3M will help innovative firms print the future
3M BIC CEO Liz TownsAndrews, HIIP director and 3M BIC centre manager Michael Wilson (left), Andrew Wright Chair of innovation and growth panel, looking at the new Zeiss electron microscope businesses to consider adopting additive manufacture and to print prototypes in metals such as titanium and stainless steel as well as check for inaccuracies in products.
The new pieces of equipment are part of investment through the Huddersfield Innovation and Incubation Project (HIIP), a £2.9m grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1bn package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
AM in metals is becoming a method of choice for some major manufacturers – particularly in highvalue, low-volume industries such as specialist automotive, motorsport, aerospace, medical devices, dentistry and jewellery – and is becoming increasingly widespread in the UK and elsewhere.
Renishaw, a leading UK based engineering and technology company, has supplied the 3M BIC with its RenAM 400 and RenAM 500M selective laser melting (SLM) systems. The former will print in stainless steel, the latter in titanium. The RenAM 500M is also fitted with advanced in-process monitoring abilities making it possible to view and analyse a build for consistency or anomalies in real time.
Both systems will accept a reduced build volume, permitting builds of smaller parts in other metals such as aluminium, nickel, Inconel or other alloys.
The two metal AM printers will complement the centre’s existing 3D printing technologies and will allow businesses to perfect their product in less costly polymers before committing to printing in metal.
As part of the product development and verification process, businesses can also access a range of technologies in the new Zeiss Imaging Suite. Equipment includes microscopes for biological studies and part investigations and the Nikon X-Ray CT for the precision measurement of internal and external features of a component to ensure correct dimensions and internal features are present and anomalies such as stress cracks are not present.
Michael Wilson, 3M BIC centre manager and HIIP director, said: “Metal AM is becoming a major addition to a manufacturer’s arsenal and will be of great benefit to businesses across the region, as well as the microscopy and imaging equipment. USINESSES in Kirklees are being urged to go back to the classroom. They are being invited to join a scheme which saw staff from professional services firm Grant Thornton return to school to help encourage the entrepreneurs of the future.
Fifteen staff from the company’s Leeds office spent a day at a local high school running workshops for more than 120 pupils as part of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) Enterprise Adviser Network programme.
The Year 7 pupils had to pitch a micro-business idea to a panel from Grant Thornton – with the winning team given a £50 seedfund to launch their business and any profits being invested in an entrepreneur in the developing world. The winning business was Tote-ally Awesome, a group who made customised canvas bags as a way of reducing plastic bag use.
The network, which has been running since 2015, sees senior business leaders link up with schools to develop careers and enterprise plans that embed entrepreneurial skills in the classroom to inspire pupils. Enterprise advisers are now working with more than 160 schools across Leeds City Region with 32,000 new activities delivered to students last year.
The programme meets the Government’s ambition that
“All are great tools for product development, so we’re excited to be able to include them as part of our overall technology offering.
“We can now offer the whole package – from prototyping in plastics and metals to correcting stress fractures or imperfections in products.
“Businesses will be able to ensure their new products are cutting edge and safe before they embark on large scale production.” every young person has at least one encounter each year while they are in education and about one in every 20 employees in the country volunteer for this kind of activity.
Richelle Schuster, of Grant Thornton, said: “Encouraging young people to be entrepreneurs is not just a job for teachers and parents; employers can really add value too by working together and helping to influence and shape young people’s experiences. By doing this we are assisting young people to build the skills needed for a vibrant economy in the future.” ■■For more information visit www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk.