A national facility with the latest technology to support advanced manufacturing research
The University of Nottingham is launching the UK’s highest-pressure Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing facility, a national facility with the latest technology to support advanced manufacturing research
Cold spray is an advanced manufacturing process that can build or repair metal components by accelerating fine metal powders at high speeds onto a surface. The material does not melt during deposition, thereby avoiding heat damage and preserving its original properties.
Experts from the Faculty of Engineering, with support from an international Japanese technical team at PlasmaGiken, have designed and installed the High-Pressure Cold Spray system, which enables higher particle impact speeds, stronger bonding between the deposited material and the substrate, and the processing of harder, more demanding materials.
This technology can repair and remanufacture high-value components in aerospace, fusion energy, nuclear, and defence sectors, reducing costs and improving sustainability by decreasing material waste.
Located in the Centre of Excellence in Coating and Surface Engineering (CE-CSE), the facility will be a national hub for collaboration with industry and research partners, supporting the UK’s ambitions in advanced manufacturing and clean energy technologies.
Tanvir Hussain, professor of Coatings and Surface Engineering at the University of Nottingham, who led the project, said, “After three years of proposal development and industrial collaboration, we are proud to commission the UK’s highest-pressure cold-spray additive manufacturing facility. This is not simply a new piece of equipment added to the UK cold spray landscape, but it represents a national capability that will support advanced manufacturing research and industrial innovation for years to come for the UK for all engineers and technologists.
“The Cold Spray facility, combined with the expertise of academics in Nottingham, alongside industry partners, will allow this National Facility to drive innovation at pace and allow exploration and testing of new techniques and applications.”
The project received funding through Research and Innovation and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham, PlasmaGiken, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
