Miniature Flexible & Reconfigurable Manufacturing System for 3D Micro-products

The proposal attempt to set out a new agenda to create an integrated miniature flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing system to deliver to UK industry disruptive and transformative technology for the next generation of high added-value micro-products. The proposed research will focus on the development of underlying techniques, such as embedded sensors for on-line metrology, parallel robots for 3D materials handling and assembly, multiscale modelling and hybrid micromachining approach, which are core techniques for future flexible micro-manufacturing process. The project is grounded on the consortium's immense experience in surface metrology, robotics, machine tool design, micromachining and microforming, with industrial partners being leading experts from machine-tool, metrology, medical instrument and photonics manufacturers. The research will start from a very solid baseline in technology achieved from previous several successful EPSRC and EU projects in this subject area.

A novel flexible & reconfiguration ultra precision machine structure, which can be configured for different operations and realize machine and measurement on the same platform with 3/4 normal machine size; A new control algorithm to achieve 70% track error reduction to a standard PID controller; a new manufacturing process for air bearing spindle which will only half cost of competitor.