precisely placed without damaging them