Monday, April 30, 2018

News: AMRC signs MOU with GKN

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The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing is to work with GKN Aerospace on developing advanced technologies for the aerospace industry.

With multimillion pound facilities on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham, the AMRC is a world leading model partnership between industry and academia that focuses on advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors.

Worcestershire-based GKN Aerospace is a leader in the manufacture of highly complex composite and metallic aerostructures and engine products. It is a Tier 1 member at the AMRC and is one of the world's largest independent first tier suppliers to the global aviation industry.

An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to progress a series of research themes being developed together at the AMRC's state-of-the-art Factory 2050, the dedicated collaborative research factory home to the Integrated Manufacturing Group on Sheffield Business Park.

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Previous projects involving the AMRC and GKN include work to protect and exploit the UK's collective strengths in aerospace wing manufacture and work to examine automated and robotic techniques to assemble aerospace structures 30% faster than previously possible.

GKN has also worked with the University of Sheffield and other partners on producing airworthy components using a novel additive manufacturing (3D printing) process. It is also an industrial partner in MAPP, the EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub at the University which focuses on Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes.

Colin Sirett, chief executive officer at the AMRC (pictured, second right), said: "The purpose of signing the MoU is to recognise the strategic role the AMRC is playing and to drive forward the significant amount of work and technological development we are embarking on with GKN Aerospace.

"What we will be looking at in a package of work with them is future manufacturing systems and digital linkage of those systems with the customer and the development of metallic machining technology.

"The AMRC will also have a core role in developing the Wing of Tomorrow technology with GKN Aerospace. This technology will be large scale assembly, metal materials machining and opportunities for castings.

"The plus point of the MoU for us is it enables us to operate very closely and effectively with companies that view the AMRC as one of their strategic partners."

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As part of the agreement, Robert Sharman, the global head of additive manufacturing at GKN Aerospace, will work with the AMRC's additive manufacturing research team as an associate professor.

Paul Perera, VP global technology at GKN Aerospace (pictured, second left), said: "The Memorandum of Understanding has been created between us to progress a number of joint themes which we have incubated here together.

"These are the application of digital manufacturing, the application of large scale additive manufacturing, and we have also been looking at large scale automation with the "Wing of Tomorrow" project.

"It is a good partnership with true benefits on both sides. We really want to maintain the momentum on this agreement."

AMRC website
GKN website

Images: AMRC / GKN

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