Organisations looking to introduce digital technologies into materials intensive manufacturing processes, through advanced sensors, smart use of manufacturing data, improved process modelling and edge-AI.
The Materials Made Smarter Centre brings together a community of researchers across the materials manufacturing value chain, developing exciting advances in digital research – edge-AI*, sensors and modelling – and making them accessible to industry partners.
The data-centric approaches to materials intensive manufacturing will enable the digitisation of the materials thread to achieve a Digital Materials Passport, Performance on Demand, and Materials as a Service.
The UK’s ability to manufacture advanced materials underpins ambitions to move towards a cleaner, more resource efficient economy. Innovation towards a net zero-carbon economy requires new materials with enhanced properties, performance and functionality, new processing technologies, with enhanced manufacturing capability. Digitalisation of the materials thread will enhance their value by developing the tools to certify, monitor and control materials in-process and in-service, improving productivity and stimulating new business models.
Our vision is to put the UK’s materials intensive manufacturing industries at the forefront of the UK’s technological advancement and green recovery. We will develop advanced digital technologies and tools enabling the verification, validation, certification and traceability of materials manufacturing, and working to address challenges of adoption. Digitisation of the materials thread, driving the realisation of new business models and changing the way we value and use materials.
*Edge-AI is the use of artificial intelligence locally, ie. attached to the machine, this allows for ‘live’ feedback into the manufacturing process.
Our aim is to put the UK’s materials intensive processing industries at the forefront of the UK’s technological advancement and green recovery from the dual impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and rapid environmental change.
“We will develop the advanced digital technologies and tools to enable the verification, validation, certification and traceability of materials manufacturing and will work with
partners to address the challenges of digital adoption. Digitalisation of the materials thread will drive productivity improvements, realise new business models and change the way we value and use materials.
Professor Iain Todd
Our centre leverages on four Future Manufacturing Research Hubs and partnerships to accelerate impact. MMSC will create new insights, technologies and demonstrator platforms exploring the socio- technical challenges of digitalisation and proposing and developing solutions in collaboration with our Academic, Catapult and Industry partners
Professor Cinzia Giannetti
Find out more…
Each of the partners possesses their own websites featuring information on their wider research and collaboration activity, more information can be found below;
Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes (MAPP) - https://mapp.ac.uk
Liquid Metals Engineering Hub (LiME) - https://www.lime.ac.uk
SUSTAIN Future Steel Manufacturing Research Hub - https://www.sustainsteel.ac.uk
CIMComp Future Composites Manufacturing Hub - https://cimcomp.ac.uk
Institute of Work Psychology - https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/iwp