103454SmartDrop– a connected digital additive manufacturing platformClosedCollaborative R&DISCFSmartDrop is a digitally connected additive manufacturing process capable of building up valuable products from a range of industrially useful materials. These include organic materials such as resins and adhesives and inorganic materials as used in cements and glazes. Archipelago's vision for this project is to move SmartDrop from the current MRL 3 to MRL 8 -- putting in place the capability for pilot level manufacture of product using SmartDrop systems. This will provide the foundation for a world-leading,UK centred manufacturing eco-system with significant employment opportunities at many centres in theUK. SmartDrop's key innovations are: The Powerdrop process. This combines (i) a high energy ejection process, with (ii) a short liquid feed path and (iii) a drum based geometry. Innovations (i) and (ii) enable jetting of liquids spanning a wide range of properties. Innovation (iii) enables rapid structure building as liquid feed to the nozzles occurs simultaneously with liquid ejection. Digital connectivity. SmartDrop is being developed with digital connectivity from the ground-up. There are three levels of feedback. Machine local, factory level for user monitoring and control and Super-level for data-driven support and remote updating. A wireless device shall be incorporated into each printhead to make it a 'smart' printhead to monitor operation and location. Flexible billing platform. The data link between the customer sites and SmartDrop will enable us to charge for different services in different ways. The programme objectives are: To create a fully operational Powerdrop-based additive manufacturing prototype system To place this system in a lead customer's UK factory and establish digital connectivity with SmartDrop headquarters To commission a manufacturing facility for making and supporting SmartDrop systems.