Public Funding for Aylesbury Automation Limited

3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been heralded as a revolutionary technology which will impact on almost every aspect of manufacturing. It promises to be a technology which will change the manufacturing paradigm This is undoubtedly true, but before AM can be regarded as an established mass production technology it must metamorphose from a low volume, relatively inaccurate and highly expensive process to one which is capable fo competing with established manufacturing processes such as injection moulding and CNC machining. The purpose of this project is to enable AM to deliver on its promise of being an acceptable, stable, low cost manufacturing technology. The project will do this by delivering the largest capacity polymer sintering 3d printing machine yet built. The components produced by the machine will be solidified using a unique, ultra high speed optical scanning system which will yield speeds twenty times faster than those presently available. A highly stable temperature control environment will be developed which will enable the use of other polymers which can not presently be used in the polymer sintering process, including Polycarbonate, ABS PEEK and PEKK, The project will develop a technique to automatically clean and finish the 3d printed parts, prior to packaging. In order to ensure manufacturing accuracy, stability and reliability, each part will be automatically optically inspected prior to packing. The systems which will be used to do this uses algorithms which have only recently become available. The measurements provided by the automatic inspection will then be used to recalibrate the sintering machine prior to its next manufacturing operation. Following inspection, the parts will be automatically packed and combined with administrative information such as labels and delivery notes, in preparation to shipping. The system will be capable of providing customers with manufacturing information at each stage of the manufacturing process, so that the 3D printed parts can be more readily combined into existing manufacturing planning and quality systems. Upon successful conclusion, the project will demonstrate a methodology which, when applied to polymer sintering will yield an Additive Manufacturing processes capable of producing parts in a wide range of polymers, and to a cost and quality which is comparable with established processes such as injection moulding.

This project will development a range of innovative 'grippers' capable of handling high volumes of small, lightweight & flexible elastomer (rubber & synthetic rubber) products every second. The automation opportunities developed through this project include automating the removal of elastomers from moulding lines; picking e;elastomers from moving conveyors; & rigid 'tools' into flexible elastomers. The successful development of 'grippers' to deal with these manufacturing challenges will also have wider applications. Automating processes in high volume elastomer production environments can be complex because the moulded products often need to be removed from fast moving production lines/ conveyors; air flows around the elastomer products can cause difficulties; and the products are highly flexible, & not uniform in shape. We have a number of strong concepts for developing grippers capable of handling elastomers which will utilise a combination of innovative mechanical; electrical; and electo-mechanical techniques & enhanced visioning/sensing technologies. Through this project, we will develop & comparatively evaluate several proofs of concept for different gripping technologies. The most promising grippers are selected for development & one or more grippers will be integrated in a prototype of a full automation machine

Traditional methods of dispensing disposable gloves from boxes in a range of healthcare settings can lead to significant cross contamination issues, as gloves are generally dispensed ‘Hand 1st’. In response to this issue, SafeDon™ Ltd has already patented & developed the SafeDon™ glove dispensing process, an innovative method of packaging and dispensing disposable Gloves from the box, which delivers up to a 94% saving in contamination due to hands (as gloves are dispensed Cuff 1st™ from the box). Whilst the market has responded well to the introduction of the SafeDon™ glove dispensing process (with sales currently standing at 10m per month & forecast to rise to 40m per month by the end of 2012) the higher costs & human resource challenges of packaging gloves in this way has generally limited the widespread adoption of this important healthcare innovation worldwide. Traditional processes for packaging disposable gloves still largely rely on fairly labour intensive, manual processes, with factory operatives packing gloves into dispensing boxes by hand. However, faced with increased competitive pressures & rising costs, many glove manufacturers are now looking to automate their production processes. In response to these issues, SafeDon™ Ltd & Aylesbury Automation Ltd have spent the last 2 years researching the market & developed a proof of concept for a Glove Packaging Machine, which would enable glove manufacturers worldwide to automate their packaging process & adopt the more hygienic SafeDon™ dispensing method. Aylesbury Automation Ltd and SafeDon™ Ltd are now applying for a SMART Award to develop a prototype of their innovative, patented Glove Packaging Machinery, which utilises a range of innovative glove handling techniques. Once we have developed the final working prototype of the SafeDon™ Glove Packaging Machine, we intend to use it to demonstrate the technology and secure orders from, international customers (principally in Malaysia & C