The University of Birmingham is offering advanced manufacturing businesses based in the West Midlands the opportunity to investigate the hidden make up of materials used during production.
With increasing numbers of the regionÂs manufacturing companies venturing into advanced engineering and embarking upon r&d projects, the support offered by the European Regional Development funded CHART project at the University of Birmingham is proving invaluable.
Professor Ian Jones, of the University of Birmingham and CHART project, comments ÂThe CHART project is assisting West MidlandÂs manufacturing SMEs to refine and improve their r&d work. It has been boosting efficiency and innovation across the region. We are looking forward to supporting many more manufacturing SMEs.Â
The CHART project has benefitted from funds allowing for a considerable amount of world class, cutting edge technological pieces of equipment to be purchased. These are available for regional SMEs to use* with the aid of the projectÂs qualified technician.
The CHART project has a number of exciting pieces of equipment, all with highly practical industrial applications. These include:
Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscope: this electron microscope is capable of quantitative materials characterisation in multiple dimensions; it also boasts energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) capabilities alongside industry leading high resolution TEM imaging. This S/TEM is ideal for advanced research for industry due to the precise nature of the equipment.
Micro-CT: the highly accurate micro-CT scanner can capture and measure the internal features of a sample with a high level of detail. This is perfect for businesses looking to investigate their quality control, look into failure analysis or even just researching the materials used in production.
X-Ray Fluorescence: this method of spectrometry offers very precise answers to the questions: which elements are present in a sample and in what quantities? For any business looking for rapid and accurate quality control, an XRF machine is the obvious choice.
The CHART project can offer full support every step of the way for all of the equipment, thanks to a qualified technician onsite. This includes support with samples, operation and analysis.
CHART has already supported a number of local SMEs with their r&d work, for example with Reynolds Technology.
Reynolds Technology Ltd is a West Midlands SME that develops metallic materials for use on tubular structures. Keith Noronha, Managing Director of Reynolds Technology, said: Âin order to expand the choice for our customers, we wanted to get data that indicated whether our proposal would offer useful mechanical properties. The initial report from the CHART project is very helpful and was a key part of our decision to move the project to the next stage; full scale prototyping and testing. Thanks to the CHART project, we were able to access the high level knowledge of the staff and facilities at the University of Birmingham and the project was carried out within a short timespan that fits well with our commercial requirements.Â
Max Turner, CHART business engagement manager, of the University of Birmingham says: ÂThe CHART project is perfectly placed to assist manufacturing SMEs who are looking to advance their business, but lack the equipment or technical expertise to do so. Through the CHART project, SMEs can access advice, expertise and world class equipment, all for free*.Â
Whether you are looking into new materials as part of your R&D, or you simply want to see if the CHART project can help your business, contact us on chart@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
* Free support is available to SMEs based in the West Midlands region
