EPSRC Fellowship in Manufacturing: Controlling Geometrical Variability of Products for Manufacturing

This fellowship will create a academic team to lead a new research theme dedicated to manufacturing the future. It focuses research on geometrical product specification and verification (GPS) systems to control geometrical variability in manufactured products that facilitate emerging industrial requirements in 21st century. For example, geometrical products used in: next generation freeform optics, interfaces in fluid-dynamics (energy-efficient jet engines, aircraft fuselages and wings), long life human-joint implants, microelectronics and MEMS/NEMS devices in nanotechnology applications. The UK frontier industry is seeking next generation of products having much higher functional capabilities with much lower manufacturing costs. This is driving manufactured products to have more integrated properties but more complex geometries. Without the tools to specify, optimise and verify the allowable geometrical variability, the ability to manufacture complex geometries is not possible.

This Fellowship is to explore the mathematical fundaments for the decomposition of geometry (i.e. size, shape and texture) and create ground-breaking technology to control geometrical variability in manufactured products. The novel approach is to link fundamental geometrical mathematics direct to key component's design, manufacturing and verification from different industrial sectors (i.e. aerospace, optics, healthcare and catapult centre). In this case, the different types of geometrical decompositions (at the ultimate causation level via information content) to specified geometrical surface requirements (spectrum, morphological and segmentation decompositions). This fellowship attempts to establish this emerging new theme that has never happened before, that requires sophisticated industrial manufacturing skills with in depth fundamental academic knowledge.

In practice no surface is manufactured perfectly: there is always some variability in the surface. Tolerance zones only control the size of this variability and not its shape. The approach proposed for the Fellowship is to break up (decompose) the surface variability, for each of the symmetry classes, to enable the shape to be controlled. The challenge is to produce a complete range of geometrical decompositions (together with the associated theory and practical algorithms) that will solve the mathematical grand challenge. For example contact (mechanical, electrical, thermal, etc.) requires the surface envelope to be decomposed. Other functions require decomposition into surface features ('hills and dales') at different scales. This system aims to provide the necessary mathematical foundations for a toolbox of techniques to characterise geometric variability: going far beyond simple tolerance zones as currently defined in national and international standards.

The eight letters of support from different sectors: Rolls-Royce, NPL (Engineering Measurement), NPL (Mathematics and Modeling), Taylor Hobson, British Standards Institute, Catapult - Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, UCL (Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital), Prifysgol Glyndwr (OPTIC) all highlight that there is an urgent need for the proposed technology from a point of view of wide UK industry.

0-5 years: the lifetime of the proposed Fellowship

The Fellowship will utilise three people for five years: namely the principle investigator (60%) and two research assistants (100%) and 3-5 PhD students sponsored by university and industries. Part of the principle investigator's task is to help train the researchers to successfully carry out the main research programme to the defined workplan, on time, and to cost. Showing all of them also how to manage risk and overcome the challenges that naturally arise in projects. These are skills essential for the future research careers of the research assistants.

The outcome of the research investigations will set up the holistic philosophy and methodology for this new research theme, and generate new knowledge taking the form of a toolkit of practical techniques to decompose geometrical perturbations, linked to surface geometry specification, manufacture, and function, and will include sampling strategies and algorithms to implement the toolkit. Four key case studies will be produced, illustrating the utility of the decomposition toolkit. These will lead industry to solve real problems for their complex geometrical products; demonstrating a saving in cost through improved product specification, less scrap and improved functionality.

3-6 years: ISO standardisation (through BSI)

The next stage is the standardisation of the fundamental toolbox of practical techniques. Within the British standards institute, the PI is convenor of committees TDW4/-/3. Here the results from the Fellowship will be made available for national standardisation, which will help UK industry have a priority to using it. Further, it can finally propose to be a new standard. Since these are for new concepts and can be published quickly for a wide range of industries to try out. Three years after publication technical specifications are reviewed and if found acceptable converted into full ISO standards.

The ISO domain experts will review the Fellowship results, the terms and concepts used and modify for industrial ease of use. They will also internationalise the terminology using wording that can be easily translated into many languages. During this period it is anticipated that there will be more case studies from both the original Fellowship team and also from the ISO domain experts as illustrative examples for the ISO document. Again these will solve real problems from industry; demonstrating a saving in cost through improved product specification, less scrap and improved functionality.

5-50 years: Testing and establishing the paradigm

Arising from the publication of the ISO technical specification it is expected that there will be knowledge transfer to companies that have needs and can see the potential benefit of the standardised toolbox. Training course in the use of the standardised toolbox will be developed for these individual companies. This initial stage industry will be testing the utility of the paradigm. Once the paradigm has been accepted by industry worldwide there will general training courses, books, and software packages available. Research into better specification of product function and using the toolkit will continue to add to the knowledge base. The economic impact will increase through cheaper products through reduced waste and more efficient manufacture and also higher quality greener products through increased functionality. Society will benefit through improved healthcare products, more efficient lighter engines (automotive, aerospace), less material in photonic devices, and cheaper consumer goods. It is anticipated that the benefiting industries will now include all industries that generate geometrical products.