A prepreg manufacturing facility—protecting sensitive manufacturing spaces

Project Silk

Project Silk included the design and construction of a purpose-built facility to manufacture unidirectional tape—a toughened epoxy pre-impregnated carbon fiber resin system (prepreg) that satisfies the requirements of a 20-year contract with a world-leading aircraft manufacturer.

Stantec provided the preliminary design and was retained as the technical advisor during this design-build project. As the product is sensitive to foreign object debris (FOD), the facility was designed to minimize contamination in the manufacturing spaces. The design and construction also addressed local climatic conditions including relatively extreme heat, low humidity, and significant fine airborne sand/dust and prevented adverse effects to the product or manufacturing equipment and support systems. The facility can produce nearly 1 million pounds (454,000 kilograms) of prepreg product (in a variety of sizes) each year that meets the end users’ stringent requirements.

By breaking new ground, Project Silk has shown what is possible in the region. The design and delivery of such an advanced facility also shows the possibilities opened by new construction technologies and close collaboration.