Executive visionMike Tynan on his new role at Nuclear AMRC

ISS

UE

12

Q3

2013

New welding and HIP capabilities

Sharing in Growth

Metrology innovation

Bloodhound latest

Factory 2050

Horizon seeks suppliersALS

O IN

TH

IS IS

SUE

European Regional Development Fund 2007-13

Investing in Your FutureEUROPEAN UNION

newsNuclearAMRC

The latest equipment to be installed in the Nuclear AMRC offers unrivalled capabilities in large-scale welding and near-net shape manufacturing.

The Nuclear AMRC’s workshop is now dominated by what is believed to be the largest electron beam welding chamber in the UK. With a volume of over 200m3, the Pro-Beam K2000 gives the capability to complete very intricate joins on large components using nine axes of movement – four for the component and five for the electron gun.

“Think of it as a gantry-mounted electron beam robot in a vacuum chamber,” says Keith Bridger, head of welding and materials engineering at the Nuclear AMRC. “It starts to open up fabrication possibilities that were previously impracticable. We believe the process is currently capable of making fully penetrated single-sided welds of 100mm thickness in steel – and we plan to push that to even thicker welds.”

The chamber can weld very intricate gas turbine parts up to three metres in diameter, with fully automatic joint following and variable thickness programming – capabilities found in only a handful of machines worldwide.

For nuclear reactor components, it offers the ability to produce 6.4 metre longitudinal or 3 metre circumferential welds in steel, nickel and titanium alloys. “Principally, this is aimed at components within Gen IV and small reactor concepts,” Bridger notes. “We will be testing its full capability and limits for various materials.” Key areas for investigation include mechanical properties, especially toughness, and residual stresses in thick section welds. The team will use advanced volumetric ultrasonic testing techniques to study potential defects.

Electron beam welds are conventionally carried out without filler or angled weld preparations, but the new facility offers dual wire feed capability. This will allow the team to work with poor joint fit-up applications, dissimilar metal welding and additive manufacturing.

“This large electron beam welding capability fits in perfectly with our welding engineering strategy,

where we already have a mix of the very best arc welding facilities,” says Bridger. “It allows us to demonstrate the advantages of making welds in a few hours that would take many days by conventional arc welding techniques.”

The electron beam facility will be fully commissioned by the end of the year.

The second major installation is a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) facility provided by member company Avure Technologies. This gives the Nuclear AMRC the capability to produce near-net shape prototypes and demonstration components by pressing metal powder into the desired shape under very high pressures and temperatures.

Components produced by this method display a very uniform structure, and offer many benefits over parts produced by conventional methods. These include a uniformly high quality microstructure resulting in isotropic properties; improved inspectability due to a uniform grain size; and potentially a significant reduction in the need for subsequent welding.

The Nuclear AMRC’s HIP furnace is large enough to produce parts of up to one metre length and 1000kg weight, and can reach temperatures of 1400oC and pressures of 200MPa. The press also has a rapid cooling capability, significantly reducing the cycle time.

The facility will be used as a technology demonstrator for the HIP process, and to carry out fundamental R&D into areas such as the manufacture of graded dissimilar metal joints that may exhibit better properties than welded options.

“The capability bridges the gap between small units in university departments and larger commercial units that cost many millions of pounds,” says Bridger. “It offers industry a way to test this technology for their own applications, without having to make huge capital investments early in the development process.”

• For more information about the new facilities, contact Keith Bridger, Nuclear AMRC head of welding and materials engineering: keith.bridger@namrc.co.uk

Welding technology specialist Arc Machines Inc (AMI) has joined the Nuclear AMRC as a Tier Two member.

Based in California with a UK office in Northamptonshire, AMI designs and manufactures the world’s most advanced range of automated orbital welding equipment. It is an established provider of orbital gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) equipment to the nuclear sector worldwide.

AMI will work with the Nuclear AMRC’s welding group to develop automatic orbital GTAW processes and applications for the new-build, operations and decommissioning markets. The company is also providing a selection of specialist tube and tube sheet welding equipment to the centre.

• www.arcmachines.co.uk

Nuclear AMRC news Q3 2013 2

Electron beam and HIP units offer unrivalled potential

Arc Machines brings orbital welding expertise

Major capabilities: the electron beam welding chamber (foreground) and HIP facility (rear left) during installation at the Nuclear AMRC.

Mike Tynan, one of the most experienced figures in the UK nuclear industry, took up his new position as chief executive of the Nuclear AMRC in July. Nuclear AMRC News asked him for his views on the industry.

Could you introduce yourself and your background in nuclear?My career in the nuclear industry goes back to 1975 when I joined BNFL as an assistant clerk on a first generation Magnox Power Station at Calder Hall. My first general management appointment came in 1993 as head of facilities for BNFL Sellafield, responsible for the site infrastructure, estates and services with a team of 1750 people. That was followed by a senior role with responsibility for waste management plants at the same site.

I moved to the Westinghouse nuclear fuel manufacturing site at Springfields, near Preston, in 2004 to manage the transition of site ownership to the NDA. I established Springfields Fuels Ltd as the site licence company, and went on to integrate Westinghouse’s UK fuel business into Toshiba.

With an eye to the nuclear renaissance, Toshiba established Westinghouse UK in 2008 to develop its business for new build, nuclear fuel and services. I was appointed CEO, and led that business for five years. And now I’m here at the Nuclear AMRC for what promises to be an exciting new chapter in my career.

What do you see as your role at the Nuclear AMRC?My role here is to provide leadership for the team and help develop the full potential of the centre for its customers and stakeholders.

My definition of leadership is to create a pathway to a successful future – and within that, to ensure this business earns a valuable and trusted reputation for being safe, focusing on its customers, caring for its people and delivering a quality service.

The UK new build programme hasn’t progressed as much as hoped in the past few years. How do you see the prospects?The global economic recession badly impacted the ability of potential utility developers to access financing: the up-front costs are just too large for developers on their own.

Third party investors are needed to help finance a nuclear new build project, and they are a challenge to find. Certainty around future revenue from electricity sales is critical to the business plans for new build schemes and, with the future price of electricity unknown, investors are not attracted to the opportunity – hence the strong focus on electricity market reform and strike price negotiations with the government. This also needs to be matched by some form of risk sharing, and the recent announcement about infrastructure guarantees is welcome.

My personal view is that EDF will soon reach a strike price with the government for Hinkley Point, and that this will be the catalyst for other developers to move forward. I believe it is only a matter of time before we see the beginnings of the new nuclear fleet in the UK.

What are the main opportunities for UK manufacturers in the nuclear sector?The opportunities lie across the global civil nuclear industry. At home, there are particular opportunities in the existing fleet of 17 operational nuclear reactors, the decommissioning and clean-up of redundant nuclear facilities, and the potential new generation of nuclear reactors.

The opportunities range from bespoke solutions for high integrity components, welding, and NDE in the operating fleet; innovative design and manufacture of robust retrievals, conditioning and storage systems for a wide range of irradiated materials in the clean-up business; and a significant amount of work in both the nuclear island and balance of plant for new nuclear stations.

The Nuclear AMRC can help link suppliers to these opportunities through programmes such as Fit For Nuclear and Nuclear Connections.

And what are the challenges?Perhaps the biggest challenge facing UK manufacturers is the need to develop the capability to meet safety, quality, and cost standards, in the face of competition from overseas and particularly from the developers’ home markets – not only for new build but also in the existing fleet and decommissioning.

Maintaining a skills base for the long term in the face of increasing pressure on cost performance is a major challenge, as is the ability to actually win work through increasingly robust procurement processes.

And there’s the challenge of finding the funds to invest in research and development of new and existing products to maintain industry attraction.

How can the Nuclear AMRC make an impact in industry?The biggest impact from the Nuclear AMRC will come from its ability to bring new and innovative solutions to clients. We can use the centre’s depth of research knowledge to help positively differentiate UK manufacturers in the areas of safety, quality and cost.

We can form unique alliances with developers, top tier manufacturers, government, sector skills bodies, research and development groups and site owners; assess competence in potential suppliers and help them close any gaps; and provide access to world leading technology for advanced manufacturing, plus the skills and training that goes with such technology. We can make a valuable contribution to UK manufacturing across the lifetime of nuclear plant.

Finally, what’s your key message for manufacturers interested in the nuclear sector?The UK has a vibrant civil nuclear industry, and a new generation of nuclear reactors will be built here. The technology will be diverse, and there is likely to be at least three sites under development in the next six years.

The ability to meet safety, quality and cost standards will be vital if UK manufacturers want to compete against overseas industries. You also need a clear focus on the value that manufacturers bring to clients, and innovation will be at the heart of this value.

Get involved with us, and make sure you’re on the radar with the right people to be in the running. The government is backing the Nuclear AMRC and working with industry to help realise its ambitions. I want to see the UK manufacturing industry grasp every opportunity that it can within this global market.

namrc.co.uk3

New leadership, new innovation: Mike Tynan Q&A

Nuclear AMRC news Q3 2013 4

Researchers at the Nuclear AMRC are working on an innovative inspection system which could deliver time and cost savings for manufacturers of large components.

The prototype system, developed by postgraduate researcher Josh Barnfather, uses a standard digital camera mounted on the centre’s hexapod machining robot. Barnfather presented his work at the Coordinate Metrology Systems conference in San Diego, California, in July.

The research is part of the Nuclear AMRC’s programme to develop flexible robotic systems to allow “process-to-part” manufacturing of large components such as pressure vessels and steam generators. Using a swarm of robots capable of carrying a range of machining and inspection heads promises to significantly reduce the time and cost of production.

It’s difficult to achieve the required precision with current robot systems, because of a lack of structural stiffness. One solution is to integrate an inspection system with the machining head, and use the data to automatically correct the machining program.

Commercially available photogrammetry systems can create a model of the part from photographic images, but are expensive and bulky. Barnfather aims to create a more affordable and flexible solution which can also improve precision.

“If you can do this for £5000 instead of £120,000, it all adds to the benefit,” he says. “There will also be benefits in developing something that is fully integrated into the robot cell.”

The first prototype uses a Canon EOS 5DII camera with 28mm lens, attached to the Nuclear AMRC’s Fanuc F200iB hexapod robot with a 3D-printed

bracket made by the AMRC Design & Prototyping Group.

Initial tests found that the system achieved accuracy of around 200 microns, but with relatively poor repeatability.

“For other industries, to get sub-millimetre accuracy and repeatability would be fairly useful, but for nuclear it needs to move on,” says Barnfather. “We’ve got to develop this to the very highest tolerance so it can be used as a very flexible solution.”

Barnfather is now investigating automation to reduce human error, and drawing on techniques developed for other fields such as medical imaging and crime scene investigation.

Large-volume metrology technology helped nuclear engineers achieve record-breaking times for retrofitting steam turbines.

Chris Kentish and Gareth Lockyer of Alstom Power talked about their experience at a metrology forum held at the Nuclear AMRC in June. The event, part of the AMRC Forum series, focused on how innovative large-volume metrology techniques can save time and money in the energy sector.

Between 2009-12, Alstom Power worked at 11 nuclear power stations across the US to improve efficiency and output by installing new turbines. Each new rotor had to be custom built and fitted into the space available, with just 23 days outage to complete the work.

“In these refits, we’re often trying to put bigger blades into a small area – we can increase the power of the turbines by a considerable amount, but still have to work within the envelope of the original turbine,” Kentish told the forum. “Design for installation becomes very important.”

The team used Leica laser scanners, manufactured by Nuclear AMRC member Hexagon Metrology, to scan the whole turbine hall. The data were converted to a 3D Catia model to help design the replacement turbines.

The new turbines were largely assembled in the factory, with three large cylinders to be aligned on site. This alignment is traditionally done using a physical wire as a datum line, a slow and error-prone process. The Alstom team found that alignment was taking up to 33 hours per cylinder, but just 14 hours were allowed in the schedule. With any delay leading to significant costs, there was a lot of pressure to improve performance, Kentish noted.

The team used Leica laser tracking technology to align the cylinders, cutting the time taken to just four hours. “We saved 29 hours per cylinder,” said Kentish. “There’s three per station, so that saves a serious amount of money. It’s hugely significant for us.”

By the last of the retrofits, the team reduced the time for the whole process to under 18 days – a new record.

The forum also heard from Jon Kimber of Hexagon Metrology, on how his company’s metrology products can be used across the energy sector;

Hugo Lobato of Rolls-Royce, on the metrology challenges presented by circular features on large nuclear components; and Andrew Lewis of the National Physical Laboratory, on the next generation of metrology technologies.

After the presentations, the 40 attending companies were polled about their own use of metrology and which technologies they see as most valuable. The results will inform the High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s metrology programme.

Flexible vision for robot machining

Days saved with large-volume metrology

Auto focus: Josh Barnfather sets up the prototype photogrammetry system on the Nuclear AMRC’s robotic machining cell.

Laser precision: Alstom’s Chris Kentish and Gareth Lockyer with a Leica scanner.

5

Record-breaking challenges of Bloodhound machiningThe Nuclear AMRC’s machining experts have made the most complex and high-value machined part for the Bloodhound supersonic car.

The diffuser floor is the largest of seven parts made by the Nuclear AMRC for Bloodhound’s rear sub-frame, the assembly that holds the car’s rocket engine in place and provides vital stability. Each part had to be machined from a solid block of aerospace-grade aluminium, to precise specifications, with no room for mistakes.

The diffuser floor measures about one metre square, and features a complex pattern of latticed pockets on the top side, with an aerodynamically sculpted reverse. It will sit beneath Bloodhound’s hybrid rocket engine, and provide the downward force to keep the car on the ground as it reaches 1000mph.

Creating the diffuser floor demanded a total 192 hours of machining time on the Nuclear AMRC’s Hermle C60 U MT, spread over several months between industry research projects. Key stages of machining were caught on time-lapse video, providing a unique view of the production process.

The finished part contains just one ninth of the metal in the original aluminium billet, with a final weight of 55kg. At its thinnest, the floor is just 5mm thick.

The machining was managed by Mathew Challinor, NC programmer at the Nuclear AMRC, using control software from member company SolidCAM. Advanced machine tool operator Andrew Smedley handled work on the Hermle, and Matt Reaney completed the floor’s side walls

and pockets on the Starrag HEC 1800 horizontal boring centre. Tier One member Sandvik Coromant provided speciality tooling.

“The biggest challenges were the deep pockets, which are up to 155mm deep,” says Challinor. “This is very challenging for tooling, as you need a tool that has a length of 15 times its diameter. Fixturing was also a challenge, as we had to avoid vibrations in such a slender aero-like structure, while making sure the part was held securely.”

With a positional accuracy of less than five microns, the Hermle’s precision was vital to getting the part right first time. The Hermle also features an on-machine probe, allowing Challinor to measure features and compare the real part to the design as cutting progressed.

“I learnt a lot about the Hermle, as this was the first big job on this machine,” says Challinor. “We were able to develop new processes and post-processes, all of which will benefit future projects.”

On the face of it, the Bloodhound parts are very different to the large components that the Nuclear AMRC machining group usually works on for industrial partners from the energy sector.

“There’s very few aluminium parts in a nuclear power station, so this isn’t the kind of material we usually work with,” notes Stuart Dawson, Nuclear AMRC head of machining. “But where it fits is the concept of producing very complex high-value precision parts, right first time. The principles and practices involved in nuclear manufacturing have served us very well in producing these one-off parts for Bloodhound.”

The diffuser floor made its public debut on the Bloodhound exhibition stand at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

The Nuclear AMRC was also visited by a government delegation from the Northern Cape region of South Africa in July. The visitors are responsible for preparing the Hakskeen Pan desert race track where the Bloodhound team will attempt to break the land speed record in 2015. The car will carry the Nuclear AMRC’s logo, providing a global showcase for British manufacturing excellence.

“The commitment of the team at Nuclear AMRC has been second to none,” says Conor La Grue, product sponsorship lead for Bloodhound. “They have produced complex components of the highest quality and delivered to very tight schedules. We are delighted with the manufacturing partnership.”

The Nuclear AMRC team are now starting work on a second major assembly for Bloodhound – the front suspension housing, which will also have to withstand extreme physical stresses while maintaining precise control of the car.

• To see the video of the diffuser floor machining, go to: namrc.co.uk/nuclear/bloodhound-diffuser

• For more information about Bloodhound SSC, visit: www.bloodhoundssc.com

namrc.co.uk

Laser precision: Alstom’s Chris Kentish and Gareth Lockyer with a Leica scanner.

Complex geometries: the Bloodhound SSC diffuser floor in the final stages of machining.

Nuclear AMRC news Q3 2013 6

The University of Sheffield AMRC has secured funding for a new state-of-the-art research factory to meet the future needs of the energy sector and other high-value manufacturing industries.

The AMRC Factory 2050 will be the UK’s first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research, capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts.

The £43 million facility is supported by a £10 million grant from the Research Partnership Investment Fund, managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with the remainder from key industrial partners.

“This will be the most advanced factory in the world,” says Professor Keith Ridgway, executive dean of the University of Sheffield AMRC. “It will give us a home for the research and demonstration work associated with building the next generation of aircraft and energy technologies.

“The aim is to be able to manufacture any component as a one-off, and instantaneously switch between components. This will be a totally reconfigurable factory, one of the goals of the advanced manufacturing research strategy.”

The AMRC Factory 2050 will combine technologies including advanced robotics, flexible automation,

unmanned workspace, off-line programming in virtual environments linked to plug-and-play robotics, 3D printing from flexible automated systems, man-machine interfaces, and new programming and training tools.

The building will have an area of around 4,500m2 and, like the Nuclear AMRC, will be built to BREEAM Excellent environmental standards.

It will be constructed largely from glass, to showcase the advanced manufacturing technologies being developed within.

Around 50 researchers and engineers will work in the new facility, which will be completed around the end of 2014.

The new AMRC Design Prototype & Test Centre is on track to open this autumn, offering a host of services to manufacturers in the energy sector.

The new centre is a major expansion and redevelopment of the original AMRC with Boeing building, which originally opened in 2004. It is more than doubling in size, backed by funding from the European Regional Development Fund and High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The AMRC’s established Advanced Structural Testing Centre (ASTC) will occupy the original workshop, with the new AMRC Design & Prototyping Group moving into a new wing.

New resources in the ASTC include a 100m2 strong floor, which will significantly expand the group’s abilities to test large and high-load components or assemblies by allowing the creation of bespoke reaction frame rigs.

Four new high-power actuators, each capable of 2MN force, will allow up to 800 tonnes of tensile/compression loading, and bi-axial fatigue of up to 200 tonnes per axis.

“This is an increase in capability that allows us to start testing large complex nuclear components,” says Phil Spiers, head of ASTC. “It takes us to the extreme end of aerospace and the low end of nuclear, and into other areas like oil and gas pipelines.”

The team can also meet more complex requirements, with the capability to control tests across eight axes of load input, with loads as low as 5kN.

The ASTC team is working with the Nuclear AMRC welding group on a number of projects, and looking at future testing requirements for the UK civil nuclear industry. “We are positioning ourselves to meet

the requirements of nuclear,” Spiers says. “As the requirements come in, we will tool ourselves up to meet that in terms of load and test type.”

The new Design & Prototyping Group has over 40 highly qualified design engineers, with a large prototyping workshop offering a range of flexible machining and 3D printing equipment. The team is currently supporting Nuclear AMRC researchers on various projects, such as designing and producing bespoke fixturing for machining research.

• To launch the Design Prototype & Test Centre, the AMRC is offering two days of fully-funded consultancy to small and medium-sized businesses based in the Yorkshire & Humber region. To find out more, contact Derek Boaler, AMRC head of design: d.boaler@amrc.co.uk

AMRC to build world’s most flexible research factory

World-class centre for large-scale testing and design

Next generation production: concept design for the new AMRC Factory 2050 by Bond Bryan Architects.

namrc.co.uk7

Horizon Nuclear Power has held its first supplier events since its acquisition by Hitachi, with over 400 businesses attending conferences in Llandudno and Gloucester in May.

Horizon was founded in 2009 as a joint venture between E.ON UK and RWE nPower, and acquired by Hitachi Ltd of Japan in late 2012. It plans to build two or three Hitachi-GE reactors at each of its two sites in Wylfa, Anglesey, and Oldbury, Gloucestershire, with a planned total investment of £20 billion.

“We’re delighted to have seen such a high turnout at these events, and more importantly to have enjoyed really constructive engagement with potential suppliers,” said Alan Rayment, chief operating officer for Horizon. “Early engagement is crucial to help ensure that suppliers can meet our needs in cost, quality and capacity, and to help make sure that UK businesses are well positioned to benefit from the project.”

Horizon expects first nuclear construction in 2019, but site preparation could begin by 2015. Hitachi estimates that around 60 per cent by value of the first reactor will be sourced in the UK, with more

The first round of applications has now closed for £1 million worth of business development and training, part of the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme. Further rounds will be announced soon.

The £76 million civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme aims to develop the UK manufacturing supply chain, and help UK companies win work in nuclear programmes – including new build, operations and decommissioning – at home and overseas. The programme is part-funded by government through the Regional Growth Fund, and led by the Nuclear AMRC with support from Rolls-Royce and other industry leaders.

Support will include shopfloor manufacturing improvement, process improvement, leadership development and specific nuclear sector knowledge. Support will continue for four years, ensuring that it delivers sustainable benefits.

Applications to join the first round closed in mid-July. Successful applicants will be notified in August, and start their projects in September – see the next edition of Nuclear AMRC News for full details.

“Our nuclear industrial strategy set out how, working with industry, we would capitalise on the significant growth opportunities for the sector,” business and energy minister Michael Fallon commented at the launch of the application process. “This RGF-funded programme is a good example of how we can work together to sharpen our competitive advantages and grasp this unique opportunity to create jobs. It builds on earlier support provided by government for the Nuclear AMRC – a centre of manufacturing excellence.”

The civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme also supports the continued free provision of Fit For Nuclear and other support programmes to manufacturers, as well as the Nuclear AMRC’s programme of large-scale manufacturing research.

• For more information about the civil nuclear Sharing in Growth programme, see: namrc.co.uk/work-with-us/sig

New Horizon for suppliers

Applications in for Sharing in Growth

Powerful potential: Hitachi aims to source 60% of its first reactor from the UK.

domestic input in later plant. It has signed initial agreements with Rolls-Royce and Babcock International, and is seeking other partners to support the development of the programme.

The two conferences featured presentations on the project, technology and procurement strategy, plus an exhibition featuring key industry players including the Nuclear AMRC.

“The Horizon and Hitachi teams are moving at pace, and are keen to understand the capabilities of the UK supply chain,” noted Martin Ride, purchasing and supply chain consultant at the Nuclear AMRC, who attended both events. “We are well placed to help interested UK suppliers understand the nuclear market and the potential opportunities and, through our Fit For Nuclear programme and manufacturing capability development offerings, able to help suppliers strengthen their profile and competitiveness.”

Energy minister Michael Fallon also visited the conference in Gloucester. “Our industrial strategy

has set out a long-term plan and commitment to foster exactly this sort of investment,” Fallon said. “By working in partnership with industry, we can give that confidence to invest, help build the supply chain and create high-skilled jobs here in Britain.”• For more information on working with Horizon,

including presentations from the supply conferences, go to: www.horizonnuclearpower.com/suppliers

• For an introduction to the three UK nuclear development groups, see: namrc.co.uk/intelligence/uk-new-build-plans/developers

Diary

Some of the events that the Nuclear AMRC will be attending in the coming months – see us to find out more about how we can help your business.

EIC Connect Energy 12–13 November, Manchester

The world’s leading energy industry group presents the only event of its kind in the UK to connect operators and contractors to UK suppliers. Connect Energy covers opportunities in international nuclear projects as well as renewables and fossil fuel power plants. www.eic-connect.co.uk/energy/AboutTheEvent.aspx

Advanced Engineering UK 12–13 November, NEC, Birmingham

One of the UK’s largest engineering events, with over 500 exhibitors from across advanced manufacturing plus top-level speakers. The High Value Manufacturing Catapult will showcase some of the most exciting technologies coming out of its research centres, including the Nuclear AMRC. aeroconf.com

NDA Estate Supply Chain Event 2013 13 November, EventCity, Manchester

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and its site licence companies host their third event for suppliers in the nuclear decommissioning supply chain. Find out about the manufacturing opportunities in decommissioning, and meet the key buyers and sellers. www.decommsupplyevent.co.uk

Contact us:

Tel: +44 (0)114 222 9900 Email: enquiries@namrc.co.uk Online: namrc.co.uk Twitter: @NuclearAMRC

Nuclear AMRC The University of Sheffield, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Brunel Way, Rotherham S60 5WG

Manufacturing Technology Research Laboratory The University of Manchester, Sackville Street, Manchester M13 9PL

Technology Strategy BoardDriving Innovation

Supported by:

Tier 1 members:

Tier 2 members:

Nuclear AMRC news Q3 2013 8

Work with usThe Nuclear AMRC is here to support manufacturing companies, from global giants to SMEs, which are seriously interested in winning business in the nuclear sector. If we can help your company, we want to hear from you.

Our R&D capabilities, training courses and quality support programmes are open to all UK manufacturers.

We can collaborate on specific R&D projects, using our expertise and facilities to help resolve your manufacturing problems and give you real competitive advantage. Your company invests directly in the research and has exclusive access to any resulting intellectual property. We can also join or lead externally-funded collaborative research projects.

Full membership of the Nuclear AMRC gives access to our generic projects and the opportunity to determine our research and support programmes.

We are led by our member companies on a consortium basis: our members decide what we do, what our core research projects will be, and what skills and quality support we provide.

We offer two tiers of membership, based on the size and market position of your company. Our members include manufacturers from along the supply chain, plus specialist equipment and service providers.

To start discussions, contact Stephen Clements: stephen.clements@namrc.co.uk