A new €1.2 million European-funded research project at IT Sligo is developing a ‘next generation’ micro machining process that could help car manufacturers meet vehicle emission limits under future European legislation.
The project is funded under the EU’s FP7 programme, Research for the Benefit of SMEs. The Project was officially launched at IT Sligo today by the Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Ms Barbara Nolan.
IT Sligo was the only higher education institute in the country last year to receive funding from this particular FP7 call, following an application through the Institute’s Centre for Design Innovation.
IT Sligo is the lead partner in a consortium involved in the Project that includes two Irish SMEs, CDAMC Ltd in Donegal who is a research partner in the project, and Vox Power in Dublin. European partners include Brunel University in UK, Vrije University in Brussels, German SME Sonplas Gmbh, and Belgium SME Elsyca. The SME partners in the consortium have provided €400,000 in match funding to the project.
The project is focused on the development of an advanced machining process known as electrochemical machining (ECM) that can micro machine electrically conductive materials to an accuracy of 1000th of a millimetre. A human hair is typically a 100th of a millimetre in diameter.
The technology development in this project will aim to improve the repeatability, accuracy, and stability of the ECM micro-machining process, as well as increasing the life span of micro-machined parts which has the potential for significant cost efficiencies across the automotive, medical device, and aerospace sectors.
It can be used in the manufacturing of car fuel injector system components, heart stents, hip prosthesis, and cooling holes in aircraft turbine blades, for example.
Speaking at the launch of the project today, Head of the European Representation in Ireland, Ms Barbara Nolan said: “The Micro-ECM project demonstrates very well the linkages between research, education and innovation, what we call in the EU the “knowledge triangle”. It brings together knowledge intensive SMEs and academia in a research project that contributes directly to bringing innovative ideas to the market – one of the key strategies of the EU’s Innovation Union Flagship, which is a central pillar of the Europe 2020 Strategy to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.”
President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott said that this is a very significant project for the Institute; “The synergy between higher educational institutes and industry is vital as we look to maximise the benefits of research and development projects such as this one. At IT Sligo we are nationally recognised for our innovative approach to collaboration with industry and we look forward to monitoring the progress of the project with our partners and measuring the benefits it has for the important automotive, medical device, and aerospace industries.”
The research undertaken in the project will result in new Intellectual Property that will have the potential for commercialisation and new market exploitation for the participating SMEs partners, according to the Project Co-ordinator and Head of Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering at IT Sligo, Dr David Tormey; “This research is driven by the research and commercial needs of our SME partners. The research being undertaken for this project will focus on the further development of ECM technology that will significantly benefit a range of different industry sector manufacturers that require micro-machining capability for their production processes. It is envisaged that our research will lead to a ECM micro-machining process that will result in improved consistency of micron machining accuracy, enhanced surface finishing, as well as machined components that will last longer as they are not exposed to machining stresses as they are in other micro-machining processes.”
CDAMC is a research and development company based in Falcarragh in Co. Donegal. They are a research partner in this FP7 project. Project Manager and Work Package Leader in the consortium, Dr Carl Diver said that the process will indirectly lead to reduced emissions; “An example of how this process will benefit the SMEs is in the manufacturing of fuel injection nozzles in diesel cars. Nozzles manufactured under this improved process will be able to operate at a significantly higher pressure, typically above 2000bar. This means that a finer mist of diesel will be produced in the combustion chamber, and this allows for a more controlled burn of the fuel, which in turns will lead to considerably reduced emissions.”
The second Irish Partner in the Consortium, Vox Power in Dublin, specialises in the design and delivery of sophisticated switch mode power supplies, and in particular in cutting-edge and miniature AC/DC power converters with the highest power densities on the market.
Brian McDonald from Vox Power demonstrates some of the technology being used in the IT Sligo FP7 Research Project for the Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, Ms Barbara Nolan. Also pictured are Project Research Partner Carl Diver, CDMC Ltd, Co Donegal; Dr David Tormey, Head of Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering and Project Co-Ordinator; and Amit Gupta, advanced postgraduate diploma, Engineer.
Chair of the IT Sligo Governing Body, Ray MacSharry; President of IT Sligo, Professor Terri Scott; Head of the European Commission Representative in Ireland, Barbara Nolan; and Dr David Tormey, Project Co-ordinator and Head of Department of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering.