Public Funding for Victrex Manufacturing Limited

EdgeMethods(IoT platform developers/integrators) and Victrex(High-performance polymer manufacturers) have completed a successful _Proof of Science_ energy efficiency project on a single polymer powder manufacturing process. Work included defining the key energy and emissions reduction KPIs and integrating key technological requirements (e.g. sensors to read gas measurements on oil skids) for energy efficiency measurement. Utilising the EdgeMethods _SaaS_ IoT platform, machine-learning based energy efficiency models were developed enabling optmisation of the polymer manufacturing process and real-time energy-based event detection. This project will focus on further development of our novel sustainability models that have been evaluated in a Proof of Science environment and are ready to be further developed with real-world data in Victrex's polymer production factory. This project will enable EdgeMethods to finalise core platform development and develop/improve/validate sustainability ML algorithms within a polymer manufacturing process which has synergies enabling us to rapidly scale across the polymer/chemical and pharmaceutical and food/drink manufacturing sectors.

OverHiPP will identify, develop and optimise materials and solutions for overprinting features, inserts and conductive materials onto organo sheets and other components, using 5-axis 3D printing technology, coupled with high performance polymers. This will offer a new manufacturing process for many low to medium volume applications, offering improved design options and efficiency savings over existing processes.

The aim of F4 PAEK is to produce novel nano-composite materials for additive manufacturing. These new materials will offer multifunctional capabilities including lightweighting, thermal and electro-magnetic properties. The initial target applications are focussed on the defence and aerospace industry but the developments have potential implications and benefits that are far reaching, bringing together the advantages of improved material properties with the design freedom and lightweighting potential of additive manufacturing.

Jaguar Land Rover is leading an exciting research project to develop future state of the art electric hybrid vehicle systems, in conjunction with universities and businesses across the UK. The project aims to significantly improve the vehicle system efficiency through utilisation of innovative electronic systems and componentry.

Photovolatic solar cells are renewable energy devices which convert light energy into electric energy. The cost of PV devices is still very high. We have deleloped silicon structures for application in PV with benefits of low temperature processes, thus less power consumption and a reduction in heat dissipation to the environment - reduces carbon footprint. Si structures can be deposited onto cheap/flexible plastic substrates , process is fully- scalable, compatible with an already existing industrial process (PECVD) , reduces manufacture cost and precursor to manufacturing industry. The project is aim to exploit the aforementioned benefits into photovoltaic solar cells.

The aim is to develop a new lightweight wheel technology for aircraft. The new wheels will utilise some of the latest advances in materials engineering. The programme will utilise latest advances made in the automotive sector and apply them in the aviation market. Key requirements include very high toughness demonstrating excellent impact strength at low temperatures, high mechanical fatigue strength, and a very low tendency to creep. Requirements in this sector are formidable, where wheels must survive a series of industry-specific tests including extended roll life, roll-on-rim, combined load & burst tests in order to be viable. If achieved, the 25+% potential weight savings would put UK tier 1 suppliers in a world leading position. Project DAEDALUS is a 6 partner 2yr initiative.

Artemis Intelligent Power has developed a new kind of energy saving and highly controllable technology called Digital Displacement® hydraulics. The company has demonstrated the advantages of Digital Displacement® pumps and motors in all sorts of applications including in the largest floating wind-turbine in the world, in energy saving buses and trains, and in industrial machines. Vitrex Manufacturing is a global leader in the development and supply of remarkable engineering plastics. Vitrex will help Artemis to find ways to adapt Digital Displacement® pumps to make them able to operate in the very demanding conditions encountered by aircraft hydraulics. The companies will also collaborate with hydraulic experts at Airbus, one of world’s two leading aircraft manufacturers.

Characterisation of developmental high Tg polymer for subsea oil & gas applications.

High performance injection mouldable polyaryletherketone family (PAEK) polymers, and their engineered compounds, are materials that facilitate and enable automotive manufacturers to achieve safety, environmental and cost goals now and in the future. For automotive powertrain designers and manufacturers, addressing frictional performance needs of new technology adopted onto the modern passenger car is a key performance challenge. As automotive powertrain manufacturers continue to innovate to meet the legislation and cost goals, the pressure, velocity and temperature can affect the frictional performance of components and as such will reduce the lifetime reliability. The project objective is to fully chararcterise the tribological perfomance of current and new PAEK polymers. Assessing the tribological performance of development PAEK polymers would provide a starting point to determine the performance potential at an early stage for addressing the needs, and support the delivery of a solution to enable continued downsizing, weight saving and increased reliability to Automotive powertrain manufacturers.

High performance mouldable plastics like PEEK/PEK and others in the polyaryletherketone family (PAEK), and their engineered composites are materials of the future and of particular interested to airframe makers as a metal replacement, being 40 -70% lighter than steel, titanium or aluminum. PAEK composites are also highly corrosion resistant, heat tolerant to 250oC+, don’t burn, and can compete mechanically. Additive Manufacture (AM) of PAEK polymers and composites is now possible, where if this production route could be matured and perfected, AM PAEK would be exploited far more extensively in future aircraft. Similarly to metals AM, which is now an established and indispensable tool in airframe design and manufacture, the usage of PAEKs would grow. This aim is to solve the well identified technical barriers hindering AM-PAEKs exploitation, and thereby make the process, reliable, cost competitive and a common-place fabrication route, available throughout the aerostructures supply chain. This initiative brings together the entire materials & processing supply chain, including polymer makers/suppliers through to parts manufacturers and post-processors as well as end-users.

Fluorine is an industrially important and widely used chemical element. It is derived almost solely from the mineral fluorspar, supplies of which are becoming scarce, to the extent that this mineral has been identified as one of 14 "critical" raw materials by the European Commission. In order to reduce consumption and reliance on supplies of this valuable mineral resource, Victrex plc, C-Tech Innovation Ltd and Urenco Chemplants Ltd have come together on this project to develop an electrochemical technology which has the potential to be used to recycle 90% of the fluorine which currently ends up as aqueous effluent. In addition to recovering fluorine, the process also generates water and dilute sodium hydroxide as by-products, both of which can be recycled, thus further reducing reliance on natural resources. As well as the obvious environmental benefits associated with developing such a process, there are also significant economic benefits envisaged, ensuring that jobs are safeguarded and that UK manufacturing remains competitive in a Global arena.

To develop PolyArylEtherKetone polymers containing cross-linkable groups, for use as high-performance engineering materials and embed knowledge and expertise.