Development of new hybrid and digital technologies to complement existing manufacturing processes such as CVD and lithography in late-stage functional

Large glass products are manufactured around the world, including in the UK, using the float
glass technique and are shipped globally to be found in many sectors, such as automotive and
architectural. These are functionalised with nanoscale layer deposition techniques to create
antimicrobial, anti-reflection, or conductive surfaces before the glass is then formed into
curved shapes.
Current manufacturing of float glass and advanced coatings is highly efficient with
continuous production. However, it is extremely expensive for small batch orders and testing.
Thus, the research focuses on late-stage functional customisation of products, exploring
nanoscale precision direct-writing techniques, such as inkjet printing, needed for the
embedding of sensors, conductive tracks and interconnects and enabling the smart glass
materials of the future. Additionally, the reliability surrounding printing on curved surfaces
presents various challenges, such as the aerodynamic behaviour as the ink when printing. As
a result, an investigation into the printing on curved screens should be performed using the
unique high frame rate image capture capabilities in the Fluids in Advanced Manufacturing
research group to develop a better understand how the reproducibility could be improved for
use in industry.
The overarching hypothesis driving this PhD project is that new hybrid and digital
technologies are needed to complement existing manufacturing processes such as CVD and
lithography, to shape materials of the future, to deliver ultra-precision resolution, to ensure
the advanced functions survive, and to deliver the new methods that will help drive
sustainability. The work is also supported by the R&D Incubator at NSG Pilkington, world
leaders in innovating and manufacturing of glass across a range of architectural, automotive
and advanced technical sectors. A wide range of advanced simulation, formulation, fluid
flow, laser processing and analysis techniques are anticipated to be employed.