Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)

Additive manufacturing is the term used todescribe a number of technologies thatbuild parts in a layer-by-layer method in avariety of materials.

Sometimes referred to in the popularmedia as ‘3D printing’, additivemanufacturing allows increased geometricfreedom and is particularly applicable tohigh-value, low-volume products, wherethe ability to customise is important.

Additive manufacturing processes takethree-dimensional (3D) computer aideddesign (CAD) data and directly print or growparts in a variety of materials, such asplastics, ceramics and metals.

The Sustainable Design for Rapid/Additive Manufacturing: Engineering Design Academy has beendevised to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access advanced design andadditive manufacturing expertise at different levels of capability, dependent upon the existingknowledge of the business. The aim is for companies to develop new opportunities and embed theprinciples of sustainable manufacturing at the heart of product development.

Engineering Design AcademySustainable Design for Rapid/Additive Manufacturing

What the Project Offers Your Business

Managed by the Lancaster ProductDevelopment Unit at Lancaster University’sEngineering Department, our experiencedstaff work with SMEs to provide:

• Specialist expertise and advice onproduct development

• Intensive research and developmentprojects undertaken by LancasterUniversity Engineering students orgraduates (typically up to four weeks)

• Software subsidy support forimplementation of advanced design andmanufacturing packages

• Access to a range of design and additivemanufacturing technologies andprocesses, both at Lancaster Universityand via private sector partners

• Tailored workshops on design andadditive manufacturing for differentsectors

• Identification of wider fundingopportunities and collaborators

www.lpdu.lancs.ac.uk

"If not for the university’smanufacturing support, our project'sprogress could have been delayedfor a number of months. Onceintroduced, the potential benefits ofboth (medical) products will besignificant because of the patentprotection and patient increasedsafety; there is nothing similar on themarket. It will help increase turnoverand win us new business."

James Lyon, Managing Director,AmDel Medical Limited.

Cost

The cost is fully met by the EuropeanRegional Development Fund andLancaster University with input fromprivate sector partners.

Benefits

• Develop ideas you’ve lacked the timeand resources to explore

• Respond to market opportunities,develop new products and increaseprofitability

• Develop prototypes in a wide varietyof materials

• Design, analysis and optimisation ofparts, components and assemblies

• Enhanced design capability andtechnical knowledge

• Complimentary benefits such as wastereduction, recyclability of parts andmaterials

Eligibility

• The project can assist SMEs with fewerthan 250 employees and a turnover ofless than €50M, located in Cheshire,Cumbria, Greater Manchester orLancashire

• SMEs should possess clear identifiablegrowth potential, in creating andsafeguarding jobs

• SMEs should be able to identify arelevant need to be addressed and forwhich the company are not seekingsupport from elsewhere

• Most sectors are eligible excluding retailand agriculture. The project haspreviously benefited companies in thehealthcare and bio-medical, creative andconsumer products sectors as well asthose allied to advanced engineeringand materials

www.lpdu.lancs.ac.uk

For further information contact:

Helen Atherton, Business Liaison OfficerLancaster Product Development UnitEngineering Building, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YRTel: +44 (0)1524 594298 Email: h.atherton@lancaster.ac.uk

Science and Technologywww.lancs.ac.uk/sci-tech/enterprise

Case Study: AmDel Medical Limited

AmDel Medical Limited is a Liverpoolbased business that provides medicaldevices to the UK and Ireland healthcaremarkets. The business works closely withthe NHS and has collaborated withLancaster University on several productdevelopment projects.

New medical device for eye injections

Lancaster University’s advancedmanufacturing team helped AmDelMedical Limited modify the design for an‘optical speculum’ based on feedbackfrom surgeons, and built 30 rapidprototype fabricated sterile prototypesfor clinical assessment. The new devicecould potentially reduce treatment timesby approximately 30% and costs by 40%,which would equate to approximately a£2m annual saving to the NHS.