amrc-namtec quarterly journal issue 10

THE

journalQUarterly

Page 4

Beckett MIM ‘Start Up of the Year’

Issue 10 - July 2014

www.namtec.co.uk

Page 7

Xeros scoops two prestigious awards

4

Circling the history of time

Page 16

Biomechatronics:manufactured nature

Page 18

Parallel Machining…offers productivity &quality boost

The National Metals Technology Centre, University of Sheffield AMRC, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Wallis Way, Catcliffe,Rotherham, S60 5TZ

Telephone: +44 (0)114 222 4786 Fax: +44 (0)114 222 7678 Email: [email protected]

High flying engineers

...break manufacturing barriers with miniature aircraft

Welcome to the 10th editionof the Quarterly Journal andthe first since I becameNAMTEC director.

I’m pleased to have joined at atime when we have an excitingopportunity to increase our focuson technology, building on thehard work my predecessor, Dr Alan McLelland, and his teamhave put in.

Our primary aim remains to helpsmall and medium sizedmanufacturers become morecompetitive and move into newmarkets.

There are plenty of examples ofhow we can do that, featured inthis edition – both through ourEuropean Regional Development

Fund financed Direct CompanySupport Scheme and the eventswe and the wider AMRC Grouphave run. That work will continueat our annual conference, at theQueen's Hotel, in Leeds, onThursday October 16, which thisyear focuses on advances in netshape manufacturing.

The technology has tremendouspotential for reducing processingsteps and waste, while making iteasier to produce and updatecomplex parts, using materialsthat might otherwise be difficultto process.

With speed, cost and quality atthe heart of any drive forincreased competitiveness it is atechnology no manufacturer canafford to ignore, irrespective ofsize and the markets theyoperate in.

The diversity of Britishmanufacturing is also wellrepresented in this edition, fromwatch makers and producers ofprinting inks to manufacturersinvolved in key defencecontracts.

They include NAMTEC memberTinsley Bridge, whosepartnership with BAE Systemshas been acknowledged by theTechnology Strategy Board as anexample of how smallercompanies can provide solutionsto key problems for largercompanies.

The opportunities forcollaboration are also highlightedby BAE Systems’ own work onthe rear fuselage and tail sectionfor the F-35 Lightning II multi-rolefighter, featured in this issue, andthe recent naming ceremony forthe UK's largest warship, HMSQueen Elizabeth, which will beable to carry 40 F35Bs.

Five hundred British-basedcompanies are involved in the F-35 programme, while morethan 100 are involved in buildingthe Queen Elizabeth, led by aunique partnering relationshipbetween BAE Systems, ThalesUK, Babcock and the Ministry ofDefence.

With the recovery inmanufacturing strengthening,there has never been a moreopportune moment to forgepartnerships to solve problemsand secure major contracts andto strive to become ever morecompetitive.

Members News page 3-7

General News page 8-10

FeaturesHigh flying engineers page 11-13

Circling the history of time page 14-15

Biomechatronics: manufactured nature page 16-17

Parallel machining page 18-19

Company SupportERDF funding opens way for green printing technology breakthrough page 20

Wintwire targets growth page 21

Cutting edge performance follows Company Support project page 22

AML - Advanced manufacturer boosts business with quality and improvement initiative page 23

Event Reviews page 24-26

Upcoming Events page 26

Training Courses page 27

AMRC-NAMTEC Annual Conference & Dinner 2014 page 28

Contents

Introduction

“Our primary aimremains to help small

and medium sizedmanufacturers become

more competitive and move into new markets”

2 The National Metals Technology Centre Quarterly Journal

Tel: +44(0)114 222 4786 Fax: +44(0)114 222 7678 Email: [email protected]

The National Metals Technology Centre,University of Sheffield AMRC, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Wallis Way, Catcliffe,Rotherham, S60 5TZ

Advertising EnquiriesKirsten Bolton, Marketing ManagerTel: 0114 222 4785Email: [email protected]

To keep up to date with all

the latest news and

developments please visit

the NAMTEC website at

www.namtec.co.uk

THE

journalQUarterly

Dr. James HughesDirector AMRC-NAMTEC

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

HMS Queen Elizabeth

The factory started by producing20 rear fuselage and tail sets forthe fighter’s development phaseand is now producing one everyfive days, following a multi-million pound investment atSamlesbury.

By 2018, the company expectsto be producing one set a day.

Jon Evans, Head of ProductionDelivery, F-35 at Samlesburysaid: “With a potentialrequirement of 3000-plusaircraft, the scale of thisprogramme is huge.

“If we continue as we have doneover the past 10 years, not onlydo we sustain jobs in the longterm for our 1000+ workforce,

but we help make a significantcontribution to the UKeconomy through the workcreated in the 500British-basedcompanies involvedin the programme.”

More than 500 UKcompanies areinvolved in the F-35Lightning IIprogramme, building15 per cent of eachF-35 produced. BAESystems is

responsible for producing everyrear fuselage and tail set foreach of the three variants of theaircraft.

It is also producing carrier wingtips for the carrier variant andnozzle bay doors for the shorttake off and vertical landingvariant. BAE Systems is playinga key role in vehicle and missionsystems, life support system andprognostics health managementintegration, while BAE SystemsInc in the US is involved inelectronic warfare, advanceapertures, advanced counter-measure systems,vehicle management and activeinceptor systems.

The company has secured £4.9million from the UK’s innovationagency, the Technology StrategyBoard, towards the £9.9 millionproject to improve the fuelefficiency of commercial vehiclesand reduce their CO2 emissions.

Dubbed FIRST - FrequentIntegrated Soft Stop StartTechnology - the project is beingled by Cummins Ltd andincludes its Huddersfield-basedsubsidiary, Cummins TurboTechnologies, the market-leadingdesigner and manufacturer of

turbochargers for the medium toheavy-duty diesel enginesmarket.

Cummins and its consortiumcolleagues aim to develop acompact diesel electricpropulsion system that will be nobigger than a conventional dieselengine and could initially beinstalled in a bus.

Project leader, Dr Neil Brown,said: “Our customers aredemanding improved efficiencyfrom their engines.

“For those operations withfrequent stop-start duty cycles,such as buses and deliverytrucks, there is an opportunity forfuel savings by switching off theengine when stationary. Presentsolutions have limitations, so thefunding enables Cummins todeliver a capable and durabletechnology to the market in atimely manner.

“Current low carbon solutionssuch as diesel-electric hybridsare dependent on governmentsubsidies due to the long

paybackperiod.Thissolutionrepresents asignificant opportunityto the wider bus fleet with rapidpayback on investment.”

The new engine will be designedto switch off and on rapidly andincorporate technology that canrestart the engine with less noiseand vibration than a conventionalstarter.

3E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)114 222 4786 www.namtec.co.uk

Member News

BAE Systems has dispatched the 150th rear fuselageand tail section for the F-35 Lightning II multi-rolefighter, from its military aircraft factory in Samlesbury,Lancashire.

Global engines group Cummins’ UK arm is leadinga consortium to develop eco-friendly engines for anew generation of commercial vehicles, such asbuses and delivery lorries, that are frequentlystopping and starting.

Cummins leads ondevelopment of newStop-Start Technology

BAE Systems passes newmilestone for F-35 Lightning IIproduction

“…there is an opportunity for fuel savings byswitching off theengine whenstationary”

Member News


Delcam’s FeatureCAM range ofcomputer aided manufacturingsoftware has been certified for use with Autodesk's Inventor 2015software for creating 3D digitalprototypes used in the design,visualisation and productsimulation.

FeatureCAM is used to automateprocesses for milling machines,turning and turn/mill centres, andwire electrical dischargemachining.“Increasedinteroperability offers hugebenefits to our customers who useAutodesk Inventor as they canopen Inventor parts seamlessly inFeatureCAM, with no loss of dataor concerns about translationerrors,” said Tom McCollough,Vice President of Development forFeatureCAM.

In addition, Delcam CRISPIN haslaunched a new version of itsEngineer Pro softwaremanufacturing orthopaedicfootwear at OT World, theinternational orthopaediccongress in Leipzig.

Delcam CRISPIN is the world’slargest supplier of CADCAMsoftware to the footwear industryand lays claim to being the onlysupplier able to provide acomplete solution for the 3Ddesign and manufacture of lasts,uppers, orthotics and soles forboth mass production and thedevelopment of orthopaedic andother bespoke footwear.

The Sheffield-based companysecured the accolade at theannual Medilink Awards forYorkshire and Humber.

Beckett MIM was set up byWilliam Beckett Plastics, whichmakes packaging used by cuttingtool manufacturers around theworld to protect products rangingfrom simple drill bits and blades tohighly sophisticated millingcutters.

The company worked with theAdvanced ManufacturingResearch Centre on a three yearKnowledge Transfer Partnershipresearch programme to developways of using machines originallydesigned to form plastics to makehi-tech aerospace, medical andautomotive components.

“The techniques for injectionmoulding titanium and plastic arefundamentally the same,” says

company founder William Beckett.

“Powder is mixed with a binder,extruded to form pellets andmoulded at a lower temperaturethan plastic, using the samemachine, with a specialattachment.

“You have to put the componentinto water to dissolve the binderand you are left with a porousproduct that you have to sinter in afurnace, where it shrinks in size byabout 20 per cent.

“There is no wastage of material, itis far less time consumingbecause you are moulding notmachining and it allows you to

redesign some components toreduce the amount of material.”

Beckett MIM now lays claim tobeing the only company in the UKthat is able to make componentsfrom titanium, nickel, tungsten,copper and a number ofadvanced alloys as well as steels,using metal injection moulding.

The technology has applicationsin a range of sectors, including

making orthodontic products withmicro scale features andergonomic surgical instruments.

Beckett MIM’s technology hasbeen used to solve a number ofmanufacturing problems,including:

• Reducing the cost of making animpeller blade by 55 per cent byusing metal injection moulding instead of machining a casting.

• Working with The University of Sheffield to develop exterior andinterior metal injection moulded aerospace fasteners that weigh up to 20 per cent less than conventional alternatives.

• Making stainless steel pins and bushes used for locating large work pieces in an aggressive production environment, providing extensive mechanical properties and corrosion resistance at a price that is acceptable for a single use product.

Metal injection moulding specialist Beckett MIM hasbeen named 'Start Up of the Year' at a top awardsceremony, celebrating the achievements ofhealthcare technology and life sciences companies.

Metal injectionmoulding

pioneer named‘Start Up of the Year’

Moves by Autodesk and Delcam to more closelyintegrate their technologies, has borne its first fruits,following Autodesk's acquisition of the Birmingham-based CAD/CAM software company earlier this year.

Integrating technologies

“The techniques for

injection mouldingtitanium and plasticare fundamentally

the same”...

“Increasedinteroperabilityoffers huge

benefits to ourcustomers”

Delcam CRISPIN Shoemaker Pro

AutodeskInventor 2015

DelcamFeatureCAM

Fluid MaintenanceSolutions (FMS) is aspecialist engineeringservices company withexpertise in reducing thecost and impacts of fluidsand lubricants in high-performancemanufacturingenvironments. Based atthe AdvancedManufacturing Park andwith a separate processingfacility in Sheffield, FMS isa partner at the AMRC withBoeing and also a memberof the MTA.

Solving the long-standing problemof inefficient coolant delivery, FMSlaunched IFDR Precision FiltrationSolutions to the UK market atMACH 2014, which coincided withthe commissioning of its patentpending SMR processing plant.

The combination of precisionfiltration, the immediate extraction

of fines and sludgeaway from themachine tool, coupledwith the ability torecycle metal contentinto or near-to parentalloy status, is aunique closed loopsolution. The provenbenefits of IFDRsolutions helpsmanufacturers

improve productivity and reducethe traditional environmentalimpacts, maintenance interventionsand risks associated withtraditional OEM supplied filtrationsystems.

The SMR process, commercialisedthrough a joint venture (JV) with theFondel Group, recovers and diverts

from landfill, metal rich sludge andgrinding fines found at the bottomof machine sump. The processwas developed by FMS, withsupport from the TechnologyStrategy Board and shortlisted inthe Advanced ManufacturingAwards 2012 in Best Health, Safetyand Environmental Practisecategory. The SMR processmaximises the yield and value ofproblematic waste streams whichtraditionally generate no or lowvalue returns.

FMS focuses on helpingmanufacturers improveproductivity, reduce environmentalimpacts and ultimately contributeto reducing cost per partproduced.


Member News

The business supplies gasturbines derived from aeroengines, compressor systems andrelated services to customers in oiland gas and power generation.

Rolls-Royce has also signed a 25 year licensing agreement with

Siemens worth a further £200million, which gives the Germanmultinational engineering andelectronics conglomerate accessto relevant technology for use withgas turbines producing power inthe 4 to 85 megawatt range.

Rolls-Royce, CEO,John Rishton, said:“This agreement will givethe energy business greateropportunities as part of a muchlarger energy company and allowsRolls-Royce to concentrate on theareas of business where we canadd most value.”

Rolls-Royce’s energy gas turbineand compressor business hasaround 2,400 employees andcontributed £871 million ofrevenue and £72 million ofunderlying profit in 2013.

More than 4,800 Rolls-Royceaero-derivative gas turbineunits have been sold andhave recorded more than180 million operatinghours. Key technologiesinclude derivatives of theRB211 aero engine,providing 27 to 44MW ofpower. Siemens’ energysector has around 83,500

employees and in2013 contributed

revenue of €26.6 billion andunderlying profit of €1.9 billion.

The deal is expected to becompleted before the end ofDecember, at which point Rolls-Royce’s shareholding in theRolls Wood Group (RWG) jointventure, that providesmaintenance, repair and overhaulservices, will be transferred toSiemens.

The transaction excludes some ofRolls-Royce’s smaller powergeneration sector assets.

Closed-loop solutions for UK advanced manufacturing

Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement to sell its energy gas turbine and compressor business to Siemens for £785 million.

Rolls-Royce has also signed a 25 year licensingagreement with Siemens worth

a further £200 million

Rolls-Royce signs multi-millionpound agreement

Member News


The video shows how new highstrength torsion bars, developedby Tinsley Bridge, saved lives instrikes by Improvised ExplosiveDevices – IEDs – whiletransforming the performance ofthe Warrior armoured personnelvehicle.

The Sheffield-based suspensionexpert was approached byMinistry of Defence primecontractor BAE Systems afteradditional protection increased thevehicle’s weight.

The Army desperately neededWarrior’s suspension improving,while maintaining mobility andwithout changing lots ofcomponents.

“When the Army changed theweight of its vehicles, the existingsuspension couldn’t cope and itwas causing problems. Capabilitywas compromised andsuspension was failing,” saysTinsley Bridge’s managingdirector, Mark Webber.

“We suggested using a new highstrength material called Extralitethat we had been developing forleaf springs. We thought thattheoretically it should work ontorsion bars, but we’d never madeone out of it.”

Development and testing – carriedout with the help of SheffieldHallam University and TSBfunding – was completed in less

than fivemonths andincludedextensive fieldtrials, carried out bythe Army.

After vehicles with the new torsionbars had been deployed, theArmy visited Tinsley Bridge tothank the company.

“The officer in charge of the fleetread out quotes from peopleinvolved in Improvised ExplosiveDevice incidents in Afghanistan,saying they believed it had savedtheir lives,” Mark Webber added.

Mr Webber says the companycouldn’t have completed the workwithout TSB funding.

“The Technology Strategy Boardsupported us at a time when wehad no work. It also gave us visionabout what we could achievethrough product innovation,” hesays. “It renewed the belief inourselves and demonstrated that

the ideas we had were deliverablein a short timescale. It stimulatedour appetite for developing newproducts that would give us acompetitive advantage.

“We had been looking at thehigher volume truck market butthe military vehicle project showedif you can apply knowledge andexperience to a smaller,specialised market, it can makemore financial sense.”

The TSB decided to shoot thevideo to show how linking thecapabilities of an SME like TinsleyBridge with a large multinationalcompany like BAE Systems can

rapidly deliver significanttechnical benefits.

Since the projectwas completed,

Tinsley Bridgehas won twomore researchanddevelopmentgrants from the

TSB's Smartscheme,

including one forthe next evolution of

Extralite.“The newmaterial we are working on

could allow suspension parts to be30 per cent lighter,” says MarkWebber, whose family-owned firmhas now forged close links withthe University of Sheffield and theUniversity of Cambridge, as wellas Sheffield Hallam, and iscurrently researching the potentialuse of composite materials.

saves livesInnovation

“Wesuggested using anew high strengthmaterial called

Extralite that we hadbeen developing for

leaf springs”A manufacturer whose innovation saved soldiers’lives in Afghanistan has had its achievementshighlighted by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB)in what has become one of the most popular videos on the TSB’s website.

The recent TSB video has become the fourth most popular video onthe TSB web site and can be viewed at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1kf5jX-DxA&feature=youtu.be&a

Warrior armoured personnel vehicle

High strength torsion bars

The company, which floated on theAlternative Investment Market (AIM)earlier this year, was namedUniversity Spin-Out of the Year atthe New Energy & CleantechAwards in London at the same timeas it gained a Bronze Award at theEdison Awards 2014 in SanFrancisco.

Xeros, based at the AdvancedManufacturing Park in Rotherham,is a University of Leeds spin outwhich has developed washingmachines that use reusable andrecyclable polymer beads tolargely replace water.

The machines consume up to 80

per cent less water, 50 per centless energy and 50 per cent lessdetergent than conventionalmachines.

They clean clothes by tumblingthem with nylon polymer beadsthat attract dirt and can be used atleast 500 times beforethey need to bereplaced.

Even then, the beadscan be used in plasticsplants to makeautomotivecomponents.

The beads work bygently agitating soil andstains from textilesurfaces and providenumerous benefits,such as preventingexcessive folding of clothes andlessening the possibility of themcreasing, by acting as a buffer.

Xeros chief executive officer, BillWestwater, said: “Our polymerbead cleaning systems have thepotential to transform a number ofindustries globally. Within thecommercial laundry sector, not onlydo our systems create costsavings and reduce anorganisation’s environmentalimpact, they also deliver superiorcleaning.”

At the time of its AIM floatation, inMarch, Xeros announced it had 30of its commercial machines either

installed or to be installed in theUS, UK and EU. It expects to installa further 120 machines in thecoming year. Xeros is alsotargeting China.

It has also created a prototypedomestic bead-cleaning washing

machine and is developing itssystems for use in the leatherprocessing industry and for otherapplications.

Xeros won its Bronze Edison Awardin the Energy/Sustainabilitycategory.

In addition to its University Spin-Out of the Year Award, thecompany has been shortlisted inthe Innovation of the Year categoryof the BusinessGreen LeadersAward and a Northern Tech Rising Star Award.


Member News

The company, which won aQueen’s Award for InternationalTrade in 2012, currently exports 65per cent to 70 per cent of what itmanufacturers at its SouthYorkshire site and has appointed a

new international businessdevelopment manager as part ofits overseas expansion plans.

Kiveton Park Steel makes steel barand products for wire makingwhich are used in the automotive,

aircraft and tooling industries. Thefirm works predominantly in theautomotive industry, exports morethan 100 different production linesand now plans to expand into theoil and gas sector.

Sales and marketing director,Michael Jones, said: “The future ofthe business is about extendingour geographical reach and alsoexpanding our products.”

Kiveton Park Steel goes global

Xeros scoops awards

Kiveton Park Steel is doubling the size of its network of overseasagents as part of a plan to boost its international growth.

Xeros chief executive officer, Bill Westwater withone of the company’s revolutionary, eco-friendlywashing machines

A Xeros washing machine in action

Revolutionary, eco-friendly cleaning systemdeveloper Xeros has won two prestigious awards ondifferent sides of the Atlantic in a single evening.

The project uses a ProtonExchange Membrane (PEM)electrolyser developed bySheffield-based ITM Power. It ispowered by electricity fromrenewable sources like windpower to split water down tooxygen, which is released intothe atmosphere, and hydrogenwhich is injected directly into thegas mains.

ITM’s technology is at the heartof a power-to-gas plant built byThüga Group, the largestnetwork of energy companies inGermany.

At present, the hydrogen isbeing injected into the gassupply to Germany's financialcapital Frankfurt.

The volume of hydrogen thatcan be fed into the mains islimited to avoid the need toconvert appliances, however,Thüga plans to expand the pilotplant in 2016 and startconverting hydrogen intomethane, unlimitedamounts of which could beinjected into the gas mains.

ITM's technology is seen asa key answer to criticismscentring on the availabilityof wind and solar power asit allows electricitygenerated when demand islow to be ‘stored’ ashydrogen.

Research by Thügasuggests Germany couldface a demand for storageof up to 17 terawatt hours(TWh) by 2020, and reach50 TWh by 2050. Thecompany says Germany’smunicipal gas distributionnetwork could easilyabsorb that amount ofenergy.

“Our gas distribution networkcould thus be the battery of thefuture,” says Thüga boardmember, Michael Riechel.

Phil Doran, managing director ofITM Power's German subsidiary,said: “We are proud to havecompleted our first significant

General News


A green energy project, using cutting edge ‘Power-to-Gas’ technology, developed in the UK, has been officially launched in Germany.

sale into theGerman utilitymarket anddelighted to havetaken part in thisimpressiveinauguration event, which has

received wide-spread presscoverage in Germany, notleast owing to the presenceof a number of high-profilepoliticians lending theirsupport.

“The event has further raisedthe profile of ITM Power inGermany and marks the nextstage of our development.”

Greenenergy

“ITM’stechnology is at the

heart of a power-to-gasplant built by ThügaGroup, the largestnetwork of energycompanies inGermany.”

ITM Power’s Proton Exchange Membraneelectrolyser at Thüga Group’s site in Frankfurt

ITM Power’s installation atThüga Group’s site in

Frankfurt

Left: ITM Power’s Phil Doran

E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)114 222 4786 www.namtec.co.uk

General News

9

Shale gasconsultationIndependent energy companyCuadrilla Resources iscontinuing to consult withresidents on plans to explorefor shale gas at two sites inthe Fylde peninsular inLancashire.

Following the consultation,Cuadrilla intends to apply forplanning permission to drill,hydraulically fracture and test theflow of gas from up to fourexploration wells at each of theRoseacre Wood and PrestonNew Road sites.

Cuadrilla’s chief executive,Francis Egan, said: “Cuadrilla iscommitted to being a goodneighbour and to talking to local

residents and communityrepresentatives at every stage ofthe process.

“We announced in February theproposed locations for two newexploration sites in the Fylde aspart of our work to understandthe full potential of Lancashire’sshale gas resources. We’recurrently speaking with localcommunities about our proposednew exploration sites and arelistening to people’s feedback onour proposals.

“We have received manycomments from local peoplethrough the consultation eventswe have run, via our website anddirect correspondence. Throughthe Community Liaison Groups,publications and other meetingsand methods, we will continue toengage with local residents tolisten and continue to explain ourproposals.”

As part of the consultationprocess, planning andenvironmental consultants atArup have produced two newbrochures detailing the emergingfindings of the EnvironmentalImpact Assessments that willaccompany planningapplications for the sites.

High-performancemagnesium alloydeveloper and producerMagnesium Elektronhas scored an aviationfirst with its Elektron®

43 alloy.

German aerospaceseating manufacturerZIM FLUGSITZ hasstarted using thealloy to makestructuralcomponents forseats.

Seats made using Elektron® 43are significantly lighter thanthose made from commonlyused aluminium alloys, whilestill offering the necessarystrength and ductility.

The first of these new seats willenter service later in 2014 in alow-volume non-commercialaviation platform.

ZIM FLUGSITZ Vice Presidentfor Research andDevelopment, Uwe Salzer,said: “There is always a needfor weight reduction, andmagnesium can be a solutionfor certain components.”

Steve Montisci, EuropeanTechnical Sales Manager,Wrought Products, forMagnesium Elektron, said:“The use of our Elektron® 43magnesium alloy has enabledZIM FLUGSITZ to surpass theirweight-reduction targets andimprove the fuel efficiency andendurance in this newapplication.

“They are the first to realise theweight-saving benefits ofmagnesium for this type ofapplication, and we haveenjoyed working with them toachieve this milestone.”

Nuclear renaissance

Britain needs to boost itsnuclear energy research andtraining capabilities if it is tomake the most of the nuclearrenaissance.

So says Dr Mike Bluck, fromImperial College London andRolls-Royce Nuclear UniversityTechnology Centre.

Writing in Materials World, Dr Bluck highlights a number ofencouraging developments,including the collaborationbetween the Universities ofSheffield, Manchester, Leeds,Liverpool and Lancaster tocreate a next generation nuclearCentre for Doctoral Training.

But, without highly skilled andtrained experts with a globalvision and international outlookfor the UK's nuclear industry,regulators, Government andacademia, the UK won't stand areal chance of securing a placeat the heart of future nucleargrowth.

Cuadrilla shale gas site

Sir Keith cites plans to build anew generation of civilnuclear power stations andthe HS2 High Speed Raildevelopment programme asexamples of projects thatindigenous industry shouldcapitalise on.

Speaking at the Cutlers’ Feast,in Sheffield, Sir Keith saidopportunities could be evengreater if some of the £60 billionplanned investment in nuclearpower plants went into thedevelopment of Small ModularReactor - or SMR – technology.

Sir Keith, an adviser to HerMajesty’s Treasury oninfrastructure, was speaking toan audience comprisingmanufacturers, financiers,

politicians and top decisionmakers attending the Feast.

The event is one of the leadingLivery Company events outsideLondon, staged each year bythe Company of Cutlers’ inHallamshire, which has been avoice for manufacturing foralmost four centuries.

He told guests, including DeputyPrime Minister Nick Clegg: “In2014, the search for low-carbonsources of fuel and a desire toreduce over-reliance onoverseas suppliers mean thatpoliticians of all parties are onceagain talking about theimportance of civil nuclearenergy to the United Kingdom.

“With it comes the possibility of

General News


Major UK infrastructure projects are creating significantopportunities for Britain’s manufacturers, according toUniversity of Sheffield Vice Chancellor Sir Keith Burnett.

another dawn for science andengineering, another new era.

“The question now is whetherthe UK has any part to play inthis beyond purchasingtechnologies from overseasfunded by borrowing from anemerging superpower in theform of China.”

Sir Keith urged the UK to take“the next great steps inmanufacturing” by launching anindustry-led university with RoyalCollege status.

A Manufacturing Institute ofTechnology with Royal Collegestatus would help to create amuch-needed new generation ofelite apprentices.

They would train in the context ofthe very latest research and highvalue manufacturing, increasingthe skills of the companies theyworked for and help the sectorcast off its erroneous low skillsimage.

And, they would go on tobecome producers andinnovators who understood thepower of intellectual propertyand commercial practice.

“Our young people want us todo this, but so do companiesand our politicians, for we knowit would be wrong to produceonly high quality metals, enginesand reactors; we must alsoproduce people and talent,” hesaid.

Significant UK opportunitieson the horizon

“With it comes the

possibility of anotherdawn for Science and Engineering, another

new era”

Artist impression of West Cumbria's Moorside nuclear project University of Sheffield Vice Chancellor Sir Keith Burnett


Features

11

A project to develop alow cost radio-controlled flyerthat could be used for a wide rangeof applications has resulted in a series ofbreakthroughs in design and 3D printing.

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), weighingjust 2kg and with a 1.5 metre wingspan, is thebrainchild of the Advanced ManufacturingResearch Centre’s new Design & PrototypingGroup (DPG).

High flying engineers

break manufacturing barriers with miniature aircraft

Development Team with UAV AMRC’s UAV flying high over the Peak District in Derbyshire

Features


The UAV was developed toshowcase the group’s skillsand technologicalcapabilities – particularly forhelping small and mediumsized manufacturers to developnew products and move into newmarkets.

The project not only achieved itsaims but has exceeded allexpectations, leading to thedevelopment of new techniquesthat have radically reduced thetime, the amount of materialsand the cost of manufacturingcomponents using 3D printingtechnology.

It even surprised machinemanufacturers who had notthought their equipment capableof some of the things it has nowdone in the hands of the DPG’sengineers.

Project engineer John Mannchose a 'Blended Wing' design,with a cross section that tapersaway from the centre to the wingtips, because it offered betteraerodynamics and flexibility forfuture development.

The project allowed the group to

show how it could combineComputer Aided Design (CAD)and Computational FluidDynamics (CFD) software tocreate a design process tomanipulate complex surfacesand internal structures.

Group members went on toextend that process so that itcould be tailored to designing forthe new generation of FusedDeposition Modelling (FDM)machines.

CFD was used to optimise thedesign of the prototype – a slopesoaring glider which can belaunched by hand or catapultand could remain aloft forever,given the right weatherconditions.

Project engineer Sam Bullanalysed lift, drag, pitchingmoment and other

characteristicsto raise theefficiency andreduce thedrag of theUAV as much aspossible.

“It's been a really great project,”said Sam Bull. “The first time itflew it was a wonderful feeling.”

A number of manufacturingoptions were explored at the startof the project, including usingstereolithography and selectivelaser sintering.

The designers chose FDMtechnology because it meant alower initial investment, involveda simpler process and offeredreduced material costs.

One of the big challenges was towork out how to support theaerodynamically shaped wingsection while it is built up fromlayers of ABS (acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene) thermoplastic,deposited by the DPG’sStratasys Fortus 900mc FDMmachine.

The UAV's airframe narrows

towardsthe wing tips, whichoverhang the central sectionduring manufacturing and wouldconventionally need to besupported by structures built upfrom a different material thatwould then have to be removed.

The DPG’s full production FDMmachine incorporates twonozzles, one to deposit the ABSmaterial used to make thecomponent and the other todeposit the support material.

However, depositing supportmaterial drastically slowed theprocess, so John Mann and SamBull, together with additivemanufacture developmentengineer Mark Cocking,developed a way to build theoverhanging section withoutusing any support material at all.

“The machine’s manufacturerstold us it wouldn’t do what we

“The projectnot only achieved itsaims but has exceededall expectations, leadingto the development ofnew techniques”

The entire airframe is made from just nine parts, all of which

are made on the FDM machine.

“Thanks to their pioneering work, the time taken to build one of the UAV’s main

Andy Bell of the DPG launching the UAVover the Peak District

wanted it to do, but we made itwork,” said John Mann.

Thanks to the DPG team’'s work,it is now possible to buildcomponents with sections thatare up to 45 degrees off centre.The team has gone even furtherbut says the quality deterioratesas you near that limit.

Thanks to their pioneering work,the time taken to build one of theUAV’s main sections has beencut from 55 hours to five hours.

“All parts required for theairframe can be combined into asingle build within the DPG’'sFortus 900 machine taking lessthan 24 hours. Before design foradditive manufactureoptimisation, this airframe wouldhave taken over 120 hours toproduce,” said Mark Cocking.

The entire airframe is made fromjust nine parts, all of which aremade on the FDM machine.

The two wings are joinedtogether on either side of acentral spine, by two spars,without the need for additionalfixings.

Two ‘elevons’ - surfaces thatcombine the functions of anelevator, which controls pitch,and an aileron, which controls roll- are secured by two ‘tip fences’.These are small verticalcomponents on the end of the

wings which help to reduce drag,while increasing stability.

The elevons are controlled byservos, fixed onto mountingspigots in the rear of the body,which also holds the radiocontrol receiver and battery.


Features

The future UAVPowered flight, the addition of payloads including HighDefinition cameras and sensors and systems that changethe direction of flight by physically changing the shape ofthe wing could be among future developments for theAMRC Design & Prototyping Group's new UAV.

“The airframe is currently being optimised further, toincorporate blended winglets and twin, ducted fanpropulsion,” says DPG senior design engineer, Dr GarthNicholson, who oversaw the project.

Future planned developments include full, on-board datalogging of flight parameters, autonomous operation byGPS, and control by surface morphing technology.

“Concepts for novel ducted fan designs are also beinginvestigated,” adds Dr Nicholson.

Having shown how to make savings by optimising thedesign and manufacture of relatively large, thin walledparts from ABS, using the FDM process, without the needto build support structures, the team has moved on tousing nylon instead of ABS.

“Nylon is much better from a practical point of viewbecause it is tougher and has better impact resistance, butit is more difficult to build, and we needed to change a fewthings with the shape to improve its performance in flight,”says John Mann.

Design engineers believe their UAV could reach speeds ofup to 60 miles an hour, using miniature ducted fan enginesand say adding a payload, like a video or HD camera andsensors, presents no problems.

What’s more, their design isscalable, so larger UAVscould be built, if necessary.

DemandskyrocketsDemand for small scaleUAVs, like the 1.5 metre,2kg flyer being developedby the AMRC’s Design &

Prototyping Group, is growing fast.

Potential users range from hobbyists to aerialvideographers and photographers, map makers,surveyors, meteorologists and humanitarian aid agencies,as well as for security surveillance.

Although the Design & Prototyping Group's UAV wasdeveloped entirely independently from any aerospacecompany, it is known that a number of leading companieshave their own UAV programmes.

sections has been cut from 55 hours to five hours”

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used tooptimise the chosen design and to assess the lift,drag, pitching moment and other characteristics

over a range of angles of incidence

Features


Marine chronometers were ofgreat importance in theEighteenth century. Themotivation to develop thistechnology originated due toincidents occurring at sea, wheresailors couldn’t accuratelycalculate a ships longitudinal(west and east) position. Anencouraging reward of £20,000was being offered by the BritishGovernment in 1713, for thediscovery of the best method todetermine longitude accurately.There was a requirement for aclock that would be accurateover long time intervals, functionon a moving ship at high seas,and perform without beingaffected by pressure, humidityand temperature.

John Harrison, a Yorkshire man,revolutionised navigation with his

first marinechronometer,developed in 1735. From his his fourdesigns, Harrison wenton to invent accuratetimepieces measuringwithin an error of only39.2 seconds over avoyage of 47 days.

H1 and H2Harrisons’ originalchronometers, the H1 and H2,attained a simplistic design of acounterbalancing pendulumclock. Built of brass, the clockincluded spring driven wheelsmade from wood, and rollerpinions. The creative mechanismwas the 'grasshopper'escapement, which gives theclock’s pendulum periodic

pushes to keep it swinging.Every swing will move the clock’sgear forward, and in turn, theclock’s hand.

H3 and H4Two innovative devices to havebeen derived from the H3 arecommonly used in today'schronometers; the bi-metallicstrip and the caged rollerbearing. The bi-metallic stripcombats the effects oftemperature, while roller

Circling

A chronometer is a timepiece with a unique mechanism forensuring and adjusting its accuracy. They are traditionally used in

determining longitude at sea or for any purpose where an exactmeasurement of time is required. The first accurate chronometer wasdeveloped in Britain in 1735, however technology has advanced along way since then. After a long period of time, when much of the

manufacturing of chronometers wasundertaken abroad, there is a sense ofpride knowing that the manufacture ofhigh quality chronometers is once againhappening in Britain, where exoticmaterials and innovative machinery arebeing developed and utilised.

timethe history of

John Harrison revolutionised navigationwith his first marine chronometer,developed in 1735

Harrison H1

Rear view of the Bremont Boeing Model 247

chronograph watch

bearings provide anti-frictionsurfaces. Although impressive,the large machines wereabandoned due to their size andinaccuracy, which then ledHarrison to develop the smallerpocket watch (H4).

Developed in 1761, the H4design used a fast beatingbalance wheel controlled by atemperature compensated spiralspring. The pocket watchweighed 3.2 pounds, was 5.2inches in diameter, and provedsuccessful on two trial voyagesto Jamaica and Barbados.Although these features met thespecific criteria for the LongitudePrize, Harrison was left unjustand never received the fullreward. He did, however leave alasting legacy as his watchestablished the foundation for allsubsequent chronometerdevelopments.

With its historical innovation inchronometers and watchmaking, Britain founded anumber of world leading watch

companies. However, over thenext 150 years, it began to loseits manufacturing base in thisarea. The most famous exampleis that of Rolex. Establishedwithin London in 1905, Rolexmanufactured their timepieces inGeneva, providing Switzerlandwith a reputable name forcreating watches withexceptional properties.

Today, with one eye in thepast and the other tothe future, high-techBritish companies aretrying to re-establishtheir place at theforefront ofmanufacturing highquality premium wristwatches. Aviation andengineering enthusiastsNick and Giles Englishfounded Bremont in 2002 andare aiming to recapture thismarket. With production facilitiesbased in Oxfordshire, Bremont isknown for using the bestavailable materials and mosttried and tested techniques tocreate timepieces inspiredmainly by the aviation industry. In tribute to John Harrison’slegacy they have also produceda marine chronometer.

Similar to those which met therequirement from the Britishgovernment in 1713, thesechronometers have beendesigned to endure the harshestof environments, whilst

remaining accurate and durablewhen worn by professionaladventurers and explorers duringdeep-sea exploration and flying.In an innovative partnership withthe world famous aerospacemanufacturer - Boeing, Bremonthave gone one step further inevaluating methods andmaterials suitable formanufacturing high precision,

durable,and highend qualitycomponentswith theAdvancedManufacturingResearch Centre(AMRC). This can berecognised in the newdesigns, which useCustom 465® StainlessSteel (a new steeldeveloped at the AMRC)that is harder and morescratch and corrosionresistant. Given itsproperties, this metal is primarilyused in undercarriages of jumbojets. Boeing aviation grade Ti-64titanium is also beingincorporated into the watchcase. Being exposed to theadvanced techniques within theAMRC, Bremont is in theprocess of evaluating equipmentthat will allow it to maintain itscompetitive edge. An examplewould be that of a precisionbased five and six axis CNCmilling technology, which allowsfor a wide range of cuttingoperations in difficult to cutalloys such as titanium oraerospace grade steel.

Given Britain’s history ofpioneering the development ofaccurate and robustchronometers, it is a proudmoment for the country to onceagain be considered to be aworld leader in manufacturingmechanical timepieces. In thewords of Adrian Allen,Commercial Director of theAMRC, “Manufacturing matters;it’s what made Britain great.”


Features

15

Bremontare known to utilisethe best availablematerials and mosttried and testedtechniques…

TSB funding for a nextgeneration inspiredLongitude AwardThree hundred years on and JohnHarrison’s legacy continues to inspirethe country, through the launch of theLongitude Prize 2014. Nesta, inpartnership with the TechnologyStrategy Board, offered £10 milliontowards finding a solution to one ofthe biggest humanitarian problemsfacing the world in the 21st century.

Following public consultation, it wasdecided to target research aimed atcreating a cost-effective, accurate,rapid, and easy-to-use test forbacterial infections that will allowhealth professionals worldwide toadminister the right drugs at the righttime and stem the rise in resistance toantibiotics.

Researchers seeking the Prize will beinvited to make submissions in theautumn.

For further information, refer to the link:www.longitudeprize.org

Harrison H4

Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

BremontBoeingModel 1watch

Features


Natural developments are beingbuilt upon to createmanufacturing technologies too,leading to the development ofan interdisciplinary discipline,dubbed ‘Bio-mechatronics.’

Bio-mechatronics bringstogether mechanics, electronics,robotics and biologicalorganisms. The most commonlyrecognised bio-mechatronicdevices are the exoskeletons,which are being developed asmedical devices to enhance thequality of life of people sufferingfrom disabilities. In nature,exoskeletons are outer shellsprotecting insects likegrasshoppers or crustaceanslike lobsters. In the case ofhumans they offer mobility andindependence to people withspinal cord injuries who areparalysed from the waist down,while also protecting immobileparts of the body fromdeteriorating over time.

Exoskeletons have moved frommedicine to manufacturing,making their way into factories,helping workers involved inrepetitive and heavy liftingprocedures and enabling heavytools to be moved as if theywere weightless when riveting,

Bio-mechatronicsbrings togethermechanics,

electronics, roboticsand biologicalorganisms

Biomechatronics:

Exoskeleton human universal load carrier

Bionic Learning Network Marecki running exoskeleton

natureResearchers and industries are increasingly learning from

nature, using a process known as “biomimetics” todevelop commercial applications that mimic what they

have discovered. Examples include the leaf of the lotusplant, which has a surface that water droplets simply roll

off. The lotus leaf’s ability has been copied to createhydrophobic coatings that can be used in the aerospace

sector to prevent ice droplets building up on aircraft whilethey are flying.

Festo Bionic Handling Assistant

The lotus leaf’s ability has been copied to create hydrophobic coatings that can be used in aerospace


Features

17

drilling, grinding, soldering,assembly and welding.

Mechatronic exoskeletons –exoskeletons with controlsystems - have yet to make theirway into manufacturing,although the PerceptualRobotics Laboratory (PERCRO)in Italy has developed anexoskeleton that providessuperhuman performance. The‘Body Extender’ can lift a panel,rotate it and move it so that itreaches the right position, whichis ideal when assemblingcomplex parts where flexibilityand strength is necessary.

Alongside this, the exoskeletoncan be utilised under otherconditions, such as crisisscenarios, where there is a needfor the machine to carry andrescue victims in extremeconditions. Incorporating electricmotors to activate 22 points ofmovement, this exoskeleton canmake the same intricatemovement as a human, but canapply forces 10 times greaterthan its operator, lifting weightsof 110lbs in its hands andthrowing heavy items furtherthan its operator could achieve.Similar exoskeletons have beendeveloped in the military anddefence sectors by companiessuch as Lockheed Martin andRaytheon.

In addition to developingexoskeletons that mimic human

movement, a number ofcompanies and researchorganisations are looking atusing advanced manufacturingdevices based on animalbiology.

One of the best examples of thisadaptive biological engineeringis the Bionic Learning Network; acollaboration between theFraunhofer Institute forManufacturing Engineering andAutomation (IPA), Festo Ltd andother research institutes anddevelopment companies, tolearn from nature and investigatehow to apply these mechanisms

to product design anddevelopment for industrialpractice. By merging theprinciples of mechanical,computer, electrical andindustrial engineering, they havedeveloped a range of productsthat address challenges forfactory and process automation.

The Bionic Handling Assistant isan example inspired by anelephant’s trunk. All of theelephant’s natural movementswere translated into mechanicalparts with motion sensors tocontrol and monitor the system.Fabricated using additivemanufacturing technology, therobot consists of adaptivegrippers that are flexible and canhold, move and position goodsof various shapes and texturesincluding delicate parts as well

as control processes. Themovable handling system hasbeen designed to interact withhumans (human-machinecooperation) via speech andimage recognition, in order tocreate a hazard free environmentand avoid collisions.

There is potential for thistechnology to be used incomplex factory floor assemblylines, where grippers arerequired to handle objects ofvarious shapes, sizes andtextures. Alternatively, thehandling system can be used asa ‘third arm’ or a real assistant.

As demonstrated, the world ofengineering can learn fromnature by understanding howbiological systems adapt to theirenvironment and apply thesemechanisms to industrial use.

By examining naturalphenomena, there is potential forfactory based robots to beoptimised in performance andthe opportunity to develop thenext generation products usingthese principles.

PERCRO 'Body Extender'exoskeleton

Festo AquaPenguinExoskeleton

Festo SmartBird


Features

The team, from the University of Sheffield AdvancedManufacturing Research Centre(AMRC) with Boeing, has beencarrying out in depth researchinto a technique known asparallel - or simultaneous –machining.

Members of the ProcessTechnology Group’s, MachiningDynamics Technology Teamfound that using two tools onopposite sides of a workpiece atthe same time, reduced cycletimes and offered the potentialfor increased material removalrates when turning, milling andboring.

What’s more, choosing the rightprocess parameters, whilesharing and balancing the loadbetween the tools, increasedprocess capabilities. Thecapability increase is especiallyimportant for machining flexibleworkpieces which can be a verychallenging task if only onecutting tool is used. Forexample, parallel turning andboring make it possible tomachine long flexible shafts totight tolerances.

Similarly, parallel milling allowsthin walled parts to be made totight tolerances productively.

Conventional turning technologyuses a single tool, but at leastone leading UK-based globalmanufacturer is said to be usingparallel turning in production dueto the advantages it offers.

Tools with more than one cuttinginsert have been used in boringprocesses for some years, butthe AMRC researchers, led by Dr Erdem Ozturk, believe therehas been little technicaldevelopment in modelling andunderstanding the dynamics ofthe process.

Meanwhile, one machine tool

manufacturer – Mori Seiki – hasdeveloped what it describes as“pinch milling” technology formilling the top and bottom oflong, slender workpieces liketurbine blades.

Understanding the effects ofusing more than one tool hasbeen limited overall however,and, until the AMRC teamlaunched its research into thedynamics of parallel machining,what knowledge there was aboutset up, speeds, techniques andthe applicability of parallelmachining for different materialshad been based on trialand error.

Dr Ozturk and hiscolleagues, OmerOzkirimli, Thomas

Gibbons and Dr Sam Turner, setout to fill those gaps,researching, developing anddocumenting processingmethods using a number ofmaterials and demonstrating theproductivity benefits of parallelmachining.

They have also been creatingmodels that can be used tosimulate and optimiseprocessing methods andparameters, with the aim ofreplacing the largely trial anderror techniques that haveproliferated so far.

...offers productivity and quality boost says research team

PARALLEL MACHINING

Machining using two cutting tools at the same timemore than doubles productivity, while improvingquality and capability of processes, according toaward-winning researchers.

Closed loop dynamic interaction between cutting forces andchip thickness values on cutting tools

Illustration of parallel turning

Waves on the machined surface due to vibrations

Parallel machining process model

Parallel turning

Dr Ozturk says that oncecommercial organisations find agood working solution, they tendto stick with it, but a scientificapproach has shown it ispossible to increase productivityfurther.

While the team quotesimprovements in productivity ofat least 100 per cent for parallelturning, it has seenimprovements of 300 per cent inspecific cases.

The researchers’ studies ofparallel milling showed increasesin productivity of more than 150percent and, while investigationsof parallel boring are stillcontinuing, signs are thatpotential benefits will be similar

to the ones obtained with millingand turning. Using two inserts ina boring process providesadditional support to theworkpiece and reduces anytendency for the workpiece tobend along its length. In additionto machining the same surface,using one tool for roughing,while the other semi finishes theinside of the bore can reducecycle times.

Meanwhile, further research intoparallel turning and boring couldexpand both the range ofmaterials and the length ofworkpieces which can be turnedor bored out.

At the same time, the team islooking to collaborate with a

machine tool company ondeveloping the next generationof mill-turn platforms that will becapable of parallel milling. Thesemachines will have spindles withhigh torque and powercapabilities which can bothmove in three axes for moregeneral machining applications.

The team is also actively lookingfor funding to apply robotictechnology to solve issuescaused by the kinematicalconstraints of current parallelmilling machines. Robots arevery flexible in terms of theirkinematics and workingenvelope, making them suitablefor machining large parts. On theother hand, they are structurallymore flexible than machine tools,which can mean cutting forcescause excessive deformation ofthe tools. The development ofnew optical displacementsensors offers an opportunity to

develop adaptive techniques tocompensate for any deformationand allow parallel millingtechnology to be applied to largeflexible parts, using two robotsas milling platforms.

A poster (see above) designedby the Machining DynamicsTechnology Team to explain itswork on parallel machining wonfirst prize in a Royal Academy ofEngineering competition earlierthis year.

The team beat more than 20 finalists, showcasing cutting-edge research bypostgraduates and young stafffrom universities across theNorth of England.

E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)114 222 4786 www.namtec.co.uk 19

Features

Compositemachining

Left to right: Omer Ozkirimli &Dr Erdem Ozturk

...using twotools on opposite

sides of a workpiece atthe same time, reducedcycle times and offered

the potential forincreased materialremoval rates

Illustration of the process with 3 inserts

Parallel tools(2 tools) vssingle tool: with two toolschatter vibrations areavoided

Parallel milling experiment set-up

Parallel milling

Parallel boring

Company Support


The company soughtsupport from theCentre’s (NAMTEC)European Regional

Development Fund financedDirect Company SupportScheme after identifying inks thatare cured by ultra-violet light asthe next breakthrough in inktechnology.

UV-curable inkjet technology isreckoned to be the fastestgrowing technology in the wideformat digital printing market.

The technology can be used toproduce high quality images,faster and at lower costs,improving productivity, whilereducing waste.

It also avoids the environmentalimpact of using solvent-basedinks, since UV-curable inks drythe instant they are cured, with allthe material providing colourationand no evaporation.

UV-curable inks can also beprinted directly onto rigid

materials, eliminating the currentpractice of printing on a flexiblemedium and sticking that to arigid background, reducingwaste and increasing theopportunity for recycling.

The Direct Company SupportScheme financed key researchby Harriton Services, theLincolnshire-based materials andcommercial consultancy.

Harriton evaluated the latesttechnology that could be used tomake UV-curable ink dispersionsand whether DiamondDispersions’ existing premiseswould bear the load of a newproduction plant.

When their research called thatinto doubt, Harriton went on toexamine prospects forcontracting out production, withthe help of Bristol-based inksand coatings development,testing and evaluation specialistPSP Technical Services.

PSP established that dispersionscould be created from a range ofacrylates, examined colourdevelopment and concluded

there would be no potentialproblems when they wereprocessed to the standardsrequired for ink jet printers.

A range of UV dispersions iscurrently being tested byDiamond Dispersions and, aspart of the Direct CompanySupport assistance the companyreceived, PSP evaluated severalpotential acrylate suppliers,confirming that they could millcyan and magenta acrylates toachieve the level of viscosity anddispersion required.

Diamond Dispersions Director,Sue Wright, said: “The support ofNAMTEC has enabled us to takethe next step in our businessdevelopment and pursue withreal confidence newopportunities for growth.”

Case study

ERDF funding opens way for green printing technology breakthroughAn award-winning exporter of technologicallyadvanced materials for the printing industry istargeting new growth opportunities.

Diamond Dispersions makes concentratedpigments and dyes for hi-tech ink jet printers thatprint on everything from paper to textiles andceramics. “The

support ofNAMTEC has

enabled us to takethe next step in our businessdevelopment”

The company, from OxspringWire Mills, near Barnsley, makesspeciality wire products in arange of shapes, includingcomplex profiles made tocustomers’ specificrequirements.

Wintwire believes it can processmost malleable metals, includingcarbon, alloy and stainlesssteels, brass, copper and othernon-ferrous metals, such asaluminium, gold, silver andplatinum.

After growing steadily in recentyears, Wintwire has been facingan increasingly competitiveenvironment.

Despite good levels of machineryavailability, it recognised servicelevels and competitiveness werebeing undermined by productionerrors and the high quality costs,while capacity planning andscheduling problems were alsohitting its business.

Wintwire saw it had to increaseoperational effectiveness andefficiency, while ensuring highlevels of customer satisfaction ifit was to safeguard sales andgrow.

Now, with the help of consultantsBrook Corporate Developmentsand the National MetalsTechnology Centre’s EuropeanRegional Development FundedDirect Company SupportScheme, the company hasachieved just that.

“This project has made a realdifference to our efficiency andcompetitiveness and given us thereal potential to grow sales,”says Wintwire’s ManagingDirector, Marc Turner.

Brook worked with shop flooremployees and back-roomproduction staff to identify factorsaffecting the output of each ofWintwire’s machines.

The consultants developed amodel that enabled the firm tomake the right decisions aboutproduction routes, lead timesand how best to use staff time toguarantee customers get theproducts they need when theyneed them.

New routineshave allowedseniormanagement tomeasureperformance, throughto delivery, and develop aculture of continuousimprovement.

Lean techniques have helpedreduce work in progress andoptimise production, while newprocesses to manage machinedies, die life and refurbishmentare helping to control costs andmaintain maximum availability.New systems also ensure

Wintwire’s 24 employeesare fully aware

of KeyPerformance

Indicators, targetsand other information

underpinning the company’sstrategy and objectives.

Capacity planning and improvedefficiencies are enabling thebusiness to compete with lowercost rivals, safeguarding jobsand establishing firm foundationsfor increased sales, opening theway to the creation of new jobs.


Company Support

21

Case study

Wire manufacturerWintwire is targetinggrowth, following adetailed rethink ofproduction systemsand controls that hasenabled it to competewith lower cost rivals.

Wintwire targets growth

“This projecthas made a realdifference to ourefficiency and

competitiveness andgiven us the real

potential to grow sales”

Company Support


Case study

Cutting edge performance followsCompany Support projectInternational oil and gasdrilling industry supplierCutting & Wear hasmade significantimprovements to itsengineering anddelivery performance,with help fromconsultants DirectorResources.

Cutting & Wear employs 75people, making products rangingfrom hardfacing consumables tocomplete tool assemblies fordirectional drilling, used toexplore for oil and gas

As part of a move to a purpose-built facility in Ecclesfield, SouthYorkshire, the company decidedto seek ways to boostperformance and make the mostof new opportunities in itsmarkets.

Cutting & Wear sought advicefrom Director Resources withbacking from the European

Regional Development Fund-financed Direct CompanySupport Scheme, administeredby the National MetalsTechnology Centre (NAMTEC).

As a result, Cutting & Wear'sengineering efficiency has risenfrom 60 per cent to 80 per centand is continuing to improve.

The company has also improvedits record for fulfilling orders ontime and in full by 80 per centand has reduced theproportion of overdueorders to just threeper cent.

“Director Resources hasprovided us with systems andenthusiasm to visualise where wewanted to go, along with thetools and techniques to getthere,” said Cutting & Wear’smanaging director, Mark Russell.

“Since the project started, wecan clearly see real change andhave a plan and an appetite tosucceed.”

A series of developmentworkshops, led by Director

Resources ManagingDirector, Dave

Roberts, helpedCutting & Wear'ssenior directorsto develop theirvision for thecompany, and

introduce thestrategies needed

to achieve it.

Meanwhile, DirectorResources businessimprovement specialist PaulCook carried out a root andbranch review of manufacturingprocesses, based on LeanManufacturing principles.

As a result, Cutting & Wearinvested £50,000 in a majorupgrade of its Enterprise

Resource Planning software,which has led to greaterefficiency and improvedcustomer service.

Further improvements resultedfrom introducing 5S workplaceorganisation principles,combined with training.

Lean workshops involving multi-disciplinary groups have reducedwaste, improve processes, cutcosts and boosted customerservice.

In one part of Cutting & Wear'soperations, the workshopsdelivered record outputs whilealso reducing costs

Thanks to Director Resources'advice, Cutting & Wear hasachieved world classperformance standards that areset to boost Gross Value Added(GVA) by £1 million and createda culture of continuousimprovement that will sustain thecurrent business and safeguardthe jobs of its 75 employees.

“Cutting& Wear's

engineering efficiencyhas risen from

60% to 80% and iscontinuing toimprove”

Much of AML’s work involvesdeveloping low cost, advancedmachining solutions forprocessing hard metals liketitanium, nickel alloys and hardsteels.

Customers include global giantssuch as Boeing, Rolls-Royce,Bombardier and Siemens.

Rapid growth in aerospacecontracts resulted in AML, a spinout from the University ofSheffield’s AdvancedManufacturing Research Centre(AMRC), deciding to introduceformal quality managementsystems.

At the same time, the companywas being encouraged by onemajor client to secure thebenefits of taking part in theSupply Chains for the 21stCentury (SC21) improvementprogramme.

SC21 is an initiative led by ADS,the trade organisation for the UKaerospace, security, space anddefence industries, designed toincrease the performance ofsuppliers and their supplychains.

It aims to boost customerengagement, manufacturing andbusiness excellence, create a

culture of continuousimprovement and gain industryrecognition for companies thatgain the SC21 Award.

AML sought assistance for itsquality and improvement initiativefrom the National MetalsTechnology Centre's EuropeanRegional Development Fundfinanced Direct CompanySupport Scheme.

Backing from the Scheme led tospecialist consultant ICEPartnership being appointed tocoach AML through the SC21diagnostics so that in the next 12months AML can become one ofjust 160 of the 650 aspiringcompanies to have achieved anSC21 Award.

During the SC21 process AMLhas cut defects by 60 per centand boosted deliveryperformance – no meanachievement for a companywhose work involves makingprototypes for clients who canoften change product definitionsduring manufacturing.

External auditors praised AML forthe initiative it has taken to makein depth best practice part of thebusiness as a whole and notsimply production areas, SC21 isparticularly effective at definingwhat demanding customersexpect from an excellent supplier.

Thanks to its achievements,AML is experiencingsignificant growth, is set toincrease machining capacityby 40 per cent and plans tointroduce dedicatedproduction areas.


Company Support

23

Case study

An advanced manufacturer, making complexcomponents from challenging materials, is going forgrowth after meeting a tough, new quality challenge,cutting defects and boosting delivery performance.

Advanced Manufacturing (AML) specialises in usingadvanced machining techniques to make complexparts for research and development projects,prototypes and low volume products.

AML - Advanced manufacturerboosts business with quality andimprovement initiative

…in the next 12 months AML can

become one of just 160of the 650 aspiringcompanies to haveachieved an SC21

Award.

Event Reviews


Advances in Forging andForming Mid Yorkshire Golf Club,Pontefract20th March

New forging and formingtechnologies and advances insimulation could be the key tocombating increasing foreigncompetition from countries suchas Indian and China, according toleading experts in the field.

More than 50 delegates attendedthe daylong conference onAdvances in Forging and Forming,organised by NAMTEC.

They heard about some of thelatest technological advances andhow they could strengthen theUK’s position in the global market,making the country one of thetechnological leaders in the field.

Speakers included Dr MikeDickinson, from the AdvancedForming Research Centre (AFRC),Rolls-Royce/AFRC partnershipmanager Dr Steven Halliday andJames Farrar, from Wilde Analysis,the engineering simulation andnumerical modelling specialists.

Dr Dickinson, businessdevelopment manager at theUniversity of Strathclyde-basedAFRC, told delegates howcollaboration could help to driveinnovation forward.

Companies that wanted to remainat the forefront of the field neededto learn from competingtechnologies and experience withcompeting materials as well asfrom competing markets.

Instead of seeing them as a threat,they should be embraced asopportunities to grow.

Dr Dickinson cited rotary forgingas one example of a process thatoffered a number of importantadvantages, including shortercycle times, better mechanicalproperties and less waste ofmaterial, while using more costeffective tooling.

Although rotary forging technologyhad been developed, it was notbeing taken up by UKmanufacturers because it was lesswell understood and developedthan conventional technology.

The AFRC was currentlyinvestigating the technology,identifying potential uses andlooking at ways of bridging thegap between research andcommercialisation of thetechnology so that it could bemore widely used in industry.

Meanwhile, Dr Hallidayencouraged companies to engagewith top research centres like theAFRC and the AdvancedManufacturing Research Centre(AMRC) in South Yorkshire.

He told delegates thatenvironmental demands meantthat technological advancesneeded to be made to asubstantial number of componentsfor gas turbines, such ascompressor aerofoils and widechord fan blades, which wereeither forged or formed frommetals.

Dr Halliday outlined developmentsby Rolls-Royce to extend the life ofdies used in precision forging.

Rolls-Royce was studyingestablished forging techniques in a

scientific manner in order to fullyunderstand the challengesinvolved in the high volumeproduction of precision forgednickel aerofoils and the thermaland mechanical impact of theprocess on die life.

Wilde Analysis principal engineerfor process modelling, JamesFarrar, emphasised the integralrole of design and how design andsimulation at the early stages of aproject could cut manufacturingtime and costs later on.

Mr Farrar highlighted thecapabilities of engineeringsoftware such as DEFORM, theworld's most widely used analysissoftware for optimising bulk metal,glass and other non-metallic

forming, heat treatment andmachining processes.

The software could be used tomodel bulk forming techniquessuch as hot forging, cold forming,ring rolling, sheet forming,superplastic forming and drawingtechniques and allowed designersto take a more systematicapproach when investigatingsystems and processes as part ofa design of experiments exercise.

Delegates also had the opportunityto discuss how they couldcollaborate on the development offorging and forming techniquesand expand their networks.

Event Reviews

James Farrar, principal engineer forprocess modelling, Wilde Analysis


Event Reviews

25

Manufacturing 2050 AMRC IntegratedManufacturing GroupCentre, Rotherham10th April

Technologies being used anddeveloped today are set totransform the world ofmanufacturing, according toexperts from some of the leadingglobal engineering businesses.

Specialists from Boeing, BAESystems, Siemens, HexagonMetrology and Delcam wereamong the speakers at theManufacturing 2050 conference,which showcased advancedtechnologies being used in thefields of robotics, automation,vision systems and large volumemetrology.

The conference, hosted byNAMTEC and the AdvancedManufacturing Research Centre’s(AMRC) Integrated ManufacturingGroup (IMG) also marked thelaunch of the AMRC's latestdevelopment, Factory 2050.

Opening the conference, AMRCprojects director, JohnBaragwanath, OBE, outlined theAMRC's expertise and facilities andthe new capabilities which Factory2050 will offer to meet the futureneeds of aerospace and otherhigh value manufacturingindustries.

Facilities will include advancedrobotics, flexible automation and3D printing, using flexible,automated systems.

BAE Systems’ specialist engineerfor assembly development, JonCarberry, predicted a future thatencompassed human/robotic

collaboration, a fusion ofaugmented reality and virtualreality, smart textiles andmultiphysics simulations,combining different physicalmodels such as chemical kineticsand fluid dynamics.

Leading global supplier ofpneumatic and electronicautomation, Festo, displayed aclutch of mechatronic animals ithad developed. Despite initiallyappearing to be highlysophisticated toys, the penguin,fish, kangaroo and elephant's realpurpose was to demonstrate howautonomous bio-mechatronics,inspired by nature, could be usedin manufacturing.

Examples include a BionicHandling Assistant, inspired by anelephant's trunk and made usingadditive layer manufacturingtechniques, which can grip, moveand position products and controlprocesses.

Andrew Peters, divisional director

of drive technologies at Siemens,outlined the three industrialrevolutions which had alreadychanged the world.

Following on from the invention ofthe mechanical loom, thedevelopment of the conveyor beltand the creation of theprogrammable logic controller, theworld was now about toexperience the next IndustrialRevolution – the development of“cyber-physical systems,” whichwould see manufacturingchanging faster than ever before.

Boeing electronic systemsengineer Paul Davies broughtdelegates up to date on theaerospace giant's advancedrobotic technology, known asAugmented Reality, or AR.

AR has been hailed as a disruptivetechnology, combining computergraphics and machine vision thatcan help to reduce trainingrequirements and ease thecommunication of technically

complicated instructions, allowingproducts to be built faster and withfewer errors.

Chris Wilkinson, interim chieftechnology officer at Soil MachineDynamics, one of the world'sleading manufacturers of RemotelyOperated Vehicles (ROVs)designed for hazardousenvironments, outlined a futuristicvision of the world, dubbed“DIDO” - Data In Data Out.

In a DIDO world, data, rather thanproducts would be imported andexported by countries and theproducts the data described wouldbe made by local manufacturerswithout the need for rivets orbonding agents.

Other sessions sawrepresentatives of HexagonMetrology and Delcam discussingthe relevance of using inspectiontechniques ranging from nanoscale to in excess of 50 metresduring manufacturing, rather thanin the field and the need foradaptive machining, respectively.The day concluded with tours ofthe IMG and AMRC facilities.

IMG head of group Ben Morgansaid: “Attendees told me theyfound the Manufacturing 2050event thought provoking andinsightful.”

With a selection of presenters from various industries, it wasinteresting to see how suppliersand end users perceived the futureof manufacturing and what theyhope to see from the AMRCFactory 2050.

“The event has started discussionsamong both SMEs and currentpartners which bodes well forforthcoming work, collaborationand the future prospects of UKmanufacturing in general.”

AMRC Integrated Manufacturing Group facilities in Rotherham

Shop floor of the AMRC IntegratedManufacturing Group facility in Rotherham

Event Reviews and Upcoming Events


Latest Advances inArc Welding forIndustry Cedar Court, Wakefield14th May

Industry is facing major challengesin recruiting enough skilledwelders with appropriatequalifications and a wide enoughknowledge base to meet thedemands of modernmanufacturing.

That was the message fromexperts in arc welding and leadersin technology to delegatesattending a NAMTEC conferenceon the latest advances in arcwelding for industry.

Speakers included representativesfrom the Nuclear AdvancedManufacturing Research Centre(Nuclear AMRC), Rolls-Royce,joining technology research anddevelopment organisation TWI,ITW Welding Products andmechanised, automated, roboticand automatic welding systemsspecialist Polysoude.

Professor Steven Jones, Rolls-Royce’s global engineeringspecialist on fusion welding, tolddelegates challenges facing thesector included the availability ofskilled welders who were notsimply competent in their own field.

Rolls-Royce employed more than20 different manufacturingtechnologies on a range ofdifferent materials to make anengine and that meant it neededwelders with diverse skills andknowledge, including anunderstanding of quality, designand materials science.

Finding potential employees withthe right skills was made more

difficult because the UK had fallenshort when it came to delivering aqualification in high integrity andmaster welding that coveredmechanised and advancedwelding processes.

Prof Jones also stressed the needfor employers to boost the skills oftheir existing teams and give staffthe opportunity to keep learningand developing their welding skills

Keith Bridger from the NuclearAMRC also emphasised thechallenges of recruiting highintegrity welders and the need forthem to develop a “nuclear mindset,” if UK manufacturers were towin contracts from the nuclearsector.

Companies needed to know andunderstand the relevant codes,regulations, safety justificationsand quality systems used in thenuclear sector and for nuclearpressure vessels in particular.

All of this had to be set against abackground of achieving a failurerate of one in 10 million years.

Richard Pargeter, from TWI,focused on the importance ofunderstanding the effects ofwelding on the microstructure ofsteels and their properties.

He told delegates the weldingprocess involved a series ofthermal cycles, comprising rapidlocalised heating and cooling,which needed to be balanced toattain the desired properties.

High temperatures at the ‘fusionline’ – where the weld forms –created a coarse grain structurewhich reduced and became morerefined further away from thefusion line.

Rapid cooling, meanwhile, causeda hard microstructure to develop.

While a coarse grain structure wasundesirable because it resulted in

low toughness, material with ahard microstructure tended to bebrittle, which was why the high andlow heat inputs needed to bebalanced.

John Titmus, from ITW, and AlynHall, from Polysoude UK outlinedcurrent developments in weldingprocesses.

John Titmus discussed differentways of preparing edges to bewelded, including the use of V, Y, Xand U bevels and the increasingfocus on improving productivityand quality, while reducing thecost of welding.

Alyn Hall looked at Tungsten InertGas Electrically Reinforced – orTIGer – welding.

TIGer welding was not so much anew technology as a new process,offering higher deposition rates,whilst maintaining the weld qualityof a conventional TIG process.

First step tocomposites - not black magic AMRC Knowledge TransferCentre, Rotherham17th September 2014

NAMTEC and the AMRC’sComposite Centre, are hosting anevent to encourage companies toto consider how using composites

might impact and improve theirproducts.

Gathering leading experts in thefield, the day will see bothmultinationals and SMEs discussthe driving force behind viewingcomposites as opportunities ratherthan threats.

Topics will include cover designflexibility, technology transfer,implementation of compositesfrom traditional products,manufacturing lines and

machining techniques.

Places are FREE to members ofthe AMRC Forum and £30 fornon-members.

For more information visit:www.namtec.co.uk/events-and-networking

See back page for informationabout our 4th Annual Conference& Dinner

Upcoming Events

E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)114 222 4786 www.namtec.co.uk 27

Metals for AerospaceApplications

AMRC Training Centre, Rotherham5th August 2014

This course provides an introduction to theprincipal aerospace metals and theirapplications.

Duration: 1 day Price: £400

Advanced CNC TurningProgramme

AMRC Training Centre, Rotherham18th-21st August 2014

A four-day advanced course for CAMprogramming and production on CNCTurning Centres, and typical applications intoday’s modern engineering environment.


Apprentice Mentoring: Engineering the NextGeneration

AMRC Training Centre, Rotherham9th September 2014

This programme will provide anunderstanding of what is included within thementoring process for businesses employingapprentices. It will cover attributes required,the mentoring process and how to work withassessors.


Upcoming CoursesFor more information about all the upcoming courses at the AMRC Training Centre, visit: www.amrctraining.co.uk/courses-calendarEmail: [email protected] Telephone: 0114 222 9958

Training Courses

Upcoming Events


Thursday 16th October 2014

The Queens Hotel, Leeds

This year’s AMRC-NAMTEC conference will focuson advances in net shape manufacture.

Additive manufacturing processes have receivedintense media attention, but what are the realities ofnet and near-net shape manufacturing with metals? Does the technology live up to the hype?

The conference will look at the latest advances intraditional net shape manufacturing processes suchas casting and forging and forming, plus recentdevelopments in powder metallurgy techniques.

Experts from aerospace, power, oil & gas and othersectors will present the latest developments andindustry challenges in this fast-moving area.

The full line up will be available shortly.

Members of the AMRC Forum with MembershipPlus benefits, TIG members and AMRC & NuclearAMRC tier 1 & 2 partners are eligible for two freeplaces to both the conference anddinner. Competitive non-member rates andexhibition spaces are also available.

AMRC-NAMTEC Annual Conference & Dinner

2014

For more information and to book your place visit: www.namtec.co.uk/annual-conference-2014

Put this very important date in your diary!

amrc-namtec quarterly journal issue 10

Documents

engineers page

manufactured nature

parallel machining page

general news page

members news page

history of time page

wintwire targets growth

focuson technology