From Performance to Purpose: The Composite Trends Defining 2026 an Interview with Mike Campbell

I’ve worked in composites since 2017, across aerospace, automotive and energy sectors. My role focuses on helping customers navigate the complex landscape of material selection, particularly where performance, manufacturability and sustainability intersect. Over the years, I’ve seen composites evolve from specialized materials into solutions that actively solve multiple engineering challenges at once.

One of the most significant shifts is the move towards multifunctionality. Materials are no longer expected to be simply strong or lightweight—they’re now required to deliver multiple performance attributes simultaneously. This might include combining properties such as thermal resistance, electrical conductivity, surface finish, and processability within a single solution.

Another major driver is the demand for high-throughput manufacturing. Across industries, there’s increasing pressure to accelerate production while maintaining consistency and reducing complexity. As a result, manufacturers are seeking materials that streamline processes rather than complicate them.

Sustainability has also evolved from a differentiator to a baseline expectation. Considerations such as recyclability, traceable sourcing, and end-of-life recovery are now embedded into product development from the outset.

What’s particularly exciting is the rise of intelligent materials—composites with embedded sensors, smart surfaces, and structural health monitoring capabilities. These materials are beginning to play active roles in the systems they support, performing functions traditionally reserved for electronics or software. In short, composites are becoming dynamic, responsive elements within advanced technologies.

Aerospace continues to lead, particularly for where weight, safety and finish quality are all critical. Electric vehicle battery systems are another major driver, demanding materials that combine thermal management, electrical insulation and high-throughput manufacturability.

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is also creating unique requirements as well, with properties such as thermal management, EMI shielding and fire protection becoming increasingly integral to composite design. Beyond transportation, sectors like marine, infrastructure, architecture and renewable energy are looking for composites that combine high performance with smarter, more sustainable manufacturing processes.

Our nonwovens and veils are engineered to address specific technical challenges—whether it’s improving resin flow, enhancing thermal performance, or enabling lightweight EMI shielding. Each solution is designed with multifunctionality in mind.

A recent study has highlighted how our OPTIVEIL® range is a key enabler of multifunctional composites, demonstrating that it enables real-time process monitoring, structural health diagnostics and low energy out of oven resin curing through Joule heating. This isn’t incremental improvement, it’s a redefinition of what composites can achieve.

With a single veil, multiple functions are unlocked: it improves resin flow during manufacture, powers its own curing process and provides embedded monitoring throughout the product lifecycle – all while reducing energy consumption by over 95%. It’s a powerful example of where sustainability, performance, and manufacturing efficiency converge.

We’ve also developed SURFACETEC™, a veil that delivers high-quality surface finishes straight from the mould. By eliminating the need for sanding, painting, or rework, it significantly reduces time and cost. It’s less about selling a product and more about empowering designers and manufacturers to achieve outcomes that were previously impossible or cost prohibitive.

And most importantly, we work in close partnership with our customers. We co-develop materials that align with their application needs, design vision, manufacturing requirements and sustainability goals. This collaborative approach is where real innovation happens.

The next wave of innovation will come from thinking beyond strength-to-weight ratios. Engineers and designers will increasingly demand materials that can sense, respond and integrate into complex systems. Energy-efficient processing, embedded diagnostics and sustainable material design will no longer be optional, they’ll define the leaders in composites.

The real challenge, and opportunity, is viewing materials as partners in design, rather than passive components. Composites are no longer just materials, they are smart, multifunctional and enablers of innovation.