Precision engineering company Versarien is to work with Absolute Engineering on the development of graphene enhanced carbon fibre products.

The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop new technology for the printing industry, including graphene enhanced composites.

Neill Ricketts, chief executive of Gloucestershire-headquartered Versarien, said: "We are delighted to have entered into a collaboration with Absolute Engineering, a company at the forefront of carbon fibre technology for the printing industry. 

"This is another example of the significant commercial interest we are seeing in our graphene technology and how it is rapidly moving from the lab to real world applications, positioning Versarien as the leading graphene supplier to industry in the UK."

Antony Whiteside, managing director of Absolute Engineering, added: "Our work with Versarien will allow us to develop a whole new generation of equipment with market leading material properties and performance levels.

"The unique combination of Absolute's position as the world's leading supplier of carbon fibre inking systems and Versarien's protected graphene technology, will rapidly move this venture forward and produce a range of innovative products that will disrupt the current flexoprinting market."

Huddersfield-based Absolute was founded in in 2000 and has been part of US company Pamarco since 2013. It is credited with producing the world's first carbon fibre woven inking system.