EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology

拟议的EPSRC创新制造中心（CIM）的愿景是通过创造机器上工厂的概念来开辟新天地，为下一代高附加值产品的先进制造业提供英国工业颠覆性解决方案。拥抱和发展机器上工厂的概念将是实现下一代工程产品可持续制造业的关键一步，这些产品依赖于精度和微/纳米级几何精度以及功能优化的表面。实现机器上工厂概念的关键挑战是：挑战一：通过我们在机床误差建模和减少方面的领先研究，将机床精度提升到目前只能在稳定的操作环境中通过先进的计量设备才能实现的水平。挑战II：通过开发新的测量仪器，为下一代工程产品的几何特性（尺寸、几何形状和纹理）奠定坚实的基础。为了应对CIM的挑战和愿景，整个研究计划分为关键研究主题和平台类型活动。CIM研究的两个主要主题领域是：主题I -机器上的工厂：创建一个可配置和可扩展的平台，用于在从纳米，微米到大容量的机器上实施先进的制造和测量技术。与芯片实验室概念类似，交付的系统将生产能力与高精度计量相结合，为产品质量和加工过程的可持续性提供自动质量控制反馈回路。主题二-机器上工厂的基本技术：这里的目标是创建新的测量和规范方法和产品（智能软件和硬件系统），并提供了一个基础的新技术，在测量科学的微/纳米尺度表面的宏观/介观尺寸的物体与欧几里德或非欧几里德（非旋转和非平移对称）几何形状和确定性纹理都将在工厂内应用于机器环境。平台活动将包括：（一）留住和招聘已确定的关键研究和技术人员;（ii）从EPSRC、欧盟和TSB资助的基础研究项目中产生新的知识和仪器;（iii）支持机床/表面技术方面的蓝天研究和可行性研究;（iv）通过具体项目、合作协议、许可证、讲习班、培训，国家网络、沙坑和开放日。平台活动将针对主要合作伙伴，首先是他们的供应链/最终用户，其次是英国工业的更广泛部门，以及国家和国际标准化机构。总体而言，这项CIM研究将以独特的方式将测量和生产联系起来，以最大限度地降低成本，同时使制造基地能够应对制造过程中日益增加的复杂性和质量的挑战。它将为制造业提供连贯的研究解决方案，以确保先进的英国制造业处于新兴技术的最前沿。与英国工业界的伙伴关系将提供一个研究中心，一个传播成果的国家网络，以及与其他网络、CIM和IKC的联系，以确保研究提供推动工业向前发展所需的产出。这将提升项目提出者的能力，使其在机床精度和表面计量领域处于无与伦比的独特地位，使研究团队能够在可预见的未来占据全球领先地位。

The vision of the proposed EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing (CIM) is to break new ground by creating the concept of the factory on the machine to deliver to UK industry disruptive solutions in advanced manufacturing for the next generation of high added-value products. Embracing and developing the factory on the machine concept will be a critical step in enabling a sustainable manufacturing sector for the next generation of engineered products dependent on precision and micro/nano scale geometrical accuracy and functionally optimised surfaces.Key challenges to achieving the concept of the factory on the machine are: Challenge I: Elevation of machine tool accuracies beyond the present formidable barriers to those currently only achievable by advanced metrology equipment in stable operating environments, through embodiment of our leading research in machine error modelling and reduction. Challenge II: Building sound foundations for the factory on the machine by developing new metrology instrumentation, used within the machine environment and a novel toolkit, for geometrical characterisation (size, geometry and texture) for the next generation of engineering products.In order to answer the challenges and vision of the CIM, the overall research programme is divided into key research themes and platform type activities. The two major thematic areas of research within the CIM are:Theme I - factory on the machine : to create a configurable and scalable platform for implementing advanced manufacturing and measurement technologies on machines ranging from nano, micro to large volume capability. Analogous with the lab on a chip concept, the delivered system will fuse production capability with high-precision metrology to provide an automatic quality control feedback loop for both product quality and machining process sustainability. Theme II - underlying techniques for factory on the machine : The aim here is to create new measurement and specification methodologies and products (smart software and hardware systems) and to deliver an underpinning new technology in measurement science for micro/nano scale surfaces on macro/meso dimensioned objects with Euclidean or non-Euclidean (non-rotational and non-translational symmetry) geometry and deterministic texture all to be applied within the factory on the machine environment. Platform activities will encompass: (i) Retention and recruitment of key identified research and technique staff; (ii) Generation of new knowledge and instrumentation derived from fundamental EPSRC, EU and TSB funded research projects (iii) Support blue sky research and feasibility studies in machine tool/surface technology and (iv) Knowledge exchange to key partners through specific projects, collaboration agreements, licensing, workshops, training, national networks, sand pits and open days. Platform activities will be targeted towards key partners firstly, their supply chains/end users, then secondly wider sectors of UK industry, as well as national and international standardisation bodies. Overall, this CIM research will link measurement and production in a unique way to minimise cost whilst at the same time enabling the manufacturing base to meet the challenge of ever increasing complexity and quality in manufacture. It will provide coherent research solutions to the manufacturing sector to ensure that advanced UK manufacture is at the forefront of emerging technologies. Partnership with UK industry will provide a research focal point, a national network to disseminate the outcomes and a link with other networks, CIMs and IKCs to ensure that the research provides the required outputs to drive industry forward. This would boost the capabilities of the project proposers to an unrivalled and unique position within the field of machine tool accuracy and surface metrology, allowing the research team to command a global leading role in the foreseeable future.