News: AMRC planning the world's most flexible factory in Rotherham
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing has secured funding for a £43m state-of-the-art research factory to meet the future needs of aerospace and other high-value manufacturing industries.
Planned for the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the AMRC Factory 2050 will be the UK's first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research, capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts.
Integrating research and industry collaboration, the government has confirmed £10m funding from Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with the remainder of the £43m total cost coming from industry. Manufacturers including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Spirit AeroSystems are committed to supporting the project.
Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, executive dean of the University of Sheffield AMRC, said: "This will be the most advanced factory in the world. It will give us a home for the research and demonstration work associated with building the next generation of aircraft and energy technologies.
"The aim is to be able to manufacture any component as a one-off, and instantaneously switch between components. This will be a totally reconfigurable factory, one of the goals of the advanced manufacturing research strategy."
Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, added: "We are delighted that HEFCE is supporting the AMRC Factory 2050, and deeply proud of the vision and talent of our engineers who have a global reputation for advanced manufacturing research which works directly with industry in ways which transform business, create jobs and strengthen our economy. This new facility brings together government, business and the University to drive the innovation that is so important to the UK's future economy and assures our place at the forefront of global high value manufacturing."
The AMRC Factory 2050 will combine technologies including advanced robotics, flexible automation, unmanned workspace, off-line programming in virtual environments linked to plug-and-play robotics, 3D printing from flexible automated systems, man-machine interfaces, and new programming and training tools.
The location is yet to be decided but initial concept design images drawn up by leading architects, Bond Bryan, show the building on land adjacent to the AMRC Training centre that is currently under construction on the AMP. It will have an area of around 4,500 sq m, and will be built to BREEAM 'Excellent' environmental standards. It will be constructed largely from glass, to showcase the advanced manufacturing technologies being developed within.
Around 50 researchers and engineers will work in the new facility, which will be completed around the end of 2014.
Announcing the HEFCE funding, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: "The UK's world-class universities are at the forefront of our economic recovery. It's vital we do everything we can to encourage collaboration with the private sector and boost funding for research. These excellent projects will not only deliver new knowledge and applications for industry, but will accelerate growth and foster innovation between the research base and business, keeping the UK ahead in the global race.
"Our £300m investment has secured over £855m from business and charities – a total investment of £1.15 billion. This is an extraordinary result, far exceeding the required private to public funding ratio of two to one."
AMRC website
Images: AMRC / Bond Bryan
Planned for the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the AMRC Factory 2050 will be the UK's first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research, capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts.
Integrating research and industry collaboration, the government has confirmed £10m funding from Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) with the remainder of the £43m total cost coming from industry. Manufacturers including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Spirit AeroSystems are committed to supporting the project.
"The aim is to be able to manufacture any component as a one-off, and instantaneously switch between components. This will be a totally reconfigurable factory, one of the goals of the advanced manufacturing research strategy."
Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, added: "We are delighted that HEFCE is supporting the AMRC Factory 2050, and deeply proud of the vision and talent of our engineers who have a global reputation for advanced manufacturing research which works directly with industry in ways which transform business, create jobs and strengthen our economy. This new facility brings together government, business and the University to drive the innovation that is so important to the UK's future economy and assures our place at the forefront of global high value manufacturing."
The AMRC Factory 2050 will combine technologies including advanced robotics, flexible automation, unmanned workspace, off-line programming in virtual environments linked to plug-and-play robotics, 3D printing from flexible automated systems, man-machine interfaces, and new programming and training tools.
The location is yet to be decided but initial concept design images drawn up by leading architects, Bond Bryan, show the building on land adjacent to the AMRC Training centre that is currently under construction on the AMP. It will have an area of around 4,500 sq m, and will be built to BREEAM 'Excellent' environmental standards. It will be constructed largely from glass, to showcase the advanced manufacturing technologies being developed within.
Around 50 researchers and engineers will work in the new facility, which will be completed around the end of 2014.
Announcing the HEFCE funding, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: "The UK's world-class universities are at the forefront of our economic recovery. It's vital we do everything we can to encourage collaboration with the private sector and boost funding for research. These excellent projects will not only deliver new knowledge and applications for industry, but will accelerate growth and foster innovation between the research base and business, keeping the UK ahead in the global race.
"Our £300m investment has secured over £855m from business and charities – a total investment of £1.15 billion. This is an extraordinary result, far exceeding the required private to public funding ratio of two to one."
AMRC website
Images: AMRC / Bond Bryan
0 comments:
Post a Comment