Small scale engineering has an impact at the University of Greenwich
Posted 23 April 2010 - 5:45pm by WikiJob
The pioneering work of University of Greenwich microengineering researchers has been inspiring designers and conceptual thinkers at the Royal College of Art.
The designers staged an IMPACT! exhibition based on their vision of the potential social and cultural impact of current scientific developments on how we will live in Britain in the future.
Their visions were in part drawn from the pioneering micro-engineering research of a University of Greenwich team, headed by Professor Chris Bailey of the School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences.
The team is working alongside researchers from six other universities and 21 national and international companies to define groundbreaking approaches to added-value, advanced manufacturing.
They aim to enable working in three dimensions throughout the whole manufacturing process rather than the traditional approach, which relies on single material and two dimensional design, assembly and production.
Professor Bailey says: “This is about engineering on a very small scale – creating small bespoke units which can stand on their own or which can be embedded in larger systems. It is a revolutionary approach.
“For example, we are looking at the potential of manufacturing micro-channels for analysing blood and separating blood cells from plasma – a sort of lab on a chip.”
Professor Bailey’s team is leading the development of computer programmes and software tools in the major £9 million 3D-Mintegration Grand Challenge funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop the micro-engineering and manufacturing processes of the future.
“3D-Mintegration holds great promise for the next generation of micro-engineers, nanotechnologists and manufacturers. It has the potential to move us away from today’s high cost reliance on silicon wafer fabrication, which has seen many UK manufacturing jobs transfer overseas,” he says.
“Our primary contribution to the project is 3D-Mintervision – simulation methodologies and software tools which will assist at all stages of the process from concept through to production. They work throughout every level, analysing processes, identifying potential conflicts in concepts, designs and materials, and most importantly analysing risks.”
The IMPACT! exhibition marked the first collaboration of its kind between the EPSRC, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and the Royal College of Art.
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For images or more information please contact:
Neil McKeown
Public Relations
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 7663
N.M.Mckeown@gre.ac.uk