EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology

拟议中的EPSRC创新制造中心(CIM)的愿景是通过在机器上创建工厂的概念来开辟新的天地，为英国提供先进制造中的下一代高附加值产品的颠覆性解决方案。拥抱和发展机器工厂概念将是实现可持续制造部门的关键一步，以实现依赖于精密和微/纳米级几何精度和功能优化表面的下一代工程产品的可持续制造。实现机器工厂概念的关键挑战是：挑战I：通过体现我们在机械误差建模和减少方面的领先研究，将机床精度提高到目前只能在稳定运行环境中通过先进计量设备实现的巨大障碍。挑战二：通过开发在机器环境中使用的新计量仪器和用于下一代工程产品的几何特征(尺寸、几何和纹理)的新工具包，为工厂在机器上建立良好的基础。为了回答CIM的挑战和愿景，整个研究方案分为关键研究主题和平台型活动。CIM内的两个主要研究主题领域是：主题I-机器上的工厂：创建一个可配置和可扩展的平台，用于在机器上实施从纳米、微型到大批量能力的先进制造和测量技术。类似于芯片实验室的概念，交付的系统将把生产能力与高精度计量相融合，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II-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)，并为具有欧几里得或非欧几里得(非旋转和非平移对称)几何和确定性纹理的宏尺寸/中尺度物体上的微/纳米尺度表面提供测量科学的新技术，所有这些都将在工厂内应用于机器环境。平台活动将包括：(I)保留和招聘确定的关键研究和技术人员；(Ii)从EPSRC、欧盟和TSB资助的基本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、讲习班、培训、国家网络、沙坑和开放日，与主要合作伙伴进行知识交流。平台活动将首先针对关键合作伙伴，他们的供应链/最终用户，然后是英国行业更广泛的部门，以及国家和国际标准化机构。总体而言，这项CIM研究将以一种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不断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处于新兴技术的前沿。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，并与其他网络、CIMS和IFC建立联系，以确保研究提供必要的产出，以推动工业向前发展。这将把项目提出者的能力提升到机床精度和表面计量领域无与伦比的独特地位，使研究团队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.