MAPP: EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub in Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sheffield
Department Name: Materials Science and Engineering
Abstract
Manufacture Using Advanced Powder Processes - MAPP
Conventional materials shaping and processing are hugely wasteful and energy intensive. Even with well-structured materials circulation strategies in place to recondition and recycle process scrap, the energy use, CO2 emitted and financial costs associated are ever more prohibitive and unacceptable. We can no longer accept the traditional paradigm of manufacturing where excess energy use and high levels of recycling / down cycling of expensive and resource intensive materials are viewed as inevitable and the norm and must move to a situation where 100% of the starting material is incorporated into engineering products with high confidence in the final critical properties.
MAPP's vision is to deliver on the promise of powder-based manufacturing processes to provide low energy, low cost, and low waste high value manufacturing route and products to secure UK manufacturing productivity and growth. MAPP will deliver on the promise of advanced powder processing technologies through creation of new, connected, intelligent, cyber-physical manufacturing environments to achieve 'right first time' product manufacture. Achieving our vision and realising the potential of these technologies will enable us to meet our societal goals of reducing energy consumption, materials use, and CO2 emissions, and our economic goals of increasing productivity, rebalancing the UK's economy, and driving economic growth and wealth creation.
We have developed a clear strategy with a collaborative and interdisciplinary research and innovation programme that focuses our collective efforts to deliver new understanding, actions and outcomes across the following themes:
1) Particulate science and innovation. Powders will become active and designed rather than passive elements in their processing. Control of surface state, surface chemistry, structure, bulk chemistry, morphologies and size will result in particles designed for process efficiency / reliability and product performance. Surface control will enable us to protect particles out of process and activate them within. Understanding the influence between particle attributes and processing will widen the limited palette of materials for both current and future manufacturing platforms.
2) Integrated process monitoring, modelling and control technologies. New approaches to powder processing will allow us to handle the inherent variability of particulates and their stochastic behaviours. Insights from advanced in-situ characterisation will enable the development of new monitoring technologies that assure quality, and coupled to modelling approaches allow optimisation and control. Data streaming and processing for adaptive and predictive real-time control will be integral in future manufacturing platforms increasing productivity and confidence.
3) Sustainable and future manufacturing technologies. Our approach will deliver certainty and integrity with final products at net or near net shape with reduced scrap, lower energy use, and lower CO2 emissions. Recoupling the materials science with the manufacturing science will allow us to realise the potential of current technologies and develop new home-grown manufacturing processes, to secure the prosperity of UK industry.
MAPP's focused and collaborative research agenda covers emerging powder based manufacturing technologies: spark plasma sintering (SPS), freeze casting, inkjet printing, layer-by-layer manufacture, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and laser, electron beam, and indirect additive manufacturing (AM). MAPP covers a wide range of engineering materials where powder processing has the clear potential to drive disruptive growth - including advanced ceramics, polymers, metals, with our initial applications in aerospace and energy sectors - but where common problems must be addressed.
Conventional materials shaping and processing are hugely wasteful and energy intensive. Even with well-structured materials circulation strategies in place to recondition and recycle process scrap, the energy use, CO2 emitted and financial costs associated are ever more prohibitive and unacceptable. We can no longer accept the traditional paradigm of manufacturing where excess energy use and high levels of recycling / down cycling of expensive and resource intensive materials are viewed as inevitable and the norm and must move to a situation where 100% of the starting material is incorporated into engineering products with high confidence in the final critical properties.
MAPP's vision is to deliver on the promise of powder-based manufacturing processes to provide low energy, low cost, and low waste high value manufacturing route and products to secure UK manufacturing productivity and growth. MAPP will deliver on the promise of advanced powder processing technologies through creation of new, connected, intelligent, cyber-physical manufacturing environments to achieve 'right first time' product manufacture. Achieving our vision and realising the potential of these technologies will enable us to meet our societal goals of reducing energy consumption, materials use, and CO2 emissions, and our economic goals of increasing productivity, rebalancing the UK's economy, and driving economic growth and wealth creation.
We have developed a clear strategy with a collaborative and interdisciplinary research and innovation programme that focuses our collective efforts to deliver new understanding, actions and outcomes across the following themes:
1) Particulate science and innovation. Powders will become active and designed rather than passive elements in their processing. Control of surface state, surface chemistry, structure, bulk chemistry, morphologies and size will result in particles designed for process efficiency / reliability and product performance. Surface control will enable us to protect particles out of process and activate them within. Understanding the influence between particle attributes and processing will widen the limited palette of materials for both current and future manufacturing platforms.
2) Integrated process monitoring, modelling and control technologies. New approaches to powder processing will allow us to handle the inherent variability of particulates and their stochastic behaviours. Insights from advanced in-situ characterisation will enable the development of new monitoring technologies that assure quality, and coupled to modelling approaches allow optimisation and control. Data streaming and processing for adaptive and predictive real-time control will be integral in future manufacturing platforms increasing productivity and confidence.
3) Sustainable and future manufacturing technologies. Our approach will deliver certainty and integrity with final products at net or near net shape with reduced scrap, lower energy use, and lower CO2 emissions. Recoupling the materials science with the manufacturing science will allow us to realise the potential of current technologies and develop new home-grown manufacturing processes, to secure the prosperity of UK industry.
MAPP's focused and collaborative research agenda covers emerging powder based manufacturing technologies: spark plasma sintering (SPS), freeze casting, inkjet printing, layer-by-layer manufacture, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and laser, electron beam, and indirect additive manufacturing (AM). MAPP covers a wide range of engineering materials where powder processing has the clear potential to drive disruptive growth - including advanced ceramics, polymers, metals, with our initial applications in aerospace and energy sectors - but where common problems must be addressed.
Planned Impact
The Impact of MAPP : The impact of research within MAPP will be on many fronts; technological, economic, on society and well-being and, through the people we train and the next generation we inspire, on the scientific and engineering workforce of the UK. We aim to deliver EPSRC impact across the full range of current themes: Resilient Nation, Productive Nation, Healthy Nation and Connected Nation through our work in developing the supply chain, a cyber-physical advanced powder manufacturing environment and in reducing waste and manufacturing costs. Specific impacts are projected to be:
Technological: MAPP will be instrumental in maintaining a leading and differentiated technology base within the UK, which is imperative to securing the future success of key industry sectors. Our vision - to deliver on the promise of advanced powder processes - will yield a number of impacts:
1. Achieving 'right first time' manufacturing in powder processes with new levels of process control reducing material waste, energy use and component rejection whilst assuring quality for the high value manufacturing sectors.
2. Develop smart production systems and through engineering manufacturing solutions for the factories of the future.
3. Develop new, homegrown manufacturing technologies for UK industry in an important and rapidly moving area, and one where homegrown developments have been sorely lacking.
Economic: MAPP will impact on broadly on the materials and manufacturing sector (15% of UK GDP) with applications from transport to energy. MAPP aims to help sustain the existing sector, by protecting their current market at the same time as generating growth in the existing market position, and to achieve growth in new markets through the development and application of novel manufacturing processes. In particular we envisage the following economic impacts:
1. Enable UK technology leadership in key global industries, by maintaining and growing a strong knowledge base in manufacturing to support our high value manufacturing sectors.
2. Reduce manufacturing costs via reduced energy use in process, reduced materials inputs, and new design freedoms that reduce component numbers and assembly operations.
3. Supporting the development of a complete and robust supply chain for UK industry in powder-based manufacturing.
Societal, Policy and People Impacts: MAPP will deliver a number of benefits in these areas:
1. Reduction in energy use (and CO2) in manufacturing of products and during lifetime
2. Have a positive impact on jobs and investment in the UK
3. Improve the health (reduced pollution) and wealth of the nation (jobs, economic growth).
4. Shape and contribute the national debate and development of strategies for UK manufacturing research and development with the community, funders and policy makers.
5. Train and nurture a new generation of manufacturing and engineering leaders.
Outreach: We seek to create an inclusive academic, research and industrial user community within MAPP, one that provides easy, supported and collaborative access to the facilities and research we will develop. Our community outreach activities are therefore designed to draw people into MAPP and establish a network of linked and complementary collaborative projects.
Public engagement: Our activities here are intended to contribute to the important narrative to increase the profile and prestige of manufacturing and engineering within the UK, which is critical to help address the nation's skills gap. We will develop our existing outreach activities with schools, including visits and talks, and producing videos such the Tomorrow's Engineers targeted at developing passion for engineering and physical sciences in teachers and school children.
Technological: MAPP will be instrumental in maintaining a leading and differentiated technology base within the UK, which is imperative to securing the future success of key industry sectors. Our vision - to deliver on the promise of advanced powder processes - will yield a number of impacts:
1. Achieving 'right first time' manufacturing in powder processes with new levels of process control reducing material waste, energy use and component rejection whilst assuring quality for the high value manufacturing sectors.
2. Develop smart production systems and through engineering manufacturing solutions for the factories of the future.
3. Develop new, homegrown manufacturing technologies for UK industry in an important and rapidly moving area, and one where homegrown developments have been sorely lacking.
Economic: MAPP will impact on broadly on the materials and manufacturing sector (15% of UK GDP) with applications from transport to energy. MAPP aims to help sustain the existing sector, by protecting their current market at the same time as generating growth in the existing market position, and to achieve growth in new markets through the development and application of novel manufacturing processes. In particular we envisage the following economic impacts:
1. Enable UK technology leadership in key global industries, by maintaining and growing a strong knowledge base in manufacturing to support our high value manufacturing sectors.
2. Reduce manufacturing costs via reduced energy use in process, reduced materials inputs, and new design freedoms that reduce component numbers and assembly operations.
3. Supporting the development of a complete and robust supply chain for UK industry in powder-based manufacturing.
Societal, Policy and People Impacts: MAPP will deliver a number of benefits in these areas:
1. Reduction in energy use (and CO2) in manufacturing of products and during lifetime
2. Have a positive impact on jobs and investment in the UK
3. Improve the health (reduced pollution) and wealth of the nation (jobs, economic growth).
4. Shape and contribute the national debate and development of strategies for UK manufacturing research and development with the community, funders and policy makers.
5. Train and nurture a new generation of manufacturing and engineering leaders.
Outreach: We seek to create an inclusive academic, research and industrial user community within MAPP, one that provides easy, supported and collaborative access to the facilities and research we will develop. Our community outreach activities are therefore designed to draw people into MAPP and establish a network of linked and complementary collaborative projects.
Public engagement: Our activities here are intended to contribute to the important narrative to increase the profile and prestige of manufacturing and engineering within the UK, which is critical to help address the nation's skills gap. We will develop our existing outreach activities with schools, including visits and talks, and producing videos such the Tomorrow's Engineers targeted at developing passion for engineering and physical sciences in teachers and school children.
Organisations
- University of Sheffield, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Lead Research Organisation, Project Partner)
- Oerlikon Group (Collaboration)
- Transition International Ltd (Collaboration)
- Aeromet International (Collaboration)
- LSN Diffusion Ltd (Collaboration)
- Granutools (Collaboration)
- Centre Modelling and Simulation (CFMS) (Collaboration)
- Freeman Technology (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Population Services International (Collaboration)
- Phoenix Materials Testing Ltd (Collaboration)
- Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Collaboration)
- Vienna University of Technology (Collaboration)
- European Space Agency, France (Collaboration)
- Diamond Light Source, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Melbourne, Australia (Collaboration)
- University of Nottingham (Collaboration)
- Retsch GmbH (Collaboration)
- Bentley Motors (Collaboration)
- Coventry University, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Autodesk (Collaboration)
- Braskema America Inc (Collaboration)
- GKN (Collaboration)
- Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) (Collaboration)
- Renishaw Plc, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- LPW Technology Ltd (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Insphere Ltd, Berkeley (Collaboration)
- University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Metalysis Ltd (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- University of Greenwich, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- US Navy (Collaboration)
- Xaar Plc (Collaboration)
- Johnson Matthey Plc (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Siemens AG, Germany (Collaboration)
- ArcelorMittal, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Carl Zeiss AG (Collaboration)
- Sandvik Osprey Ltd (Collaboration)
- Oxford Lasers Ltd, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Force Technology A/S (Collaboration)
- Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL) (Collaboration)
- Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) (Collaboration)
- Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) (Collaboration)
- Argonne National Laboratory, United States (Collaboration)
- Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research (Collaboration)
- RMIT University, Australia (Collaboration)
- Victoria Drop Forgings Co Ltd (Collaboration)
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxford (Collaboration)
- Atomising Systems (Collaboration)
- McLaren Group (Collaboration)
- Solar Turbines (Collaboration)
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (Collaboration)
- University of Queensland, Australia (Collaboration)
- Materialise UK Ltd (Collaboration)
- North East Automotive Alliance (Collaboration)
- De Beers Group (Collaboration)
- Tripal Group (Collaboration)
- Ford Motor Company, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- McMaster University, Canada (Collaboration)
- University of Warwick, United Kingdom (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Inovar Communications Ltd (Collaboration)
- BAE Systems (Collaboration)
- Lucideon (Collaboration)
- Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (Collaboration)
- Seco Tools (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- The Welding Institute (Collaboration)
- Reliance Precision Limited, Lepton, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (Collaboration)
- Knowledge Transfer Network, Cheltenham (Collaboration)
- University of Surrey, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Airbus Group (Collaboration)
- Rolls Royce Group Plc (Collaboration)
- HiETA Technologies Limited, Workingham, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Olympus (Collaboration)
- Oregon State University, United States (Collaboration)
- Morgan Advanced Materials (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Phoenix Scientific Industries (U K) Ltd (Project Partner)
- Manufacturing Technology Centre, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- The Weir Group plc, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- National Composites Centre, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Nuclear AMRC (Project Partner)
- GKN Aerospace Services Ltd, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Centre for Process Innovation Limited, Redcar, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH (Project Partner)
- Messier-Dowty Ltd, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Rolls-Royce plc, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- MAHER Limited, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Eastman Chemical Ltd (inc) (Project Partner)
- Element Six Ltd (UK), United Kingdom (Project Partner)
- Xaar Plc, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
Publications
Abrams KJ
(2019)
Making Sense of Complex Carbon and Metal/Carbon Systems by Secondary Electron Hyperspectral Imaging.
in Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
Ali H
(2018)
Processing Parameter Effects on Residual Stress and Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Melted Ti6Al4V
in Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance,
Ali H
(2018)
Residual stress development in selective laser-melted Ti6Al4V: a parametric thermal modelling approach
in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology
Ali H
(2018)
Effect of scanning strategies on residual stress and mechanical properties of Selective Laser Melted Ti6Al4V
in Materials Science and Engineering: A
Auger M
(2018)
Microstructural and mechanical characterisation of Fe-14Cr-0.22Hf alloy fabricated by spark plasma sintering
in Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Bajaj P
(2018)
Predictive process parameter selection for Selective Laser Melting Manufacturing: applications to high thermal conductivity alloys
in Additive Manufacturing (online)
Baraka A
(2019)
Long-term Learning for Type-2 Neural-Fuzzy Systems.
in Fuzzy Sets and Systems
Boone N
(2018)
Thermal near infrared monitoring system for electron beam melting with emissivity tracking
in Additive Manufacturing
Chen Y
(2019)
A biocompatible thermoset polymer binder for Direct Ink Writing of porous titanium scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
in Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications
Childerhouse T
(2019)
Near Net Shape Manufacture of Titanium Alloy Components from Powder and Wire: A Review of State-of-the-Art Process Routes
in Metals
| Description | 2020 Our interdisciplinary team of researchers from across the Hub, are developing new tools, insights and applications for advanced powder processing technologies. At the mid term point MAPP is a £20m research Hub, leveraging over £15m from industry, universities and other funding sources. We are strongly engaged with our industrial partners in aligned projects ranging from KTPs to collaborative R&D programmes supported by ATI and Innovate UK. Highlights include: - Novel process replicators at the Diamond synchrotron to probe advanced powder processes at high temporal and spatial resolution have uncovered new fundamental process understanding. These critical insights are feeding into our process models and metrology work. - High resolution thermal monitoring systems for manufacturing processes. - Machine learning and control researchers have developed data driven approaches to predict 'printability' in AM and worked with industry partners to solve issues of rapid defect identification and correction in AM systems. - Work on FAST (Field Assisted Sintering Technology) is deepening our understanding of process mechanisms, enabling optimisation and improved process control, with aligned projects taking forward this technology with UK supply chain partners. - New approaches to the additive manufacturing of multi-material ceramic components based on robocatsing. - The demonstration of Direct Area Melting (DAM) as a full prototype system. |
| Exploitation Route | We have a portfolio of aligned projects with commercial and catapult partners to developments to higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL), funded by industry, Innovate UK and Aerospace Technologies Institute (see Narrative Impact). |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| URL | http://www.mapp.ac.uk |
| Description | - £2.7m leverage from industry partners directed on programmes of work to take forward research findings from core Hub research - £10.7m of aligned projects (with a further £10m industry leverage) - 52 publications including Nature, Nature Communications and Acta Materiala - 93 presentations at conferences (58 keynote / invited) - 8 feasibility projects funding projects in UK universities - Engagement with industrial and academic communities via conferences (MAPP International, AAMS) and community building events (Town Hall meeting to look at EPSRC Hub and industry use of UK's Large Facilities). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and |