New centre gives boost to near net shape manufacturing

Actebular cup used for hip joint replacement manufactured by additive layer techniques (Image courtesy of Arcam AB)

New centre gives boost to near net shape manufacturing

A £10 million development centre, which aims to accelerate the deployment of a range of innovative near net shape powder-based manufacturing processes, has been created by the University of Sheffield's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, following dialogue with regional advanced manufacturing companies to understand their future needs.

The Mercury Centre is part financed by Europe, attracting over £5 million of investment from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as part of the support for the region's economic development through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme 2007-13. This European investment is enabling UK industry to secure a globally leading position by accessing faster time-to-market technologies across a range of sectors.

The Mercury Centre has acquired a series of equipment which will deliver cutting edge capabilities in a range of advanced manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing, functional coatings and surface treatment. These include:

• Additive layer manufacture of high value alloys based on an Arcam S12
• Functional 2.5D printing of electronics and biomaterials with Aerosol Jet Deposition
• Novel material processing via Spark Plasma Sintering for rapid development of new ceramics
• Metal Injection Moulding and sintering
• Electron beam processing for joining, surface treatment and building parts

These are supported by a range of state-of-the-art advanced materials characterisation techniques, and product/process design and simulation capabilities.

Near net shape manufacturing using these techniques allows components with complex geometries to be created directly from computer models offering benefits over traditional manufacturing processes including; rapid development times, fewer process steps, lower environmental impact and reduced cost, at the same time as providing improved product quality and increased design freedom.

Recent developments in the technologies now allow application across a wider range of industrial sectors and there is already significant interest from aerospace, motorsport, biomedical and electronics companies. These are now supported by the increasing availability of production-scale equipment and a range of bulk powder feed-stocks.

Like all new processing technologies, however, industrial deployment generally requires substantial development activity to identify the composition and processing conditions required for a new product or new application, and this is where the Mercury Centre comes in.

Iain Todd, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Director of the Mercury Centre, said: "We are helping companies to adopt these technologies by offering them access to our research facilities and the opportunity to explore the business benefits. We can provide a phased approach, beginning with an initial investigation of business needs and exploratory tests, through to long term-product or process optimisation. We can also offer a "no risk" proof of concept engagement to obtain preliminary data which can then be used in the development of subsequent funding applications."

There are a range of options for working with the Mercury Centre, from short-term contracted consultancy, through to knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs) and PhD studentships, or even large scale multi-partner projects. However, with all options the focus is very much on providing real benefits to the industrial partner. If you are interested in finding out how these technologies can help your company please the Centre Manager, Martin I Highett on 0114 2225981.

s: The Mercury Centre combines and builds upon the services offered to industry by the University's "Innovative Materials Processing Centre" (IMP-C) and "Sorby Nano Investigation Centre (SNIC)." on the Mercury Centre, visit the link below.

The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield is one of the largest in the UK. Its seven departments include over 3,000 students and 800 staff and have research-related income worth more than £40M per annum from government, industry and charity sources. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed that two thirds of the research carried out was either Internationally Excellent or Internationally Leading. The latest National Student Survey (NSS) shows our students to be some of the most satisfied in the country with 93 per cent of students satisfied and 91 per cent of graduates securing highlevel employment or further study places.
The Faculty of Engineering has a long tradition of working with industry including Rolls-Royce, Network Rail and Siemens. Its industrial successes are exemplified by the award-winning Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the new £25 million Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC). To find out more, visit the link below.

Materials research in Sheffield has an illustrious history. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering in its present guise was formed in 1987 is housed in the Sir Robert Hadfield Building on the St George´s site, adjacent to the other engineering departments. The department is internationally recognised for its world leading research in a range of research themes, including manufacturing, metals, ceramics, composites, nanostructured materials and biomaterials. , visit the link below.

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) was set up in 1975 to stimulate economic development in less prosperous regions of the European Union (EU) and to act as a significant instrument with which the EU can support its Cohesion Policy. As EU membership has grown, ERDF has developed into a major instrument for helping to redress regional imbalances. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) manages ERDF in England. Between 2007 and 2013, England benefits from an investment of EURO3.2 billion (approx £2.5Bn) of ERDF. It is delivered by regional programmes in each English region, managed by The Department for Communities and Local Government. In Yorkshire and The Humber the EU allocated EURO583m of ERDF to invest by 2013. ERDF is directed at projects offering substantial benefits which meet the needs of an area and would not take place without a grant. It is used to provide help towards the project costs with grants set at a minimum level required to allow the project to go ahead. As a general rule, however, the EU contributes no more than 50% of the eligible cost with the rest of the funding, known as "match funding" coming from other public sources. To find out more on the ERDF in Yorkshire and Humber, visit the link below.