The Future Advanced Metrology Hub for Sustainable Manufacturing

Lead Research Organisation: University of Huddersfield
Department Name: Sch of Computing and Engineering

Abstract

The project aims to create a new Hub that will act as a national gateway for Advanced Metrology, engaging with UK industry to co-create and co-deliver frontier and innovative research and technologies, and with policy makers and scientific leaders, to drive future UK manufacturing excellence with a clear emphasis on sustainability. The Hub will have environmental and economic sustainability embedded throughout its programme, both in terms of prioritising industry challenges that the research will address, and within the operational delivery.

One of the largest challenges in improving sustainability in manufacturing is the availability of the actionable information that is essential to both improve existing processes to reduce waste, and to enable new processes and methods that significantly enhance resource efficiency through reduced energy usage, material reuse and recycling, and reduced transportation (as a result of supply-chain efficiency). By delivering a future where pervasive metrology systems sense, monitor and control manufacturing systems to self-optimise, we will realise the connected and autonomous systems critical for achieving net zero.

Delivering these advances requires the development of manufacturing systems that cannot be realised without a new integrated paradigm in metrology, embracing ultra-fast and compact sensors, distributed artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and autonomous prognostics control systems far beyond the current state-of-the-art. Hence, the Hub's research programme will be structured around three underpinning research themes to address three Key Research Objectives:

Create and apply new sensor technologies incorporating nanophotonics/quantum sensing principles combined with photonic edge computing to realise high-precision ultra-fast, ultra-compact, and low-cost sensors/instruments within smart manufacturing processes and systems.
Create and apply new resilient and interpretable metrology aimed at capturing actionable information for sustainable manufacturing.
Unify whole system autonomous control for sustainability in manufacturing machinery systems, which optimises process, energy use and resource efficiency in complex systems at the design state and through life.
When combined, these objectives will deliver universal 'measurement/analysis/control' solutions for early adoption to address sustainable manufacturing challenges. Five priority areas have been identified to demonstrate new metrology technologies and methods; sustainable and connected machinery, zero carbon transport, clean energy systems, semiconductors, and manufacturing reuse. The programme will develop and demonstrate new metrology technologies and methods with clear applications in these sectors. This will be achieved working closely with metrology equipment/software/service providers, manufacturing systems providers, and with manufacturing end-users, supported closely by partners across the UK Catapult network and national and international standardisation bodies.

The Hub comprises a substantial consortium, led by the Centre for Precision Technologies at Huddersfield. Initial research spokes will be based at Heriot-Watt, Oxford, Queens (Belfast) and Southampton universities, with Innovation Spokes at The Manufacturing Technologies Centre (MTC) and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), and a hybrid Research/Innovation Spoke at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Over 25 industrial partners were involved in co-creating the Hub and will be working with the research team to support, delivery and accelerate commercialisation of research outcomes via sponsored research projects, knowledge exchange, technology transfer (IP licensing and spin-out), and training/skills development.

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