Materials Innovation Nanotechnologies Experimentation (MINE)

Downtime from reactive and scheduled interventions associated with key production steps in the vital UK quarrying and aggregate recycling industries costs up to £1.2bn/yr in lost productivity. The effects of premature wear and blockages in hopper-fed systems for mechanical screening accounts for up to 5% of total operational costs, due to the harshness of the operational environment and abrasive, irregular nature of mineral resources and recyclate. Watts Urethane Products are the UK's second largest manufacturer of PU components and assemblies, and already have a presence in the quarrying and mining industry. Now they seek to establish the feasibility of an end-to-end material/design platform for extreme applications, through a novel manufacturing process to functionalise PU with high-performance nanomaterials (nPU). With potential for step change in control and performance of key part parameters, R&D initiates a framework to match PU and nanocomposition to user needs. The potential for unprecedented nPU customisation enables optimised wear life, function and cost-effectiveness, also targeting new insight for digital modelling to redefine the design of critical assemblies and operations in these demanding environments.