Tribosonics Ltd develops novel measurement technologies for a range of industrial markets and applications and has launched and is supplying into the plastics and polymer sensing market, a measurement service called polymerSENSE(TM) to the plastics and polymer sensing market. The measurement is supplied as a service (SAAS -- Sensing-As-A-Service) to monitor injection moulding and extrusion equipment, in particular the wear of screws and barrels. When the screw & barrel are new there is a clearance gap of the order of 0.1mm between the screw & barrel. Over time the screw wears (the screw typically wears an order of magnitude faster than the barrel) with several negative outcomes: 1\. The efficiency of the system reduces resulting in a decrease in the output from the equipment and thus lower productivity and profitability. Some polymer processors increase the rotational speed of the screw to increase the polymer throughput, but this results in an increase in energy use, impacting profitability and product quality. 2\. The quality of the resultant polymer product reduces because of the increase in shearing in the gap between the screw and the barrel. This leads to an increase in scrap from worn barrel/screw assemblies and a decrease in profit. There are a large number of variables that affect the measurement (temperature, polymer material, frequency of transducer, size of transducer, thickness of barrel, width of flight on screw, shape of screw tip, measurement speed, etc). This project is focused on scaling this technology and expanding its uptake within the polymer processing industry. Tribosonics will work with the Newton Gateway to reduce the time and resource needed to process the received signals into robust measurements of wear.

This project is to accelerate the development of novel and scalable technology to address a significant problem in the renewable energy sector; the need to better control resin mix-ratios in the production of wind turbine blades. Wind energy represents a key component of the UK's energy and decarbonisation mix, with UK wind production increasing by 715% from 2009 to 2020 (ONS, 2021). However, to continue increasing wind energy generation and enable "Net Zero" by 2050, the number of wind turbines manufactured per year needs to triple within the next decade (ORE Catapult). One barrier to this increased production is the need to make the manufacture of the turbine blades more efficient and less wasteful. Turbine blades take multiple days and many dozens of employees to manufacture a single blade, with an associated manufacturing cost running into many hundreds of thousands of pounds (CompositesWorld). Half of all defective blades produced are as a direct result of errors and inconsistencies of the resin mixture. Our innovation is to monitor the resin mix-ratios non-invasively and in-process using ultrasonic sensing to dramatically improve production throughput and reduce wastage. This is particularly relevant from a sustainability perspective, with the turbine blade being one of the few components of a wind turbine that cannot be easily recycled (Bloomberg Green). The technology solution developed during this project will also lead to improved traceability during the manufacturing process, allowing for the use of two-part resins in new markets, where the regulatory and quality assurance regimes currently limit their usage. This involves applying our sensing technology to characterise the resin in the mixing stage, before it is dispensed into the fibreglass mould, therefore avoiding the write-off of the blade. This project builds upon promising results obtained during a self-funded feasibility study, which demonstrated that it was possible to distinguish the mix-ratios of polyester resins down to levels of 0.1% using ultrasonic sensing. The project will be focused on designing and creating a measurement cell, improving the measurement algorithm, and embedding the algorithm onto a device for real-time measurement capabilities. The prototype sensing system, as well as providing a vital developmental feedback loop, will lead to increased confidence in the technology, accelerating commercialisation to solve this progress-limiting problem.

**ME:** An innovator and leader, my career started in engineering defence and has continued for the last 20 years in innovation. I am an award-winning mechanical engineering graduate with an MBA from Leeds University, STEM Ambassador and champion of Women in Technology. As Chief Commercial Officer I build innovation partnerships with large corporates to scale our technology and deploy a unique commercial framework where value is shared equitably. **THE BUSINESS:** Tribosonics is based in Sheffield and uses unique sensing technologies to generate data, enabling digitisation to create value and enhance sustainability. It does this by addressing wear, friction and lubrication in components and systems in global industrial markets. A scale-up technology business, and disrupter, recently venture capital-backed to accelerate growth; it will double in size in 3 years. **THE PROBLEM:** Industry needs the tools to reduce emissions, better utilise energy and drive operational efficiencies. Such tools would include access to advanced sensor technologies to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds to create data that can drive digital transformation. Digital transformation is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process that is often beset by challenges in implementation. Many of Tribosonics large corporate customers have lost the ability to innovate effectively, and there is a real gap in digital transformation, both in terms of technology and in terms of business models and commercial frameworks. **INNOVATION:** I will innovate a commercial business model that will enable large industrials to access our innovative technology via an equally innovative commercial framework and thus drive emission reductions and energy savings. I will do this by developing "Sensing as a Service" in the industrial sector. I want to be first to market with an innovation that enables and facilitates access to value-creating and sustainability enhancing data on a tiered service model/Capex free basis rather than via traditional development intensive and Capex heavy solutions. **IDEA:** I will build a portable, technical demonstrator showing end to end capability (asset to sensor to performance data via a cloud platform and advance analytics) with an overlaid Sensing as a Service framework to monetise the data that is derived and to provide customer access to various levels of data on a tiered subscription model. Offshore wind will be the first market to test this out in; the equipment and model will be modular and in follow on work will be applied to numerous other energy-intensive industrial markets.

Tribosonics is an innovation led company located and forged in Sheffield, United Kingdom. It drives transformation by using its unique ultrasonic sensing technologies to address challenges in tribological contacts (wear, friction and lubrication). Using its unique Technology Stack, it provides data of unmatched information density at an embedded component level, with core measurement competencies in stress, lubricant film thickness, wear, fluid properties, contact pressure and non-destructive testing. Tribosonics have developed novel ultrasonic and other measurement technology for measuring seals in industrial applications, which can be applied to the automotive industry. The Project's aim is to introduce an innovative emission control system to materially improve the environmental efficacy of automotive engines. The automotive sector has been dramatically impacted by Covid-19\. The automotive sector in the UK generates more than £100 billion per year in trade. Current forecasts predict £33.5 billion in production losses due to Covid-19\. As of 01/06/2020 it is estimated that the production loss in Europe is 2,446,344 vehicles. Global passenger vehicle demand is expected to drop 20% in 2020, and Volkswagen announced losses of US$2.2 billon per week of shutdown. Much governmental support, aimed at stimulating the economic recovery, is tied to environmental sustainability: making existing vehicles less polluting, and accelerating the move to new vehicles that are inherently less polluting. The World Economic Forum (WEC) identifies regulatory change in the car sector as a key driver to help companies innovate and recover after the COVID-19 crisis. WEC also expects that the Covid-19 outbreak will accelerate industry consolidation and transformation. Worldwide, Europe has the most ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions with 95 g CO2/km in 2020/2021, again reduced by 15 % in 2025 and by 37,5 % by 2030\. In the face of the challenge of Covid-19 there is a real danger that without a significant number of innovations (this project being one of them) then these ambitious targets will have to be relaxed. This will result in a negative impact on environmental sustainability. This project will help solve these challenges: enabling a reduction in the pollution of combustion engines, and accelerating the development and deployment of hybrid electric/electric vehicles. This will be achieved through embedding Tribosonics' technology in engine components to make 'smart components' that will address and enable the reduction of emissions to meet the requirements of regulatory changes brought in to achieve the above goals.

Tribosonics is an innovation-led company located and forged in Sheffield, United Kingdom. It drives transformation by using its unique ultrasonic sensing technologies to address challenges in tribological contacts (wear, friction and lubrication). Using its unique Technology Stack, it provides data of unmatched information density at an embedded component level with core measurement competencies in stress, lubricant film thickness, wear, fluid properties, contact pressure and non-destructive testing. Tribosonics have developed a polymer equipment monitoring system using their ultrasonic measurement technology for measuring wear in polymer processing equipment. The polymer industry faced significant disruption during 2019 due to concerns about plastics pollution. This disruption, however, has been dwarfed by the widespread disruption brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Every point in the supply chain has felt the impact. Production via labour intensive and poorly digitised processes for some polymer-based products has come to a halt (e.g. plastic equipment and automotive parts). On the other hand, production of plastic packaging and medical plastics has been booming in these times of intense pressure on supply chains, but not in a way that is sustainable or environmentally acceptable. This project is to develop novel embedded, real-time sensor technology for the polymer processing industry to promote sustainable plastic packaging and the circular economy, to improve productivity through automation and remote monitoring by digitising the industry and accelerating the adoption of the "Industrial Internet of Things." Our vision will manifest itself in a more productive and responsible polymer processing industry that is sustainable both in times of crisis and post-crisis when normality returns. The extension for impact funding will further accelerate the commercial relationships that have been established during the main project within the polymer processing industry, both in terms of the commercial models and also in the deployment of remote monitoring for digitising the industry.

Tribosonics is an innovation-led company located and forged in Sheffield, United Kingdom. It drives transformation by using its unique ultrasonic sensing technologies to address challenges in tribological contacts (wear, friction and lubrication). Using its unique Technology Stack, it provides data of unmatched information density at an embedded component level with core measurement competencies in stress, lubricant film thickness, wear, fluid properties, contact pressure and non-destructive testing. Tribosonics have developed a pump monitoring system using their ultrasonic measurement technology. Tribosonics' existing monitoring product, the BD002, works very well for situations where there is almost pure gas or pure liquid. However, in-field applications, the fluid flow inside the pump may be considerably more complex and Tribosonics are currently unable to accurately interpret measurements achieved outside the situations of almost pure gas or pure liquid. Improving the current product through improved signal processing as a result of carrying out this project and correlating our measurements with measurements of the various states in the pump will result in several benefits including reduction in time spent commissioning the product, reduction in time spent by in-house engineers supporting field engineers, an increase in the number of products sold due to improved capabilities and improved processes due to better monitoring technology. Additionally, and significantly, improving the measurement science will open up new opportunities in new markets, especially in fluid process monitoring.

Tribosonics is a small company with a team of 7 Employees based in Sheffield, U.K. Their expertise lies in the development of software backed devices which use Ultrasonic technologies for a series of measurements. This project will aim to develop a concept for a novel, embeddable Ultrasonic sensor suite which can be manufactured at extremely low cost. The object is to produce a sensor orientated algorithm based measurement system which will be permanently adhered to high value assets, enabling continuous monitoring and anomaly recognition superseding the market standard process of manual tedious and high cost inspection. This will result in safe continuous monitoring of hazardous working environments and reduction in the risk of catastrophic failures in industries such as oil & gas, nuclear, marine and renewables. It will have the ability to be mass produced through an automated process, where sensors today are handmade due to the delicacy of the internal components. The system will be adaptable enough that it can be retrofitted easily and permanently to numerous applications and will have an operational lifespan of over 3 years. The sensor will be capable to operate continually in environments >260°C;an ability that is unheard of in the industry. The design of the product will also enable eligibility for ATEX certification on commencement to market allowing acceleration beyond other equipment suppliers as no Ultrasonic sensors in the market can currently work in explosive atmospheres.

This project is looking at exploring the feasibility of using novel ultrasonic measurements applied to the machining process of high value manufacturing processes in order to refine the manufacturing process. In many manufacturing processes machining and metrology are seperate processes. Very rarely are the two combined in real-time. This project will demonstrate the benefits at both a technical and commercial level to combining these processes. The output of the project will be a report and a demonstration of the technology.

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