As long ago as the mid Seventies, Copely Developments Ltd was approached by both British Aerospace (BAe) and the Ministry of Defence, then seeking a thermoplastic alternative to Titanium tubes for use in critical applications on the Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier strike aircraft, the former ones being in the later stages of development, prior to delivery to the RAF and other NATO Air Forces. A grade of Dupont Polyester Elastomer was selected, which met the basic technical criteria laid down, but alone did not provide adequate resistance to flame, a critical element in Aerospace safety. Following a period of extrusion trials, Copely Developments eventually overcame this obstacle by the judicious blending of suitable additives to the base material. The final blended material also presented a challenge for continuous extrusion into tubes, and special extrusion techniques had to be adopted in order to achieve consistency and dimensional accuracy. Copely extruded tubes have also been selected for the very latest state of the art British Aerospace Typhoon strike aircraft - see images on this page. For further information on how Copely Developments can assist you in your specific application, whether in Aviation, Fire protection, Medical, Fluid transfer, or other Industrial or Consumer application, please contact our Sales department.