Integrating materials and
processes to manufacture new
products
Sue Dunkerton, TWI Ltd
For: Industrial Technologies 2012
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Agenda
• Short introduction to TWI
• Future markets and products
• Case studies or experience in novel
materials and processes
• Future challenges
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TWI
• 700 industry members operating
in over 4500 locations worldwide
• >700 staff
• 85 European Collaborative
Programmes
• Materials manufacturing, joining
and welding
• Surface engineering
• Prototype developments
• Structural performance
• Modelling/simulation
• Inspection
• Quality and safety
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Future Markets and Products
Energy Generation and
Supply
Medical and Healthcare
Aerospace
Biotechnology
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Coatings to add functionality
Thermal Spraying
• CompoSurf™ coating technology for increased functionality of
composite materials
• Metallic, cermet and oxide coatings for the protection of thermally
sensitive substrates
• Coatings for corrosion mitigation in biomass and waste-to-energy
power plants
• Development of a suspension spraying capability at TWI
• Developing photo-catalytic coatings
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CompoSurf™ Coatings on Composites
• Added functionality:
– Lightning strike
dissipation
– Thermal management /
heat protection
– Erosion shields
– Tooling (Invar 36 on CFRP)
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Wind Turbines
• Complex composite structures
• Over 70m in length today with
expectation of increasing to
90m blades
• Need:
– rapid manufacture accelerated curing/
reducing mould time
– routes to multi-part
manufacture with easy
assembly on-site
– embedded sensors for
health and performance
monitoring
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Fuel Cells
• High volume, high
precision manufacture
• Manufacturing durable
membranes (polymeric)
• Innovative high integrity
sealing materials capable
of operating over wide
temperature range
• Embedded sensors for
stack performance and
health monitoring
• Processes that allow
modular and scalable
design
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Additive Manufacture/Near-Net Shaping
• Laser Metal
Deposition - nozzle
powder delivery
• Selective Laser
Melting - powder
bed deposition
• Friction Welding
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Application developments
• Nozzle guide vane
repair
• Fan and blade
manufacture
• Complex structure
design and
manufacture
• Integrating other
materials (FGM)
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Additive Manufacture for Medical Sector
Hip and Knee
Maxillofacial
Dental
As built and
final machined
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Next Generation Additive
Manufacturing
• Multifunctional,
multi-material
products with
different embedded
properties
• optical,
• electrical
• structural
• 3D printing next
generation products
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Novel FW Joining Techniques
Fillet welds
Bobbin tools
Dissimilar joints
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Device Prototyping - Asbestos detector
• Prototyping with
design for
manufacture
• Embedding
electronics, lasers,
optics and filters
• Image processing
• FPGA and circuit
boards
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Device prototyping - disposable endoscope
• miniature USB
camera for
endoscope
• all plastic 360°swivel
distal tip for
incineration
• plug and play
• GMP for regulatory
approval
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Biomanufacturing
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Biopharmaceuticals
Biopharmaceuticals are medical drugs produced using
biotechnology
• Blood products
• Vaccines
• Monoclonal Antibodies
• Recombinant Proteins
• Therapeutic Vaccines
• DNA products / Gene Therapy
• Regenerative Medicines
• Cell therapies
• Peptide products
• Nucleic acid products
All are highly regulated and extremely complex to develop and
manufacture
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Challenges to Biomanufacturing
•
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“The Process is the Product” for complex
biopharmaceuticals
Highly regulated sector
Once manufacturing process is
established it is linked to drug approval –
very rarely modified
Innovation must be introduced at
development or preclinical stage, not later
Platform processes for specific product
types are favoured eg monoclonal
antibodies
Relatively small scale manufacture
compared with conventional small
molecule pharma processes
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Disposable Biomanufacturing
Single use systems have transformed biomanufacturing – a truly
disruptive technology
• polymer bagging
• low capital
• low risk of contamination,
• low cleaning
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Summary
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Future Challenges
• Complexity – more materials, greater
integration, personalisation, increased use
of biologics
• Maintaining or reducing costs –
automation, disruptive manufacturing
approaches
• Building new business models – retaining
value in Europe
• New products and services - recognising
consumer demands before they do
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EFFRA Roadmap: Advanced
Manufacturing Processes
• Customisation
• Composite
manufacture
• Manufacturing
processes for
renewable raw
materials, biomaterials
and cell based
products
• Joining technologies
for advanced and
multi-materials
• Delivery of new
functionalities through
(mass production)
surface manufacturing
processes
• Manufacturing of flexible
structures
• Product life cycle
management for
advanced materials
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Questions?
sue.dunkerton@twi.co.uk
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