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UK funding (£785,798): CONnected Flexible dIGital hybrid additive manufacturing Unit designed for REpair (CONFIGURE) Ukri1 Dec 2017 UK Research and Innovation, United Kingdom
Overview
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CONnected Flexible dIGital hybrid additive manufacturing Unit designed for REpair (CONFIGURE)
| Abstract | Today's increasingly complex high value engineering parts are too valuable to discard when they are damaged. Unfortunately, current repair methods, often based on a series of complex manual operations, are difficult to control to ensure that high performance, often safety critical, parts have the required level of integrity. This problem is exacerbated when parts are repaired in remote, often inhospitable and hazardous locations, where it is difficult to provide the required level of repair skill. There is an urgent need for a flexible, efficient and automated method of repairing high value metallic parts, close to the point of use. Hybrid Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, combining Directed Energy Deposition (DED) AM processes, with conventional 5 axes machining are already in production. Although very effective, this solution is limited to relatively small parts. In CONFIGURE a flexible automated repair unit, encompassing every stage of the repair operation (damage assessment, repair, finishing and final inspection) will be developed and demonstrated. Using a robotic platform with interchangeable inspection, deposition and machining heads it will allow parts of almost unlimited size to be repaired in a seamless operation. The new unit can be provided in portable and even mobile configuration, enabling it to be positioned wherever required. Digital manufacturing technology is a key aspect of the project. An array of sensors will be incorporated into the repair unit to provide both process and part quality data. This information, used to enable the unit to operate in an autonomous mode, will also be logged to allow detailed analysis to be performed and provide traceability. The CONFIGURE unit will be demonstrated in two end-use sectors, repair of damaged rail track and high value mining equipment but there are a wide range of potential cross-sector applications, including new part production. |
| Category | Collaborative R&D |
| Reference | 103459 |
| Status | Closed |
| Funded period start | 01/12/2017 |
| Funded period end | 31/03/2019 |
| Funded value | £785,798.00 |
| Source | https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=103459 |
Participating Organisations
| WEIR GROUP PLC(THE) |
£103,526.00 |
| LOOP TECHNOLOGY LIMITED |
£140,888.00 |
| TOOLROOM TECHNOLOGY LIMITED |
£106,813.00 |
| NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED |
£14,011.00 |
| ULTRASONIC SCIENCES LIMITED |
£95,003.00 |
| LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY |
£114,951.00 |
The filing refers to a past date, and does not necessarily reflect the current state. The current state is available on the following page: Weir Group plc(the), Glasgow.
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