Podcasts about amrc

The aerospace industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, driven by record demand for commercial jets, defence programmes and space exploration. To seize this opportunity, suppliers must find ways to ramp up output without compromising quality, innovation, or cost. By Will Stirling The biggest hurdle facing the aerospace industry is how to scale up production. Airlines are investing heavily in new fleets, governments are increasing spending on advanced defence systems, and private companies are pushing the frontiers of space exploration and satellite technology. While this growth is a welcome rebound after years of turbulence, it has exposed bottlenecks in the supply chain, exacerbated by rising operational costs, material shortages and evolving regulatory requirements. Nowhere is this challenge clearer than in the commercial aircraft backlog, which has ballooned to nearly 16,000 planes – valued at more than £250bn for the UK alone. At current production rates, clearing this backlog could take over a decade. Meanwhile, demand continues to climb as airlines place hundreds of new orders yearly. Yet, this pressure brings opportunity. “The fact I can't name another industry with a 10-year-plus backlog worth over US$1.5 trillion globally shows just how massive the growth trend is,” says Balaji Srimoolanathan, Director for Aerospace, Space and the Aerospace Growth Partnership at ADS. “The primes and top tiers are diversifying their suppliers, sustainability is becoming ever-more critical, and new technologies are accessible and affordable. There is more business to be won by a greater number of suppliers than ever before, adding up to more opportunities, particularly for those with the right tools and technologies in place.” Srimoolanathan explains that the key to unlocking these opportunities lies in integrating advanced capabilities, such as intelligent manufacturing systems, into today's production processes. This move has been proven to drive greater efficiency and agility without comprising stringent quality standards. Digital Innovation in Action As production ramps up, shortages of critical components like semiconductors, electronics and raw materials like aluminium and titanium continue to cause delays. The pandemic's ripple effects are still being felt, slowing assembly lines and affecting deliveries. Even seemingly minor components, such as fasteners, are in short supply. Recognising this, LISI Aerospace partnered with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to explore how digital tools can drive process improvements. Together, they developed a cutting-edge smart production line at LISI's Rugby facility. The pilot line integrates five connected factory machines, each handling a distinct process. Key innovations include sensor data and data analytics to predict component quality, alongside an expanded apprenticeship programme to support new roles like software developers and data analysts. The result is a more than 100% performance improvement, enabling the Rugby site to hit record turnover and win additional contracts worth over £2m. The project also spurred a dedicated process development department, created a dozen new jobs and paved the way for a further £6.5m investment to implement two more connected production lines by 2027. An AMRC spokesperson said the project demonstrates how industrial digital technologies can transform operations. The success has ‘set a new benchmark for fastener production processes' and clearly shows the potential of technology-driven innovation in aerospace. Process Improvements Within Constraints While LISI's collaboration showcases the benefits of innovation, industry-wide progress is often hampered by a reliance on established processes and materials. “The industry is built on aircraft and parts certified to specific production techniques, many of which were designed decades ago,” explains Andrew Mair, Chief Executive of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA). While this reliance on legacy methods may limit flexibility in core manufacturing processes, there's significant scope for improvements in areas that run parallel to assembly. Upgrading to integrated software platforms for production planning, resource management and inventory tracking, for example, is an area where many smaller manufacturers lag, yet can unlock substantial efficiency gains. Similarly, using robotics and automation to move materials or load machines can streamline operations and reduce manual labour and downtime. Design innovations also hold promise. Advances in simulation and digital twin technologies allow suppliers to optimise components and assemblies before physical production, compressing design cycles and identifying potential issues earlier. Generative design, where AI-driven software explores thousands of potential configurations, is helping create lighter, stronger, more cost-efficient components. Combined with additive manufacturing, suppliers can prototype and produce highly complex parts faster and, importantly, with significantly less waste than traditional ‘subtractive' machining. For instance, Airbus and Autodesk have used generative design and additive manufacturing to produce the world's largest 3D-printed cabin component. Inspired by cellular structures and bone growth, the latticed partition to separate the passenger cabin from the galley is structurally as strong as conventional designs but 45% (30kg) lighter. When scaled to the entire cabin, Airbus estimates that the new design approach could save up to 465,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. Government Backing Fuels Further Investment Recognising the transformative potential of advanced technologies, recent government announcements are geared towards accelerating adoption. One such initiative is the expansion of Made Smarter, an industry-government programme aimed at helping SME manufacturers adopt technology and build digital skills. Since its 2019 launch in the North West, Made Smarter has engaged with 2,500 manufacturers, funded over 330 technology projects, created more than 1,500 jobs and upskilled nearly 2,800 workers. Its upcoming national rollout to all nine English regions by 2025/26, followed by Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 2026/27, will extend those benefits to thousands of manufacturers across the UK. “The programme has proven the value technology and digital skills can bring,” says Donna Edwards, Director of Made Smarter NW, who described the national roll-out as “a huge vote of confidence in the contribution SMEs make to UK manufacturing.” Additionally, the government's announcement of £975m to extend the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme to 2030 was welcomed – although many favoured a longer-term commitment. With matching industry contributions, the funding will exceed £2bn, providing critical support for ultra-efficient and zero-carbon technologies. “This support for R&D is crucial at a time the sector is ramping up rates to meet today's demand while delivering ambitious technology programmes to bring next-generation aircraft technologies to reality,” says Gary Elliott, CEO of ATI. Plotting a Sustainable Flight Path The UK is making significant strides in sustainable aviation. The latest development saw a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate come into force on New Year's Day. The mandate requires that 2% of UK jet fuel demand be met by SAF, rising to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040—delivering up to 6.3 megatons of carbon savings annually. The mandate will be bolstered by the introduction of a revenue certainty mechanism to de-risk investments in new SAF plants and provide the confidence needed to scale domestic production. The potential of hydrogen-powered aviation is also gaining momentum, with Russ Dunn, GKN Aerospace CTO, recently named as the new chair of the Hydrogen in Aviation Alliance. The HIA's first major report, published in 2024, outlined a clear roadmap for industry and government to drive adoption. Yet, realising this vision requires more robust support for R&D, particularly within the manufacturing supply chain. Andrew Mair explains that nearly all the R&D support currently goes to large corporations or start-ups, leaving the existing supply chain underserved. “We need more regionalised support, particularly for clusters like the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, to ensure small companies get the backing they need.” Srimoolanathan of ADS underscores that aerospace is uniquely positioned to deliver immediate and long-term benefits for the UK economy. “The backlog presents an opportunity for short-term growth, job creation and technological advancement,” he says. “But this hinges on balancing the immediate demands of today with strategic investments in areas like zero-emission technologies. With sustained support, the UK can maintain its position as a global aerospace leader while delivering tangible economic and environmental benefits.”

In AML's digitally enabled ‘war room' the firm's co-founder and Managing Director, Gareth Morgan, is discussing the good news with his colleagues: the 100-strong precision engineering team has just won the coveted King's Award for Enterprise Innovation. The award recognises ‘leaders in their field who adopt exemplary working practices and inspire other businesses.' It's one of the UK's highest accolades for business excellence. Fittingly for an MTD aerospace issue, the award is in recognition of AML's ability to apply technologies and lean processes more often seen in the automotive sector to unlock a staggering two-fold productivity increase in the aerospace sector: enabling a leading UK jet engine manufacturer to expand into the lucrative business aircraft market which is expected to grow to $36.4bn by 2030. “We are all so proud of what we have achieved and that our skills and talents are recognised at the highest level. It sends a powerful message to our customers that we are constantly seeking better and smarter ways of delivering products to three sectors that are critical to the success of UK Plc – energy, aerospace and defence,” says Gareth, who established the company as a spinout from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)16 years ago. The engines for this market require many novel design elements, materials and technologies to achieve the necessary performance levels demanded by manufacturers, regulators and governments. But behind every challenge, lies an opportunity. “This combination of high demand and high technological requirements for an existing customer presented an opportunity for AML to develop a new aerofoil manufacturing process that meets the stringent demands of the next generation of business aircraft engines. This opportunity drove the subsequent R&D to develop this innovation project,” Gareth said. “Our success in delivering this innovation has accelerated our growth by creating eight new roles - six machine operators and two manufacturing engineers – supporting the new robotic production cell built to manufacture these components. Several employees working on the cell have been trained to program and operate it, extending their knowledge and experience,” says Gareth, proving that robotics can increase the demand for skilled roles, rather than remove them. Gareth acknowledges the role that others have played in helping the embryonic AML go from two co-founders and £90,000 turnover in 2008, to a 100-plus workforce and a turnover of £11m and growing today. In the case of the King's Award, he pays special tribute to the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) which, over the last decade, has invested £3.6bn in UK manufacturing in “a long-term plan to produce more than 400 cutting-edge aerospace R&D projects across the UK, driving world-class research in sustainable aviation and supporting thousands of jobs”. Funding from the ATI for the Automotive Excellence in Aerospace (AXIS) project, along with R&D support from former colleagues at the nearby AMRC were critical in giving Gareth and his team the financial and technical support they needed to turn this challenge into an opportunity. As with all innovations, this required a venture into the unknown. For AML it meant the adaptation and deployment of robotics using advanced automation simulation tools. It also required the development of a bespoke clamping design, which illustrates the value of having a world-leading R&D partner on your doorstep in the shape of the AMRC's automation experts in Factory 2050. “Working with the AMRC gave us the confidence to be bold as they have R&D strengths in both precision machining and robotics in the aerospace sector. Having such talent on the doorstep gives us a huge advantage as a business,” said Gareth. It is also a reason why South Yorkshire is consolidating its reputation as global player in the aerospace, energy and defence sectors, which was recognised as it is the first Investment Zone in England with a focus on advanced manufacturing. This has been accompanied by an announcement that ATI is investing close to £30m in the AMRC-led COMPASS project to accelerate composite aerostructures with Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems. For Gareth, the big message to government is that ATI's long-term strategic R&D funding is key to expanding what UK aerospace OEMs and their supply chains can achieve when manufacturers have a public sector partner with a consistent vision for the sector and the financial firepower to fund innovation projects.  These investments, all match funded by the private sector, are essential to maintaining the UK aerospace industry's position with a staggering 70% of domestic aerospace production being exported around the world. As thousands gather for the Farnborough Air Show it is also worth reflecting that the sector directly employs 108,000 people and supports over 5,200 apprenticeships across the UK: delivering high-value jobs for a highly skilled workforce. The UK exports £18.6bn with a turnover of £27bn last year. AML, and innovative supply chain firms like them, are key to the UK retaining its position as a leading player in this global market. But they are also key to driving inclusive economic growth in the regions and nations of the UK. The success of firms like AML shows that regions don't need a major OEM to drive innovation and growth. “You don't need to produce or innovate the complete product to unlock a significant profit share of the final sale. It's the same in tech. Ask HP or Dell whether it is them or Samsung and Intel who enjoy the best profit margins when a consumer buys Dell or HP computers?” Gareth said. AML is now a digitally driven tech business. Cloud-based data analytics informs everything they do. But getting there required support. For Gareth, this meant engaging with what he describes  as the ‘brilliant Sharing in Growth programme' whose vision is ‘growing great businesses, by developing great people, for this generation and the next.' “Our war room is the result of that collaboration giving us the manufacturing equivalent of the Starship Enterprise flight deck. No more Monday morning mayhem where people spend hours sifting through data, turning it into graphs and charts. It's all there in real-time dashboards, freeing us to interpret the data and make much better, informed decisions.” But digital is not confined to the war room, it runs like a thread through the whole business: from its extensive quality management system to its adaptive machining algorithms that enable AML to achieve the tightest of tolerances across a range of materials from titanium and nickel-based superalloys, to softer alloys such as aluminium. For the King's Award-winning project AML developed bespoke algorithms to generate efficiencies and ensure that each component's features perfectly blend with the other components' surfaces, increasing manufacturing performance and reducing rejected parts. But not every innovation is entirely high-tech. As part of the ATI-funded project,  AML looked to the centuries' old manufacturing technology of forging to deliver big savings in time, energy and cost. This required collaboration between Redditch-based forging specialists, Mettis Aerospace, the AMRC and AML   to overcome many hurdles, making this a fully integrated manufacturing process that provided consistency throughout the whole manufacturing chain. The lesson from this for policymakers and manufacturers is the need to identify niche capabilities in fragmented global production supply chains that open up new markets and products. But broad economic surveys of regions and sectors alone will not reveal where these gaps and opportunities can be found – that requires real manufacturing intelligence-gathering activity.  As AML's success demonstrates, innovation can have a major impact on productivity. And productivity, which has flatlined in the UK since the 2008 financial crash,  is what drives wealth creation, economic growth and personal prosperity. Back in the war room,  Gareth reflects on the importance of being part of the bigger advanced manufacturing cluster or innovation district taking shape in South Yorkshire. For him, it   puts fast-growing companies like AML on the global stage. As Gareth says: “AML doesn't win it on its own, it wins it by being an integral part of this growing advanced manufacturing cluster. If you're going to compete globally, then you have to be part of a bigger team. When we are successful that means a win for AML is   a win for South Yorkshire and a win for UK plc.”

Engineers' obsession with weight and strength is reaching new heights in the aerospace sector. A range of technologies are being developed for manufacture, many with research centre support, that are designed to cut weight and carbon in aviation. By Will Stirling It was a good landing at the end of 2023. Commercial aircraft orders and deliveries are flying high, and up in 2022 by some eye-catching margins. It seems like aerospace production is back to pre-pandemic levels. According to aerospace group ADS, 2,430 total aircraft orders have been placed globally to 6th December, a 43% increase on the same period in 2022. Single aisle aircraft account for just over 80% of orders placed this year, demonstrating the rapid recovery in the domestic and short-haul travel industry post-pandemic. Airbus had recorded 1,395 net orders (gross orders minus cancellations) by the 30th of November, beating its full year 2022 orders (1,041) by 350 aircraft with a month to go. Deliveries to date are 623, again set to beat FY 2022 deliveries of 663. Boeing booked 114 gross orders in November, taking orders to 1,207 by 13th of December. The US plane-maker has delivered 461 aircraft to date – orders and deliveries both up on 2022 numbers. Boeing's official backlog goes from 5,239 last month to 5,324 as of November 30th and like Airbus, its single aisle aircraft – in particular the 737 family – are the most popular type. To show the comparison with Covid and pre-Covid demand, Airbus has not had such a strong order book since 2014 (1590 orders) while in 2020, it received just 373 orders, about one quarter of 2023. The two main primes are chasing a production rate of about 65 aircraft a quarter, in fact Airbus has stated it wants ‘rate 75' by 2026. In November the government announced an Advanced Manufacturing Plan with £4.5bn of funding for sectors including automotive and aerospace, for five years starting in 2025 – a bit sneaky to project the cash forward, given that a new government will have to honour this future spending pledge.  £975m is earmarked to support the development of energy-efficient and zero-carbon aircraft technology. Primes and tier ones are straining to develop low carbon technologies in aviation such as lighter but equally strong parts, sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen, lighter wing skins, 3D printed structural parts. These endeavours are backed by the Aerospace Technology Institute, a government agency that has granted funded £1.9bn to aerospace companies, near-match-funded by industry, which has a new drive to cut carbon in aerospace called Destination Zero – see below. Here are some exciting low carbon programmes and components in 2023.  First transatlantic SAF flight  On 28th of November, the first flight by a large passenger aircraft powered only by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) completed a flight from London Heathrow to New York's JFK airport. Hailed a success, observers remarked the shortage of SAF supply is a barrier to adoption and more lightweighting and propulsion technology will be needed to hit emissions targets. 50% lighter landing gear Think of the incredible forces that go into landing gear when aircraft land – the huge mass of the plane, hitting hard into the ground at speed. Now remove half the weight in the landing gear. That's what TISICS Metal Composites of Farnborough have done – in one key component of the gear, to begin with. It uses metal composites, a blend of titanium or aluminium with a ceramic matrix, to remove up to 50% of the weight but retain the component's full strength. This year, TISICS won an Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) award for the product.  Part of a project backed by £2.5m in R&D funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Innovate UK, in collaboration with Safran Landing Systems, with its UK base in Gloucester, Light Land is the world's largest metal composite component for commercial aircraft. Currently, aircraft are made of 50% metal components, but replacing these metal components with TISICS's lightweight and high-strength metal composites, aircraft can become lighter and more fuel-efficient. A TISICS composite part weighing the same as a packet of crisps (36g), will be able to carry an astounding 5,000kg. The metal composites technology, applied to landing gear, claims to reduce carbon emissions by 9m tonnes annually, and save airlines £650,000 in fuel costs per aircraft per year. TISICS says that by replacing more traditional metal components with metal composites, the aerospace industry can slash carbon while creating 240 UK jobs by 2028. Wing of Tomorrow's 17m wing skin Since 2018, a team of engineers at the National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol have quietly toiled away on a new composites deposition process: a fully automated, wing skin lay-up using novel high-rate deposition technologies. By the end of 2022, they had achieved a world-first, full scale 17 metre integrated wing skin infused in a single step. This is part of Airbus's Wing of Tomorrow programme. Composite materials enable wing components to be fully weight-optimised and produced with heavily reduced or eliminated sub-assembly and post-manufacturing costs. They also enable faster production cycles. The NCC was tasked with developing technologies and processes to produce three, full-scale, wing cover demonstrators. The new deposition technology was designed to specification and supplied by UK automation integrator Loop Technology with collaboration from Güdel and Coriolis. It comprises two bridges, weighing 45 tonnes and 24 tonnes, 7m high by 13m wide, running along a 26m track. These bridges position automated end-effectors to enable cutting and deposition of dry fibre materials to high levels of quality and speed. The automated process begins at a 20-metre table positioned inside the cell where an ultrasonic cutter profiles the carbon fabric to shape. An algorithm then selects the correct end-effector to pick the material up and then lay it onto the tool. Once lay-up of all the plies, processing and integration is complete, the component can then be infused with resin and cured. For Wing Cover 3, the complete ply stack of dry fibre piece parts – approximately 170 individual dry fibre pieces – was deposited using the NCC's Ultra High-Rate Composite Deposition, with no manual intervention. The real wings that will use this process will be incorporated in the next generation of single aisle aircraft, the timing of which is unknown. Recyclable fibre tape for more sustainable composite manufacturing The Multipurpose Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Tape (FRTT) Development Cell at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is being funded by a £1.7m grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Such a material has huge potential. While aircraft are using more composite materials to reduce weight, their recyclability has remained frustratingly low. Sustainable thermoplastic composites are exciting due to their ability to be recycled, re-moulded and reused time and time again – once perfected. “With regards to recycling, thermoplastics can be ‘remelted and remoulded', making it far easier to recycle these materials over thermosets. You usually keep the fibre in the polymer, as it provides the strength,” said the FRTT cell project lead at the AMRC. ATI's Destination Zero The ATI launched its Destination Zero programme in 2021 to achieve net zero carbon emissions for commercial aircraft by 2050, supporting the industry in sustainable design, manufacture, assembly and operations of future aircraft. Its three pillars are to focus on developing 1. Overt zero emission flights, using new propulsion like hydrogen, 2. ultra-efficient aviation, using existing engines that are more efficient, such as Rolls-Royce's UltraFan engine platform, and 3. enabling technologies, capturing lightweight components etc. Recently the ATI launched two new programmes, a hydrogen capability network and – of special interest to MTD readers – a new SME Programme to assist smaller companies – see below. Elsewhere, Airbus has developed and recently manufactured a cryogenic superconducting electric propulsion system purposely built to aerospace specifications, that should transfer more current and therefore power in an electric powertrain. And Rolls-Royce rec

Productive Machines is on a mission to provide a 15-minute turnaround from receiving data on its cloud-based, artificial intelligence platform to delivering a click-and-play machining protocol that enables manufacturers to machine the best part, faster, first time. John Yates talks to the spin-out team whose software-as-a-service is driving step changes in productivity and sustainability. Walking along the second-floor corridor to the Productive Machines' workspace in the AMP Technology Centre, Rotherham, Dr Erdem Ozturk stops to look through the window at the Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future, whose 3,000sq/m of machining workshops were his research and development laboratory for more than a decade. Erdem led the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre's brilliant Machining Dynamics Technology Group, which grew in the innovation environment enabled by Dr Sam Turner and AMRC co-founder Professor Keith Ridgway which propelled the Factory of the Future to global leader in aerospace milling. Their success was achieved by adapting and refining the fiendishly complex mathematical models of machining research pioneers like Franz Koenigsberger and Jiri Tlusty whose ideas were turned into game-changing operational manufacturing methods by their former students, and now professors in their own right, Yusuf Altintas, Scott Smith and Tom Delio. Perhaps the AMRC's biggest success came in 2014 when they applied these theoretical models to vibration control, cutting tool design, and residual stress management in a SAMULET project that was to revolutionise the manufacturing of Rolls-Royce aero-engine discs and shaft components.  The improvements in quality, alongside the time and cost savings achieved in the manufacture of the fan disc, have become folklore in the AMRC and the close-knit aerospace manufacturing community: a 50% reduction in cycle times and right-first-time production rates rising from 85% to over 99%. Coupled with cost-savings of £135m, this made UK jet engine production globally competitive, safeguarding 400 high-value-added jobs and unlocking a £300m investment in a North East plant. Not content with this success, Erdem and his AMRC team, along with European partners, began harnessing the power of information technology to push the boundaries of the possible, creating state-of-the-art digital twins that combined machine tool dynamics, control loops, tool-path generation and machining processes, to boost productivity, extend tool life and eliminate chatter. Productive Machines traces its lineage back to this remarkable pedigree. Formed in 2021, shortly before joining an elite group of start-ups on the ATI Boeing Accelerator programme – over 200 applicants from 44 countries were whittled down to just ten – the business was explicit from the start in its mission to maximise the productivity and sustainability of machine tools.  “We are using our unique digital twin to simulate millions of combinations of machine settings to arrive at the optimum feed rate and spindle speed settings for a given process before manufacturing. This eliminates chatter vibrations and provides machining optimisation, preventative maintenance and part quality that may not be achieved by a human operator even with years of continuous improvement,” says Erdem, who now leads a growing international team of machining physics developers and software engineers from their base in the heart of South Yorkshire's Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District. Having raised a cumulative £3m investment, the company launched its Feed Rate Calculator and Spindle Speed Calculator apps in October and November last year respectively. This was followed by an early access programme for a predictive maintenance service for spindle health monitoring in December.  In the next few months, they will be launching the fully automated cloud based system that achieves a 15-minute turnaround from receiving data on its artificial intelligence platform to delivering a click-and-play machining protocol that enables manufacturers to machine the best part, faster, first time. “We saw there was a massive opportunity to turn our cutting-edge technology into a simple, straightforward Software as a Service (SaaS) product,” Erdem adds. “Using artificial intelligence and digital twins of the milling process, we can identify vibration-free parameters and automatically personalise the process to eliminate chatter. This opens up a future where cutting optimisation technology is accessible to all, regardless of the scale of operation” One early client, Yorkshire headquartered Ficep UK, a leading supplier of structural steel and plate fabrication machine tools, has seen process productivity increase by 110%, with cycle times cut by 53% while reducing the magnitude of vibrations five times. Other clients report reductions in machining design and set-up times of 20%; cycle times reduced between ten to more than 50%; operational and maintenance costs cut by 25%; and cutting tool costs reduced by 11%  An additional benefit of this software-as-a-service is the way it can dramatically reduce manufacturers' carbon footprint. “By finally solving the age-old and frustrating problem of machine tool chatter, we calculate that our technology could save a staggering 2.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions between now and 2050,” Erdem says. To put this into perspective, 2.5 gigatonnes is equivalent to the UK's total carbon emissions - every factory, fire, car, flight and light - for six years. While work continues in developing and refining the AI platform for launch in the spring, it's fascinating to learn that an essential piece of kit in this operation is one of the oldest in the toolbox: the tap test. Used in aerospace engineering since the 1950s, the tap test relies on simple physics: the kinetic impulse of a hammer strike dissipated as vibration and sound.  However, where traditional tap testing relied on skilled individuals to interpret the sounds made by the struck object, such as a machine tool, today's digital tap tests are much more sophisticated and precise. Instead of transmitting vibration responses to the ear as an acoustic sound wave, a digital tap hammer sends the vibration response as data to a computer for recording and analysis. Specialist software then calculates the precise frequency response from those vibrations, considering parameters like the frequency, amplitude, and decay rate of the vibrations, and enables an exact analysis of that tool's unique characteristics and condition.  From its origins, the age-old practice of tap testing has not only endured but has evolved into an even more powerful tool in the era of smart manufacturing, becoming a critical component of quality control, material characterisation, structural health monitoring. “Digital tap testing, enhanced by AI, is ushering in a new era of precision and efficiency in manufacturing. It empowers manufacturers to optimise machine tool performance, reduce waste, and enhance product quality. It is democratising condition-monitoring and predictive maintenance, enabling even small-scale operators to benefit from data-driven technologies without costly investments in sensors or infrastructure,” Erdem added. Although focused on the future, Erdem is also a keen student of machining history and one of his go-to authors is the American Quaker Frederick Taylor, best known for bringing the ‘scientific method' to the early factory system making it more efficient and productive.  Taylor also wrote a book On the Art of Cutting Metals, published in 1907, which identified “chatter as the most obscure and delicate of all problems facing the machinist – probably no rules or formulae can be devised which will accurately guide the machinist in taking maximum cuts and speeds possible without producing chatter.” Erdem smiles and says Taylor was absolutely right. “There were no formulae available to predict chatter vibrations until 1954 when Tlusty was able to formulate the absolute stability limit for chip width for turning operations. That meant if the process planner selected a chip width smaller than this limit, the process would be stable and there would not be chatter vibrations irrespective of the spindle speed used.” Seventy years on since the formulation of Tlusty's law for the identification of chatter stability lobes in turning processes, the Productive Machines team are coming very close to proving Frederick Taylor wrong by accurately guiding the machinist in making maximum cuts and speeds possible without producing chatter for machining processes.  That, I suspect, matters as much to this team as turning a profit.  It would certainly delight Keith Ridgway: “If I were starting the AMRC today, it would not be by constructing a huge machining research facility. It would be by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, cloud-based data analytics and digital twins. Product

1) What has changed in the world of nuclear since Andrew last appeared on Titans, as well as some updates on Andrew's current work and travel 2) How political landscapes and changes can affect the way we build new nuclear 3) The past 5 years of Andrew's work in the UK - Submarines, research innovation, and reducing time and cost 4) What the future holds for the Nuclear AMRC and what Andrew is most excited to see in the coming years

On this week's episode our Executive Interview series continues with Dr. Evren Yasa, Head of Additive Manufacturing at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. With a decade of experience in additive manufacturing (AM), Yasa joined the AMRC in the summer of 2022 to lead the centre's AM activity. On the podcast, Yasa discusses the centre's work with industrialising 3D printing, the state of the technology's adoption here in the UK, and why AM will be crucial to shaping the future of manufacturing. We also cover the biggest AM misconceptions, success stories, and what's at the top of Yasa's AM wish list.

“Ultimately, we will be looking to save lives, I think, within one to two years that that would be a reality.”If you are injured in a disaster zone, it is critical that you receive medical care as urgently as possible. But what if the environment is not safe for medics to enter? Either because it is a war zone or because there are hazardous materials around? That's where AMRC's VR technology can help. The Advanced Medical Robotics Centre at the University of Sheffield, UK has created pioneering robotics technology to get medics into difficult-to-access areas to triage patients. Using medical telexistence (MediTel) technology, medics can operate a remote controlled robot to reach the patients, and wear a virtual reality headset which places them in that environment. The robots are equipped with medical devices which allow the medics to carry out checks including taking the patient's pulse, administering pain relief and palpitating their abdomen. Meanwhile the headset is so realistic that it feels like the user is there on the ground, with the view from the robot moving in real time as they move their heads. AMRC is hoping to use this technology in the next 1-2 years to save lives in dangerous environments. In this episode we head to Sheffield to visit AMRC's Digital Design Lab to meet David King, who demonstrates how realistic their MediTel VR technology is. Find out more about AMRC here Your host is Paul Haimes from industrial software company PTC. Episodes are released bi-weekly. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates.Third Angle is an 18Sixty production for PTC. Executive producer is Jacqui Cook. Sound design and editing by Ollie Guillou. Location recording by Helen Lennard. And music by Rowan Bishop.

Nicola Perrin MBE, who is a new director on our board of Genomics England, has also recently been appointed to the board of UK Biobank, as well as being the CEO of the Association of Medical Research Charities that AMRC, an organisation that brings together and supports over 150 health and medical charities to enable and support high-quality research.   View our transcript here: https://files.genomicsengland.co.uk/documents/Podcast-transcripts/Nicola-Perrin.docx    "don't underestimate the power of mothers on a mission"   Today on The G Word, Chris Wigley and Nicola Perrin MBE discuss all things Life Science, data and the importance of engaging users in research. 

The first commercial prototype of SolarBotanic's innovative solar tree capable of powering homes and charging electric vehicles is being developed by experts at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). SolarBotanic Trees Ltd, is working with the AMRC to develop a field prototype for the integrated, scalable and sustainable power generation system. The project aims to build the prototype as the company moves towards full scale commercial production. Since its launch in the summer of 2022, SolarBotanic trees has already secured its founding client with a multi-million pound deal with Raw Charging Group. Solar trees to harness energy for charging and energy storage The trees are designed for aesthetically sensitive locations and has a dome made up of nano photovoltaic (PV) ‘leaves', can harness enough solar energy to power individual homes, and charge electric vehicles; while its sleek aesthetic means it is not only easy on the eye but on the environment too – providing a clean and green energy solution to accelerate the UK's Net Zero journey. The AMRC, part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult network of research centres, is providing the product development and design support to help build a functional prototype for testing. John Spencer, senior project manager at the AMRC said: “We are delighted to be working with the fantastic team at SolarBotanic Trees on the development of its energy-generating solar tree. The business has a great product which will play an important role in developing the infrastructure necessary to support the shift to zero-emission electric vehicles (EVs), a core part of the UK government's net zero strategy. “The AMRC will provide design and prototyping support to advance the product through a rapid development cycle, enabling the company to launch the first solar tree, fulfil its pre-orders, and gain traction in the EV charging market. SolarBotanic Trees' vision to create carbon-reducing technologies aligns with the AMRC's drive to support the high-value manufacturing sector on the journey to net zero.” Chris Shelley, CEO of SolarBotanic Trees, said “With the AMRC bringing its design and prototyping expertise to the table it will help us accelerate commercialisation. The team at the AMRC is a great partner for SolarBotanic Trees to deliver the prototype at speed using its world-class facilities and talent which will enable us to rapidly move to commercial production in the near future, starting with our launch order for 200 trees for RAW Charging Group, a high growth UK and EU focussed EV charging service provider.” Other project partners include the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry (MTC) and the Advanced Forming Research Centre in Scotland, both part of the HVM Catapult, along with Brunel University in London and multinational logistics company, Unipart. The latest project is rooted in a five-day design assist previously undertaken for SolarBotanic Trees, which saw the AMRC deliver a range of design concepts for the trunk, branch and petal structure of the solar tree, as well as investigating a range of monitoring and sensing methods to test, assess and select various PV cell options. About SolarBotanic Trees Ltd Targeting aesthetically sensitive flagship commercial locations initially such as car parks at airports, shopping malls, sports stadia and exhibition centres and has been made possible due to its unique new Photovoltaic (“PV”) 3D leaf-shaped nano-technology to harness solar energy for charging and energy storage. Initially aimed at the rapid Electric Vehicle charging market for homes, businesses and commercial car parks, where solar power can be captured and stored for charging points. It will also encompass a sophisticated AI-driven energy storage and power management system (PMS), where trees can be linked and form part of a local grid, or feed into the main grid, essential to optimise an increasingly electrified future. See more bre...

Join Ali Nicholl of IOTICS and Jonathan Eyre of AMRC as they talk to Henry Fenby-Taylor about what the Metaverse is and isn't. Look out for episode 2 coming soon from IOTICS

At the heart of the energy transition is a dedicated and highly skilled workforce. James speaks to those involved in fostering the next generation of workers who will play a vital role in helping the UK achieve net zero. From a local primary school to PhD students at the University of Hull / Aura, James hears how industry can better engage with young people, improve gender diversity within the workforce and both attract and retain skilled talent in the North East of England. James Murray is joined by Ben Morgan from AMRC, Liam Johnson from Inmans Primary School, Sarah Bee, Victoria Bessonova and Louise Smith from the University of Hull / Aura, and Kirsty Clode from Women in Manufacturing and Engineering (WiME). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast has 19 articles with dozens of terrific reviews! Companies include Enphase Energy, First Solar, Netflix, Canadian Solar, ChargePoint Holdings, Brookfield Renewable Corporation, NextEra Energy Partners LP. Funds include iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF, SPDR S&P 500 Fossil Fuel Reserves Free ETF, Fidelity Select Biotechnology Portfolio, and VegTech Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF PODCAST: Best ESG Stocks and Funds for 2022 Transcript & Links, Episode 74, January 14, 2022 Hello, Ron Robins here. I hope you had a good time over the holidays -- despite the virus concerns -- and are now ready to prosper in the year ahead. So, welcome to podcast episode 74 published on January 14, 2022, titled “Best ESG Stocks and Funds for 2022” — and presented by Investing for the Soul. investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing news, commentary, information, and resources. Remember that you can find a full transcript, links to content – including stock symbols, quotes, and bonus material – at this episode's podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts. Now, just a reminder. I do not evaluate any of the stocks or funds mentioned in this podcast. Furthermore, if you're concerned about the ESG and sustainability ratings of any stock or fund included in this podcast, check your broker's online site for such information. If your broker doesn't have this information, signup for free with Morningstar and you can gain access to company and fund ESG-sustainability ratings. Please note, I receive no compensation from Morningstar or anyone else covered in these podcasts. Also, if any terms are unfamiliar to you, simply Google them. ------------------------------------------------------------- Now it seems the New Year has spurned many new articles recommending ethical and sustainable stocks and funds. So, I'm going to do something different in this podcast. For each of the 19 articles -- yes 19 articles -- I'm going to give the title, name of the author or authors, the site in which it appeared, and the stocks or funds recommended in that article. Articles will be appropriately grouped, though not in any order. I might seem a little repetitive, but I believe you'll find it terrifically informative with great investment ideas. Incidentally, do go to this episode's podcast page for links to all the articles, stocks, and funds. So, let's begin! Starting with those articles that don't fit any defined category. ------------------------------------------------------------- A) ‘General' in nature. 1. Title The Just 100 List by JUST Capital. Found on cnbc.com. Quote “Research nonprofit JUST Capital's annual analysis of corporate performance is a comprehensive ranking of companies on ESG issues critical to stakeholders, from their workers and shareholders to customers, communities and the environment. These are the 100 top-performing companies across all industries for 2022, evaluated across a wide range of metrics, including efforts to combat climate change; diversity, equity and inclusion; worker wellness and local job creation; and customer privacy.” End quote. 2. Title Three funds for investing in the transition to a sustainable economy by Melissa Scaramellini. Appeared on whatinvestment.co.uk. Funds reviewed and recommended are Legal and General Future World ESG Developed Index Fund, BMO Responsible Global Equity Fund, and Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund. These are UK or European funds. 3. Title 2 Stocks to Buy When the Next Market Crash Comes. By Rich Duprey. Seen on Nasdaq.com. Stocks featured are Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX). 4. Title VegTech plant-based innovation & climate ETF launches on NYSE (EATV). By Olivia Nelson on foodingredientsfirst.com. Quote “'We are excited to be what we believe is the first pure-play ETF that invests in companies innovating with plants and producing animal-free products,'” says VegTech Invest CEO and CMO Elysabeth Alfano.” End quote. 5. Title Top 10 most-popular investment trusts: December 2021 by Kyle Caldwell on ii.co.uk. These are UK funds. 6. Title Start ESG Investing in 2022 With These 5 ETFs by Catherine Brock on fool.com. ETFs recommended are Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEMKT: XLF), Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF (NYSEMKT: ESGV), iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF (NYSEMKT: DSI), iShares Global Clean Energy ETF  (NASDAQ: ICLN), and SPDR S&P 500 Fossil Fuel Reserves Free ETF (NYSEMKT: SPYX). 7. Title Wahed Debuts First Shariah-Compliant and ESG-Aware ETF on Nasdaq. Press release was seen on businesswire.com. Quote “The Wahed Dow Jones Islamic World ETF (Ticker: UMMA)… seeks long-term capital appreciation and looks to provide investors access to international, ex-U.S. investments that seek to better align with their values.” End quote. 8. Title Investment Themes to Play Heading Into 2022: 4 Fund Picks by Zacks Equity Research. Their fund picks are Fidelity Select Biotechnology Portfolio (FBIOX), Calvert Equity Fund Class A (CSIEX), New Alternatives Fund Class A (NALFX), and Parnassus Mid Cap Growth Fund - Investor (PARNX). 9. Title Invest With Your Conscience: 7 Socially Responsible Investment Funds by Sarah Lozanova. Found on earth911.com. Her fund picks are Parnassus Endeavor Investor (PARWX), Parnassus Mid-Cap (PARMX), SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity Index (SHE), Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund Investor Shares (VFTSX), Invesco ESG NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQMG), ESG NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF (QQJG), and Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF (ESGV). The article has a good comparison chart of these funds too. ------------------------------------------------------------- B) Under Alternative Energy 1. Title 5 Best Solar Energy Companies of 2022 by unknown sponsor on dmagazine.com. Companies reviewed and recommended are quote “SunPower – Overall Best Solar Energy System; Vivint Solar – Premium Services For Residential Solar Energy Systems; Sunpro Solar – Most Affordable Solar Power Systems; Tesla – Most Efficient Solar Panel On The Market; and Sunrun – Best For Customized Solar Energy Systems.” End quote. 2. Title My Top Renewable Energy Stock to Buy Right Now by Reuben Gregg Brewer. Appeared on fool.com. His stock pick is Enbridge (NYSE: ENB). 3. Title 3 Alternative Energy Mutual Funds for 2022 by Stephanie Thompson on dailyinvestorhub.com. The three picks are Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy Fund (GAAEX), New Alternatives Fund Class A (NALFX), and Shelton Green Alpha Fund (NEXTX). 4. Title 3 Alternative Energy Stocks to Buy Amid Insufficient H2 Investment by Aparajita Dutta. Found on zacks.com. Her picks are Evergy (EVRG - Free Report), Chesapeake Energy (CHK - Free Report), and Ameresco (AMRC - Free Report). 5. Title 5 Clean-Energy Stocks to Watch Amid US Renewables Revolution. Again, by Aparajita Dutta and on zacks.com. Her choices, in addition to those above, are Enphase Energy (ENPH), and First Solar (FSLR). 6. Title 3 Top Renewable Energy Stocks for 2022. Found on Nasdaq.com. Authors Travis Hoium likes SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR), Howard Smith picks Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure (NASDAQ: AY), and Daniel Foelber chooses ChargePoint Holdings (NYSE: CHPT). 7. Title Think Lucid and Rivian Are Overvalued? Buy These Alternative Energy Growth Stocks Instead. It's by Travis Hoium, Howard Smith, and Daniel Foelber. Quote “Three of our Fool.com contributors think First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), Enphase Energy (NASDAQ: ENPH), and Brookfield Renewable Corporation (NYSE: BEPC) are well positioned heading into 2022.” End quote. 8. Title 3 Renewable Stocks Set to Continue Their Winning Streak in 2022 again by Aparajita Dutta. Her choices are Evergy (EVRG), Ameresco (AMRC), and Texas Pacific Land (TPL). 9. Title Top Alternative Energy Stocks for Q1 2022 by Stephanie Thompson. Stocks include Daqo New Energy Corp. (DQ), Renewable Energy Group Inc. (REGI), SunPower Corp. (SPWR), Advent Technologies Holdings Inc. (ADN), Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ), Ameresco Inc. (AMRC), NextEra Energy Partners LP (NEP), and NextEra Energy Inc. (NEE). ------------------------------------------------------------- C) Under Infrastructure 1. Title 2 Under-the-Radar Infrastructure Stocks to Buy in 2022 and Beyond by Brett Schafer on fool.com. The two stocks are Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) and American Tower (NYSE: AMT). ------------------------------------------------------------- Ending Comment Well, there we are for this podcast titled “Best ESG Stocks and Funds for 2022.” 19 articles full of great ethical and sustainable investing ideas. To get all their links, stock symbols, or to read the transcript of this podcast -- and more -- go to investingforthesoul.com/podcasts and scroll down to this episode. Also, be sure to click the like and subscribe buttons in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you download or listen to this podcast. And please click the share buttons to share this podcast with your friends and family. Let's promote a better post COVID world through ethical and sustainable investing! Contact me if you have any questions. Stay well and healthy—and conscious about the ethical and sustainable values of your investments! Thank you for listening. Talk to you next on January 28. Bye for now. © 2022 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul.

In this episode, “Circular Economy and the Eight Stocks to Watch,” Jane Ross, Managing Director of Investment Banking, and Noah Kaye Managing Director and Senior Analyst at Oppenheimer discuss how to create an economic system where re-usability is the driver and minimizing waste is the goal and where to find investment opportunities in the solutions.  Tune in to discover the implications of industries like plastics, mining, construction, and the power sector, and which companies are leading the charge to create a healthy and sustainable future for our planet. Listen to Let's Talk Future on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or Google Podcast. Podcast Disclosure: This podcast is the property of Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. and should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part. The information/commentary contained in this recording was obtained from market conditions and professional sources, and is educational in nature. The information presented has been derived from sources believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed as to accuracy and does not purport to be a complete analysis of any strategy, plan, security, company, or industry involved. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. Oppenheimer has no obligation to provide any updates or changes. Any examples used in this material are generic, hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. All price references and market forecasts are as of the date of recording. This podcast is not a product of Oppenheimer Research, nor does it provide any financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax advice or recommendations. Any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. Securities and other financial instruments that may be discussed in this report or recommended or sold are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and are not deposits or obligations of any insured depository institution. Investments involve numerous risks including market risk, counterparty default risk and liquidity risk. Securities and other financial investments at times maybe difficult to value or sell. The value of financial instruments may fluctuate, and investors may lose their entire principal investment. Prior to making any investment or financial decisions, an investor should seek advice from their personal financial, legal, tax and other professional advisors that take into account all of the particular facts and circumstances of an investor's own situation. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors. This report does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or specific needs of any particular client of Oppenheimer or its affiliates. This presentation may contain forward looking statements or projections regarding future events.  Forward-looking statements and projections are based on the opinions and estimates of Oppenheimer as of the date of this podcast, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties as well as other factors, including economic, political, and public health factors, that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and projections.  Past performance does not guarantee future results. The performance of a benchmark index is not indicative of the performance of any particular investment; however, they are considered representative of their respective market segments.  Please note that indexes are unmanaged and their returns do not take into account any of the costs associated with buying and selling individual securities.  Individuals cannot invest directly in an index. In the past 12 months, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. has provided investment banking services for AMRC, HASI and PCT. In the past 12 months, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. has managed or co-managed a public offering of securities for AMRC and HASI. In the past 12 months, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. has received compensation for investment banking services from AMRC and PCT. In the past 12 months, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. has provided non-investment banking, securities-related services for AMRC. In the past 12 months, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. or an affiliate has received compensation for non-investment banking services from AMRC. Oppenheimer Transacts Business on all Principal Exchanges and Member SIPC  3702762.1

Pete Robertson sits down with Jason Murphy from AMRC.The FDF Podcast is sponsored by Clarke Energyhttps://www.fdf.org.uk/fdf/about-fdf/professional-affiliates/clarke-energy

In Episode 3 of The Talent Intelligence Podcast we are joined by the amazing Shirley Harrison from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), based at The University of Sheffield. For over 30 years now Shirley has been working in the male dominated industry of manufacturing and mechanical engineering. And in recent months has been given the added responsibility of being appointed the Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion where she leads strategy development and implementation to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace, where everyone can be themselves and differences are recognised and respected. Here's a quick glimpse at some of things we chatted about: - Why AMRC created this new Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion position AND why Shirley wanted to take up this challenge... - What story is the data and insights telling Shirley so far around the Gender Pay Gap... - How Shirley plans to change the current recruitment processes through "systematic process change" to help create a more diverse and inclusive workplace... We also chatted about how to write better job description ads to help attract more female candidates, her thoughts on a blind selection process and how to adapt interview panels...and much more. Learn more about AMRC here https://www.amrc.co.uk/

From charity funding to lab work, we explore the impact of both and how Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) Open Research publishing platform contributes to dementia research.    Read the original text and get more great content here on our website: https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/helping-to-shape-the-future-of-dementia-research/

In the second edition of FDF Wales monthly podcast Pete Robertson is joined by Bobby Manseh who leads the food and drink  packaging  strategy team at AMRC.Recorded 03-11-20 

A fitness tracker for UK manufacturers to measure and improve productivity – from the shop floor to the top floor is being tested with Yorkshire companies by a tech start-up that has grown out of the University of Sheffield’s globally recognised Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics (FourJaw.com) is the brainchild of AMRC Commercialisation Manager Chris Iveson and Machining Project Engineer Robin Hartley. They have developed a new Manufacturing Execution System that can unlock valuable data hidden within machine controllers and converting it to ‘deep insights’ that enable production managers to turbocharge their productivity. “We are finding that many manufacturing companies struggle to understand what is happening on the shop floor. It is effectively a black box for them,” says Iveson, who believes FourJaw’s technology will open that box. With financial support from the Royal Academy of Engineering, Hartley is now an Enterprise Fellow. From the University of Sheffield’s commercialisation arm, the pair are now taking their technical know-how and building a business around it. “It’s been a lot of hard work, late nights and busy weekends, but this is a massive opportunity to augment the technical excellence of UK manufacturers with the world-beating productivity that modern technology enables,” says Mr Hartley. What they are talking about is nothing less than a digital transformation, but the FourJaw founders are cautious as the UK manufacturing sector has been bombarded with promises of digital transformation for years. Unfortunately, many of these digital solutions have been overhyped only to under-deliver. This has left manufacturers jaded and believing digital technologies offer little value in a real-world ‘shop floor’ setting. The pair understand the difficulties of manufacturers, painting a picture of an industry where performance is difficult to measure, competitively pricing jobs is more of an art than a science, and scheduling production is a daily struggle. Even when firms put systems in place and collect data from their machines, Iveson and Hartley find they offer limited value and that firms struggle to turn ‘data’ into actionable information. They recall recent conversations with manufacturers, where it is common to find average utilisation rates of around 50% across all the machines on the shop floor. “The problem is, that rate is across all machines and it’s really hard to trace the root cause. Is it an individual machine, a troublesome component, unexpected downtime or a production bottleneck? We created FourJaw to give manufacturers these answers and allow them to see what is actually happening on the factory floor,” Hartley says. FourJaw can do this by getting inside the brains of the machine, the CNC. This is what actuates the motors to achieve the complex geometries needed to make a part. For all but a few firms, the raw data stored inside these brains is so difficult to translate into knowledge, it is simply discarded as a form of digital swarf. This prompted Hartley to set up a research project to decipher the stored data and turn it into information that could give manufacturers the competitive edge over lower-cost economies. Having achieved this goal, however, Hartley and Iveson were still short of a smart system that manufacturers could simply plugin and play. A system that not only extracts data from the control units, but turns it automatically into insights. To achieve this, the two entrepreneurs turned to Sheffield-based software engineers, Razor, to perfect a technology that interfaces with, and extracts data from, complex and varied machine tools, before securely sending the data to the cloud for detailed analysis. “This required some serious thought, a lot of creative thinking and software engineering skill,” says Jamie Hinton, CEO of Razor. “The entire process was agile – properly agile. Our understanding and direction changed regularly, as we were in totally uncharted waters with the problems being faced.” Focusing in on a subset of the most popular control units, adapters were created that could be remotely installed in the factory and talk to the CNC controllers in their native language/protocols. These adapters extract data, push it securely to the cloud and then process it in a variety of ways, creating insights that are bespoke to the needs of stakeholders at several levels of the manufacturing business. During development, iterations of the adapters were installed at the AMRC’s Factory of the Future with live data streaming being processed in real-time. The AMRC’s Deputy Head of Digital, Jon Bray, says: “This is a beautiful example of what can happen when digital meets manufacturing. You can only get this kind of breakthrough when you bring really, really good software guys into close collaboration with really detailed engineering knowledge to interpret what the software is telling you.” FourJaw is business of entrepreneurs that wanted to simplify the process further for ease of adoption and usability. They have now teamed up with Sheffield based software development and technology company, The Curve, whose on-demand technical expertise and ‘big data’ know-how is being used to develop an app to present data analytics in a readily digestible format for production managers. “It’s been great working with another recent start-up, but one with an incredible pedigree,” says Iveson of the firm set up by Paul Ridgway former CTO and co-founder of telematics firm The Floow. Paul Ridgway who is also a software engineering graduate of the University of Sheffield said: “Productivity in the current market is key to the viability of any business, helping free-up resource, lower costs and ultimately beat competitors.” “The analytical solutions FourJaw are providing are incredibly important and it has been fantastic to help make this accessible to the market.” The FourJaw business model is ‘software-as-a-service’. A sort of ‘Netflix or Spotify’ for manufacturing execution systems. Instead of paying a huge up-front cost, which is a significant barrier to adoption, particularly for SME’s, and a blocker to FourJaws’ growth, manufacturers pay a much more affordable rental each month for use of the system. “That means the manufacturer gets continuous updates to the software, seamlessly rolled out from the cloud just as Netflix does for its subscribers,” says Iveson, who sees their affordable product being an invaluable tool for thousands of SME’s. “At the moment, there is a small amount of on-site installation required. The vision is that in the future, the installation will be as simple as sending a purpose-built computer to the customer with all the software fully loaded, which they plug into their shop-floor network enabling us to access the machine data and feed it back as knowledge.” Bringing old machines into the digital age But what if the manufacturer has old machines with no connectivity, which is not uncommon? Here, too, FourJaw has come up with a solution. By retrofitting a sensor system directly to the CNC machine, Iveson and Hartley can bring even an ancient Bridgeport into the digital age. While this low-fidelity option does not tap into the rich data source of the CNC controller, with a bit of clever analysis, there is still a lot to be gained using sensor signals. The insights are valuable for driving productivity improvements and providing much-needed visibility for older machines. Despite the different data collection methods, all insights generated by FourJaw are presented in a single unified view of the shop floor, allowing manufacturers to ignore the software technicalities and get on with what they do best, making parts! Ironically, establishing a start-up in the midst of a global pandemic is less a threat than an opportunity for FourJaw. “We are finding it easier to get to talk to the right people than before, and not having to travel to set up a meeting is a big bonus,” says Iveson. Add to this the fact that the team are working to develop the technology to be installed remotely, and Iveson feels that this could be an ideal opportunity for global medium-sized firms to harness the power of industrial digitalisation. Iveson continues: “Look around the Sheffield City Region and you will see global leaders in manufacturing whose strength lies in their power to continually innovate.” Think AESSEAL in Rotherham, where Iveson spent his early career or Gripple in Sheffield. Increasingly, we are seeing the emergence of a new breed of software engineer keen to exploit the boundless opportunities that come from working with the grain of the region’s historic manufacturing base. Jamie Hinton and Paul Ridgway are in the vanguard of the ‘digital meets manufacturing renaissance’, and are seeing the benefits not just for their own businesses but for the wider prosperity of the region. As Hinton says: “You don’t get much better than helping a brand-new business being formed and the first customer created. FourJaw is now in production and receiving some incredible feedback. We are astonishingly proud of being a part of its journey and being instrumental in bringing it to market.” 

By Andy Silcox, CEng MIMechE Research Director, University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru For those of us from the punched tape fed CNC generation, the idea of using technology like AR headsets in day-to-day manufacturing operations may seem like a step too far toward digitalisation. What about an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) whizzing around the shop floor delivering parts to workstations round the clock? Or using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to determine when employees should take their breaks? These aren’t space-age visions of a future factory anymore. Implementing Industry 4.0 technologies like these to create an agile operation able to pivot to changing market demands is now fundamental to the immediate profitability and long-term sustainability of the UK aerospace sector. Twelve months ago a flexible and sustainable aerospace supply chain which could be operated with minimal human interaction was still a dot on the horizon – a dream that was edging closer but never truly promising to be within grasp. And why should it? Since the turn of the century, commercial airline manufacturers and their associated supply chains have enjoyed record demand for their products. Both Airbus and Boeing exceeded 800 aircraft deliveries in the last two years and, with a large backlog of orders, there was confidence within the industry that the market would continue to grow strongly. But, as we approached the beginning of a new decade, cracks were starting to show. Two fatal crashes meant Boeing grounded its entire fleet of 737 Max aircraft and began 2020 with orders for just 54 planes: compared with 893 the previous year. Add this to the surging swell of public opinion pushing the industry to go further and faster in reducing aviation CO2 emissions. …then Covid-19 struck Figures from ADS show 370 aircraft order cancellations were recorded between January and April this year. Deliveries of planes hit a record low of just 20 in April and it is likely to take several years before production is restored to pre-crisis levels. Those numbers are a wake-up call for manufacturers and have exposed vulnerabilities in the supply chain. But the drop in demand for high-rate production, the unavoidable review of working practises and the inevitable changes on the shop floor should also be viewed as an opportunity. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world on its head we knew digital agility was vital if the aerospace sector was to have a profitable future as it met the two great challenges of climate change and decarbonisation. Covid-19 has merely accelerated that need. At the AMRC, we have seen first-hand the suppleness generated by Industry 4.0 technologies as we joined a consortium of UK manufacturers in pivoting our operations to fight the pandemic. AMRC Cymru, our Welsh Government funded R&D facility in Broughton, was quickly turned into a production line making thousands of life-saving medical ventilators not six months after it was officially opened. Our ability to respond like this hinged on having flexible, digital manufacturing processes. Industry 4.0 technologies, such as modelling and simulation, automation and augmented reality (AR), are key tools in giving manufacturers the flexibility to react swiftly in times of crisis but will also be critical for their long-term success as well. Businesses that invest in these technologies right now, will be at a significant competitive advantage as they will be able to accommodate fluctuations in demand far quicker than their rivals. At AMRC Cymru, with our partners Airbus and the help of the Ventilator Challenge UK consortium, we deployed these digital tools to safely install 16 assembly lines in less than a fortnight. The task of creating a shop floor where 88 operators could work simultaneously while maintaining safe social distancing is one very similar to the challenge many manufacturers are now facing. Fundamental to our success was the use of DES modelling. By creating a digital model of the building, the mobilisation team were able to experiment with different layouts and run numerous scenarios to maximise the efficiency of production, logistics, the flow of people around the facility and even the welfare breaks whilst all the time ensuring safe social distancing. For the aerospace supply chain, investment in this type of modelling software has the two-fold advantage of minimising the productivity impact of the Covid-19 restrictions and equipping manufacturers with a tool that enables them to plan effectively for future similar scenarios. For many of us, an engineer with an AR headset looks more at home in a Siemens smart factory in Germany than working on a CNC machine here in the UK. But Microsoft HoloLens devices were vital in allowing the Ventilator Challenge UK team to deliver step-by-step assembly instructions to rapidly train hundreds of automotive and aerospace assembly technicians to build medical devices; not to mention the opportunity to further reduce the Covid-19 contamination risk by using them to deliver remote fault finding and technical assistance. In machining, AR doesn’t have to be confined to assembly and operator training, it can also be used to assist in part setup or maintenance of CNC machines. Beyond this, AR can equip workers with process data that will help them in monitoring the process. With this regard, there are two trends. The first one makes use of the machine viewing window to project process information inside the workspace with the advantage of ergonomics and wider visibility. The second is to display the information on a handheld device such as a smartphone or tablet or in a head-mounted display. The suitability of these systems and benefits for equipping the worker with in-process data need to be assessed now, more than ever, as does the potential for electronic route cards to replace paper-based systems to enhance the worker’s decision making with increased information available at point of use. The industry can benefit from inexpensive systems with user-friendly interfaces which can be easily learnt, even by computer-illiterate workers. It comes back to that idea of agility. By digitalising work instructions and delivering them on AR headsets or tablets in conjunction with digitally connected SMART tools, manufacturers can create much greater flexibility in their workforce which doesn’t compromise quality or productivity. At Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrain, the AMRC provided two Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) AGVs to assist in the production of ventilator devices being made at their Northamptonshire facility. In just a few hours, with no additional infrastructure, the AGVs were put to work delivering parts to workstations, removing the risk of cross-contamination from human operatives conducting logistic operations. The use of collaborative robots and AGVs have obvious immediate benefits for implementing social distancing, but their ability to be integrated into a safe, shared working environment with human operatives means they can be quickly deployed as a flexible resource anywhere they are needed around the factory. [caption id="attachment_900095225" align="alignleft" width="300"] AMRC 31.10.18[/caption] Although precision CNC machining has made considerable efforts to automate manual processes such as part loading and unloading, part fixturing, and set up; there are still some challenges to overcome. All machinery, including tools, peripherals, and programming, must be connected and integrated to work together flawlessly whether this is fully automated tool data management or in-cycle process verification to avoid the need for an end of line inspection. Of course, in such uncertain times and with a recession looming, the idea of making large investments in such technologies is not particularly enticing; but the experience at AMRC Cymru proves that these technologies, deployed quickly and at relatively low cost and risk, can get manufacturing operations back up-and-running safely while maintaining productivity. In the first instance, the implementation of such technologies can have a significant impact in helping manufacturers to operate efficiently in the challenging circumstances we find ourselves in. But it goes beyond that. By taking these steps now, manufacturers can lay the foundations on which to build a digitally connected, reconfigurable and resilient production facility. Traditionally, in the machining industry, there is a low take-up of readily available technologies, knowledge and management best practices. That has to change and the AMRC can help. That is why we built Factory 2050 in Sheffield, the UK’s first state-of-the-art digital factory entirely dedicated to conducting collaborative research into reconfigurable robotic, digitally assisted assembly and machining technologies. And why AMRC Cymru is its mirror image in Wales. Both are designed to address the rising need for high variation and mass customisation manufacturing throughout a diverse range of engineering sectors which we were able to put into action on the shop floor to manufacture life-saving ventilators. That knowledge and expertise isn’t the property of just the AMRC though, it is available for all manufacturers to take advantage of and our team of engineers are on hand to help manufacturers understand how these technologies can be deployed in any production environment. It is that word ‘opportunity’ again. Could this be the perfect time for the aerospace industry to address sustainability not just in the product but throughout the whole manufacturing life cycle? To grasp that opportunity, agility is vital; it allows the UK aerospace supply chain to be quickest to market for future platforms, accommodate the inevitable fluctuation in demand and, as always, to improve the end product.

Medical research charities have been hit hard by the disruptive effects of the pandemic, with many fundraising events cancelled for the foreseeable future and charity shops shuttered for months during lockdown.  Plummeting income has meant they've had to pause or stop research projects, withdraw future funding and lay off staff. In this episode Peter Barker interviews three experts about the crisis. - Leonora Neale, Communications Manager at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) - Richard Berks, a freelance science writer and communications consultant who specialises in helping medical research charities to engage with their supporters. - Matthew Lam, science communication manager at Worldwide Cancer Research. Presented by Peter Barker Produced by Orinoco Communications ------------------------------------------------------- LINKS To find out more about the AMRC's campaign and for links to the resources mentioned here and in the podcast visit this blog.    

This episode of the Sheffield Digital Podcast features an interview with three Sheffield-based folk who are 3D printing visors that can be used by healthcare professional in the coronavirus crisis. Tom Tobia is the founder of Makerversity, which provides work space, cutting-edge prototyping facilities, business support and more to 300+ members in Somerset House, Central London. Joe Palmer is Senior Design and Development Engineer and Lecturer in Manufacturing Technology at AMRC, a regional partner of Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/about/regional-partners/regional-partner-advanced-manufacturing-research-centre/) . And Mark Wrigley is a physicist, inventor, entrepreneur and all-round 3D printing expert. We asked all three of our guests about how they are approaching the process of 3D printing visors. From finding materials to getting the finished product into the right hands, it was fascinating to hear about the different challenges faced and the brilliant work they are doing.  Enjoy the episode and do make sure you check out the links in the show notes below. You can learn more about the process of 3D printing masks and show your support by donating to help keep production going.  Note: this episode was recorded on Friday 17 April 2020, so please do check to see if the information discussed is still up to date when you listen.  Subscribe to the show If you’d like to have new episodes of the show appear right in your podcast player, you can subscribe via our page on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/sheffield-digital-podcast/id1272667962?mt=2) or search for us in your podcast app of choice! Notes and links Every episode comes with a list of links to all of the various people, companies and topics that we reference.  Tom Tobia | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-tobia-26568a33/) Makerversity - the home for startup maker businesses (https://makerversity.org/) AMRC - The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (https://www.amrc.co.uk/) Joseph Palmer | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joepalmer5/) Mark Wrigley (https://mr-maker.space/) PiKon (https://pikonic.com/) Prusa Face Shield : PrusaPrinters (https://www.prusaprinters.org/prints/25857-prusa-face-shield) Shield - Bringing independent PPE campaigns together (https://www.shieldproject.org/) Crowdfunding to help SHIELD on JustGiving (https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/shield-project) Meet our members | Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/membership/meet-our-members/) Become a member of Sheffield Digital (http://sheffield.digital/membership) Did I miss something you’re looking for? Just get in touch and let me know (http://sheffield.digital/contact) .  Join the conversation We’re really keen to get your feedback on the podcast. You can Sheffield Digital Slack community (https://sheffield.digital/slack) . Thank you for the music Thanks to Alex Mclean – aka Yaxu (https://yaxu.org/) – for the show’s intro music, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The hunt for 'smart' manufacturing   During the summer, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, or H-M-I hosted its ‘HxGN Live’ event in Las Vegas,.   You may remember we covered the event in the September issue of MTD magazine.   The ongoing success of this event was the catalyst behind bringing the glitz of the Vegas strip to the UK, at the world-renowned Belfry Hotel & Resort. The H-M-I UK team prepared a spectacular two-day HxGN LOCAL Smart Manufacturing event with keynote speakers.   It provided every ounce of prestige that global delegates enjoyed in the Nevada Desert.   MTD Magazine was in attendance to see what the event had to offer. Like the HxGN Live event in Las Vegas, the H-M-I UK event took on a holistic approach to the challenges of the manufacturing industry and its future.   With such an extensive product portfolio that covers the entire spectrum of manufacturing, it’s a fitting philosophy.   Demonstrating this at the HxGN LOCAL Smart Manufacturing event was a showroom set up with stations and technical experts.   It took visitors from the concept, design and engineering phase through to production, measurement, verification and project completion. This incorporated everything from 3D scanning and reverse engineering through CAD, CAM, model verification and production software on to the very latest metrology equipment.   The demonstration stations encompassed everything from the latest developments of the MSC CAE and simulation software platforms through EDGECAM, Javelin, Machining Strategist, Radan, VISI, WorkNC and Workplan platforms.   Bringing the simulation demonstrations to life through VR was a Ducati motorcycle saddle construction and design.   It started with a measuring arm and reverse engineering process that was then optimally programmed with EDGECAM and NCSIMUL. Further downstream was the measurement portfolio with the OPTIV Performance 3d multi-sensor, 7-axis Absolute Arm, Leica Absolute Tracker ATS600, the RS6 Laser Scanner, the TIGO SF, AICON Stereoscan, the Sensorfar 3D optical measuring device and the ingenious Hexagon SFx Cloud ready asset management software that interconnects the measurement hardware range.   All of this was encapsulated in a ‘Smart is Hiding in Plain Sight’ keynote speech delivered by Norbert Hanke, the President & CEO of HMI.   This was followed by an insightful presentation from Stefan Hyttfors ‘Five things you must know about the future’. The afternoon ‘breakout sessions’ gave delegates the opportunity to take in presentations from Paul Andrews of Robo-race on the world’s first racing series for humans & AI and Ben Morgan the Head of the Integrated Manufacturing Group and Factory 2050 at the AMRC on reconfigurable assembly and digitally driven component manufacturing.   Presentations were also provided by Mike Falconer, the Education & Development Manager for the MTA on ‘SMART Students’ and ‘The SUMO Guy’ Paul McGee who delivered a presentation on ‘How to develop your resilience and build better relationships’.   The level of insight from each presentation was epitomised by newshound Daisy McAndrew from Sky and BBC News who discussed Brexit and the future of UK manufacturing.   Just when we all think we are experts on Brexit after countless hours of watching and listening to TV and radio, Daisy blew perceptions on Brexit and politicians apart with her fascinating insights and tales.   Following the absorbing events during the day, H-M-I put on evening entertainment with a band, magician, casino and simulated racing with Ben Collins, the man behind ‘the STIG’ from Top Gear.   Day two 's activities kicked off with Raf Lobato, the Strategic Product Development Director at Hexagon providing a presentation that was followed by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE talking about ‘Living dangerously’. With the theme firmly set around ‘Smart’ manufacturing, we listened to the keynote speech from Norbert Hanke, a fascinating insight into the future; not just for Hexagon, but for all manufacturers.   He said: “The manufacturing industry is on the hunt for ‘Smart’.   ‘Smart’ is all around us and we don’t have to look far to find it.   We are living in a perfect storm of events and uncertainty that requires agility like never before.   World trade growth has dropped over the last couple of years quite dramatically.   Politics has impacted global growth and emerging markets have been slowing down for some time.   With all these challenges, its urgent that we all find a ‘smart,’ agile and resilient business model.” “The world of manufacturing is experiencing huge shifts and customers are demanding more personalisation and better-quality products.   You only have to look at the automotive sector and its changes.   Companies have built cars for decades, but now the question is ‘do I build the asset?’ or ‘do I offer the service?’.” “So, lets investigate the current state of ‘Smart’.   Many people perceive the transformation of manufacturing as a linear function.   This is people thinking how the business will be affected by disruption.   However, the reality is that both the change and the impact are exponential.   Why do we have to embrace these technologies?   Well, growth and productivity has declined in advanced economies and with our ageing population, there is a downward trend in the working age population to fill manufacturing jobs.   While these new transformative technologies can move towards a new level of automation to address the productivity and labour issues, this can have a negative impact on the economy.   However, the reality is that for the last 100 years, technology has always created more jobs and new industries. So, it’s all about the mindset for change.   The key to this is the digital transformation and the currency is data. We need to create value out of the data.” “Jumping into technology, you can access much more data and leverage many more benefits, but are we ready to jump?   Today there is a big shift in how business leaders are looking at technology in manufacturing.   Some research indicates that 95% of all CEO’s see disruptive technology as an opportunity and not a threat.   Almost two thirds say they are personally prepared to lead their organisation through a radical transformation of operating processes to maintain competitiveness.   These leaders are recognising that connected data is offering new levels of insight for predictive pro-active services and solutions.   The future will rely on connectivity and data.   Data can save the future of our manufacturing industry, but only when the data is unlocked, unleashed and put to work for us in higher manufacturing ecosystems.” “At Hexagon, we realise the keys to transformation and are striving to unlock data and its value for customers.   We are putting data to work to create ecosystems that are connected and increasingly autonomous.   To achieve this autonomy there are a number of points to cover.   Firstly, the ecosystem must be digital.   Manufacturing still has a way to go before it achieves digital transformation, but to be successful, the ecosystem from design to production to metrology all has to be digital.   Everything has to be digital and interconnected and we are now entering a new age of connectivity that can open doors for huge possibilities.” New Solutions “One example of this connectivity is our new partnership with Ericsson.   They have developed an industry connect solution that can secure a 5G connection for your factory.   It is very important that we implement this system in our factories, but it is also important that our equipment is 5G ready.” “Our final imperative is that the ecosystem has to be intelligent, a smart connected ecosystem.   We want to build this intelligence into the solutions of today. We recently introduced a new solution called ‘Lightrunner’, which is like a facial recognition system for the factory.   It provides constant absolute positioning and mapping for the measurement of parts.   Lightrunner is the new class of solution that Hexagon is committed to; and with that we are using very powerful data in a very intelligent way.” Are we wasting data? “Did you know that over 90% of the data that is collected in manufacturing processes is never used.   In manufacturing, none of us like waste. If you look in your workflows, you can find data that is neglected, ignored or just unused.   What if you could have a complete overview of your metrology assets in your manufacturing facility?   ‘Smart’ is hiding in your resources.   The new Hexagon asset management software is the first of our asset-based solutions that brings together data from multiple sources, including the parts and the environmental monitoring system to provide a single remote view of your assets.   This visibility allows you to minimise your downtime and maximise efficiency to manage resources.” Using SPC to find the data solution. Referring back to the original message of “how to find ‘Smart’”, Norbert continued with some interesting points around S-P-C data and its relevance to the future of manufacturing and digital transformation:   He said “Smart can be found in our future with S-P-C.   S-P-C today is typically used to identify trends and make corrections.   It is also used to make predictions based on trends.   Machine learning offers huge potential with the processing of ‘big data’ and when combined with S-P-C, it allows us to predict issues much further into the future and create a much greater element of certainty.” “By performing ‘non-linear’ analysis on SPC data, we can see that the future will look much different.   So, where do we look for Smart next? Its hiding between your tools and your systems.   Take a look at a cutting tool that has cutting data and the machine parameters.   This is where our FASYS helps you to connect the CAD/CAM software to tool inventory management software to allow you to ensure the correct tool is used on the part and that it is set-up correctly.   This allows you to reduce inventory and still have the right tool when it is needed.   Connecting the supply chain, the outcome is uninterrupted manufacturing.” A new addition to the Hexagon brand Continuing the theme of finding ‘Smart’ and the connected supply chain, Norbert said: “We have recently bought a company called Etalon.   Etalon specialises in machine calibration and monitoring. I   f you could know all the characteristics of your machine tools and compensate for errors, just think how much smarter your digital workflow could be.   Etalon solutions enable machine tools to monitor their own geometrics and perform compensation to improve the quality of parts.   What if we look forward at how we can build this into our simulation packages like NCSIMUL to build a true digital twin of the machine, building a smart digital reality.   This will cut costs in the product development stages and simulation, showing that ‘Smart’ is even hiding in the digital reality.” Are you on the hunt for ‘Smart’ manufacturing and has the transformation to digital platforms been considered or started at your company?   Following such a successful and insightful event, Hexagon will be looking to use this educational platform again in the future and when it does, MTD magazine would recommend our readers to take a look into the opportunities available from ‘Smart’ digital technologies.

Being able to import completed NX assemblies into G-Code simulation software is proving to be a valuable time-saver for the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC). The Nuclear AMRC is part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult and is a partnership between academia and industry, supporting manufacturers in winning work in the nuclear industry. This is achieved by assisting manufacturers to apply advanced and novel manufacturing techniques to drive up quality and drive down costs in high value components. NCSIMUL, part of Hexagon’s Production Software portfolio, guarantees that finished G-Code sent to CNC machine tools, is 100% accurate and collision free at the Nuclear AMRC. “It gives us an exact representation of what’s happening on the machine. Having this digital twin is absolutely vital in ensuring cutting paths are correct,” says Tom Parkin, Production Engineer at the Nuclear AMRC. NCSIMUL is being used as part of the Nuclear AMRC’s philosophy of assisting manufacturers to have zero prove out times on their CNC machines and analyse toolpaths in depth before putting them on to the shop floor. Principal Production Engineer Andrew Wright says: “As it’s new to the UK market, it appealed to us as another strand in our simulation capability” he says. They currently have one seat of the software, which runs on their Mazak Integrex i-200 5-axis mill-turn machine tool. NCSIMUL gives the Nuclear AMRC total assurance that the toolpath data they supply to their clients is the very best to optimise their processes. The software’s ability to import full NX assembly files is an added bonus. “CAM and simulation systems generally aren’t particularly user-friendly when it comes to positioning individual models. But being able to take an NX assembly and its fixture, stock model and the final part, is particularly beneficial. Without it, we’d have to import single models one at a time, import the fixture by itself and position it, and import the stock model and position that in relation to the fixturing. But NCSIMUL allows us to import a full assembly file from the NX package straight into the simulating environment. From there, I can select where my datum positions are, select the tooling, put the NC program in, and run the G-Code simulation. This is a great benefit to us.” As Andrew Wright says: “Some of our set-ups are quite complex, in that they have multiple pieces of stock and work pieces, plus fixture items. So, being able to take in a file containing full assemblies which have been designed in CAD and not have to manipulate them, saves us considerable time.” Hexagon products have featured extensively in the Nuclear AMRC’s machining and metrology sectors since the centre opened. “We use a large amount of inspection and non- contact inspection equipment such as scanning and structured light systems. And EDGECAM is one of our principal CAM systems for generating NC files for all our machine tools. It has multi-platform support, so we can bring models into EDGECAM from any format, quickly and seamlessly,” says Andrew Wright. Wesley Tonks, Hexagon Production Software’s Strategic Partnership Manager, says: “Nuclear AMRC have been an Edgecam product user for many years and it is great to see the benefits of further product adoption as the Hexagon product portfolio grows. This is a fantastic example of how multiple products have been positioned whilst providing a manufacturing solution; enhancing product quality. “Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence helps industrial manufacturers develop the disruptive technologies of today and the life-changing products of tomorrow. As a leading metrology and manufacturing solution specialist, our expertise in sensing, thinking and acting – the collection, analysis and active use of measurement data – gives our customers the confidence to increase production speed and accelerate productivity while enhancing product quality.” And Tom Parkin explains how he has two different ways of using NCSIMUL. As well as importing full assemblies, he also uses the direct EDGECAM interface. “I simply export the EDGECAM file into NCSIMUL, check everything’s in the right place, that the tooling and datum are both correct, and then run the simulation. If all’s well, the program goes to the shop floor.” In line with the Industry 4.0 philosophy of smart manufacturing, the NCSIMUL G-Code simulation gives CAM programmers accurate information and technical assistance by building a virtual copy of the real-life machining environment. This digital twin eliminates errors, decreases set-up time, reduces manufacturing costs and increases shop floor productivity. Both CAM and simulation are involved in their work with the nuclear Small Modular Reactor sector, in which they’re helping companies with product development. They’re also working with manufacturers as part of the 30-year nuclear decommissioning programme, which involves looking at ways of reducing machining time on up to 100,000 individual waste containers funded by UK taxpayers. Summing up the importance of NCSIMUL to their operation, Tom Parkin says: “When we’re working on a prototype part with a client, we need to verify that the toolpaths we send to the machine are 100% accurate. And if we’re developing a process, NCSIMUL gives is confidence that it’s going to work.”

A name established from the Japanese term for craftsman or artisan, ‘Takumi’ Precision Engineering has been delivering both in abundance to the shores of Ireland for over 20 years. The Limerick based company has invested heavily in recent years with a recent factory expansion that has taken floor space to 50,000 ft2 and over €5m Euros invested in new machine tools and CAM software to further extend its market leading position on the Emerald Isle. Takumi Precision is a prominent figure in the medical device, pharmaceutical, aerospace and precision engineering sectors in Ireland. The company manufactures orthopaedic implants and instruments, cardiovascular assembly aids, medical grade rasps, balloon moulds and delivery system components as well as aluminium wing, brackets and fuselage components for the aero industry and electrical, electronic, mechanical and optical engineering parts for the industrial precision machining sector. Down the years, Takumi has invested in turning centres from Tornos, Doosan and Miyano with 3 and 5-axis machining centres from Doosan, Spinner and most recently Matsuura adding to the plant list. One of the company’s core investments has been hyperMILL CAM software from OPEN MIND Technologies, and this was driven by the onset of barrel tool technology, an influx of 5-axis machines and challenges with previous CAM systems. Commenting on the changes at Takumi, Managing Director Mr Gerry Reynolds says: “Only five years ago, 90% of our work was in the medical industry with the remaining work being across a number of sectors including the aerospace market. We had an opportunity to enter the aerospace market in a more positive way, increasing volumes from 1 to 3-offs to continuous batches of 10-15-off on the Airbus A220, previously known as the Bombardier C-Series. We had to invest in 5-axis technology to accomodate the ramping-up of complex aerospace work and we have bought 13 5-axis machines in the last five years to support this.“ The investment has paid dividends with aerospace work increasing from 5% of turnover to almost 60% in less than five years. However, this is not to the detriment of the medical business, As Gerry continues: “Our business has doubled in size in the last three years due to the increased aerospace work, but the medical sector remains crucially important to our business. Medical components are now 40% of our business, the volume of work has not reduced, it just hasn’t grown at the level of aerospace work. We now have 87 staff and are targeting a monthly turnover of €1m Euros.“ The Influence of CAM “Ten years ago, I didn’t understand CAM and would have argued against it. However, there was a necessity for CAM to run our machines and at the time I called it ‘finger CAM‘, as we were programming at the machine. We progressed to a more comprehensive CAM system and eventually installed eight seats of software. However, a visit to the AMRC introduced us to Ceratizit’s barrel tools and OPEN MIND’s hyperMILL CAM system – this changed the game for Takumi.” After investing heavily in CAM software, Gerry was apprehensive at the prospect of changing CAM systems. “Over the last 5-6 years, we had spent a lot on CAM packages and what we had, worked relatively well; but there were a few issues with processing speed, occasional crashes and some feature limitations. It was the barrel tool machining features within the hyperMILL MAXX High Performance Strategy that appealed to me, but I wanted my team to take the lead, as they would be the ones using the software.” It’s on its way.. “The team did their due diligence, taking in hyperMILL demos and then asking our existing CAM vendor if the barrel tool feature and the mirroring package were available. Our CAM supplier and other vendors all said ‘it’s on its way’ or ‘it’s in development’ regarding more than just these two features in hyperMILL That told us all we needed to know about the various vendors in the market, but it told us a lot more about hyperMILL. They are clearly streets ahead of the other CAM developers. We have rapidly moved to hyperMILL. We bought our first seat 18 months ago and now we have 6 seats of hyperMILL. We are now phasing out our previous CAM system,” continues Gerry. The benefits of hyperMILL The primary reason Takumi Precision invested in hyperMILL was the potential of barrel tools to significantly improve productivity. Commenting on this, Gerry says: “The hyperMILL MAXX Machining High Performance Package and the respective barrel tools with their innovative geometry allow us to step-down 5 to 10mm as opposed to 0.4 to 0.8mm when finishing pockets, walls or profiling features. This has instantly reduced finishing cycles by at least 70%, giving us a minimum overall cycle time improvement of 30% on every component.” However, the benefit is not just the cycle time improvement. “We have historically had a number of staff undertaking finish polishing of parts to ensure our surface finishes exceed customer expectations. Despite the increased speed and step-over rate with hyperMILL MAXX High Performance Machining, the surface finishes are much better than before. This is because the barrel tool has a higher engagement rate that keeps the tool in constant contact with the workpiece.” Another feature that persuaded Takumi Precision to invest in OPEN MIND was the mirroring feature. As Gerry continues: “In the aerospace industry, almost everything is manufactured with a left and right hand component. The mirroring feature in hyperMILL is remarkably comprehensive and with just a touch of a button, we are reducing our programming times on most components by 50%. We have 8 programming staff and the mirroring feature in hyperMILL is effectively doubling the productivity of this team.” Better overall CAM system Whilst hyperMILL has reduced cycle times on the shop floor by over 20% and reduced programming times by upwards of 50% in the office, the benefits reach much further. “hyperMILL is much faster than previous CAM systems and it handles ‘big data’ much better than we have previously witnessed. This has eliminated unforeseen PC crashes and massively improved the reliability, processing and delivery of our data to the shop-floor. Furthermore, hyperMILL has so many ‘obvious’ features and short-cuts that generate savings for the end-user; these ‘obvious’ features don’t appear on other CAM platforms. One feature that simplifies the throughput of programs and parts is hyperCAD. The OPEN MIND CAD system that is integrated into hyperMILL is an excellent platform that has now eliminated our reliance on CAD packages like Inventor. We can now expedite jobs through hyperCAD to hyperMILL with seamless ease – yet another feature that is making life easier for our programming team,” concludes Gerry.

The Sheffield Digital Podcast is back and this time features a cracking interview with Bella Abrams, Director of IT at The University of Sheffield. This is the second time Bella has been on the show, so it’s fantastic to hear her talk about the work she’s doing since moving from Sheffield College. And that work is plentiful! Bella talks about how the challenges of leading a large team at such a huge organisation, as well as the process of digital transformation that the University is embarking on. She also talks about the types of skills they are currently looking to find and companies they would like to work with. In our first interview with Bella, we asked her about diversity in the tech sector, especially in Sheffield. This time we see if she thinks much has changed in the two years or so since and what can be done to improve representation across the industry. It was so fantastic to hear all about the exciting work going on at the University and learn just how many digital and IT services it provides. Hopefully, we’ll get Bella on again soon for another update! In the second part of the show, we go through some of the latest news from Sheffield’s digital sector, including: Mel representing Sheffield as part of a UK tech cluster visit to DCMS and Downing Street a reminder for employers to get involved with Tech, Set Go the recent Galvanise Sheffield event Mel and Chris attended the AMRC’s new ‘digital meets manufacturing’ area of its website. That’s more than enough reading. Go and get your headphones and listen in to episode 35 of the Sheffield Digital Podcast. Thanks to Rebel Base Media and Spaces This episode was recorded at Sheffield Technology Parks (https://www.shefftechparks.com/) . The studio is fantastic and has all the gear you need to produce a properly professional podcast. They also offer podcasting advice and you can even rent a mobile studio for recording in the field. Subscribe to the show If you’d like to have new episodes of the show appear right in your podcast player, you can subscribe via our page on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/sheffield-digital-podcast/id1272667962?mt=2) or search for us in your podcast app of choice! Notes and links Every episode comes with a list of links to all of the various people, companies and topics that we reference. Here is that list for episode 34. Bella Abrams | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bellaabrams/) BellaAbrams (@bellaabramsIT) / Twitter (https://twitter.com/bellaabramsIT) CiCS Executive - About - CiCS - The University of Sheffield (https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/cics/about/directorate) Episode 6: Educating digital stars of the future with The Sheffield College’s Bella Abrams – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/episode-6-educating-digital-stars-of-the-future-with-the-sheffield-colleges-bella-abrams/) ShfWIT (@ShfWit) / Twitter (https://twitter.com/shfwit?lang=en) Membership | AMRC (https://www.amrc.co.uk/pages/membership) Meet our members | Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/membership/meet-our-members/) Become a member of Sheffield Digital (http://sheffield.digital/membership) Company profile: University of Sheffield Corporate Information & Computing Services – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/company-profile-tuos-cics/) Episode 34: Jonathan Bray and Jamie Hinton on how exciting things happen when digital meets manufacturing – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/episode-34-jonathan-bray-and-jamie-hinton-on-how-exciting-things-happen-when-digital-meets-manufacturing/) Next stop, iRepair Sheffield – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/next-stop-irepair-sheffield/) Tech, Set, Go! project to attract a more diverse range of people into digital – Sheffield Digital...

In the latest episode of the Sheffield Digital Podcast we interview Jonathan Bray, Deputy Head of Digital at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), and Jamie Hinton, CEO of Sheffield digital technology company, Razor. Jonathan and Jamie tell the story of how Razor came to collaborate with the AMRC following an introductory event ran by Sheffield Digital, which came shortly after the former became one of our regional partners. They have gone on to create great things together and it’s so brilliant to hear about this success story first hand. Razor are currently working on a groundbreaking project for the AMRC (which they can’t really talk about) and are a great example of a company that has taken advantage of having the AMRC on our doorstep to explore new partnerships and sectors. In the second part of the show, we all go through some of the latest news from Sheffield’s digital sector, inducing follow up from the third Sheffield Digital Showcase Mel’s panel at the Tech Nation Round Table Tech, Set, Go – a new project to attract different people into tech AR’ City – Sheffield’s 1st Playable City Festival The return of SmartSheffield and Sheffield Content Club Enough of this chit chat. Off you go to get your headphones and listen in to what is a smashing show. Thanks to Rebel Base Media and Spaces This episode was recorded at Sheffield Technology Parks (https://www.shefftechparks.com/) . The studio is fantastic and has all the gear you need to produce a properly professional podcast. They also offer podcasting advice and you can even rent a mobile studio for recording in the field. Subscribe to the show If you’d like to have new episodes of the show appear right in your podcast player, you can subscribe via our page on Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/sheffield-digital-podcast/id1272667962?mt=2) or search for us in your podcast app of choice! Notes and links Every episode comes with a list of links to all of the various people, companies and topics that we reference. Here is that list for episode 34. AMRC - The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (https://www.amrc.co.uk/) Jonathan Bray | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanbray/) Razor - The Technology Works (https://www.razor.co.uk/) Jamie Hinton | LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiehinton/?originalSubdomain=uk) Company profile: Razor – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/company-profile-razor/) Bringing Sheffield’s digital and manufacturing sectors together – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/bringing-sheffields-digital-and-manufacturing-sectors-together/) Factory 2050 | AMRC (https://www.amrc.co.uk/facilities/factory-2050) Membership | AMRC (https://www.amrc.co.uk/pages/membership) Meet our members | Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/membership/meet-our-members/) Become a member of Sheffield Digital (http://sheffield.digital/membership) Did I miss something you’re looking for? Just get in touch and let me know (http://sheffield.digital/contact) . Join the conversation We’re really keen to get your feedback on the podcast. You can Sheffield Digital Slack community (https://sheffield.digital/slack) . Thank you for the music Thanks again to Alex Mclean – aka Yaxu (https://yaxu.org/) – for the show’s intro music, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

This is a very special episode of the Sheffield Digital podcast because Chris sat down with the Sheffield children (and their parents) who have won a place in the finals of the World Educational Robot Contest, which takes place in Shanghai next month. It’s an incredible achievement for these kids who are the first to represent the UK in the world finals. It’s amazing to hear them talk to so passionately about their work and the project too. Having won their spot at the finals, they have been busy trying to crowdfund the financial support they need to Shanghai. Thankfully, enough people have given generously and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) helped get them over the crowdfunding line. However, a second crowdfunding campaign to get the parents to Shanghai also needed some help. We think it’s such a fantastic achievement and so important to support Sheffield’s talented tech kids that Sheffield Digital contributed to tip that crowdfunding over its threshold. There is one more thing the children need help with and that’s some design work on a banner and presentation that they can use in Shanghai. We’d love someone from the Sheffield digital community to step in, if possible. If you’d like to offer your services (for free) then please get in touch. You can email info@sheffield.digital and we’ll put you in touch. The finalists (and their parents) As you’ll hear on the podcast, the kids and their parents introduce themselves, but here is a full list of this talented team of young tech stars, including their parents. Alexander (Alex) O’Carroll (7) and parents Liz and Nick O’Carroll Allen Yung (7) and mum Wenn Lin Kirin Harrington (11) and mum Kully Gill Jacob Sibanda (12) and dad Lunghani Sibanda Ruby Barrett (12) and dad Paul Barrett Sophia Houton, (7) part of the team but not travelling to Shanghai Notes and links Every episode comes with a list of links to all of the various people, companies and topics that we reference. Here is that list for episode 23. From Sheffield to Shanghai: AMRC helps dream trip come true | AMRC (https://www.amrc.co.uk/news/from-sheffield-to-shanghai-amrc-helps-dream-trip-come-true) Crowdfunding to help @sheffieldtoshanghai kids on JustGiving (https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/shefftoshanghai) SheffieldtoShanghai (@shefftoshanghai) | Twitter (https://twitter.com/shefftoshanghai) Discovery STEM Edu (@Discovery_STEM_) | Twitter (https://twitter.com/Discovery_STEM_) Sheffield Digital events calendar (http://sheffield.digital/events) Meet our members | Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/membership/meet-our-members/) Become a member of Sheffield Digital (http://sheffield.digital/membership) Did I miss something you’re looking for? Just get in touch and let me know (http://sheffield.digital/contact) . Join the conversation We’re really keen to get your feedback on the podcast. You can Sheffield Digital Slack community (https://sheffield.digital/slack) . Thank you for the music Thanks again to Alex Mclean – aka Yaxu (https://yaxu.org/) – for the show’s intro music, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

In this episode we discuss... Andrew’s personal evolution in the nuclear and submarine industries --- US naval reactors and the features Andrew helped design --- Information sharing and collaboration between the US and the UK in the nuclear space --- Andrew’s work for Rolls-Royce’s civil nuclear business developing manufacturing techniques --- The history of the AMRC and all that it contributes to the nuclear space including manufacturing innovation --- Applying the best shipbuilding practices to modular-building --- Cryogenic CO2 machining --- How the nuclear industry can benefit employment rates --- How we can make new nuclear builds more cost effective --- The AMRC’s supply chain development program

In this episode we discuss Charles' personal evolution in the nuclear industry --- Opinion on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in his home state of Nevada --- Forging and its role in nuclear --- Charles’ work in quality assurance in the forging industry --- A deep dive into two-phase heat transfer and its processes --- Human factory challenges and ways the AMRC is working to overcome them --- The ins and outs of steam generators --- Techniques the AMRC is working on to increase welding efficiency --- Single platform manufacturing and how it’s improving nuclear cost and time efficiency

In this episode we discuss... Jay’s personal evolution from manufacturing to business within the nuclear industry --- A deep dive into neutrology --- Disruptive nuclear techniques and their purpose --- How the AMRC is working to make welding more cost and time efficient with electron beam welding --- The AMRC’s disciplines including subtractive and additive techniques as well as the science of measurement --- Disciplines the AMRC is looking to expand to including modular manufacturing and equipment qualification --- The AMRC’s shop floor and the work that goes on there --- The AMRC’s collaboration with the US on a nuclear naval fleet --- The relationship between manufacturing innovation and supply chain development --- Challenges Jay believes we must overcome for nuclear to be truly successful including building a power plant to cost and schedule

In this episode, Mel covers a recent visit to AMRC's Factory 2050 facility by a number of digital businesses. We go through some upcoming events and Chris (Dymond) explains maker spaces and where to find them in Sheffield. Notes and links Episode 2: Mark Gannon and working with Sheffield City Council – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/episode-2-mark-gannon-and-working-with-sheffield-city-council/) Announcing Digital Conflab #3: Building a Digital Coalition – Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/announcing-digital-conflab-3-building-a-digital-coalition/) Digital Policy Conflab #3: 'Building a Digital Coalition' – Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sheffield-digital-digital-policy-conflab-3-building-a-digital-coalition-tickets-37269024656) AMRC – Factory 2050 (http://www.amrc.co.uk/facilities/factory-2050) Sheffield Digital events calendar (http://sheffield.digital/events) BIN Sheffield 2017 – BIN (https://paginas.fe.up.pt/%7Ebinsheffield2017/) MADE FESTIVAL 2017 (http://made-festival.co.uk/) Horasis Events – China Meeting 2017 (http://www.horasis.org/event_china_2017.php) Hardware Hackers in Portland Works (https://twitter.com/shhmakers) We Make Works at Roco (https://twitter.com/wemakeworks) Access Space – Making and Unmaking (http://access-space.org/) Makers On The Edge (https://twitter.com/makers555) Learn, Create & Sell (http://www.aalfy.co.uk/lcs-cm69) Sheffield Institute of Arts | Sheffield Hallam University (http://www4.shu.ac.uk/sia/) Sheffield Digital membership (http://sheffield.digital/membership) Sheffield Digital on Twitter (http://twitter.com/shfdigital) Sheffield Digital Slack community (http://sheffield.digital/slack)

This first episode of the Sheffield Digital podcast includes an intro to Sheffield Digital itself, Appt's experience in China, our partnership with the AMRC and a list of upcoming events you might like to attend. There's also the story behind the Google Digital Garage Bus. Hosted this week by Iain Broome, Mel Kanarek, Chris Dymond, with our guest, Neill Links and notes Here is a list of links to the various people, companies and topics that we mentioned in this episode. Birchenall Howden (http://www.birchenallhowden.co.uk/) About Sheffield Digital (http://sheffield.digital/about) Sheffield Digital Slack community (http://sheffield.digital/slack) Tech North Summer Showcase post (https://sheffield.digital/posts/tech-north-summer-showcase-follow-up/) Tech North (https://technorthhq.com/) Showroom Workstation (https://www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/) Sheffield Digital membership (http://sheffield.digital/membership) Sheffield Digital on Twitter (http://twitter.com/shfdigital) Sheffield Digital on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/10055883/) Sheffield Digital events calendar (http://sheffield.digital/events) Sheffield Digital jobs board (http://sheffield.digital/jobs) Appt (http://appt-app-design.co.uk/) Regional Partner: Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) (https://sheffield.digital/about/regional-partners/regional-partner-advanced-manufacturing-research-centre/) Regional Partner: Barnsley DMC (https://sheffield.digital/about/regional-partners/regional-partner-barnsley-dmc/) AMRC – Factory 2050 (http://www.amrc.co.uk/facilities/factory-2050) Microsoft Hololens (https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/hololens) Sheffield City Council (https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/) Sheffield City Region – Local Enterprise Partnership (https://sheffieldcityregion.org.uk/about/the-lep-board/) #GeekBrekky (https://sheffield.digital/posts/start-your-friday-with-geekbrekky/) Wuthering Bytes – festival in Hebden Bridge (http://wutheringbytes.com/) Code Club Meetup (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/code-club-meetup-sheffield-tickets-36712467980) SmartSheffield Meetup (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/smartsheffield-september-meetup-coalitions-of-the-willing-tickets-36830780857) Bright Toys wins £855 to get more kids into STEM (https://enterprise.shef.ac.uk/2017/07/bright-toys-wins-855-kids-stem) Digital Policy Conflab tag on Sheffield Digital (https://sheffield.digital/posts/tag/digital-policy-conflab/) First Sheffield Meta Meetup (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sheffield-meta-meetup-tickets-35459520380) Google Digital Garage (https://events.withgoogle.com/book-digital-garage-sheffield/) Google Digital Garage bus tour (https://events.withgoogle.com/book-digital-garage-sheffield/Google-Digital-Garage-bus-tour/#content) Overcast for iOS (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/overcast/id888422857?mt=8) Pocket Casts for Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.com.shiftyjelly.pocketcasts&hl=en_GB)

In We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Doug Bradley and Craig Werner place popular music at the heart of the American experience in Vietnam. They explore how and why U.S. troops turned to music as a way of connecting to each other and the world back home and of coping with the complexities of the war they had been sent to fight. They also demonstrate that music was important for every group of Vietnam veterans—black and white, Latino and Native American, men and women, officers and “grunts.” Co sponsored by: AMRC, CU Boulder Student Veterans Association, CU Veteran Services, The Center of the American West, the Conference on World Affairs, the International Affairs Program, the CU History Department.