The activities over the past 5 years were reviewed and the focus of the event was where precision and ultra precision manufacturing is heading. As well as the technologies of the processes and machinery that will be required to push ultra precision into being a mainstream production technology, the event looked to what future products this emerging high value manufacturing technology will enable.Speakers from academia and industry set the scene from their viewpoints. Speakers on the day were Prof Paul Shore, Head of Engineering Divisions at the National Physical Laboratory and the Centre’s Principal Investigator, Prof Bill O’Neill, Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Ultra Precision Engineeering at the University of Cambridge, Paul Morantz, Centre Director at Cranfield University, Martin O’Hara, the Centre’s former National Strategy Manager, John Flett, Process Development Group Manager at DuPont Teijin Films UK Ltd, David Myles, Development Engineer at M-Solv Ltd, Peter MacKay, Principal Technologist at Gooch & Housego (UK) Ltd and Andrew Hurst, Industrial Process Manager at Qioptiq.
The afternoon discussion forum was led by the Centre’s steering committee Chairman, Dr Paul Atherton of Nanoventures Ltd and commenced with an introductory talk by Prof Pat McKeown FREng, OBE, and continued with active participation from the attendees on how they see the future of precision engineering.
Images from the event can be found here on the Ultra Precision website.