VERGE - Valve Edge Matching Refinement for Greater Efficiency

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Domin are on a mission to positively disrupt the $250B hydraulics industry, which unfortunately still operates using 1950s technology and is plagued by several inefficiencies. Using innovative technologies such as additive manufacturing, modern electronics and digital control techniques, Domin have developed a servo valve platform that is 4x smaller but with 2x the performance of counterparts. Further, through adoption of their energy-efficient products, Domin want to help the wider hydraulics industry save 1B tonnes CO2e/year by 2030\.To address the growing demand, Domin are planning to scale their servo valve production capacity from by 10x over the next 3 years. The production process involves multiple steps, starting with metal additive manufacturing to 3D print core components (valve manifolds and spools). Owing to the geometric variation in the additive manufacturing outputs, Domin have developed a bespoke process called edge matching to match each manifold and spool combination. However, this process involves iterative and time-consuming measurement and machining steps and is currently a bottleneck to scaling up production.Through Project VERGE, the University of Newcastle will partner with Domin to optimise the edge matching process. Leveraging their broad manufacturing expertise and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, they will be developing innovative measurement and manufacturing strategies, that can potentially unlock Domin's production throughput in a streamlined yet cost-effective manner.The project outcomes are expected to contribute significant Gross Value Add (GVA) to the hydraulics sectors globally and the wider UK manufacturing sector. They will also be instrumental for Domin's next stage of growth, as they plan to add 70+ employees across a variety of manufacturing, technology and digital roles over three years post project completion. For the University of Newcastle, the project with broaden their expertise and provide exposure to additive manufacturing, with the potential to open up new opportunities in the gearing industry.