Tools for the new generation

World-leading manufacturing for Hinkley Point and beyond

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EDF milestone

Sharing in Growth

Nnuman research

Bloodhound SSC

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European Regional Development Fund 2007-13

Investing in Your FutureEUROPEAN UNION

NuclearAMRCnews

EDF Energy and the UK government have agreed commercial terms for EDF’s proposed Hinkley Point C power station, a vital step towards a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK.

The long-awaited deal sets the financial structure for the long-term supply of low-carbon electricity from new reactors at Hinkley Point. EDF still has to make a final investment decision on the project.

“This is a significant milestone in the development of new nuclear power stations in the UK,” commented Mike Tynan, chief executive of the Nuclear AMRC. “Utilities, developers and investors need confidence in both long-term cost and revenue profiles for making a final investment decision, and I’m sure that this announcement will be welcomed by everyone involved in UK new nuclear build.

“The Nuclear AMRC looks forward to the Hinkley Point scheme moving forward with EDF Energy, and is already working closely with EDF and Areva to develop the UK supply chain.”

Both Areva and EDF are using the Nuclear AMRC’s Fit For Nuclear programme to identify potential suppliers of manufactured components. Fit For Nuclear lets companies measure their operations against the standards required to supply the nuclear industry, and take the necessary steps to improve their readiness.

The new deal guarantees a price for electricity from Hinkley Point C under the contract for difference mechanism, which also applies to windfarms and other low-carbon sources. The price is £92.50/MWh,

linked to the consumer price index. If EDF confirms that it will also build new capacity at Sizewell, that price is reduced to £89.50/MWh to reflect economies of scale.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) forecasts that electricity from Hinkley Point C will be competitive with future gas generation prices. The contract will last for 35 years from the date of commissioning, and will give EDF an estimated rate of return of around 10 per cent.

EDF also announced details of the investment consortium for Hinkley Point C. EDF Group will retain 45-50 per cent of the venture, with reactor provider Areva taking 10 per cent. Following the government’s go-ahead for Chinese investment in UK nuclear generation (see box), China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation will take a total 30-40 per cent stake. Other interested parties may take up to 15 per cent of the venture.

The consortium will invest around £16 billion in two EPRs at Hinkley Point, including £14 billion in construction costs. Around 57 per cent of the construction value could be spent in the UK, EDF says.

EDF confirmed that it has finalised terms with the four top-tier suppliers to the project: Bouygues TP/Laing O’Rourke for civil works; Costain for marine work; Alstom for turbines; and Areva for instrumentation and controls, the nuclear steam supply system and fuel.

Vincent de Rivaz, EDF Energy chief executive, said: “The project will kick start the UK nuclear programme and will help rebuild the nation’s industrial stamina. The progress so far on the project reflects the great skill and determination of a world class team which is ready to get to work and turn Hinkley Point C into a reality.”

The agreement was welcomed by the other UK new build groups.

“This is important in sustaining momentum behind the UK nuclear programme,” said Alan Raymant, chief operating officer for Horizon Nuclear Power. “We’re some way from our own price negotiations with government, but when we get to that stage we are confident we’ll reach a deal that’s fair for bill payers and works for investors.”

“This is an extremely important and symbolic milestone in the journey to delivering new nuclear power stations for the UK,” said Robert Zadora, executive director of NuGen. “It shows progress and commitment, and gives potential investors in UK new nuclear more clarity, and a welcomed boost.”

• Fit For Nuclear: namrc.co.uk/work-with-us/f4n

• UK new build plans: namrc.co.uk/intelligence/uk-new-build-plans

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First of a new generation: the proposed new reactors at Hinkley Point

Shovel-ready: preparing the ground for Hinkley Point C

EDF agreement ‘a significant milestone’ for new build

Much of the reaction to the agreement between EDF Energy and the UK government focused on the headline price that will be paid over the next 35 years – £92.50 per MWh, around twice the current wholesale price. How is such a price justified?

Proponents will claim that increasing demand for low-carbon electricity has to be met by a significant baseload generation technology, and that nuclear power is the obvious choice. High capital costs are offset by significantly lower costs for operation through the 60-year life of the stations – however the investment risk has to be paid for, and this is reflected in the price needed to attract that investment.

Opponents will say that uncertainties over ultimate waste disposal from the stations and decommissioning costs add an unacceptable cost burden to the consumer and that greater emphasis should be placed on other forms of renewable energy.

Ultimately, the domestic, industrial and commercial sectors of our economy demand electricity at the press of a button, irrespective of whether the sun shines or the wind blows. Given that over 40 per cent of the UK electricity generating capacity is currently met by coal-fired power stations, we will need to take tough decisions if we want to move to a low-carbon economy, stabilise electricity prices and secure our own supply of energy for the UK.

So, EDF will move forward to a final investment decision at Hinkley Point. Of the other new build groups, Horizon Nuclear Power needs Hitachi to take its Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) through the generic design assessment process, which could take four years. And NuGen will need to decide on which technology it will deploy at Moorside, Sellafield, before it can even apply for planning permission.

All of this means that we will not see a new nuclear power station generating electricity in the UK until sometime in the 2020s. And who will actually construct these stations? Commitments are being made by the developers to support UK manufacturers, but to what extent? Where will the high value components and fabrications be made?

New nuclear reactor technology for the UK is likely to be French, American or Japanese, so many people are questioning how much of these big infrastructure schemes will truly be “Made in Britain”. Our mission at the Nuclear AMRC is to maximise the involvement of UK manufacturers. We will do this through two major programmes: the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme that is now helping UK manufacturers increase their competence, capability and cost effectiveness to secure lucrative contracts at home and abroad; and our innovative industry-led advanced manufacturing R&D programme.

With the UK new build programme passing a major milestone, we are looking forward to playing an exciting role in a new era of civil nuclear power for the UK.

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The price of nuclear renaissance

Go-ahead for China investmentThe UK government has confirmed that Chinese companies can invest in nuclear power generation in Britain.

Chancellor George Osborne announced that Chinese companies can take a stake – including potential majority stakes – in UK nuclear new build consortia while visiting Taishan nuclear power station, a collaboration between EDF and the China General Nuclear Power Company.

“This is a significant and welcome investment announcement for the UK’s nuclear new build programme and supporting supply chain, which could lead to real export potential for UK manufacturers into China’s internal, fast-growing, multi-billion pound nuclear new build market,” commented Martin Ride, supply chain consultant at the Nuclear AMRC. “We welcome

the involvement of participating Chinese companies, and will work to develop relationships and interest in areas of manufacturing and business support which will lead to new opportunities for the UK.”

The announcement follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding on civil nuclear collaboration between the UK and China. The memorandum sets the strategic framework for collaboration on investment, technology, construction and expertise.

As well as supporting Chinese investment in the UK, the agreement will make sure that British companies such as Rolls-Royce, International Nuclear Services and engineering companies such as Mott MacDonald can be part of China’s multi-billion pound new nuclear programme.

The

Tynan View

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A year after its launch, the Nnuman research programme is investigating key areas of innovative nuclear manufacturing and analysing data from trials at the Nuclear AMRC.

Nnuman (New nuclear manufacturing) is a five year, £8 million collaboration between the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield, part-funded by EPSRC. The two universities are working with industrial partners on a series of research projects into innovative manufacturing technologies for the next generation of nuclear power.

The project now involves 32 post-doctoral researchers, technicians, academics and professional support staff, plus senior academics and industry secondees.

Highlights of the first year’s work are outlined below.

MachiningThe Nuclear AMRC machining team in Sheffield have been subjecting samples of 304L stainless steel to deliberate abuse, to better understand the effects of machining parameters on product performance. The samples have undergone detailed materials analysis at The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute. Initial results indicate that some of the residual stresses do not increase as the level of machining abuse increases, with surface damage apparently limited to a relatively shallow depth – in some cases, as little as 20 microns.

The Nnuman programme is also investigating improvements in deep hole drilling techniques, using the Nuclear AMRC’s TBT ML700 machine. The first stage of work focuses on drill tube stability – an initial project investigating the frequency response of the drill tube is now nearing completion. The next stage will apply high frequency assisted machining at the tool itself, with the aim of reducing cutting force and improving process reliability by breaking long swarf into short discontinuous chips which are more easily evacuated and less likely to block the drill tube.

Near-net shape manufacturingNnuman is concentrating on the hot isostatic pressing (hipping) technique, which creates near-net shape components by pressing metal powder into the desired shape under very high pressures and temperatures.

In parallel with process development work at the Nuclear AMRC, the Manchester team is looking at the nature and significance of defects in hipped structures. A three month trailblazer project is underway, to be followed by an in-depth study of the link between powder characteristics and component microstructure and performance, including analysis of environmental and irradiation effects.

WeldingNew 16kW laser robotic welding facilities have now been commissioned at The University of Manchester’s Manufacturing Technology Research Laboratory. Initial research will focus on thick-section narrow groove welding for SA508 Grade 3 Class 1 steel, a high-performance ferritic steel used in nuclear pressure vessels.

FuelsTwo trailblazer projects are underway to develop new materials for nuclear fuel pellets and cladding.

The University of Manchester is working with Mittweida University in Germany on novel brazing techniques for silicon carbide composites. This material could significantly improve the performance of light water reactor fuel cladding, especially in case of accidents, but problems in joining the material have limited its use.

The Manchester team is also investigating how composite ceramics can be used in fuel pellet composition to improve the trade-off between good fission gas retention and good thermal conductivity.

Future developmentThe Nnuman programme will continue for another four years, producing significant experimental data, interpretation and publications over a range of manufacturing technologies.

As the programme develops, the Nnuman consortium will build on a growing range of participants and collaborators from industry and academia. It will also call on the capabilities of some of the world’s most advanced nuclear research facilities, including The University of Manchester’s Dalton Cumbrian Facility (DCF) which officially opened in September. Research at the DCF focuses on the potentially damaging effects of radiation on a wide range of materials.

The most promising new processes will be developed towards production readiness in collaboration with the Nuclear AMRC and the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), ensuring that UK manufacturers can gain long-term benefits from the Nnuman research.

• www.dalton.manchester.ac.uk/nnuman

Nnuman marks first year of next-generation research

Collaboration for the next generation: Nnuman team members

Laser welding: new ways to join high performance alloys for nuclear components

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The first companies to secure long-term support from the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme are now starting their development projects.

The £76 million civil nuclear Sharing in Growth (CNSIG) programme aims to develop the UK manufacturing supply chain and help UK companies win work in nuclear programmes – including new build, operations and decommissioning – at home and overseas. It is part-funded by government through the Regional Growth Fund, and led by the Nuclear AMRC with support from Rolls-Royce and other industry leaders.

“Sharing in Growth is an innovative programme that will prepare the UK supply chain to win contracts in the national and international civil nuclear marketplace,” explains Mike Tynan, chief executive of the Nuclear AMRC. “It is a programme that will help create and sustain long-term capability in UK advanced manufacturing, and help build a new era of civil nuclear generating capacity in the UK.”

CNSIG includes a four-year programme of business development and training for the most promising manufacturers of mechanical equipment suitable for the civil nuclear sector. The support is tailored to the needs of the participating companies, and is worth around £1 million to each project.

The first successful companies from the first round of applications to CNSIG are now beginning to work with the Nuclear AMRC and Rolls-Royce (see below). All four are established suppliers to the civil nuclear sector, but are looking to further develop their capabilities.

“NES is an established supplier to the civil nuclear sector, but we are constantly looking to improve our efficiency and competitiveness in the market,” says Anthony Cundall, director of business development at NES. “We are also looking to develop stronger international opportunities. The support we will receive in the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme will take us to the next level and help us to compete globally.”

CNSIG is aimed at companies which are already strong contenders for nuclear work, but which can develop their capabilities for the global market, notes Jonathan Matthews, supplier development executive at Rolls-Royce.

“All these companies recognise that to compete globally, you need good people, processes and people allied to a nuclear culture, all of which will be supported through Sharing in Growth,” says Matthews, “Qualifying companies will have existing experience in nuclear or similar industries, a desire to grow and develop their market share in nuclear, and the ability to promote collaborative working.”

A second round of applications closed in October. Details of further participating companies will be announced in the new year.

• To find out more about the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme, visit: namrc.co.uk/work-with-us/sig

Nuclear manufacturers prepare to share in growth

Sharing in growth: the first fourGoodwin International – an established manufacturer of components for the civil nuclear industry, from primary pump casings to complete sub-assembled components. Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Goodwin has produced machined casings since 1883, and has ASME N-Stamp and NCA3800 certification as well as RCC-M approvals.

• www.goodwininternational.co.uk

NES Ltd – a provider of design, manufacture, test, commissioning, installation and training services for the nuclear decommissioning, defence and new build markets, based in Wolverhampton. With a history going back over 200 years, NES has worked on nuclear power stations since the 1960s.

• www.nes-limited.com

Tata Steel Projects – a leading provider of design, manufacture and construction services to a variety of industrial sectors, based in York. Part of the international Tata Steel group, it has 60 years’ experience supplying the nuclear industry with waste transport and spent fuel flasks.

• www.tatasteeleurope.com

Therco – a market-leading manufacturer of air-cooled and tubular heat exchangers, used in nuclear, coal and hydroelectric power stations worldwide. Based in Sheffield, Therco’s specialised machine shop is capable of producing heat exchangers up to 14 metres in length and 40 tonnes in weight.

• www.thercoheatexchangers.com

Research for growthAs well as long-term business development, the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme (CNSIG) is supporting industry-led research at the Nuclear AMRC.

The Nuclear AMRC and key industrial partners are already working on a series of projects under CNSIG, with support from the Regional Growth Fund. The research aims to make a significant improvement to manufacturing capabilities and help UK companies compete globally, and covers areas in welding, machining, assembly and cladding of civil nuclear components.

The programme is supporting research into innovative techniques for nuclear manufacturing such as hot isostatic pressing (hipping) and electron beam welding. The Nuclear AMRC has some of the largest and most advanced hipping and e-beam facilities of any research centre.

CNSIG-backed research is also exploring new ways to optimise factory layout and process flow for the large and complex components used across the nuclear industry.

• For more information about CNSIG-supported research, contact Dr Alan McLelland: a.mclelland@sheffield.ac.uk

Joined-up research: the Nuclear AMRC’s small electron beam welding chamber

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The latest machining centre to be installed in the Nuclear AMRC workshop is the first of its kind in Europe, and offers unique capabilities for making complex high-precision components for the energy and oil and gas industries.

The Mazak Orbitec 20 features a unique turning and facing headstock, capable of generating turned features while keeping the workpiece stationary. It is ideal for parts which are too large or awkwardly shaped for conventional turning machines, and can carry out high-precision four-sided machining in a single set up.

“It’s a unique capability for the production of parts with circular features which would be too long or heavy or out-of-balance to be done in a conventional horizontal lathe,” says Stuart Dawson, head of machining at the Nuclear AMRC. “It takes away problems caused by asymmetrical out-of-balance rotating parts, and clamping supposedly circular parts in three-jaw chucks.”

Mazak originally designed the Orbitec for a US customer serving the oil and gas market, and the technology is only now reaching the market. The Nuclear AMRC’s machine is currently the only one in Europe.

“It’s ideal for oil and gas parts, particularly long pipes with threaded or connector features on the end, because it removes the need to spin a very long pipe,” says Dawson. “It’s also particularly adept at pump and valve housings which have lots of circular or cylindrical features. Now we can do it all with an integrated CNC turning and facing head.”

Initial trials have shown that the Orbitec can also provide a dramatic improvement in surface finish. “Because the component is clamped very rigidly, we can take a much greater depth of cut,” Dawson explains. “It’s quicker, gives better process security and robustness, and better surface finish. We see huge numbers of oil and gas applications, from pump and valve bodies to risers to pipe connectors and choke valves.”

The Orbitec can carry out a range of specialist machining operations, including facing and phonographic finishing of flange surfaces; conical boring of taper holes; face and end milling; plus trepanning, threading, internal grooving, drilling and concave machining. Its rotary table takes a square 630mm pallet, with maximum load of 1500kg.

Like all the Nuclear AMRC’s resources – including state-of-the-art machining centres from Mori-Seiki, Starrag, TBT and Hermle – the Orbitec is available for collaborative research and process development projects with UK manufacturers. Key research areas include advanced machining techniques for large valve bodies and similar complex precision components, and on-machine inspection of thread forms.

• To find out more about the Orbitec and other machining capabilities, contact Stuart Dawson: s.dawson@namrc.co.uk

New machining centre brings unique capabilities

Inside the Orbitec: unique abilities for external and internal machining of circular features

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Work has begun to prepare the Nuclear AMRC workshop for its newest and largest machining centres. The two machines will be the biggest of their kind available for collaborative research anywhere in the world.

The machines – a purpose-built vertical turning lathe from Dörries Scharmann, and a Soraluce FX12000 floor-type milling and boring centre – will be used to produce large representative-sized parts for the nuclear industry and other high-value sectors.

The vertical turning lathe (VTL) will be capable of working on parts of up to five metres diameter and over three metres height. It will offer full milling and deep drilling capabilities, and is designed for the largest high-value components for the nuclear industry, including full-scale reactor internal parts. It is also ideal for machining offshore wind turbine shafts and the largest jet engine fan casings. The VTL is funded by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

The Soraluce will be capable of working on parts up to 12 metres in length and five metres diameter, and can complete five-sided machining of complex parts in a single set up. It will be used to develop and demonstrate advanced manufacturing processes for large pressure vessels, high-value reactor internals and offshore wind turbine hubs.

“The Soraluce and Dörries VTL are an absolutely unique resource,” says Nuclear AMRC machining head Stuart Dawson. “No other research centre anywhere in the world has the physical size or research capability of these machines, as far as we’re aware.”

Preparatory work to construct the foundations required for the huge new machines began in October. Creating the foundations will take around 20 weeks – while this could disrupt work in the rest of the Nuclear AMRC, careful planning and specialist contractors mean the workshop will be closed for just three weeks in November. The Soraluce will then take around 12 weeks to install, and the VTL 14 weeks.

“It is a real heavy engineering challenge,” Dawson notes. “But we will be the only research centre in the world with these capabilities and, from summer 2014, these very large machines will be available to manufacturers for collaborative projects.”

An innovative approach to machining features on large power plant vessels could potentially reduce costs by over 80 per cent, according to a study by Nuclear AMRC researchers.

The “process-to-part” approach uses portable robotic machine tools to carry out a range of operations on large and unwieldy components and assemblies. These tools are already used in industries such as aerospace, oil and gas, marine and wind energy, typically for machining features which do not require the highest levels of precision.

For large nuclear vessels, robotic machining can potentially be used to mill, drill and tap features such as weld preps, nozzle opening profiles, pipe/vessel facing and holes.

Josh Barnfather, a postgraduate researcher at the Nuclear AMRC, assessed the feasibility of the concept by reviewing the portable machining techniques used in other industries and benchmarking their performance across a range of measures.

He also used virtual reality simulations to investigate how robotic machine tools could be deployed in a factory. Their performance was compared with that of conventional machine tools, based on data from the Nuclear AMRC workshop.

Barnfather’s analysis showed that the cost of machining could be reduced by up to 88 per cent for a representative vessel, thanks largely to the lower cost of the robotic tools. For a typical vessel requiring around 1700 hours of feature machining,

this means a potential saving of almost £280,000. Machining time is longer, however, due to the lower metal removal rates of the robotic tools.

“This is a high-level analysis, but we are looking at more detailed studies on specific features to realise the conceptual benefits,” notes Barnfather. “It’s unlikely that robotics could completely replace machine tools because of the tolerances demanded by many components, but it does show the great potential for process-to-part machining to improve supplier competitiveness in the nuclear industry.”

• For more information, contact Josh Barnfather: j.barnfather@namrc.co.uk

Groundwork for giant new machines

Robotic machining offers major cost savings

Heavy engineering: virtual image of the Soraluce and Dörries VTL in the Nuclear AMRC workshop

Process to part: a robotic machine tool being developed at the Nuclear AMRC

Manufacturers can offer their staff a new introduction to the nuclear sector, developed in collaboration with industry experts and leading suppliers.

The Triple Bar Nuclear Manufacturing is a short course developed by the National Skills Academy Nuclear Manufacturing, a collaboration between the National Skills Academy for Nuclear, Semta and the Nuclear AMRC.

It is based on the established Triple Bar Existing Sites course, but tailored to the specific needs of the civil nuclear manufacturing supply chain.

“It’s aimed at people without a nuclear background,” explains Annette Valentine, Nuclear AMRC training and skills development manager. “It’s a good way for companies to help people get to a certain level of awareness of nuclear manufacturing, from which they can develop more specialised skills.”

The Triple Bar Nuclear Manufacturing has three modules – nuclear awareness, behaviours and quality assurance – which are based on the established courses

but customised for manufacturers. For example, the Existing Sites course focuses on what people need to know to have unescorted access to current nuclear sites, which is less relevant for people working in a manufacturing environment. The new Manufacturing course instead highlights nuclear quality and assurance issues, while embedding knowledge about the nuclear industry and its required behaviours into the manufacturing supply chain.

“Nuclear quality and safety are absolutely fundamental to the manufacture of components,” Valentine notes.

The course has been developed in collaboration with established nuclear manufacturers, including Rolls-Royce and NES Ltd. Training will be delivered by members of NSA Nuclear’s high quality provider network, including the AMRC Training Centre.

• For more information, contact Dawn Vinall at NSA Nuclear Manufacturing: d.vinall@nuclear.nsacademy.co.uk

The new AMRC Training Centre has welcomed its first class of 150 advanced apprentices.

The apprentices come from a wide range of manufacturers with operations in the Sheffield city region, including Nuclear AMRC members Tata Steel, Rolls-Royce, Sheffield Forgemasters, Newburgh Engineering and Nikken, and from the AMRC group itself.

Aged from 16 up, the apprentices will spend a year learning fundamental skills at the Training Centre before completing their apprenticeships at their employers.

Their first term will be spent in training workshops on the AMRC campus. The Training Centre’s

dedicated building, a 5,500 sq m building located alongside the Advanced Manufacturing Park, will open its doors in the new year.

The AMRC Training Centre, supported by the Regional Growth Fund and European Regional Development Fund, provides training in the practical and academic skills that manufacturing companies need to compete globally. As well as apprenticeships, it links with both Sheffield universities for higher-level education up to doctorate and MBA level, and offers a range of courses for continuing professional development.

• To find out more about the AMRC Training Centre, go to: www.amrctraining.co.uk

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Triple Bar sets new skills standard

AMRC Training Centre welcomes first intake

AMRC expands into castings technologyNuclear AMRC partners can now access state-of-the-art castings expertise, as Castings Technology International (CTI) joins the University of Sheffield AMRC.

AMRC acquired CTI’s buildings and assets, including ongoing research work, commercial contracts and consultancy, in August. The acquisition allows the AMRC’s world-leading research centres to offer state-of-the-art castings technologies to their industrial partners, adding breadth and depth to the group’s collaborative research capabilities.

CTI is a world-leading provider of technology, expertise and services to the cast metals sector, providing a wide range of contract R&D services to manufacturers around the world.

• www.castingsdev.com

Faces of the future: new apprentices at the AMRC Training Centre come from a wide range of companies

The Nuclear AMRC’s machining experts have handed over their finished Bloodhound components to the team building the world’s first 1000mph car.

The Nuclear AMRC produced seven large components for Bloodhound’s rear sub-frame, the assembly that holds the car’s rocket engine in place and provides vital stability. Each part had to be machined from a solid block of aerospace-grade aluminium, to precise specifications, with no room for mistakes.

The team spent around a year making the seven components, slotting the work in between commercial and research projects on some of the Nuclear AMRC’s most powerful machining centres.

The components were assembled for the first time in October. The assembly is now being integrated into the car at Bloodhound’s technical centre in Bristol.

“The work for Bloodhound has many of the key features of nuclear manufacturing, in terms of low-quantity, right-first-time machining,” says Stuart Dawson, head of machining at the Nuclear AMRC. “We used all the same manufacturing principles of de-risking the process, offline toolpath collision checking and simulation, and using low risk machining cycles. This wasn’t about maximising productivity, it was about not scrapping the part and making sure it was absolutely correct first time.”

The Bloodhound car will carry the Nuclear AMRC’s logo as it attempts to set new land speed records in South Africa in 2015-16, providing a global showcase

for the centre’s capabilities. The project also aims to enthuse a new generation about the excitement of engineering, a goal it shares with the AMRC group.

“It’s an inspirational project – as the tagline says, it’s an engineering adventure – and being associated with that helps us inspire the next generation of engineers,” Dawson notes.

The rear assembly includes the most complex and high-value machined part on the entire car, the diffuser floor, which will sit beneath Bloodhound’s hybrid rocket engine and provide the downward force to keep the car on the ground as it reaches 1000mph. Producing the floor, which features a complex lattice structure on one side and aerodynamically sculpted reverse, took 192 hours of machining on the Nuclear AMRC’s Hermle C60 five-axis mill-turn centre.

“We couldn’t have made life harder for Nuclear AMRC – one billet for each highly complex component and the team delivered them all right first time and to the most exacting standard,” says Conor La Grue of Bloodhound. “The Nuclear AMRC team have worked closely with the Bloodhound team to manufacture an assembly that represents one tenth of the car, and taking delivery has been a huge step towards getting the car rolled out.”

The final parts to be completed were the two structural side walls – 1.6 by 1 metre panels which were among the first finished components to be produced on the Nuclear AMRC’s new Starrag HEC1800 horizontal boring centre.

“The HEC performed faultlessly,” says production engineer Andrew Wright, who led the machining of the side walls. “We needed a large machine which was able to machine the face in a single setting. The indexing table allowed us to reach all the areas we had to machine holes in, without having to reset the part – we could just rotate the table to reach those faces.”

Wright used software from Nuclear AMRC member Edgecam to produce the side walls. “The accuracy of Edgecam’s toolpaths was vital in allowing us to achieve the extremely tight tolerances required,” he says. “The main concern when I started programming was that the part would distort and we’d struggle to maintain wall thicknesses. Fortunately, Edgecam’s roughing strategy and profiling cycles provided the solution.”

The AMRC group continues to produce vital components for the car. The AMRC with Boeing is currently producing the front suspension housing on its new Scharmann Ecospeed, a high-performance machining centre which is optimised for large aerospace-style structural parts.

• To see video of the diffuser floor machining, go to: namrc.co.uk/nuclear/bloodhound-diffuser

• For more information about Bloodhound SSC, visit: www.bloodhoundssc.com

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Nuclear AMRC completes Bloodhound machining

Main image: Nuclear AMRC NC programmer Mathew Challinor and Bloodhound’s Mark Elvin examine the completed rear sub-frame

Right: Bloodhound gang: Nuclear AMRC machining team with Bloodhound engineers

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Over 40 delegates from smaller manufacturing companies spent a day at the Nuclear AMRC, discovering how the technologies being developed at the centre can help their businesses become more competitive.

The Make it Smarter day in late September was aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the Yorkshire region which have not previously worked with the University of Sheffield AMRC.

The Nuclear AMRC, like the other centres in the AMRC cluster, is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and is committed to working with local SMEs to increase the wealth of its home region.

AMRC researchers and partners demonstrated the state of the art in machining, tooling, welding, robotics, metrology and virtual reality, and showed how companies can gain real business benefits by deploying these technologies in their own production.

For many, the scale and sophistication of the Nuclear AMRC’s facilities proved an eye-opener.

“It was like walking into a dream – I’ve never walked into a shop and seen an eight metre Mori Seiki and all these other machines,” says Ben Goodwin of BRG Developments, a small precision machining contractor based near York. “It was almost overwhelming and there was a lot to absorb all day, but I learned a lot, particularly from Sandvik’s tooling presentation.”

Soon after his visit, Goodwin received a new machining enquiry and immediately contacted AMRC business specialists about how he could approach the work in a smarter way. “I realised that the Nuclear AMRC is a resource we can work with,” he says.

As well as practical demonstrations, the day included presentations from senior AMRC directors on the challenges and opportunities facing UK manufacturers.

Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, executive dean of the University of Sheffield AMRC, discussed how the UK can increase manufacturing’s share of GDP from the current 12 per cent to a target 25 per cent.

“The only way to do that over the next 20 years is to make it smarter,” he said. “If you can reduce machining time by a factor of five, the Far East can’t compete with us.”

Early machining projects at the original AMRC with Boeing cut machining time by between five and 40 times, Ridgway noted. “From a machining point of view, we’re very competitive because we can make it smarter. We need competitiveness, and you get that competitiveness through the technology.”

Mike Tynan, chief executive of the Nuclear AMRC, introduced the opportunities for manufacturers of investment in new nuclear power stations, in the UK and worldwide. The UK government wants the developers of new reactors to place at least 60 per cent of their value with domestic suppliers.

“That is challenging for the UK supply chain,” Tynan noted. “It’s been 20 years since we’ve built a reactor here.” But the UK is fast developing its capabilities, with the Nuclear AMRC at its centre.

“The market that we operate in is a global market,” he said. “It’s often easy to forget that the opportunity for us is worldwide. You need to start to think what that means for the UK.”

• To find out more about how SMEs can work with AMRC, contact Shirley Harrison: s.harrison@amrc.co.uk

The Nuclear AMRC is supporting process innovation in the offshore wind industry through a new government-backed programme.

Grow:OffshoreWind offers a range of technical, market and funding support to manufacturers which can produce parts for offshore wind turbines and supporting infrastructure. The programme is led by Grant Thornton with support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service, industry group RenewableUK and the University of Sheffield AMRC, and funding from the Regional Growth Fund.

There are currently over 40 offshore wind projects proposed around the UK’s shores, with total investment estimated at up to £100 billion.

Companies looking to expand their manufacturing capabilities for this market can receive up to 50 per cent funding for process technology innovation projects. Qualifying projects can access the large-scale technology demonstration facilities at the Nuclear AMRC, as well as the facilities of the other centres in the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

• www.growoffshorewind.com

Innovation support for offshore wind

SMEs see how to make it smarter

Big resources for smaller businesses: delegates learn about electron beam welding at the Nuclear AMRC

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Sheffield-based Independent Forgings & Alloys (IFA) is launching a dedicated nuclear products division to provide value-added components to the civil and marine sectors.

The firm has provided open-die forgings to the UK nuclear industry since the 1950s, and has been closely tracking nuclear projects over the past three years, says chief executive Andy McGuinness.

“Following the recent UK government announcement to kickstart the new build programme at Hinkley Point C, we have already seen positive market interest and fresh enquiries from suppliers in UK and Europe who recognise our forging capabilities for the nuclear sector,” McGuinness notes.

The firm is now investing around £1.3 million to expand its production capabilities to meet the anticipated demand for specialist forgings for nuclear projects.

“We have three new forge furnaces going in, which will be able to handle larger diameter and longer components,” says Martin Burnham, director at IFA. “We’re also looking at expanding our CNC capabilities, so that we can go further up the supply chain than ever before. We want to go to the next stage so there’s more added value.”

IFA has supplied ring, bar and flat forgings for the nuclear sector since the early days of the Magnox programme. These have previously been machined by other contractors to create components such as reactor nozzles, heat exchangers, and bodies and components for pumps and valves. The new IFA Nuclear Products Division will seek to carry out more of the machining work in-house.

Equipment manufacturers in the civil nuclear industry are looking to streamline their supply chains, notes Simon Muter, business development manager, who is leading the new nuclear division alongside Burnham. The team also includes sales manager Simon Walker and accounts manager Tony Savile.

“The people who make reactor parts, pumps or valves or heat exchangers are looking at component suppliers to provide more added value in machined parts or in sub-assembly of component parts,” Muter says. “We’re in a good position to offer higher value forgings with machined features, but we recognise that we need to allocate bespoke resources to succeed in the nuclear sector. There’s a high burden on quality assurance and process controls, which means we have to dedicate resources to do that effectively.”

Forgings are vital for many high integrity nuclear applications, as they offer superior material properties to castings or machined bar stock. IFA can produce forgings up to eight tonnes in weight in a range of nuclear grade alloys, and has an array of nuclear industry approvals and qualifications. In late 2012, IFA was one of 25 UK manufacturers to sign memoranda of understanding with Areva to supply products and services for the proposed reactors at Hinkley Point C.

IFA was one of the first manufacturers to join the Nuclear AMRC as a Tier Two member, and among the first to complete the Fit For Nuclear assessment. The new division will be working with the Nuclear AMRC to develop its machining techniques, Burnham notes.

• www.independentforgings.com

Machine tool group Yamazaki Mazak and industrial gas supplier BOC are the latest companies to join the Nuclear AMRC.

Mazak is taking Tier One membership, giving it a seat on the Nuclear AMRC’s board. The company will work alongside the centre’s machining experts and partner companies to develop new machining processes to produce large and complex components for the power generation and oil and gas sectors.

“Our membership of the Nuclear AMRC offers us the opportunity to make a real contribution to helping UK manufacturers solve the machining problems associated with the power generation

sector,” says Alan Mucklow, group product manager Europe at Yamazaki Mazak. “Typically, the sector is machining large complex parts, many of which are not ideally suited to traditional machining methods.

“Modern machining technology, such as the Orbitec 20, enables a much safer and more efficient process. We look forward to working closely with the Nuclear AMRC and the power generation sector to help solve the manufacturing challenges the sector faces.”

As part of its membership, Mazak is providing an Orbitec machine plus training and support to the Nuclear AMRC (see p6).

BOC is joining as a Tier Two member. Part of the Linde Group, BOC is the UK’s leading supplier of industrial gases and related engineering services. It is an established supplier to the nuclear industry, working with all the UK’s existing fleet as well as decommissioning sites.

BOC will provide the Nuclear AMRC with speciality gases and technical expertise to support work in areas such as welding, hot isostatic pressing (hipping) and cryogenic machining.

• Mazak: www.mazak.eu

• BOC: www.boconline.co.uk

IFA forges ahead with new nuclear division

Mazak and BOC join Nuclear AMRC

Nuclear ambition: IFA’s Simon Walker, Martin Burnham, Andy McGuinness and Simon Muter

Contact us:

Tel: +44 (0)114 222 9900 Email: enquiries@namrc.co.uk Online: namrc.co.uk Twitter: @NuclearAMRC

Nuclear AMRC The University of Sheffield, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel Way, Rotherham S60 5WG

Manufacturing Technology Research Laboratory The University of Manchester, Sackville Street, Manchester M13 9PL

Technology Strategy BoardDriving Innovation

Supported by:

Tier 1 members:

Tier 2 members:

Nuclear AMRC news Q4 2013

Work with usThe Nuclear AMRC is here to support manufacturing companies, from global giants to SMEs, which are seriously interested in winning business in the nuclear sector. If we can help your company, we want to hear from you.

Our R&D capabilities, training courses and quality support programmes are open to all UK manufacturers.

We can collaborate on specific R&D projects, using our expertise and facilities to help resolve your manufacturing problems and give you real competitive advantage. Your company invests directly in the research and has exclusive access to any resulting intellectual property. We can also join or lead externally-funded collaborative research projects.

Full membership of the Nuclear AMRC gives access to our generic projects and the opportunity to

determine our research and support programmes. We are led by our member companies on a consortium basis: our members decide what we do, what our core research projects will be, and what skills and quality support we provide.

We offer two tiers of membership, based on the size and market position of your company. Our members include manufacturers from along the supply chain, plus specialist equipment and service providers.

To find out more about how we can help your business, contact Martin Ride: martin.ride@namrc.co.uk

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