Member Article

Engineering trio aim for next industrial revolution

Three engineers from Warwick are looking to create a world class centre for additive manufacturing in the West Midlands.

Ian Campbell, Mike Kelly and Dr Bruno Le Razer have turned their back on senior positions in industry to launch Innovate 2 Make (i2M), a company dedicated to designing and manufacturing the next generation of components for the aerospace, automotive, motorsport and medical sectors.

The trio has already invested £750,000 into premises on Tachbrook Park in Leamington Spa and the acquisition of the latest metal additive manufacturing machine…an EOS M280 400 watt laser melting platform.

Backed by support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), i2M is currently in talks with a number of blue chip clients about the possibility of re-designing critical components so they are lighter and more cost effective, whilst providing enhanced long-term performance.

“Additive manufacturing has the potential to cause a paradigm shift in the way we design and make things…it is simple as that,” explained Ian, who has worked in air weapons in aerospace, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), IBM, TWR and Arrows F1.

“We can now manufacture from the ‘inside out’ and through the use of layers achieve angles and shapes that – a few years ago – would have been deemed impossible.”

He continued: “There’s a lot of people and universities talking about additive manufacturing or venturing into making the odd prototype. We are looking at this technology with a view to developing techniques and processes that will guarantee high quality components in medium to high volumes. This is relatively early-stage in the marketplace.”

i2M’s portfolio of initial projects covers a diverse set of industries, with its core target audience of aerospace, Formula 1, motorsport and medical being joined increasingly by demand from jewellery manufacturers and fashion houses looking to create a ‘one-off’ statement.

These early contracts illustrate the capability of additive manufacturing to create impossible shapes and modern solutions to designs that have stayed the same for years.

“Our aim is to get involved with the client at the earliest possible stage so we can influence their thinking, from the initial design right through to the material selection, prototyping and volume production,” continued Mike Kelly, who has been involved in additive manufacturing since the pioneering days of early 3D printing technology.

“This is a great opportunity and a major challenge all rolled into one. At the moment additive manufacturing is a lot like CNC machining was in its infancy …industry knew it was the next big thing, but had to be convinced they could achieve the control and repeatable quality we now take for granted today.

“I see our role as helping to bring this market to maturity and believe we’ve already come up with ways in which we can use the technology to provide customers with full traceability, full control of material properties and long-term performance of the components.

“Better still, we can actually simplify the number of parts that are used in the process, with one medical product reduced from 32 individual components to just one.”

Dr Bruno Le Razer, who is a qualified materials scientist and responsible for material development at the firm, picked up the story:

“You can secure massive weight and cost savings by using alternative materials and embracing additive manufacturing.

“We’ve already seen the effect of changing airline seat belt buckles from steel to titanium, with a total weight saving of 74kg achieved through this technology. Based on the lifecycle of an Airbus A380, this equates to a 3,300,000 litres fuel saving and 740,000 less tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“We are currently working on a number of similar components that we believe can change the way the automotive, aerospace and medical sectors operate.”

i2M provides 24-hour production using the latest laser melting platform and offer components in aluminium, titanium and a selection of other materials on request.

A local supply chain is also now in place to ensure a full turnkey service, from prototype work to volume production and all aspects of post processing.

Ian concluded: “The West Midlands has been at the forefront of industry for centuries and there’s no reason why it can’t become the technical centre of excellence in additive manufacturing in the coming years. A new industrial revolution you could say.”

i2M has plans to invest in a further laser machine by the end of the year and this will involve the creation of more local jobs.

For further information, please contact 07850 631299 or visit www.i2m.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .