Public Funding for Alloyed Limited

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.