Making a material difference
The University of Birmingham is offering high technology manufacturing businesses based in the West Midlands the opportunity to investigate the hidden make-up of materials used during production.
Utilising advanced characterisation equipment and expertise at the University’s School of Metallurgy and Materials, eligible businesses*, that are looking into new materials, are able to access free support via the University’s CHART project.
The latest piece of equipment to be added to this support offer, ‘Robomet’, allows for three-dimensional microstructural investigations on a number of different materials. This process, which would usually take weeks, if not months, can be completed in just a few days, thanks to Robomet’s automated and consistent system.
US based science and technology company, UES, developed the Robo-Met.3D system in collaboration with the United States Air Force Research Labs for advancing Materials Science research. Tom Kielbaso, Sales Engineer for UES said "Currently in use in North America and Asia, we are pleased that the University of Birmingham in the UK will receive the first Robo-Met.3D system to be delivered to Europe."
Professor Ian Jones, of the University of Birmingham and CHART project, comments "The CHART project is assisting West Midland’s manufacturing SMEs to refine and improve their R&D work. It has been boosting efficiency and innovation across the region. We are looking forward to supporting many more manufacturing SMEs."
Robomet is the newest piece of equipment to be added to the University’s School of Metallurgy and Materials thanks to the ERDF funded project, CHART. CHART aims to support SMEs in the West Midlands region with a state-of-the-art and mobile materials characterisation facility. Some of the equipment CHART has available includes a Micro-CT scanner, a scanning transmission electron microscope (S/TEM) and a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine.
Whether you are looking into new materials as part of your R&D, or you simply want to see if the CHART project can help your business, contact CHART business engagement manager, Max Turner.
* Free support is available to SMEs based in the West Midlands region