"Metelled conceives a new method in additive manufacturing (AM) creating both new exploitation strategies and employment opportunities. It could offer a new avenue to the applicability and diversity that metal AM technology offers. New larger scale deposition, with micro features, optimal energy management and low cost production will be possible using the process. The Metelled project uses atomic layer deposition to construct 3D structures. The rapid deposition process is used to produce kilo tonnes of high purity metals in other industries. Low temperature processing is possible because there is no melting of metal, therefore residual stresses are minimised, inclusions and porosity are eliminated. The Metelled process consumes feedstock is lump metal instead of powders. All the components can be recycled within the equipment, and no expensive shielding gases are required or vented. This feasibility study constructs a deposition cell to study laser effects on linear deposition through glass. The innovation arises because the process is: * The lowest energy method to produce a metallic part from a raw ore. * The deposition process is low energy and low temperature. * Chamber build volumes can be large. * Low residual stress may eliminate post-processing costs and energy. * Easy to handle lump feedstock is used instead of powders. * Quick change of feedstocks gives a plug-and-play approach. * Fine resolution, from atomic level deposition. * Wide area deposition also possible. * Homogeneous X, Y, Z strength. * Rapid z height deposition."

Flexible Thermographic Borescope with Pyroelectric Detection to allow inspection of components in difficult to reach or hazardous areas. The Flexible Thermographic Borescope with Pyroelectric Detection project will undertake the miniaturisation of the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique 'active thermography' with the development of a pyroelectric detector using nanomanufacturing techniques that interfaces directly with a bundle of around 300 polycrystalline optical fibres. The optical fibres are optimised for mid IR in the 5-14µm range, ideal for thermography inspection techniques. The thermographic borescope will be flexible and steerable allowing inspection of components in difficult to reach or hazardous areas, potentially increasing the service life of equipment and ensuring testing personnel's safety.

Additive layer manufacturing (ALM) has revolutionised the near-net-shape fabrication of precision componentsand advanced cellular and microlattice materials in industries such as aerospace, automotive & medicaldevices. The laser is the primary component and expense in ALM machines but despite high costs (>£25k), thecost and performance of current laser sources particularly for stereolithography result in manufacturingcosts only supporting prototyping. Applied Materials Technology and Euriscus Ltd seek to address thisrequirement through a novel enabling laser technology for stereolithography with a radical improvements tothe cost, power density, compactness, stability, switching speed, reliability, longevity, tuneability, compactnessand electrical efficiency. The step change in the expense, functionality, performance and size of lasers forstereolithography will significantly improve laser scanning speeds, improve part quality and bring opportunitiesto introduce high speed raster scanning systems to promote ALM as an industrial production technology fornovel components and advanced materials.

Transparent conductive electrode (TCE) is an essential component for solar cells and other devices such as displays, currently indium tin oxide (ITO) and silver are the prevailing choices. ITO and silver are however expensive. ITO has limited supply, and tends to degrade in performance under stress, so ITO-replacement TCEs have attracted extensive interests in the past years. Promising possible replacements include less expensive transparent conductive oxides, carbon nanotubes (CNT) or graphene-based thin films, conductive polymers, and metal grids based TCEs. This consortium aims to develop low cost and superior, sustainable Cu nanowires based TCE for solar cells, and explore its application to other devices. Finance Summary Table – How to complete this section

The SHIPSHAPE project unlocks the commercial potential of the Powder-HIP process. In Powder-HIP a sacrificial metal canister is filled with fine metallic powder which is then consolidated at high pressure and temperature, in a Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) vessel, to form a fully dense part. Powder-HIP provides an effective method of producing complex, high performance metal parts, with little or no material waste, making it particularly attractive for processing high value, scare materials (such as nickel superalloys, hardmetals, and Ti64 and Metal Matrix Composites), however the limitations of the current canister manufacturing methods severely restricts its use. In the SHIPSHAPE project a novel electroforming method will be developed to enable complex canisters to be produced quickly and cheaply. Basic proof-of-concept has already been demonstrated and the project will focus on extended the capability to a wider range of powder-HIP materials. In addition key issues such as cost, scalability and productionisation of the SHIPSHAPE approach will be addressed.

Project 228135 develops a portable phototherapy device for the mobile treatment of skin conditions.

A collaborative project will be undertaken between Versarien Technologies Limited, Applied Materials Technology Limited and Dynex Semiconductor Limited which will seek to develop a technology capable of providing world leading thermal management specifically for use in the power electronic modules of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The project will last for 24 months and will be led by Versarien Technologies Limited. Over the course of the project a number of component technologies will be integrated to provide a step change over current industry performance. Challenges exist in order to integrate these technologies whilst making sure that the potential performance is maintained. Industry steer is being taken from leading technology players in the field to ensure that the specification of the proposed device is in line with the requirements of the wider industry and remains so throughout the duration of the project. Without the assistance of the TSB, the project would not have been able to be undertaken and the participants are sure that the completion of such a project will provide an important step towards the UK being a global leader in the development and production of high technology components for the electric vehicle market, a market which is set to grow exponentially over the next 35 years.

Applied Materials Technology (AMT) proposes a 12 month, £187k, development of prototype project to progress Decoupleable Deformable Mirrors (DDM), a novel approach to the production of affordable, custom, high precision mirrors for optical devices. DDM will allow beam quality to be transformed i.e. from a highly aberrated beam to M2 approaching 1.1. AMT will initially target DDM at the laser market; a large industry that has experienced strong, continued growth since 2009. Many laser users demand high beam quality, currently achieved at high cost by inherently high beam quality lasers, and/or by corrective optics, including adaptive optics (AO). The high beam quality laser market competes on cost, system mass, volume & efficiency; a method for producing compact, light, efficient & high beam quality lasers at low cost has the potential to be highly disruptive. DDM will allow high quality beams to be produced from compact, efficient, low quality laser sources at low cost. DDM & AO share some similarities; each involve the measurement of beam characteristics, and a computer-driven actuator array to control the geometry of the deformable mirror which governs the reflected beam characteristics. Crucial innovative steps in DDM allow the mirror geometry to be maintained when decoupled from the actuator array, with the custom mirror then being provided to the customer and the actuator array being reused by the mirror manufacturer. The principal stages of the project are: to finalise the design & materials for the mirror; to establish a manufacturing process; to conduct trials to confirm the validity of the approach. By taking a clean-sheet approach to the custom mirrors, AMT will bring DDM to market at a target price of 1/40 to 1/10 the cost of adaptive optics, offering cost saving and opening up potential new areas for use. The timeliness and potential demand for the product have been supported by a range of leading industry experts and high value manufacturing companies.

The project explores the feasibility of developing a novel power electronic module for initial application in the hybrid and electric vehicle market. It is targeted at reducing the size and weight of the unit whilst also increasing the power density. The project will explore key manufacturing processes to ensure key components can be effectively and reliably bonded in the novel structure. The project incorporates both a new structural arrangement and new material components.