Grant for R&D Case Study -AVOptics
Reaching for the skies
Two former AgustaWestland engineers have
invented a device that could revolutionise fibre-optic cable
repairs in aircraft and other harsh environments. A Grant for
Research and Development from the South West RDA enabled them to
develop the handheld repair tool, and they are now taking orders
from aerospace companies across the world.
An old system
Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in
the use of fibre-optic cable in aircraft. In-flight entertainment
on long-haul flights demands a huge amount of bandwidth that only
fibre-optic cable is capable of providing, and it plays a vital
role in secure communications in military aircraft.
Although fibre-optic cables are durable and
reliable, when something does go wrong, it can be difficult and
time consuming to repair. The current system for repairing fibre
optic cables uses epoxy resin, which takes an hour and a half to
bond together. This means that the cables are generally removed and
replaced rather than being repaired onboard.
A bright idea
It was while working as engineers at
AgustaWestland that Andrew Voizey and Andrew Lee came up with a
better, smarter and faster solution. Andrew Voizey explains:
“Fibre optics is very new in aerospace.
Previously when something went wrong, the only option would be to
strip out all the fibre and replace it. But now aircraft like the
Airbus A380 contains a lot of complicated fibre optics and this is
no longer a cost effective solution. We saw that the industry
needed a ‘repair’ solution, not a ‘replace’ solution and this is
what we set out to develop.”
From prototype to market
The pair founded their company, AVoptics, in
2005 and began working on a portable repair kit. But they didn’t
have the financial resources to work on the project full-time.
Andrew Voizey also provided a consultancy service and Andrew Lee
was still employed by Agusta Westland.
In 2007 they approached Business Link to find
out if there was any support available to enable them to transform
their idea into a tangible, sellable product. Business Link
innovation adviser John Tregaskes, an experienced professional
engineer, saw the potential of the AVoptics concept and helped
prepare a successful application for a micro-grant through the
South West RDA’s Grant for R&D scheme.
Thanks to the grant, Andrew Lee moved to
Avoptics full-time, and within 6 months the company had developed a
fully functioning prototype that could be demonstrated to
customers. The AVLiteRepair portable repair kit has since been sold
to companies like AgustaWestland, BAE Systems and Airbus.
Andrew Lee explains:
‘The grant really got things moving. Without
help from the South West RDA there wouldn’t even be a product yet,
let alone a product already in the marketplace and being used by
customers. We potentially would have missed the window of
opportunity as it would be much harder to take advantage now in the
current climate’.