Integrated Knowledge Centre in Ultra Precision and Structured Surfaces

这个IKC的愿景是建立一个世界领先的卓越中心，为英国工业提供“颠覆性”技术，从而开发和制造各种依赖于功能性超精密和结构化表面的下一代产品。超精密和结构化的表面是一系列高科技产品的关键。许多下一代产品将依赖于这些表面，这些表面对供应广泛市场的组件的需求不断增加。其中包括：光电和显示器，医疗设备，航空航天，国防，空间和汽车行业。总而言之，这些行业在英国的年营业额超过750亿英镑，占英国出口贸易的很大比例。为了下一代英国开发的产品取得成功，他们必须通过更大的功能和改进的性能提供更高水平的客户满意度。为了获得这些优势，越来越多地采用了超精密和结构化表面。目前，英国工业没有明显的研发合作伙伴，通过应用超精密，复杂和结构化的表面来支持更高性能产品的开发。拟议的IKC的目标是通过应用超精密和结构化表面来支持英国产品具有竞争优势的实现。如果没有这个IKC的创建来促进和支持超精密和结构化表面的发展，英国的努力将会分散。IKC将根据行业需求和“客户”进行定制，因为新的表面技术必须在早期阶段指导产品设计；否则创造性的英国原型将迅速成为外国进口产品。因此，我们的愿景是为英国工业提供深入的世界级知识和广泛的知识转移服务，涉及超精密和结构化表面，涵盖其功能特性和确定制造的新技术。独特的是，这个IKC的基础是：学术界和工业界之间建立的合作关系，重要的英国和国际网络，最重要的是，在广泛的英国公司中有重要的现有需求。随着重要的设施已经投入使用，能够为IKC服务，它的一些基础已经到位。值得注意的是，大多数新设备被指定在拟议的IKC位置，其他设备位于克兰菲尔德和剑桥。IKC的位置是位于英国光电子制造集群中心的新的一流光学技术大楼。正如兰伯特报告所指出的那样，克兰菲尔德大学在为英国企业提供应用研究和工业相关培训方面有着最好的记录。在伦敦大学学院和剑桥大学的支持下，这个IKC将在EPSRC最近的倡议基础上巩固一个国际可信的合作伙伴关系。克兰菲尔德大学、伦敦大学学院、剑桥大学和Optic Technium之间的合作不仅仅是为了响应IKC的号召。它基于长期的合作伙伴关系，对专业知识的认可，以及促进英国制造业的共同愿望。IKC的成功将在光学技术中心自筹资金的英国卓越中心确定。它将拥有世界一流的研究设施，一个充满活力的研究和知识产权组合，支持引进新的英国产品，以及广泛的技术转让机制，这将提高英国公司的竞争力。在国际上，IKC将被公认为是开发增值表面技术、组件和高价值产品的领先组织。

The vision for this IKC is to establish a world leading Centre of Excellence that delivers to UK industry 'disruptive' technologies enabling the development and manufacture of a wide range of next generation products which are dependent on functional ultra precision and structured surfaces.Ultra precision and structured surfaces are pivotal to a range of high technology products. Many next generation products will be reliant on such surfaces which are in increasing demand for components supplying a wide spectrum of markets. These include: optoelectronics and displays, medical devices, aerospace, defence, space and automotive sectors. In combination, the annual turnover of these sectors is over 75 billion in the UK and they represent a major percentage of UK export trade.In order for next generation UK developed products to succeed they must offer greater levels of customer satisfaction through greater functionality and improved performance. Ultra precision and structured surfaces are increasingly being adopted to gain such advantages. Currently UK industry has no obvious research and development partner suitably equipped to support the development of higher performing products through the application of ultra precise, complex and structured surfaces.The goal of the proposed IKC is to support the realisation of UK products having a competitive edge generated through the application of ultra precision and structured surfaces. Without the creation of this IKC to foster and underpin development in ultra precision and structured surfaces, fragmentation of UK effort will occur. The IKC will be tailored to industry's requirements and based amongst its 'customers' since the new surface technologies must steer product design at an early stage; otherwise inventive UK prototypes will rapidly become foreign imported products.Our vision is therefore to provide UK industry with in-depth world class knowledge and a broad range of knowledge transfer services relating to ultra precision and structured surfaces covering both their functional properties and new techniques for their deterministic manufacture.Uniquely this IKC is based around: established collaborations across academia and industry, significant UK and international networks, and most critically, significant existing demands across a wide range of UK companies. With significant facilities already being commissioned, that are able to serve the IKC, some of its foundation is already in place. Significantly the majority of the new equipment is designated to be based at the proposed IKC location with others located at Cranfield and Cambridge. The IKC location is the new first class Optic Technium building that is situated at the heart of the UK opto-electronics manufacturing cluster.Cranfield University has one of the best track records in serving UK businesses with applied research and industrially relevant training, as identified in the Lambert report. With the support of UCL and Cambridge this IKC would cement an internationally credible partnership building on recent EPSRC initiatives. The collaboration between Cranfield, UCL, Cambridge and Optic Technium is not simply a manufactured response to this IKC call. It is based on long standing working partnerships, recognition of expertise, and a common desire to promote UK manufacturing industry.Success of the IKC will be identified in tems of a self funding UK Centre of Excellence housed at the Optic Technium. It will have world class research facilities, a vibrant research and IP portfolio supporting the introduction of new UK products, together with a wide range of technology transfer mechanisms which will improve the competitiveness of UK companies. In international terms the IKC will be recognised as the leading organisation in the development of value adding surface technologies, components and high value products.