Public Funding for Autodesk Limited

Process and quality planning are prerequisites for the production of qualified products at competitive cost. Today ́s document-based work methods are not effective as valuable time is spent on document creation and document management instead of being spent on innovation and process improvements. Information duplication is an inevitable consequence with current document-based work methods where the same information is described in different ways, across many different documents. This project presents a model-driven approach where vital manufacturing information is described once, at one place, and in one standard language, enabling improved work methods across the supply chain for process design and quality planning in manufacturing.

"**Productivity is a critical factor for the UK economy** -- especially in the construction industry. . As stated in the Farmer Review of the Construction Industry, we need to ""modernise or die"", and this is recognised by the Construction Sector Deal. While offsite manufacturing techniques improve both quality and productivity, a step change is needed to realise the true potential of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA). That step change is product-based design solutions and manufacturing capacity that unlocks optimised construction and extends efficiency throughout the delivery cycle. We call this **Product Based Building Solution (PBBS) DfMA 70:60:30** -- with 70% of the building being premanufactured, providing 60% greater productivity and 30% faster construction than traditional approaches. The potential improvements to productivity are enormous, with only a small team of skilled technicians needed to place and integrate the pre-manufactured and quality controlled building components. The key to realising this potential lies in having good products and approaching the early design process with product-based solutions in mind, rather than trying to apply them as an after-thought. As such, Laing O'Rourke, AMRC, Hoare Lea, Autodesk, Project Frog, BRE, ActivePlan, Dynamic Knowledge, Converge, University of Cambridge have aligned to demonstrate this product-based approach to design and construction -- an approach that could radically change the industry. By creating a product-based approach to buildings, we have the potential to transform site construction to a place of assembly of pre-engineered and certified building products. Together, we will: * Evidence **lower carbon lifecycles, targeting a 30% operational reduction** -- based on integrating heating and cooling systems within the structure -- and a **50% saving in embodied carbon** through a reusable structural system with predicable performance through smart commissioning and better science. * Demonstrate **productivity improvements in each delivery phase** -- design, manufacture and assembly -- through physically and digitally enabled process efficiency and waste elimination. * Use a product-based architecture with defined and repeatable interfaces to provide quality and certainty in delivery. This will include **facades, frame, internal walls and finishes, pods, and building services and controls**. This will enable: * **Digital demonstration** of configuration to products sets to a range of sector applications using real-world building examples * **Physical demonstration** of integrated product-based building solutions at full scale for a representative building at Explore Industrial Park * **Evidence of productivity and performance** assurance metrics and benchmarking to support further scaling up and adoption"

DAM is a technology development programme led by GKN Aerospace aimed at advancing current technologies and knowledge in Additive Manufacturing for current product and Advanced Structures for application on future new aircraft platforms. The programme is critical for the intermediate future operations given the potential gains in productivity-efficiency-repeatability and quality are compelling. GKN Aerospace, global Tier 1 supplier for the Aerospace industry, with its headquarters in the UK brings a wealth of experience and background managing research & technology initiatives. GKN Aerospace is a global Tier 1 supplier to the aerospace industry with Headquarters in the UK and brings a strong pedigree on delivering next generation research and technology initiatives.

TWI is taking the lead in the Open Architecture Additive Manufacturing (OAAM) project to demonstrate the ability to manufacture large metallic components via Additive Manufacturing (AM) for the benefit of UK Aerospace. The OAAM programme plans to develop directed energy deposition (DED) AM technologies that can be scaled up to accept multi-metre component sizes. TWI will work with project partners Airbus, Autodesk, Cranfield University, Glenalmond Group, University of Bath, University of Manchester and University of Strathclyde to create three DED AM process platforms. These new platforms will enable aerospace manufacturers and their supply chains to develop advanced AM manufacturing concepts in the following fields: 1. Arc-wire / Laser-wire AM @ Cranfield University. 2. Electron Beam wire AM @ TWI (Cambridge). 3. Laser-powder / Laser-wire AM @ TWI (Yorkshire Technology Centre). Each of these systems will offer unique AM capabilities and address a number of common needs: • Scalable architecture solutions, with common CAD/CAM control interfacing. • Integrated process steps (NDT, Machining, Inspection, Cold-work etc.) as necessary for optimum implementation to aerospace requirements. • Ability to manufacture aerospace components using AM to TRL 6 or MCRL 4/5. These new AM systems will be truly state-of-the-art research facilities for their respective AM process variants, and will be made available to UK industry, leveraging key expertise resident within the hosting research organisations. They will establish a fully quantifiable process that will place UK suppliers at the forefront of the technology and AM research. This will offer the UK aerospace sector access to next-generation manufacturing with a simplified, lower risk route to support AM’s industrialisation and rapidly deploy into aircraft platforms. A substantial amount of results overspill onto other sectors (energy, marine, etc.) is also foreseen. The project, which is supported by Innovate UK (ref: 113164), commenced on the 1 January 2018 and will run for three years.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to revolutionise the way aerospace components are manufactured and re-invent supply chains. This technology can assist the aerospace sector to produce lightweight parts, which will lead to a reduction in emissions and fuel consumption. The AM process will also maximise the buy-to-fly ratio, with significantly less waste than using traditional subtractive methods. To enable the UK’s established aerospace OEMs and the supporting supply chain to take a leading position in the exploitation of AM, a mechanism for production system development is required to effectively deliver new and enhanced end-use components, ensuring cost and quality targets are achieved. The UK currently has a strong R&D base in AM and a number of businesses developing its commercial industrialisation. The UK has a powerful aerospace manufacturing sector - second in the global rankings with over 4,000 companies employing about 230,000 people. The UK aerospace sector has the largest number of small and medium sized enterprise (SME) companies in Europe. The economic forecast indicates that by 2025 AM could deliver £410m GVA to the UK economy. Currently there are high costs and risks associated with setting up AM processes, buying equipment and developing AM process chains for UK aerospace supply chain companies. Aims of the DRAMA project DRAMA (Digital Reconfigurable Additive Manufacturing facilities for Aerospace) is a three year, £14.3m collaborative research project and part of the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATIs) programme, which started in November 2017. The consortium is led by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) – home to the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing and includes ATS, Autodesk, Granta Material Intelligence, Midlands Aerospace Alliance, NPL, Renishaw and the University of Birmingham. The project will help build a stronger AM supply chain for UK aerospace by developing a digital learning factory. The entire AM process chain will be digitally twinned, enabling the cost of process development to be de-risked by carrying it out in virtual environment. The facility will be reconfigurable, so that it can be tailored to fit the requirements of different users and to allow different hardware and software options to be trialled. During the three years of the project an additive manufacturing Knowledge Base will also be created, to allow faster adoption and implementation of this transformative technology by UK businesses. Reduce the cost and risk of set-up • De-risk deployment of AM processes and equipment for the UK aerospace sector, by building reconfigurable pre-production facilities, where supply chain companies and OEMs can come to learn, model and validate end-to-end AM process chains. Reduce the time and cost of planning and validation • Digital twin of the facilities, manufacturing processes and plant • Digital toolsets for process and plant simulation • Data analytics and optimisation • A knowledge base Develop capability across the UK aerospace supply chain • This world-first, digitally twinned reconfigurable AM facility, will be at the forefront of AM technology and can be used by UK companies across the aerospace supply chain. MTC to lead £14m additive manufacturing aerospace project The Manufacturing Technology Centre will lead on major aerospace R&D project to grow innovation in the sector. Following the launch of the Industrial Strategy white paper on Monday November 27, Business Secretary Greg Clark announced £53.7 million of funding for seven R&D projects. This funding is part of government’s work with industry through the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) to tackle barriers to growth, boost exports and grow high value jobs. Unveiled at the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Conference 2017, one of those seven projects is The DRAMA (Digital Reconfigurable Additive Manufacturing facilities for Aerospace) led by the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) with partners ATS Global, Autodesk, Granta Design, Midlands Aerospace Alliance, National Physics Laboratory, Renishaw and the University of Birmingham. DRAMA will establish leading additive manufacturing ‘test bed’ facilities for the aerospace industry and its supply chain at the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (based at the MTC in Coventry) and the Renishaw AM Solution Centre in Stone. The project will showcase the use of digital technologies to drive productivity and reliability in AM, leading to increased adoption of AM technologies by the aerospace sector and, in the long term, other industrial sectors. It will also deliver the world’s first digitally-twinned reconfigurable AM facility and establish the UK as a global leader in additive manufacturing technology. The project, part of the ATI programme, has received a grant of £11.2 million through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “In November, we launched our ambitious Industrial Strategy which builds on our significant economic strengths, while looking at innovative ways to improve our productivity and will ensure government continues to work closely with industries including our UK aerospace sector. “The UK aerospace sector is one of the most successful in the world, which is why we are today announcing £53.7 million of investment in seven aerospace research and development (R&D) projects across the UK. “This investment, part of the £3.9 billion government and industry committed to this sector by 2026. The Aerospace Technology Institute plays a crucial role in helping to direct this investment and maintain UK excellence in the sector.”

Additive Manufacturing (AM) offers unrivalled flexibility in terms of part geometry, material composition and production volumes. It could revolutionise the high value manufacturing sector and in particular the aerospace industry, enabling complex, lightweight, high performance parts to be produced with less material waste. Unfortunately, despite the clear potential, until recently AM has been largely restricted to the production of prototypes and components for rig testing. In the RAMP-UP project a comprehensive programme of experimental work will be conducted to address the critical challenges which must be overcome for widespread adoption of AM for the production of “flying” production parts within the civil aerospace sector.

Horizon (AM) is an initiative by a consortium of leading UK companies proposing to take 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) from a set of useful prototyping tools to a viable direct production method for advanced aerospace components. The group will be developing various novel manufacturing approaches to enable the production of highly complex lightweight aircraft parts using advanced production systems that print parts layer by layer from metal powders and plastic filaments. The work will first impact on the current high costs and waste involved in conventional aircraft manufacturing by printing near net shape parts directly in order to reduce the amount of labour-intensive and wasteful machining normally used to produce parts. Having established viable methods to produce flying components manufactured in this way the aim is to exploit the high geometric complexity and multi-material capability of these manufacturing methods in order to realise advanced aircraft components for the next generation of aircraft, thereby establishing the UK at the forefront of aerospace design and manufacturing.

The RAWFEED project is a collaboration between EADS Innovation Works, Airbus, Delcam, Cranfield University and the University of Bath. The consortium are developing and validating the performance of the required sub-system hardware and software to enable a wire feed additive manufacturing (AM) process utilising wire arc welding deposition combined with in-process rolling. This will enable the production of titanium parts with acceptable performance for aerospace applications, while ensuring minimal distortion and high material utilisation efficiency. The combination of wire based deposition and mechanical rolling to refine microstructure and minimise distortion is a novel approach which is capable of enabling material properties that meet or exceed those of aerospace forgings. The resulting process has the potential to reduce material waste in the production of large titanium parts by 70% while retaining the required level of quality and performance for use in safety critical applications.

iCIM is an everyday design tool that facilitates carbon assessment by supporting designers and informing their decisions throughout the building lifecycle. It leads towards zero carbon and low impact building by enabling : a) The analysis of carbon embodiment and building modelling data from mainstream design and specification tools. For example, it has been shown to be fully interoperable with Autodesk’s Revit tool – taking in information from the model and returning it seamlessly. b) The development of a building lifecycle carbon signature at any stage with particular emphasis on the early, feasibility and pre-design stages. The tools are available to designers, contractors and owners through fully interactive 3D, tables and charts in a web interface. c) Carbon costing of any construction form, removing the constraints of current methods which only support pre-defined construction assemblies. d) Carbon and capital cost comparison. The tool demonstrates the impact of key decisions and allows them to explore alternatives and determine which decisions drive low impact design.

CarbonBuzz is the result of collaborative project between architects, engineers, professional bodies, policy makers and academics to develop more effective measures to reduce the energy consumption of existing and new building. This unique online platform, offers users a graphical interface to benchmark and track the energy use of building and building portfolios from design to operation. It encourages users to share expertise and compare forecast and actual energy use against CIBSE benchmarks as well as live data anonymously. CarbonBuzz provides a robust foundation for comparing energy use and CO2 emissions from different measurement and reporting standards spanning acquisition to operation (Part L, EPC, planning, DEC, CRC, Carbon Trust Standard). The project will broaden CarbonBuzz’s scope to create an authoritative database on design and actual energy use of buildings by: continuing to champion transparency in reporting energy use and fostering communication between experts, clients and operators; delivering a mechanism to manage energy use expectations for both publicly and privately funded projects from acquisition to design and operation; informing future policy making by providing evidence for scientific research into the factors affecting the real energy use of buildings; and delivering a collaborative interface that will link the database and reporting framework to other research, commercial and governmental programmes working towards the reduction of energy use in buildings.

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