Partner Article

Research into manufacturing defects backed by ?7.25m funding

Scientists in the North East have been given €7.25m by the European Commission to develop a solution to manufacturing defects.

Defects are an issue for the growing flexible electronics market, particularly for products such as solar modules and phone screens, which are highly vulnerable to damage.

The Centre for Process Innovation, based in Teesside, is looking into ways to protect electronic products, food and drink, among other manufactured products, to prevent breakage or flaws.

Holly Peacock, communications manager for the NanoMend project at the Centre said: “By developing a barrier that enhances the resilience of plastic electronics to weather, Centre for Process Innovation Limited will play a key role in transforming this technology into real world applications.”

Industry and academic scientists are investigating how to prevent minute defects that can cause irreparable damage, or make food go off faster.

Defect imaging, detection and cleaning technologies will be established by the four-year NanoMend project, which began in January this year.

Professor Liam Blunt, who is based at the University of Huddersfield and co-ordinates the NanoMend programme, said: “The key challenge facing the project is overcoming the conflict between the speed at which the substrate rolls through the production machine and the resolution of the defect detection system, so that it is simultaneously possible to identify defects down to the nano-scale without slowing down the production. “Achieving this will involve integrating defect detection, cleaning and repair technologies into fast paced, continuous manufacturing lines. “

Two pilot lines of packaging and electronic coatings will be created to be environmentally friendly, with longer life spans and increased efficiency, before 2016.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .