The Future Metrology Hub An EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub
Annual Report 2019–2020
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Welcome We continue to develop new optical metrology sensors and instruments, focussing on increasing measurement speed and the miniaturisation of devices. As these technologies develop, so too does the need for highly capable analysis and decision‑making software, and some of the significant progress we have made is described within this report.
Dear Friends, Welcome to the 2019/2020 Future Metrology Hub annual report. We have continued to build on our early successes and in this report you will be able to read about many exciting developments, including a new spin‑out company which will be a vehicle to commercialising some of our new technologies. It has been a strange year due to the worldwide pandemic and associated lockdown, which has inevitably caused some delays to research. We will be working harder than ever next year to catch up on projects and to support our industry partners to ensure that our research will bring long‑term benefit to them and help them to deal with the impact Covid‑19 is having on their business. Despite this, our core research programme continues to progress well with many of the research teams achieving significant technical breakthroughs.
Addressing these technical challenges is not something that can be attempted alone; the Hub is always working to build and maintain relationships with new partners and collaborators such as the network of High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centres, industry and other academic institutions. Growing this network of partners is a key aspect of our strategy to ensure maximum impact from the Future Metrology Hub project. One great example of this is the UK Metrology Research Roadmap which we have developed during this past year. Whilst a Hub led activity, this roadmap has had input from a wide group of our partners across industry, academia and the Catapult Centres. You can read more about the work within this report, and the Roadmap itself can be downloaded from our recently re-launched website (www.metrology.org.uk), I hope you find this report informative and that we will see you at future Hub events. Professor Dame Xiangqian (Jane) Jiang Hub Director
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EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hubs
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Hub Vision
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Key Achievements
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Why Metrology is Important
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Measuring Our Success
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Research Highlights
24 Innovation and Industry 34 Developing People 48 Hub Info
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EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hubs
The EPRSC Future Manufacturing Hubs exist to help manufacturing industries respond to future opportunities and drivers and contribute to a prosperous UK. There are currently thirteen Hubs: Future Manufacturing Hub in Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes University of Sheffield
Future Research Hub in Electrical Machines
Future Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation Research Hub University of Strathclyde
Future Metrology Hub University of Huddersfield
University of Sheffield
Future Composites Manufacturing Hub University of Nottingham
Future Vaccine Manufacturing Hub Imperial College London
Future Manufacturing Hub in Targeted Healthcare University College London
Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub University College London
Future Liquid Metal Engineering Hub Brunel University London
Strategic University Steel Technology and Innovation Network Manufacturing Hub University of Swansea
Future Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Hub Cardiff University
Future Photonics Hub University of Southampton
Future Biomanufacturing Research Hub University of Manchester
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Hub Vision The Future Metrology Hub aims to transform the UK’s manufacturing performance by delivering significant improvements in the speed, accuracy and cost of measurement. The vision is driven by the need to develop and deploy new and more effective measurement solutions and practice, and encompasses a wide range of disciplines and a mixture of fundamental and applied research.
‘‘Grand Challenge” research themes are focussed on the development of new technologies that will enable a step‑change in the application of embedded metrology solutions in the manufacture of high‑value geometric products, in readiness for deployment within autonomous manufacturing systems. This includes the development of new sensor/ instrument technologies across a range of scales that can deliver high speed, high accuracy and affordable real‑time measurement of product geometry (size, shape, form, surface texture), as well as new software/systems to resolve two key challenges;
a) the integration of metrology/verification into the design process and b) smart data analytics systems to accurately and efficiently extract and exploit large metrology data sets from multi‑scale sensor networks. Applied research programmes are running in parallel to underpin the Hub’s vision, stimulate new areas of research and support the progression of fundamental and early‑stage research towards industrial deployment.
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Key Achievements (to Aug 2020)
32 Keynote speeches
35 PhD and EngD starts across the consortium
£2.7 million worth of commercial projects and consultancy
245 Publications
£7.8 million leveraged Research Funding
150 interactions with companies
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Why Metrology is Important “ Metrology is the science of measurement and underpins all manufacturing technologies. If you cannot measure, then you cannot manufacture.” manufacture.
Access to metrology technology, high‑level skills and expertise are vital to the manufacturing sector and are key for the production of high quality, high value products and components. According to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), traditional product verification processes typically account for 10–20% of finished product costs and over £15 billion per year of costs in the UK alone. These processes rely on gathering and analysing accurate and timely evidence after manufacture, and which typically are the preserve of Quality Assurance departments. For established and emerging high‑value manufacturing sectors (for example aerospace, automotive, flexible electronics, bio‑engineering, optics) where precision is paramount, the development of new
metrology technologies and capabilities is critical to success and growth in the UK economy. In particular this applies to the trend towards in‑process metrology and continuous measurement which substantially reduces or removes the need for costly additional processes. In some areas and applications (for example optics, bio‑medical, additive), without the development of new instrument technologies and methods, it becomes impossible to manufacture economically because there is no effective way of measuring. Improved metrology technologies, in particular embedded metrology, becomes an enabler to these new products and can have a dramatic impact on product quality by reducing defects and scrap rates and increasing productivity.
“Over 60% of British Standards involve measurement or testing” “Between 1 to 5% of GDP is spent on measurement activities in industrialised nations” UK Measurement Strategy 2017
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According to a survey of measurement in industry carried out by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), which examined the use of measurement throughout the manufacturing lifecycle:
75%
80%
76%
95%
of companies take measurements during product design and development
of companies take measurements during the production process
of companies test bought components to ensure suppliers meet quality standards
of companies test that the final product meets quality standards
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Measuring Our Success 2019 – 2020
Active System Machining Solving accuracy problems in both the dynamic and path planning actions of serial robots. See Page 16
UK Metrology Research Roadmap Details the findings of our first roadmapping event which took place in early 2020. See Page 20
Research Highlights
New Sensor Technologies
Data Engineering
Developing new sensor technologies suitable for embedded metrology.
Using informatics‑based decisions to improve each stage of the manufacturing process.
See Page 14
See Page 18
AMPI
Gyrotricity
An industry led initiative to drive innovation for the UK’s advanced machinery manufacturers.
A new relationship to develop a sustainable, cost‑effective solution for fast charging electric vehicles.
See Page 28
See Page 32
Innovation and Industry
Digital Surf A new collaboration to develop new state‑of‑the‑art surface analysis solutions. See Page 26
Cubit Precision Measurement A new spin out to provide innovative in‑process metrology products for real-time surface precision measurement and characterisation. See Page 30
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92% would be proud to tell people they work at the Hub
QOWL Survey
Research Feasibility Call
A recent survey to assess the environment quality of working life in the Hub.
A recent call carried out in collaboration with three other EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hubs to fund new multidisciplinary research projects.
See Page 39
See Page 44
Developing People
Talented Students
Funding Success
Meet some of the new PhD students who have joined the Hub team.
New fellowships, grants and awards awarded to the Hub researchers.
See Page 36
See Page 40
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Research Highlights The Hub research programme comprises several work packages which each address individual challenges and can broadly be separated into three categories: Sensor development, Data analytics, and Metrology assisted manufacture. As the programme progresses, linkages between the categories will be developed into future work packages to deliver industry ready solutions.
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New Sensor Technologies for On-machine Metrology A team at the University of Huddersfield is working to develop new sensor technologies suitable for embedded metrology. On-machine metrology is advantageous as it allows measurement of surfaces in a manufacturing environment. Measurement in-situ is challenging and some applications with limited space require a small volume probe with remote interrogation apparatus. Dispersed Reference Interferometry (DRI) seeks to solve this problem and provide a high dynamic range probe in a small package which is capable of measurement rates of 5000 Hz or more.
With help from Dr Wenbin Zhong, a member of the ultra-precision manufacturing group, a prototype device has been installed on a Nanoform 250 single point diamond turning machine to carry out physical, on machine trials.
Dr James Williamson is working on reducing the size of the interrogation unit and Dr Wenhan Zeng is working to improve the signal processing speed and accuracy. This will lead to increased measurement rate and demonstrate increased stability through reduction in size and use of improved materials. Design, alignment and calibration have been carried out on a test bed in the Hub’s state-of-the-art optics lab at the University of Huddersfield.
On-machine measurement at 5000 Hz has been achieved and further work to verify new algorithms and calibrate the prototype instrument is continuing. Delivery of a device ready for industrial evaluation and testing is imminent. This research has generated significant interest from industry and is additionally supported by funding from the ProSurf EU 2020 project. In particular, Hub partner Renishaw has agreed to provide the use of their facilities and substantial expertise to help evaluate the metrological performance of the DRI in a range of application-specific contexts.
The aim is to assess the commercial potential for DRI and establish potential application areas. The refined second-generation DRI prototype, incorporating signal processing advances and reduced size will be delivered to Renishaw next year. After initial commissioning, the Renishaw technical team will evaluate the prototype instrument and feedback to the Huddersfield team on areas for further optimisation.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Active System Machining – Metrology embedded precision machining
Serial robotic arms are a highly flexible solution to the challenge of multi-axis machining in large volume spaces. However, this flexibility comes at the cost of reduced stiffness when compared to conventional machining systems and can lead to machining forces causing chatter and creating surface irregularities. Changes in pose of the robotic arm and moving the tool to another plane also affect the accuracy of the machining. This means that using the serial robot’s own internal control systems does not provide the level of accuracy necessary for precision machining.
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Professor Patrick Keogh leads a team of researchers at the University of Bath working to develop a system to solve accuracy problems in both the dynamic and path planning actions of serial robots. The team has adapted a laser tracking system to control the position of the robot which uses a reflector placed close to the machining head. By closely monitoring the actual position of the arm and comparing this to a nominal path generated by the robot’s control system, it is possible to map and compensate for motion errors to within 10 microns. To control the dynamic effected created by the high frequency of the machining process, an active system has been developed which can be attached to the machine tool. Accelerometers are used to measure accelerations in the X, Y, Z directions and the vibration signals are used in a feedback loop. These are then processed by a controller to activate the inertial actuators, minimising vibration.
The control strategy is based on H_infinity optimal synthesis in which model uncertainty is accounted for in the minimisation of a cost function that represents a metric for the machine tool vibration. Edge trimming trials have shown the control to be effective in eliminating machine tool chatter. With this active control system machining errors can be reduced by 90%. As work progresses on this project, the team aim to make the device retrofittable to existing robot arms and carry out trials in a real production environment. The technology developed in this project will enable serial robots to be used as machining tools, providing a cost‑effective option for manufacturing large volume, complex components in industries within, for example, aerospace and automotive sectors. The technology will also enable smaller manufacturing companies to operate competitively in these markets.
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Additional work is also being carried out on the positioning of multiple robots in relation to each other and collaboration between robots carrying out a range of tasks in the same manufacturing environment, for example cleaning around the item being manufactured. However, to cover the whole working volume of multiple robots, the system will become too complex for existing controllers to run in real‑time. To solve this problem, the team are investigating an AI approach to teach the robot to control different points in the working volume. This work will build on existing Hub research packages whilst also bringing in new partners.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Data Engineering Increases in the capability of embedded metrology technology such as integrated networks of sensors, bring with them new challenges in terms of data management and information extraction.
Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan leads a team of researchers at the University of Sheffield who are working with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) team led by Ben Morgan to develop a host of novel solutions. Building on the vision of Industry 4.0, this work aims to use informatics‑based decisions to improve each stage of the manufacturing process.
To develop the systems needed, rather than focussing on building the whole system, which would be a massive project in itself, the Sheffield team is building a set of case studies which can be used as exemplars of different aspects of informatics to support manufacturing decisions. The first case study has focussed on the production of a set of bearing housing parts at the AMRC facilities. Using a design of experiments process, the initial material conditions were set by varied heat treatment and then the part was manufactured using 19 separate processes.
For each of these processes, parameters such as feed‑rate and spindle speed were varied between artefacts, while features such as tool cutting force and vibration were continually monitored. In order to determine the impact of the variable processes, each part was subjected to intensive measurement of key features, using a variety of techniques such as CMM measurement for dimensionality or optical measurement for surface characterisation.
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The ultimate aim of this case study was to demonstrate that if a predictive model could be built using artificial intelligence and Bayesian methods, and the manufacturing processes were capable of consistent, repeatable and predictable performance, it would then be possible to create a data driven ‘Virtual CMM’. This would enable process parameters to be gathered to carry out a virtual inspection of the finished part, effectively eliminating the need for a time consuming and costly additional physical procedure.
High frequency analytics is still in its infancy. However, if this approach proves successful, it will be possible to monitor processes throughout all the manufacturing stages and predict what the outcomes will be. Ultimately, the faster you can process the data from each of the manufacturing stages, the earlier you can make decisions which impact on the final product quality. This in turn can lead to reduced waste with more parts being manufactured to conformance.
One of the key challenges faced throughout this process was the discrepancy between the large amount of high frequency data which was gathered during manufacturing and the low number of parts manufactured which yielded data points for validation. To overcome this challenge a combination of neural network, feature extraction and fuzzy logic approaches was applied.
Ben Morgan, AMRC
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This work fundamentally underpins several aspects of the Hub research programme. For instance, Professor Andrew Longstaff’s work on AI control of manufacturing systems relies heavily on the ability the process large amounts of disparate data in real time. In addition to the metrology applications that have risen from the ability to process real time data at higher frequencies, the advances made by the Sheffield team have the potential to impact on a wide range of fields.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
UK Metrology Research Roadmap The Hub recently published its UK Metrology Research Roadmap policy report detailing the findings of our first roadmapping event which took place in early 2020. The event was facilitated by the Institute for Manufacturing, based at the University of Cambridge, and held over a full day at Loughborough University. Taking part were delegates from across the Hub consortium along with representatives from the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HMVC) Centres, other Manufacturing Hubs, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and from across the UK Academic community. In total, 20 external organisations were represented. External delegates were invited based on their specialist knowledge or experience working in metrology research or in a related manufacturing field with unique metrology challenges. Much work has taken place recently around developing roadmaps for metrology, especially in the fields of advanced manufacturing and industry.
The HMVC Centres are currently working on a roadmap for UK manufacturing while a recent report published by HVMC investigated a systematic approach to integrated measurement and control for advanced manufacturing over a 10–year period. These exercises have generally covered the whole spectrum of metrology but have focussed on identifying the key challenges facing industry and the associated metrology applications and techniques which can be used to address them. To build on the existing body of work, the Hub decided to focus our roadmapping event very specifically on the research landscape to determine the best ways in which the research community, comprising of Academia, Industrial R&D and Policymakers and Funding Bodies, could meet the needs that have been previously identified.
Landscape This table opposite is a condensed version of the overall landscape which outlines the highest priority areas identified on the day. The landscape consists of: Trends & Drivers Goals for the development or refinement of new and existing technologies Research Themes The highest priority areas to focus research activities Capabilities & Enablers The practical and strategic resources which can be drawn upon to deliver the identified research programmes
Topics
Short term (1–2 yrs)
Medium term (3–5 yrs)
Long term (5–10 yrs)
Trends and drivers Global and National Trends & Drivers
Social/Technical/Political/ Environmental/Economic/ Legal (including sustainability)
Industry trends and drivers
Including market, technology & business trends & drivers, product and service programmes (Including Industrial Strategy)
Industry needs
Reduced waste and scrappage (Ind & Pol)
Understanding and improving tolerancing (Aca & Ind) Tracability (Aca & Ind)
In-process Metrology
Portable metrology (Ind)
Reduced lead times and cost, faster more efficient manufacturing processes (Ind & Pol)
Digital Metrology
In process measurement (Aca & Ind)
Embedded Sensors (Aca & Ind)
Metrology for Non-controlled Environments
New Science
Smart products processes and big data and analytics (Aca & Ind)
Modelling & Simulation (e.g. Digital Twin) (Aca & Ind)
Sensornets (Aca & Ind)
Machine Learning & AI (inc. Category Semantic Language) (Aca, Ind & Pol)
Other
Non contact measurement of light absorbing materials e.g. carbon fibre (Aca & Ind)
Quantum, Photonics etc.
Increased automation for global competitiveness (Ind & Pol)
Automation, metrology system for assisted machining and assembly (Aca & Ind)
Optical Technology (Aca & Ind)
XCT (Aca & Ind)
Other
Error Mapping and compensation of multi cooperating platforms (Aca & Ind) Research themes Technology
Product technology i.e. related to delivery of product functionalities
New Sensor Technology (e.g. Miniturisation, Low Cost, Uncontrolled Environments, Challenging Materials) Miniaturisation of devices
Materials Technology, e.g. Nano materials, Hybrid materials
Meta-materials measurement and photonic integration
Enabling technology
Portable metrology systems (in-situ analysis)
Production process technologies
In-process metrology system integration and calibration
Real Time Systems (Measurement, Uncertainty, Analytics) Adaptive control Artificial intelligence
Manufacturing
In-process measurement of surface/subsurface geometry and other characteristics
Process monitoring Automatic defect recognition (NDT) Design for Verification
Skills
True digital twin
System engineering/ integration competencies
Measurement system integration to machine (accuracy vs machine and in-process environment)
E.g. training, academiaindustry engagement
Skills and proficiency standard for metrology
Sensor integration into manufacturing process
Closed loop control from process inspection
Rapid 3D surface mapping for comparison at micron scale (Aca & Ind)
Real time error compensation during manufacturing (Aca & Ind)
Software tool to predict errors prior to manufacturing (Aca & Ind)
Real time metrology (Aca & Ind)
Capabilities and enablers Research capability
Skills
Infrastructure (e.g. Asset/ facility requirements, etc.
Infrastructure technology for AM GDT, design manufacture, metrology (Aca & Ind) Community education measurement/metrology (Aca, Ind & Pol) Accoustic NDT (Aca & Ind) High speed secure and robust communications networks (e.g. 5G) (Aca, Ind & Pol) AI and autonomous technology (Aca, Ind & Pol)
Metrology Community
Current Hub Consortium (Hub/Spokes, Feasibility Partners, NPL, HVM Catapult, Industry R&D,) including international collaboration
National and/or regional metrology centres (e.g. Hub, NPL, Metrology Institutes, HVM Catapults) (Aca & Pol) World class optical sensor research base (Aca, Ind & Pol) Technology developers working with metrology institutes (Aca, Ind & Pol) End users working with metrology institutes (Aca, Ind & Pol) World class data science research base (Aca, Ind & Pol)
Policy
Wider Metrology Community (New relationships required to enhance research and delivery performance)
Industrial partnerships and industry engagement (Aca, Ind & Pol)
Recommended changes to national policy, standards, incentives etc.
Engagement with ISO (and other national/ international organisations) (Aca & Pol)
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Key Themes and Messages Over the course of the event, several key themes and messages emerged which encapsulated multiple topics and covered broadly similar ideas across the prioritised research landscape. Highlights of these are given below and a more complete examination can be found in the full report, available on the Future Metrology Hub website. Metrology as an enabling technology Metrology has long been recognised as an enabling technology for engineering innovation, but this has generally been focussed on the ability to manufacture with greater degrees of accuracy and precision. Currently, significant interest is being paid to the potential for metrology to drive productivity improvements through reduced waste and scrappage and also as a key component of new technologies such as Additive Manufacture. Growing metrology skills gap Engineers and technicians rarely learn anything more than the most basic principles of metrology and it is only when they specialise that concepts such as repeatability, traceability and uncertainty are introduced. However, understand these concepts will be increasingly important as metrology becomes embedded throughout the manufacturing process.
Metrology as a fundamental aspect of simulation, and by extension the design process Using improved metrology to quantify all the variables in the manufacturing process unlocks the potential to accurately model and simulate the process from start to finish. This is fundamental to facilitating agile manufacture, optimally choosing the right machine and process within a set of given performance constraints. Companies engaged in the low volume/ one off manufacture of extremely high value components, where there is a need to get it ‘right first time’ will find this highly beneficial. Metrology as a key component of sustainable manufacture Sustainable manufacture is a topic of great interest to society however the impact that metrology can play is often overlooked. Improving metrology capability improves production efficiency which in terns leads to reduced energy and material costs.
Novel technologies or approaches necessary to create the next generation of sensors/systems Developing the next generation of metrology sensors and associated technologies is crucial to achieving true in-process metrology. This can be achieved by drawing on cutting edge research in the fields of physics, data science and artificial intelligence to create novel solutions to the challenges of developing rugged miniaturised sensors and real time decision making using significant quantities of data.
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KEY MESSAGES Policymakers Metrology is a crucial element of all scientific, manufacturing and industrial processes. Breakthroughs in these areas are often closely related to developments in metrology technology and techniques though the role of metrology is often significantly less visible. An increased ability to quantify and evaluate various aspects of the manufacturing process can help companies achieve significant gains in efficiency. However, developing and adopting new metrology technologies and techniques is capital intensive and few companies have access to world leading knowledge and expertise in the field. The true impact of the skills gap is not fully understood and could be significantly hampering the growth of high value manufacturing capacity in the UK. Meanwhile, the lack of a recognised framework for metrology training hampers both academia and industry in developing a strategic approach to addressing the skills gap.
Industry Industry can often be reluctant to move away from established technology and tends to “stick with what they know”. Meanwhile, translating novel approaches to metrology from lab based experiments into industry ready solutions is often as challenging as the fundamental science. Building strong links with academia should enable much more rapid access to cutting edge technology and yield a competitive advantage. The ability to accurately simulate and predict the outcome of machine/ workpiece interactions presents a substantial opportunity for manufacturers. Embracing this technology will enable more efficient, agile manufacture to reduce waste, cost and lead times. The degree to which gains in efficiency can be made is often limited by the metrology technology available within a company. Building links with the metrology community can help to identify more appropriate or more capable systems and techniques which could have wide ranging impacts across the whole production environment. The previous model of having a select few individuals, typically a QA department, trained in good metrology theory and practice will no longer be efficient or effective as in-process systems become more widespread. Knowledge and understanding of metrology will need to be a core element of a production/manufacturing engineer’s training.
Academia The field of metrology offers a wealth of opportunities to deploy novel science or technology into real world applications. Researchers in metrology should stay abreast of developments in scientific fields and actively recruit researchers from a diverse range of subjects by maintaining a broad network of connections. Developing true digital twin systems presents a significant challenge due to the vast number of processes, materials and environmental conditions which must be understood. Crucial to achieving this is the ability to gather real world data from a broad range of manufacturing environments. Universities must build strong partnerships with industry where both parties have a willingness to share data and have close interaction if this is to be possible. Training in good metrology practice is uncommon for undergraduate students. Typically, students and researchers are only trained in metrology when they encounter a specific issue. By incorporating metrology more broadly into the syllabus, graduates will gain a highly valuable skill and the pool of talent which the metrology community can draw upon to find talented researchers will be expanded.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Innovation and Industry A key priority, as the Hub’s research programme is maturing, is to make sure that research outputs are being applied to deliver meaningful industry impact. This is being achieved through a wide variety of activities including training courses, measurement services work, consultancy, collaborative R&D projects and the commercialisation of new intellectual property.
Because of the broad and underpinning nature of metrology, our research team work with a wide variety of industry partners from across many different sectors, and the following pages contain some examples of the work we have been doing with industry over the past year.
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Digital Surf New collaboration with market leading software company Digital Surf puts the Hub’s mathematics team on the MountainsMap®
Example of surface texture of an additive manufactured part
After many years of informal collaboration, including common membership of several ISO standards committees and Working Groups, researchers at Huddersfield have teamed up recently with Digital Surf to develop new state‑of‑the‑art surface analysis solutions. The Company, which has been developing software for over 30 years, is a market leader in surface analysis where it has a large and diverse user base of instrument manufacturers, manufacturing end‑users and research laboratories. The company delivers solutions based on its Mountains® software platform for profilometry (MountainsMap®), electron microscopy (MountainsSEM®) and scanning probe microscopy (MountainsSPIP®). The Huddersfield team and Digital Surf have both been pioneers in surface metrology, and active contributors at ISO committees for the last 20 years.
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The Huddersfield team’s research on freeform surfaces (using triangular mesh) has recently been published and is a landmark for the future of surface metrology. Digital Surf will enable this research, combined with the company’s own developments, to benefit a worldwide audience. The collaboration of the two expert teams is expected to create advanced and innovative metrology tools for the analysis of freeform surfaces. Use of these types of surface in engineering applications is growing alongside the emergence of new process technologies such as additive manufacturing. The collaboration is therefore critical for the next generation of metrology solutions.
A first phase of the collaboration, which started last year, allowed the company to provide plugins developed by Huddersfield researchers, to be used with MountainsMap®. Now, phase 2 will see a deeper collaboration of both teams, with a transfer of knowledge focused on surface parameters and form fitting for freeform surfaces. This will allow native calculations within MountainsMap® and better integration for users. The first outcome of this collaboration is expected to be integrated into MountainsMap® in the second half of 2021. Plans are already being discussed to develop a longer‑term research collaboration to address future challenges and opportunities. More information on Digital Surf and MountainsMap® can be found at www.digitalsurf.com and on the Hub’s freeform research output in the book Advanced Metrology – Freeform Surfaces. This book discusses methods able to handle the geometry of free‑form surfaces and bridge the knowledge gap between research and practical industrial applications.
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“We recognise Huddersfield’s continued world‑leading position in surface metrology research and the value that we, as a business, can gain from maintaining a close and mutually beneficial collaboration.” François Blateyron, Vice President, Research & Metrology, Digital Surf
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute Working with NPL and a West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester consortium to develop a major new Advanced Machinery initiative.
The Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute (AMPI) is an industry led initiative to drive innovation for the UK’s advanced machinery manufacturers. Its aim is to build economic growth through the design, development and manufacture of advanced intelligent machinery, robotics, and cooperative systems which are needed to make a step change in productivity and to support emerging sectors. Fundamental to the programme is embedded metrology and its critical role in the control of the next generation of machines. Centred around existing capabilities and research excellence across the North of England, AMPI will be a partnership between industry, local government, higher education institutions, further education colleges and NPL. A team from the Hub have been working closely with the consortium to build momentum for this initiative, which has successfully secured seed‑corn funding from the Government’s Strength in Places Fund to develop a full business case for AMPI.
With strong support from Local Enterprise Partnerships in West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, and a commitment from Rochdale Development Agency to build a landmark facility as a long‑term home for AMPI, plans are being developed for a series of research, innovation and skills development programmes. The Hub team, working closely with NPL and several of our industry partners, are heavily involved in designing these initial anchor projects, some of which will be ideal vehicles for accelerating impact from the Hub’s core research programme. The programme will also draw in expertise from research groups across the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, and Salford, expanding the Hub’s network of academic collaborations.
“AMPI is not about UK industry imitating machinery already available, it’s about working collaboratively to leapfrog current technologies. We want to develop the smart and connected machinery needed to manufacture a whole new generation of products that address industrial and societal challenges such as net‑zero carbon.” Professor Andrew Longstaff
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Artists impression.
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Cubit Precision Measurement Ltd A spin-out to provide innovative in-process metrology products and consultation services for real-time surface precision measurement and characterisation. Earlier this year, Dr Hussam Muhamedsalih, senior research fellow in the Hub, established a new spin-out company, Cubit Precision Measurement Ltd. This is the first spin-out created by the Hub and will be used as a vehicle to commercialise optical surface metrology products. Dr Muhamedsalih successfully completed his Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Enterprise Fellowship, featured in last year’s annual report, which was a key driver to setting up the spin-out. It also resulted in a new multi-wavelength polarising interferometer, one of the first pipeline products that Cubit aims to commercialise. This technology is currently being validated by the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), a High Value Manufacturing Catapult Centre, on large‑scale roll-to-roll coating equipment, thanks to funding via the EPSRC Researcher in Residence programme.
More funding success has continued this year for Dr Muhamedsalih, resulting in the award of a RAEng Industrial Fellowship. This Fellowship will develop a novel metrological measurement sensor for a two-dimensional material manufacturing process in conjunction with Paragraf, a new Hub industrial partner who develop and deliver game-changing, commercial-quality, graphene-based electronic devices. This collaboration is expected to lead to the creation of a demonstrator that will validate the new metrology sensor in a real environment, and create a new pipeline product. This is an exciting new opportunity, not only for the Hub, but for Dr Muhamedsalih, who is the new Managing Director of the spin-out. Cubit Precision Measurement will provide the Hub with an innovative way to commercialise new products and services ensuring that our metrology research is having real word benefit and impact.
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“Cubit Precision Measurement is a recent high-tech start-up company whose area of business operation is developing solutions for in-process surface metrology. Cubit has grown out of the University of Huddersfield’s Future Metrology Hub and will work together on developing and translating novel technologies to industry. It is our belief that measurement and manufacturing on the same machine can add value to the clients, making them more globally competitive.” Dr Hussam Muhamedsalih
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Gyrotricity A new relationship to develop a sustainable, cost-effective solution for fast charging electric vehicles. Professor Patrick Keogh and PhD student Gauthier Fieux at the University of Bath are working with Gyrotricity Ltd on the design and manufacture of magnetic bearings for deployment in Gyrotricity’s innovative kinetic energy storage system. As electric vehicles become more common, there is a similar rise in the need for charging stations. Fast charging is particularly suitable for areas such as service station forecourts. However, installing fast charging stations is currently a very costly and time‑consuming process as it requires substantial upgrades to the existing grid supply.
The team at Bath is working on more cost-effective solutions for the bearing sensors and actuators that must operate in a vacuum. Gauthier’s role in the project is the design and manufacture of a hybrid magnetic bearing system and associated position sensors. The bearing control system has an inherent condition monitoring function that can provide early warning of any impending fault in the high-speed rotating components and keep the flywheel operating efficiently and safely.
Gyrotricity Ltd have developed a unique solution to this problem which uses a fail-safe flywheel of a simple and low-cost steel construction. This device builds up a store of energy from the existing grid infrastructure which can then be discharged to deliver a fast charge.
The project and the working relationship between the University of Bath and Gyrotricity has proved mutually beneficial. Gauthier has been able to bring his metrology expertise and the skills developed as part of his PhD studies to Gyrotricity to overcome a challenge in the manufacture of their system while gaining technical and project management skills in an industrial setting.
Off‑the shelf options exist for some of the parts necessary for the fly wheel but these are prohibitively expensive and would make the system commercially unviable.
Based on the success of the initial work, it is expected that the Future Metrology Hub will continue to support Gyrotricity in bringing this sustainable technology to market.
Gauthier Fieux
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“Gauthier and the team at Bath have been key in advancing our flywheel technology and the collaboration demonstrates the value of business working with universities. I look forward to developing the relationship with the Hub further” Matt Journee, CEO – Gyrotricity
Gyrotricity Flywheel
Developing People The Hub relies on the talent and capabilities of its team of world leading researchers to deliver its varied programme of activities. To ensure that the team are well equipped for this task, the Hub is committed to providing a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities. This year, the Hub held its first full consortium meeting to review the whole research programme and allow the research teams to present their progress. The event also allowed the teams from across the Hub and Spokes to socialise and build their relationships. The Surface Metrology School continues to prove popular and has now been expanded to a three-day course to allow greater time for discussions and practical demonstrations.
Supporting our researchers, and the wider metrology community, to gain independent research profiles is core to the Hub’s strategy. Our team continues to prove successful in bidding for research grants while our latest feasibility call, released collaboratively with three other Manufacturing Hubs, generated significant interest and has funded five new projects.
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Talented Students Each year the Hub recruits new PhD students to focus on exciting and potentially breakthrough research projects aligned to the Grand Challenges.
Evgeny Zotov University of Sheffield Who is your PhD supervisor and where are you based? I am working under the supervision of Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan at the Automatic Control and Systems Engineering department of the University of Sheffield. What attracted you to study at the University of Sheffield I was attracted by the interest in the cutting-edge areas of research pursued at the department that Professor Kadirkamanathan and myself shared. What is your PhD about? My PhD project explores the applications of Artificial Intelligence technologies to manufacturing processes. I am specifically working on the application of Generative Adversarial Networks for machining process optimisation and on the IT architectures that support their deployment in Industry 4.0 shop floor environments.
What do enjoy most about working with the Future Metrology Hub? The Future Metrology Hub offers me a rare opportunity to gain insight into the real state and processes existing in the manufacturing industry and to better understand the requirements and expectations the industry actors have towards research. Where do you hope your PhD will lead for the research and you personally? I hope that my PhD project shall help me establish the expertise necessary to carry out continued research for manufacturing and that the research output of the project will build a foundation for the widespread implementation of AI in general and Generative Adversarial Networks in particular across the manufacturing industry.
Annual Report 2019–20
The project fitted really well with my undergraduate degree, looked very interesting and was a subject I wanted to learn more about, so I applied. What is your PhD about?
Hannah Smith University of Huddersfield Who is your PhD supervisor and where are you based? My main supervisor is Professor Liam Blunt with Dr Paul Bills and Dr Katie Addinall as my co-supervisors and I am based at the University of Huddersfield. What attracted you to study at the University of Huddersfield Whilst still studying my undergraduate degree in Forensic and Analytical Science Katie and Liam came to do a final year guest lecture on toolmarks and specifically firearm toolmarks. This interested me because at the time I was completing my final year dissertation project on firearms discharge residue and this had really heightened my interest in the subject of firearms. During the lecture they said there was a PhD opportunity within the department for a project based on firearms.
The PhD project is about modified firearm toolmarks and whether these could potentially be viewed using the non-destructive method of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT). Within the UK and worldwide modified firearms are used by criminals as a way to evade strict firearm laws. By obtaining firearms where a licence is not required such as, antique firearms, proof house deactivated weapons, replicas and so on, criminals convert them into working firearms at home using basic engineering knowledge and DIY tools. The modifications made to these firearms is typically seen on the inner firearm barrel, however this cannot yet be examined without destroying evidence. XCT hopefully will provide a method of viewing these vital toolmarks. XCT uses x-rays to create a 3D reconstructed model of an object, including all inner geometries. This therefore means the previously inaccessible toolmarks can be viewed and examined in detail. If recurring toolmarks are seen it can help forensic examiners link evidence to a specific tool and potentially narrow down a suspect.
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What do enjoy most about working with the Future Metrology Hub? At the Future Metrology Hub, I enjoy working alongside and meeting lots of new people. Especially the people within my office. In addition, I enjoy learning about engineering, coming from a science background I am having to adapt and learn new ways of working including how to use different instruments and software which makes each day different and interesting. Where do you hope your PhD will lead for the research and you personally? Ultimately, I hope that the research will offer an alternative to current methods of firearm toolmark examination and showcase the advantages of using XCT when evidence is inaccessible and needs to be preserved. Personally, I hope that it will allow me to continue in research/the academic setting specifically researching firearms after completion.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
What attracted you to study there?
Hui Xie University of Huddersfield Who is your PhD supervisor and where are you based? My Chinese name is Hui Xie but I am known as Shaun. My supervisors are Dr Wencheng Pan, Professor Andrew Longstaff and Dr Simon Parkinson. I am a part time PhD student at the University of Huddersfield and my situation is a little unusual. I work as a lecturer of Financial Engineering at a College in China. During my vacation time, I came to Huddersfield to continue my research. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic I am currently in China though I hope to return to Huddersfield next year. At the moment I am working with my supervisors via email and zoom.
Before I came to research my PhD in Huddersfield, I checked online and understood that CPT is a world leading institute for metrology research based at the University of Huddersfield. The research programme is led by leading figures in the fields of machine tool technology, surface metrology, instrumentation, and precision manufacture. The distinguished reputation and top research team attracted me to apply for a PhD position here and I thought it would be excellent experience for me if I could study here. What is your PhD about? My PhD topic is Quantitative Modelling of System Uncertainty for Sophisticated Coupled Systems using Artificial Intelligence Technology. Although I am a lecturer from business, I have obtained BSc in Maths and MSc in Actuarial Science. I am very interested in applying mathematical models to the real world. On a philosophical level, no matter what kind of subjects, finance or mechanical engineering, we have to face uncertainty.
The subjects could be different, but the characters of uncertainty could be similar. We also could apply mathematical models to solve the problems in different fields. Secondly, AI is a very popular method applying to various subjects. I am interested in that and it’s challenges. What do enjoy most about working with the Future Metrology Hub? Fortunately, I meet my smart and serious supervisors, they give me lots of guidance and ideas. I have also had the opportunity to meet a lot of brilliant PhD colleagues. I enjoy the academic atmosphere in the Future Metrology Hub. Where do you hope your PhD will lead for the research and you personally? I hope I can improve my research skills and I can do some further research crossovers between finance and engineering.
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Quality of Working Life Survey In order to assess the environment quality of working life in the Hub, researchers and students from across the consortium were invited to take part in a survey to assess their opinions and job satisfaction. The survey was voluntary, carried out anonymously and achieved a very strong response with over 50 members of the team taking part. The Hub was pleased to find that overall satisfaction levels are very high and that the team feel very positively about working for the Hub. These results will inform the Hub’s strategy for staff development and support going forward, in particular we will be looking at ways to support our teams career development opportunities and in managing the pressures of a demanding research programme.
Key Findings
90%
reported that overall, they were satisfied with their job and had a good work life balance.
88%
92% would be proud to tell people they work at the Hub.
71%
felt supported by their management team.
have benefitted from attending Hub events.
85%
94%
enjoy their research and find the work fulfilling.
rate the lab and equipment facilities as good.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Funding Success Professor Jane Jiang – EPSRC Programme Grant
A team led by Hub Director, Professor Dame Jane Jiang, and including scientists from the Zepler Institute at the University of Southampton, has secured £5.5 million from EPSRC to deliver a ground-breaking new research programme over the next five years. The Programme Grant funding will enable researchers to develop very high accuracy and highly miniaturised sensors and instruments, using emerging nano-photonics and metamaterials technologies to overcome the physical limitations of conventional ‘glass’ optics. This opens up the prospect of sensors and instruments which, based on current technology, might be the size of a shoe box or larger, being shrunk down to smaller than the size of a matchbox, whilst still being capable of nanoscale measurement resolution.
These new sensors will also lend themselves well to industrial application, with their small footprint and robust integrated-circuit construction making them ideal for embedding within both manufacturing processes and products, a key requirement of future smart factories and products. Work on the project will begin in early 2021, with the team proposing to develop several different concepts, components and devices over time, effectively developing a toolbox of technologies.
This will then become the foundation for both academia and industry to develop a whole new generation of optical sensors and instruments for in-process and embedded (e.g. Industrial Internet of Things) metrology and asset management.
Annual Report 2019–20
“ Traditional factories are very good at making lots of similar things, but the Industry 4.0 concept is all about automation and autonomous manufacturing, so that it is possible to send in a design and the manufacturing platform can then configure itself, with Artificial Intelligence supporting all the activity in the background,” said Dr Martin, a key member of the research team. “ In order to do this, you need a much greater incorporation of metrology, because you are asking the tooling to do many different things rather than the same thing over and over again.” Dr Haydn Martin
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Funding Success Dr Feng Gao – EPSRC Research Grant Dr Gao, Reader at the University of Huddersfield, has been awarded £500,000 EPSRC funding as part of a large £3.5 million consortium bid entitled “A Multiscale Digital Twin-Driven Smart Manufacturing System for High Value-Added Products “ led by the University of Strathclyde which brings together academics experts in the fields of ultra-precision manufacturing, metrology, robotics, mathematics and artificial intelligence. The consortium’s long-term vision is to create an autonomous, connected, sustainable and high-precision future manufacturing system to meet the critical needs of UK industry. It will create a disruptive digital twin-driven smart manufacturing system, the first of this kind in the world, that can sense consumer needs and actively self-optimise for the manufacture of next-generation high value-added products. The project started in May and Dr Gao’s work package focuses on developing a smart in-line surface metrology system. This will create an intelligent multi-sensor measurement system for complex and high dynamic surface measurement. The system will be trained on the simulation and pre-test results for the selected parts and be able to select the right sensor and the right intensity of the structured light to achieve the best measurement through automation. This metrology system is one of the building blocks of the proposed smart manufacturing system. This ambitious project runs for four years and it aims to improve productivity by up to 25% and increase precision by up to 50%, as well as ensuring high value-added products can be manufactured on-demand.
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Dr Katie Addinall – Erasmus+ Dr Addinall, Research Fellow at the University of Huddersfield, is involved in a 3–year long project to support continuous professional development in precision engineering in both industrial and academic settings. The project, funded by the European Union, is being co-ordinated as part of the Erasmus+ programme. The aim is to design, develop and validate new training courses in order to produce an internationally recognised training framework which will consist of both hands-on and on-line training programmes. Validation for the courses will take place within the consortium which, in addition to the University of Huddersfield, consists of the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (EUSPEN), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Deutsche Geselleschäft für angewandte Optik (DGAO), Dutch Society for Precision Engineering (DSPE), KU Leven and the University of Padua. The content for the programmes is determined in response to industry needs and will include the latest innovations in theory and practice. Dr Addinall is currently developing on-line training courses for machine tool and surface metrology. The first aspect of the project was researching and gathering a broad array of suitable teaching materials. This aspect of the work is largely completed and current efforts are focussed on building an online platform which can be used to host them. The courses she is producing include videos of instrument operation, how to measure surfaces, ISO standardisation and surface parameters. In addition to her metrology and website development expertise, Dr Addinall is utilising knowledge and skills gained in developing and running the very successful Surface Metrology School, a three-day training course run regularly by the Centre for Precision Technologies. It is intended that elements of the new training framework will be incorporated into the future Surface Metrology School programme.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Research Feasibility Call The Hub’s most recent Research Feasibility Study call was carried out in collaboration with three of the other EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hubs. The consortium came together after initial discussions to find areas of overlapping interest. In creating a unified call with a series of separate and overlapping topics, we aimed to increase the potential impact of our funding and encourage inter/ multidisciplinary proposals.
The Future Metrology Hub An EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub
The Future Metrology Hub 5 Funded Projects
The Future Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Research Hub 5 Funded Projects
Overall, the call received a significant amount of interest with 63 applications received across the consortium and 21 proposals addressing topics relevant to multiple Hubs. To ensure a fair judging process, the Hubs developed a unified marking scheme with interdisciplinary proposals judged by panel members from all relevant areas. In total 17 projects were funded worth a total value of approximately £850,000.
The Future Metrology Hub funded five proposals, three of which will be co-mentored with the Future Composites Manufacturing Research Hub.
CIMComp
CIMComp
Future Composites Manufacturing Research Hub
Future Composites Manufacturing Research Hub
EPSRC
EPSRC
CIMComp CIMComp The Future Composites EPSRC EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub Future Composites Future Composites
Manufacturing Research Hub
Manufacturing Hub 4 FundedResearch Projects
The Future Photonics Hub 3 Funded Projects
CIM
Future Manufacturing Re
CIM
Future Manufacturing Re
Annual Report 2019–20
Funded Projects
City University London PI: Dr Hamed Yazdani-Nezhad Development of A Contactless Dielectric Process Monitoring (CDPM) for Composites Manufacturing Serving the tremendous demand for high performance, lightweight structures in various industrial sectors and applications is pivotal to the use of carbon fibre‑reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites which also play an immediate role for development of eco‑friendly structures. Therefore, various manufacturing techniques for CFRP composites have been developed with majority of such techniques being costly at large scales, time consuming, and associated with effects from process parameters control which may have a significant effect on the quality of the composite structure and thus on the structure’s mechanical performance.
To account for real-time measurement of such parameters occurring during composite manufacturing, and to associate closed-loop feedback systems with the manufacturing for efficiency and reliability, the CDPM feasibility study aims to develop a state-of-the-art portable, contact-less, real-time CFRP composite process measurement which will be scalable to free-form composite processes, will not interfere with the structural integrity, can be equipped flexibly and portably, and will boost the understanding and theoretical reasoning on the underlying process challenges in a quantitative manner. Such outcome is of massive interest for aerospace, automotive and research organisations which the investigators have been in communication with for future collaboration and research income raise.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Funded Projects
Newcastle University PI: Professor Nick Wright
University of Nottingham PI: Dr Katy Voisey
Boosting Inspection Metrology Productivity Through AI
Fast Instrumented Laser Cutting of Industrial Fibre Reinforced Composites
Even the most skilled companies produce some products that are of poorer quality than intended and therefore must aim to both reduce the number of them and to identify the substandard ones before they reach the customer – ideally before leaving the factory. The identification of substandard products is in itself a significant cost in many companies and can involve both numerical measurements using specialist metrology and also visual inspection. This project primarily addresses the efficiency and effectiveness of visual inspection which is the most important form of metrology measurement in industries as diverse as car manufacturing, food and luxury goods. To increase the efficiency of visual inspection, the project will develop new artificial intelligence tools which can function effectively and reliably in a factory environment. Such new techniques have the potential to make an enormous impact and to contribute to a significant improvement in UK manufacturing productivity.
Laser cutting has great potential to enhance industrial fibre composite manufacturing. The basics of the process have been demonstrated however the UK composite industry has not yet fully embraced this technology. Industry needs to be convinced of the benefits of laser cutting before investing. This project focusses on industry’s needs. It will carry out laser cutting case studies using industrially relevant speeds, thicknesses and materials. Thermal measurements and modelling will provide vital information on the temperatures the material reaches during cutting. This combines to generate a technology demonstrator facility which delivers the information industry needs to know before making the jump to laser cutting.
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Funded Projects
University of Sheffield PI: Professor Rob Dwyer-Joyce
University of Warwick/Warwick Manufacturing Group PI: Professor Ken Kendall
In-Situ Ultrasonic Sensors for Monitoring Tool and Workpiece During Grinding Processes
Investigation of fibre content and fibre orientation distributions in compression moulded carbon fibre SMC
Grinding is an important machining process that is used to achieve high precision components with a fine surface finish. The precision and surface finish depend on feed and cut, the function of the coolant, as well as degradation of the grinding wheel. In this feasibility study we want to see what measurements we can make during the grinding process about what is happening exactly at the cutting edge. By bouncing ultrasound sound waves from the grinding tool / work-piece interface we hope to be able to see how much contact is taking place and how coolant films form. This could enable us to see monitor directly how many grits are cutting. We will also measure the removal of material to a micron degree of accuracy and see if it is possible to detect wheel clogging. If successful, this could be a new way to monitor grinding and so make in-process decisions such as when to change material removal rates or swap out a grinding wheel.
Compression moulding of high fibre content, long discontinuous carbon fibre based Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) is an attractive solution for high-rate manufacturing of high-performance composite structures. Understanding flow induced fibre content and orientation distributions is the key to improve the part quality, and to better predict the structural performance of the part. While there are existing process simulation models for predicting fibre content and orientation distributions in compression moulded SMC parts, the confidence in using such models for carbon fibre SMC is low due to the lack of experimental validation method.
This feasibility study aims to address the current challenges through the development of a robust and reliable experimental method for quantifying the fibre content and orientation distributions in carbon fibre SMC, utilising a combination of resin burn-off, XCT scanning and image processing techniques. The data collected from the experimental work will be used to validate existing process simulation models for carbon fibre SMC applications.
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EPSRC Future Metrology Hub
Hub Governance Hub Executive Group The Hub Executive Group is comprised of the Hub director and Hub operations director, research spoke leaders and senior co‑investigators responsible for managing research topics. The group meets quarterly and is responsible for monitoring the progress of research activities, allocation of resources and determining the strategic direction of the Hub. Professor Paul Scott University of Huddersfield
Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan University of Sheffield
Professor Andrew Longstaff University of Huddersfield
Ben Morgan AMRC
Professor Liam Blunt University of Huddersfield
Professor Dame Xiangqian (Jane) Jiang DBE Hub Director
Simon McKenna Hub Operations Director
Professor Patrick Keogh University of Bath
Christian Young Hub Manager
Professor Jon Huntley Loughborough University
Scientific Advisory Board The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) offers independent guidance and support to the Hub Executive Group by providing advice on areas such as strategic direction and research themes. The board is composed of a group of international experts in metrology technology and applications and meets twice per year. Chair
Board
Professor Ken Young Technology Director, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
Professor Isobel Pollock‑Hulf OBE Visiting Professor in Engineering and Design, University of Leeds
Professor David Delpy Emeritus Professor of Biomedical Optics, University College London
Professor David Whitehouse Emeritus Professor of Engineering Science, University of Warwick
Professor Vijay Srinivasan Chief of the Systems Integration Division of the Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Professor Hans Nørgaard Hansen Head of Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark
Mark Summers Head of Advanced Manufacturing, National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Lynne McGregor Innovation Lead in the Manufacturing and Materials Sector, Innovate UK
Katie Walker Portfolio Manager, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Hub Supporters
METROLOGY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS RESEARCH/INNOVATION ORGANISATIONS MANUFACTURING END USERS
The Hub is supported by over 70 companies, academic institutions, and regional and government bodies.
METROLOGY SERVICES COMPANIES MACHINERY MANUFACTURERS OTHER (INCLUDING SOFTWARE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS)
TAYLOR CUMMINS HOBSON JAGUAR LAND ROVER institutions, and regional and government bodies.
EUSPEN CORIN
NCC
RELIANCE
RENISHAW
NPL
QIOPTIQ
DELCAM
ROLLS ROYCE
TWI
MAPP
MOOG
INSPHERE PARAGRAF
ZEEKO
NPVP
NTR OCF
HIETA
PTB
IBS BV
DEPUY
FUTURE COMPOSITES MANUFACTURING HUB ELAROS
BIOMET
NEWBURGH
UNITED GRINDING
FUTURE COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING HUB
CPI AIRBUS
MTC
NIKON
FORENSIC PATHWAYS
IBM
DIGITALSURF BRUKER
CRAFTSMAN
LEEDS CITY REGION
THORNTON & ROSS
NAMRC
CARL ZEISS
FUTURE PHOTONICS HUB PTC HOLTEX
COOKE AWE
GKN
L3 COMMERCIAL AVIATION JRI
AMRC
TEKNEK
CHMTI
CAMPDEN BRI
ATI
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY
NIST
HOLROYD 3M
DRTS
MTT
BORG WARNER UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MTA academic STRYKER The Hub is supported by over 70 companies,
HEXAGON QINETIQ
DMG MORI MEDE CIM AIRBUS DEFENCE
For more information please contact: Mr Christian Young Hub Manager
EPSRC Future Metrology Hub Centre for Precision Technologies University of Huddersfield Huddersfield HD1 3DH Tel. 01484 473709 Email. metrology@hud.ac.uk Website. www.metrology.org.uk Twitter. @HudMetrology
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