Additive manufacture (AM) has significant and recognized potential to enhance the efficiency of aircraft and support the development of new net-zero systems through its scope for complex shapes and the integration of previously separate components and systems. Furthermore, AM has the potential to reduce material wastage through near net-shape manufacture and to consolidate aircraft supply chains to be increasingly resilient to disruption and responsive to rapid iterations and development. Currently, AM's potential to deliver these benefits to the aerospace industry is limited by its inability to reproduce the temperature performance of the best conventionally manufactured alloys. In particular, the highly creep- and oxidation- resistant superalloys used at service temperatures \>1000°C. Alloyed has used its computational Alloys-by-Design (ABD(r)) platform, developed at the University of Oxford, to develop superalloys bottom-up. ABD(r)-1000AM, has the highest maximum operating temperature of any AM superalloy and its lower-TRL composition-design stages have already been developed through a NATEP programme. In this Project Alloyed, ITP and Cranfield will work to accelerate adoption of ABD(r)-1000AM within aerospace by advancing the Manufacturing Readiness Level of ABD(r)-1000AM components from MRL4 to MRL6 (equivalent to TRL3 to TRL5) through the completion of three core technical work packages (WP2-WP4). In WP2 Alloyed will focus on increasing the productivity of the AM process and establishing high levels of process control, taking ITP's guidance on requirements for aerospace components. In WP3, ITP will design a next generation combustor tile making use of ABD(r)-1000AM's enhanced creep-resistance combined with the design freedom of AM, targeting \>0.25% reduction in SFC. Alloyed will fabricate ITP's combustor tile along with other demonstrator turbine components. In WP4 ITP and Cranfield will investigate environmental coatings for ABD(r)-1000AM. ITP will investigate performance of its current SOA combustor tile coating. Cranfield University's world-leading coatings group will lead on developing a novel environmental protection system for ABD(r)-1000AM, with a particular focus on addressing surface preparation and processing challenges often faced when coating the unique geometries produced by AM, such as complex internal cooling channels. Cranfield's new coating system, as-well-as providing environmental protection, can be used as a bond-coat should the component need further thermal protection from a thermal barrier coating system. A successful project will enable Alloyed to transfer the ABD(r)-1000AM technology into aerospace applications with potential component sales of c.£330m by 2033 and provide ITP with materials and manufacturing technology to deliver next generation combustion tiles which enable significant increases in jet turbine efficiency.

Pushing the boundaries of high-strength aluminium alloys for lightweight and cost-efficient aerospace components using additive manufacturing **(PACE-AM)** **Vision for the project** Additive manufacturing (AM) enables innovative designs for lightweight, high-strength components by incorporating complex internal features. This has significant potential to enhance the efficiency of aircraft and support the development of new net-zero systems through its capacity for complex shapes and the integration of previously separate components and systems. Furthermore, AM has the potential to reduce material wastage through near net-shape manufacturing and to consolidate aircraft supply chains. However, AM is not currently used in the highest aluminium strength regimes with the greatest potential impact as it struggles to match the performance of conventional aluminium alloys, particularly the 7xxx series, which are crucial in aerospace. Attempts to introduce high-strength aluminium alloys for AM have faced challenges in printability and performance. **Innovation** Alloyed's computational, physics-based models, encapsulated in its Alloys-by-Design platform developed at the University of Oxford, have been utilised in the development of different metallic materials including high-strength aluminium alloys. Low TRL versions of our designed Al AM alloy compositions show promising properties. However, further optimisation is required to satisfy aerospace industry demands. PACE-AM aims to accelerate the development and adoption of novel aluminium alloys, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional 7xxx series in aerospace, by advancing the developed powders from TRL3 to TRL6 **Technical approach** PACE-AM will optimise the chemical composition of ABD-aluminium alloys and identify candidates to fill printability and performance gaps in existing benchmark alloys. It will then focus on improving AM process productivity and extend to post-processing steps like heat treatment, machining, and surface finishing. The project aims to demonstrate scalability by producing an airplane cabin bracket with the new alloy, assessing material properties at the component level, achieving a modelled understanding of the economics of manufacturing for the finished parts. **The consortium** This project will be conducted in collaboration with BCAST at Brunel University, one of the world's leading aluminium research institutes. Brunel's expertise will support in-depth characterisation and evaluation of the developed alloys, as well as post-processing optimisation, aiming for a distortion-free component with superior mechanical properties. A successful outcome will enable Alloyed to produce aeroplane cabin brackets and other structural components for civil aerospace helping to unlock the use of AM for a wide range of high-performance, lightweight components in the defence, automotive, and electronics sectors.

Led by Sylatech Ltd and supported by Alloyed Ltd, The University of Sheffield AMRC and Cranfield University, the UltraCleanCast DLMM project seeks to develop a novel aluminium digital liquid metal manufacturing process and proto-production facility capable of producing sustainable, cost efficient, ultra-high-quality aluminium components with repeatability and predictability comparable to, and exceeding, current benchmark technologies; something not currently achievable using conventional casting processes. The project will also ensure the technology and manufacturing facility is aligned with future industry digital transformation requirements while also demonstrating the capability for aluminium shape casting to support * nascent optimised design for manufacture concepts, * increased component integration and multifunctionality, * digital alloy performance modelling, * future Net Zero Carbon sustainability targets, * significant benefits in cost reduction, increased rate capability and aluminium metal circularity.

The electrification of transport is a vital requirement for the UK to achieve its net zero ambitions by 2050\. The recent Government decision to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2030 has made this even more pressing. Our automotive industry will need to adapt significantly to this change and disruptive innovation will be required to achieve this across the myriad use cases that exist within the UK transport network. A considerable part of this transformation will be in the refinement of electrical machines and drives, which will need to be lighter, more powerful, and produced in ever increasing quantities. Additive manufacturing (AM) has shown immense potential in improving the power to weight ratio of manufactured motors by the newly possible component geometries offering improved copper losses within the motor. AM also enables rapid prototyping of new designs and trialling of new materials quickly and efficiently. This project is focusing on the end application of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Compressors for these motors as it is currently a low volume high value market where efficiency is a key driver in a successful product. Giving the perfect niche where AM could be commercially viable. To achieve this, we will need to develop innovative designs and processes for the development of copper windings in motors. The resultant products will be thoroughly characterised, so their functionality and material performance are understood before the necessary insulation and post-processing to allow their integration into an electrical machine. Finally, these new products will be integrated into a full e-motor assembly and trialled. This project will demonstrate, for the first time, additively manufactured copper windings for niche automotive applications at commercially viable quantities. The high performance, niche nature of this application will ensure the commercial viability of these products at a competitive price point. A significant outcome of the proposal will be to further exemplify the suitability of this approach by comparing the manufactured products to those currently available and identifying any potential optimisation or cost reductions. This will ultimately define a final cost per unit and process in series alongside an assessment of the possible market size for products in this cost and performance range. The skills and capabilities developed through this proposal will ensure the UK retains its leading position in additive manufacturing of electrical machine components and underpin the continued strength of our automotive sector as we move towards net zero.

In this project a team of world experts in metallurgy, mechanical engineering, and machine learning will collaborate to build a Digital Qualification Platform for Additive Manufacture ("3D printing"). Additive Manufacture ("AM") has the potential to transform for the better the way a vast range of advanced components are manufactured. It can create objects that are lighter, more intricate and functional, and made from more advanced materials than other manufacturing technologies, and it can do so using less raw material and completely digitally, so no tooling is required. Full use of AM could transform prospects for lower-energy, lower-emission aeroplanes and cars, powered by more sustainable fuels, as well as creating new opportunities in electronics, medical implants, and many other markets. However, AM faces a major barrier to adoption: the cost of designing an optimal component, and proving beyond doubt that can do its job safely for as long as it is required. This has always been a challenge and an expense in aerospace, requiring many millions spent on expensive trials, but it is a particular hurdle for AM, as a novel technology which builds up a component from billions of tiny welds. This project aims to build a future in which new materials and components are designed and proved safe entirely by computational means, saving years of time and millions of pounds, as well as accelerating innovation in aerospace and elsewhere. It will do this by building a Digital Qualification Platform for AM materials and components, including software-packaged computational models and a world-class experimental facility, and demonstrating the Platform through the certification of a heat exchange component built during the project for test flight on a Boeing aircraft. Once applied to AM, the Platform will then be extended to speed innovation, decrease costs, and reduce waste in traditional manufacture. The Project will also create 46 highly-skilled new jobs now and over 2,500 by 2035\. The four-year project will be led by Alloyed, a high-growth technology business based in Oxford, and include Boeing, Renishaw, the manufacturer of AM hardware, TWI Ltd, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Imperial College, and the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield.

**Vision for the project** According to MarketsAndMarkets.com, in 2019 global sales of Electric Vehicles (EVs) reached ~3.3million units (a ~£123billion market value - Allied Market Research). This is projected to reach ~27m units/annum by 2030\. The automotive industry must therefore adapt to the challenges associated with heavy batteries and the move towards modularity that is required for new business models such as ride-shares and temporary ownership. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to offer designers and manufacturers solutions, but is currently limited by speed, max part size and a relatively high cost-per-part (over twice the cost of casting). **Innovation** The Casting-Hybrid-Additive-Manufacturing-Parts-Production (CHAMPP) programme will address these challenges to develop an innovative new hybridisation process. CHAMPP will enable access to the benefits of AM (design flexibility) by combining it with the low cost-per-part of casting. Automotive manufacturers will be able to cast the main components across multiple models/OEMs, then use AM to customise those parts for specific variants at the volumes required, with parts that can only be 3D printed. Introducing AM will also support rapid and more cost-effective prototyping and design iteration. The state-of-art in this domain is entirely research-based and has mostly focussed on steel. However, steel's low cost and the complex supply chains and/or expensive new machines envisaged have blocked large-scale hybridisation reaching the mainstream. Research on hybridisation using aluminium has been limited by traditional cast/wrought alloys which, when used in in AM, give poor mechanical performance. Similarly, current aluminium alloy AM powders are not suited for automotive applications as they have poorer mechanical properties with many defects. It is this problem this Smart project will address, building on the consortium's prior alloy and hybridisation research to develop and test new aluminium alloy(s) better suited to future automotive AM and hybridisation needs. **The consortium** The CHAMPP consortium creates a critical mass of technical and market expertise: * Alloyed: Alloy-design and AM specialists. * Brunel University London's BCAST: Metal casting and processing experts. * Autotech: An R&D arm of Gestamp, a world-class global manufacturer and tier\#1 supplier of automotive parts.

FARGO will establish a prototype hybrid, additive and subtractive, production line of a turbine component, to expand the capacity of a high performance SME member of the aerospace supply chain.

This project will develop the highest-performing nickel alloy for additive manufacture of components operating at 1000°C, making 3D-printing a viable option for critical high-temperature aerospace applications for the first time.

Orthopaedic degeneration is a normal part of aging, anticipated to affect ~80% of the world's population. The Office for National Statisticsestimates the UK's proportion of over 65s will rise to 20.7% by 2027, so the financial and societal impacts can only increase. In the past decade approximately two million people in the UK had a metallic device implanted to replace a bone or joint in their body, with surgeries increasing at 7%/year. The most common surgical intervention is hip or knee replacement followed by spinal fusion implants, then implants to other joints. Around 250,000 procedures are conducted in the UK each year. However, around 50% will have non-ideal results, with 40% of patients still unable to return to work up to 4 years after surgery. Up to 20% will require a revision, with 75% of these due to the implant failing. OxMet has designed a new alloy for use in medical implants that eliminates current problems such as: * High stiffness: stiff implants which 'stress shield' surrounding bone, causing bone cells to weaken and die, loosening the implant. * Cytotoxicity: Ti64, one of the most common implant materials, contains cytotoxic vanadium and aluminium. * Compatibility with Additive Manufacture: Current implant materials are not designed for use with additive manufacturing, resulting in defects and fracturing. OxMet and Betatype have designed a new mesh that more closely matches the structure of cancellous bone. Closer matching improves implant osseointegration, both in terms of speed and strength, reducing failure rates. The design takes advantage of Betatypes' bespoke proprietary algorithms that are both quicker and improve control. OxMet and Betatype will work with the University of Birmingham to provide proof-of-concept evidence for the improved effectiveness of the combined alloy and mesh.

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) for metallic components is moving from research to commercial application. However, to date, methods for alloy development have not managed to consider the complex relationship between alloy composition and ease of processing by AM. Instead, legacy alloys, developed for established manufacturing processes, have been manufactured in powder or wire form to fit AM applications. However, long-term success of AM will demand new alloys are designed to alleviate manufacturing issues whilst delivering performance beyond legacy alloys. OxMet Technologies Ltd and its partner, University of Oxford, have developed proprietary 'Alloys-by-Design' software for genomic inspired design of engineering alloys. This project focuses on the application of the Alloys-by-Design technology to accelerate the optimisation of new alloys for metal AM.

TiPOW is an initiative by a consortium of leading UK companies proposing to define the requirements and develop the processing techniques to provide high quality Titanium powder; enabling the production of aerospace components via 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM). AM is a revolutionary manufacturing technology with the potential to enable the production of highly complex lightweight aircraft and aero-engine parts using advanced production systems that in some cases print parts layer by layer from metal powders. The advanced components produced by AM can be up to 50% lighter than conventional components; constructed using completely new and novel designs, resulting in substantial weight reduction and increased efficiency & performance. GKN, global Tier 1 supplier for the Aerospace and Automotive industries has partnered with Metalysis, PSI and the University of Leeds for this project; each bringing a wealth of experience and background managing technology collaborations.