Public Funding for Vapormatt Limited

Vapormatt, founded in 1978, is one of the world’s leading wet blasting companies. It develops solutions for tool manufacturers who serve a range of industries including aerospace, composites and automotive extrusion. The company has identified a disruptive commercial opportunity in creating an affordable all-in-one solution for producing round shank tools (RSTs) with superior repeatability, particularly for small and medium manufacturers. This will be the first commercially available wet blasting solution for accurate and repeatable processing of RST’s utilising robotics. It will significantly improve RST precision and performance and extend tool life up to 300%. Vapormatt's machine will also have a smaller physical footprint, use less energy and compressed air, and better facilitate repairs and upgrades than current solutions. This 13-month project will produce a working pre-commercial prototype of the machine, leveraging two main innovations: 1) a micro gun for precision honing cutting edges, and 2) a six-axis robot for helical tracking of radial edges. The successful development of the machine will not only allow Vapormatt to grow but will also enhance productivity up and down the RST supply chain, including for tool manufacturers and for all of the industries which use their tools.

As one of the world’s leading wet blasting companies Vapormatt have successfully spent many years researching and developing processes for edge honing and surface preparation of cutting tools. As a result of this commitment Vapormatt systems are fast becoming the standard among several of the largest advanced manufacturing corporations across the world. The global market is predominately made up of small to medium sized manufacturers and Vapormatt have identified an opportunity to make accessing our technology much easier. Using the technical data gained within the industry and customer facing research Vapormatt will embark on a project to design and build a prototype machine that has hybrid functionality on an economic footprint to suit smaller budgets. As an innovative firm Vapormatt are regarded as being at the technological forefront in terms of system design and process control. Building on our success it is our aim to develop the next generation of edge honing and surface preparation equipment to meet the market demands. The prototype is designed to allow manufacturers to process both cutting inserts and round shank tools in the same machine – a world first for this industry – an innovation that is replacing the need for two separate systems. It is our objective to build a prototype system that can be developed and improved to the point where it is market ready. On launch this new system will change the way small to medium size companies consider their edge preparation processes.