Advanced Manufacturing Park
Encyclopedia
The Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) is a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) manufacturing technology park on the Rotherham
/Sheffield
border in Rotherham, South Yorkshire
, facing the Sheffield Business Park across the Parkway
. Technologies on the AMP centre on materials and structures, covering metallic and composite materials, typically used in precision industries including; aerospace
, automotive, sport
, environmental
, nuclear
, and energy
, oil
and gas
, defence
and construction
. Technology developed on the AMP is already being utilised in leading edge projects, such as within Formula One
and the next generation of military and commercial aircraft, including the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Organisations currently located on the AMP include; Nuclear ARMC, a Westinghouse, Areva, Sheffield Forgemasters JV, AMRC, a Boeing / University of Sheffield partnership; Rolls-Royce
; Castings Technology International (Cti); Dormer Tools, Bromley Technologies, Exova, Struers, Xeros, and TWI Technology Centre (Yorkshire)
.
The vision for the AMP emerged from the decline that South Yorkshire had seen in its traditional industries of coal
and steel
over the last twenty years. Despite this decline the region had retained established skills and expertise in the areas of advanced manufacturing, backed by materials research expertise within the two Sheffield universities, and other independent research organisations. Yorkshire Forward
and UK Coal
created a joint venture to reclaim land on the former opencast colliery at Waverley, Rotherham and to develop the AMP. Monies from the European Union's European Regional Development Fund
have also supported the project.
The AMP will be home to the new £25 million Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) led by the University of Sheffield with Rolls-Royce. The Nuclear AMRC is a joint initiative with industry, The University of Sheffield and The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute. The consortium forms part of the Government’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy and is at the forefront of enhancing manufacturing capability by assisting members to increase quality, reliability and efficiency and reducing costs and complexity. It is expected to draw together some 30 partner high-tech manufacturing suppliers who are committed to meeting UK demand and playing a significant part in global markets through the production of high-value, low-volume systems and components in a competitive manner. The building is due to be completed by the end of 2011.
2009
Construction completed on a 40000 sq ft (3,716.1 m²). building adjacent to the existing Castings Technology International (Cti) headquarters building. The £4.7 million project increases Cti’s presence on the AMP to over 90000 sq ft (8,361.3 m²). The new facility will house additional R&D equipment, production-scale ‘technology demonstrators' and a major investment in state-of-the-art equipment to finish, inspect and certify castings to the highest integrity standards required by industrial clients.
Dormer Tools located to the AMP as part of the Evolution @ the AMP development of light industrial units. New investments and opportunities at Dormer's Product Development Centre and Composite Competence Centre at the AMP will provide a strong foundation for future development activities of High Performance Drilling and Specialist Applications. The Research and Development Centre has the ability to provide greater understanding of drilling and its dynamics. The investments include the building of a state-of-the-art research and development laboratory, with the purchase of a number of DMG machines for testing of new product developments in metal and composite drilling.
2008
The Rolls-Royce
"Factory of the Future with Boeing" was built as part of the University of Sheffield
's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The Factory is purpose built to house the latest manufacturing equipment and production capabilities. Information Communications Technology (ICT) and 'virtual' manufacturing
will be key components of the new facility, as will alternative manufacturing methods, such as additive manufacturing
processes which grow 3-dimensional parts; considerably reducing material waste and increasing design flexibility. Construction was completed by the end of 2007, and the facility officially opened in Summer 2008.
The AMRC also expanded outside of its traditional expertise in metallic-based materials, into the increasingly important area of composites. The AMRC Composite Centre is a research, design, manufacturing and technology transfer centre for composites developed for general manufacturing and aerospace applications. The increase in the importance of composites is shown by the fact that 50% (by volume) of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner will be constructed in composite materials.
The extension to the AMP Technology Centre was opened which includes a 56m three blade wind turbine, visible from the M1 motorway around Junction 33.
2006
Yorkshire Forward complete the construction of the main wing of the AMP Technology Centre, 27000 sq ft (2,508.4 m²) of offices and workshops to cater for small high-growth companies in the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials sector.
2005
Castings Technology International construct a 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) building. This research and technology, member-based organisation has expertise in casting design, materials development and selection, specifications, manufacturing technologies, quality control, testing and performance. Cti have a global membership base.
TWI build a 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²) Yorkshire Technology Centre - R&D centre for Fibre Laser Processing, Friction Stir Welding, Laser Direct Metal Deposition, Cold Spraying. The building houses one of the largest friction stir welding machines in the world with over 130KW of spindle power. The machine has 12 programmable machine axes, a maximum down force of 15 tonnes and operates over an area of 6m x 3m.
2004
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing moved onto the AMP.
Electricity will be generated from a 225 kW wind turbine at the edge of the site, attached to an electrolysis unit which will convert some of the wind energy into hydrogen. The hydrogen will then be stored in composite cylinders and fed to a 30 kW fuel cell when required to provide electricity to the building during the day and potentially supplying the National Grid with surplus power. The building will be attached to traditional electricity supplies in case of an emergency but it is expected that this building will be fully self-sufficient.
It will also demonstrate Future Energy Concepts, some of which will focus on hydrogen production
, storage and power generation, which will be actively used to manage the building demands and to make maximum use of the installed wind capacity. The hydrogen storage will provide a buffer to allow the facility to continue generating power in low-wind conditions and to provide an on-site electricity consumer for excess power generation when building occupancy is low (i.e. overnight and weekends).
The aim is to make the entire project zero carbon. The building itself will have very low energy emissions. It will be heated by a network of pipes set into the concrete, supplied by water from bore holes heated naturally to 28 degrees Celsius. In the summer the water will remain at its normal 12 degrees Celsius, cooling the building.
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
/Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
border in Rotherham, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, facing the Sheffield Business Park across the Parkway
Sheffield Parkway
The Sheffield Parkway is a major dual carriageway which runs between the City of Sheffield and junction 33 of the M1 in South Yorkshire, England. The 5.5 mile road was opened in 1974, and runs to the east of the City, connecting Park Square in the City centre with the inner ring road, outer ring...
. Technologies on the AMP centre on materials and structures, covering metallic and composite materials, typically used in precision industries including; aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, automotive, sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, nuclear
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, and energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
, oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
, defence
Defense industry
The defense industry, also called the military industry, comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military materiel, equipment and facilities...
and construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
. Technology developed on the AMP is already being utilised in leading edge projects, such as within Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
and the next generation of military and commercial aircraft, including the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Organisations currently located on the AMP include; Nuclear ARMC, a Westinghouse, Areva, Sheffield Forgemasters JV, AMRC, a Boeing / University of Sheffield partnership; Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
; Castings Technology International (Cti); Dormer Tools, Bromley Technologies, Exova, Struers, Xeros, and TWI Technology Centre (Yorkshire)
The Welding Institute
The Welding Institute or TWI is a research and technology organisation with a specialty in welding. The Welding Institute is based in Cambridgeshire, England, since 1946, and has several offices around the world....
.
The vision for the AMP emerged from the decline that South Yorkshire had seen in its traditional industries of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
over the last twenty years. Despite this decline the region had retained established skills and expertise in the areas of advanced manufacturing, backed by materials research expertise within the two Sheffield universities, and other independent research organisations. Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supports the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, environment and infrastructure...
and UK Coal
UK Coal
UK Coal plc is the largest coal mining business in the United Kingdom. The Company is based in Harworth, in Nottinghamshire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a former constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
created a joint venture to reclaim land on the former opencast colliery at Waverley, Rotherham and to develop the AMP. Monies from the European Union's European Regional Development Fund
European Regional Development Fund
The European Regional Development Fund is a fund allocated by the European Union.-History:During the 1960s, the European Commission occasionally tried to establish a regional fund. Only Italy ever supported this, however, and nothing came of it. Britain made it an issue for their accession in...
have also supported the project.
Development history
2010The AMP will be home to the new £25 million Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) led by the University of Sheffield with Rolls-Royce. The Nuclear AMRC is a joint initiative with industry, The University of Sheffield and The University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute. The consortium forms part of the Government’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy and is at the forefront of enhancing manufacturing capability by assisting members to increase quality, reliability and efficiency and reducing costs and complexity. It is expected to draw together some 30 partner high-tech manufacturing suppliers who are committed to meeting UK demand and playing a significant part in global markets through the production of high-value, low-volume systems and components in a competitive manner. The building is due to be completed by the end of 2011.
2009
Construction completed on a 40000 sq ft (3,716.1 m²). building adjacent to the existing Castings Technology International (Cti) headquarters building. The £4.7 million project increases Cti’s presence on the AMP to over 90000 sq ft (8,361.3 m²). The new facility will house additional R&D equipment, production-scale ‘technology demonstrators' and a major investment in state-of-the-art equipment to finish, inspect and certify castings to the highest integrity standards required by industrial clients.
Dormer Tools located to the AMP as part of the Evolution @ the AMP development of light industrial units. New investments and opportunities at Dormer's Product Development Centre and Composite Competence Centre at the AMP will provide a strong foundation for future development activities of High Performance Drilling and Specialist Applications. The Research and Development Centre has the ability to provide greater understanding of drilling and its dynamics. The investments include the building of a state-of-the-art research and development laboratory, with the purchase of a number of DMG machines for testing of new product developments in metal and composite drilling.
2008
The Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
"Factory of the Future with Boeing" was built as part of the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The Factory is purpose built to house the latest manufacturing equipment and production capabilities. Information Communications Technology (ICT) and 'virtual' manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
will be key components of the new facility, as will alternative manufacturing methods, such as additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing is defined by ASTM as the "process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies, such as traditional machining...
processes which grow 3-dimensional parts; considerably reducing material waste and increasing design flexibility. Construction was completed by the end of 2007, and the facility officially opened in Summer 2008.
The AMRC also expanded outside of its traditional expertise in metallic-based materials, into the increasingly important area of composites. The AMRC Composite Centre is a research, design, manufacturing and technology transfer centre for composites developed for general manufacturing and aerospace applications. The increase in the importance of composites is shown by the fact that 50% (by volume) of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner will be constructed in composite materials.
The extension to the AMP Technology Centre was opened which includes a 56m three blade wind turbine, visible from the M1 motorway around Junction 33.
2006
Yorkshire Forward complete the construction of the main wing of the AMP Technology Centre, 27000 sq ft (2,508.4 m²) of offices and workshops to cater for small high-growth companies in the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials sector.
2005
Castings Technology International construct a 50000 sq ft (4,645.2 m²) building. This research and technology, member-based organisation has expertise in casting design, materials development and selection, specifications, manufacturing technologies, quality control, testing and performance. Cti have a global membership base.
TWI build a 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²) Yorkshire Technology Centre - R&D centre for Fibre Laser Processing, Friction Stir Welding, Laser Direct Metal Deposition, Cold Spraying. The building houses one of the largest friction stir welding machines in the world with over 130KW of spindle power. The machine has 12 programmable machine axes, a maximum down force of 15 tonnes and operates over an area of 6m x 3m.
2004
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing moved onto the AMP.
UK's First Hydrogen Powered Building
In 2006, the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, opened an innovation technology centre providing small office and workshop space for new and growing manufacturing technology companies. Late 2008 saw the completion of an extension to the AMP Technology Centre, designed for companies developing new energy and environmental technologies. A unique feature of the building will be a sophisticated energy system, developed by TNEI Services Ltd. and the Pure Energy Centre, which will both reduce the electricity demand of the operation of the building and the activities of its occupiers from the network and which will also have the capacity to export electricity to the local electrical network.Electricity will be generated from a 225 kW wind turbine at the edge of the site, attached to an electrolysis unit which will convert some of the wind energy into hydrogen. The hydrogen will then be stored in composite cylinders and fed to a 30 kW fuel cell when required to provide electricity to the building during the day and potentially supplying the National Grid with surplus power. The building will be attached to traditional electricity supplies in case of an emergency but it is expected that this building will be fully self-sufficient.
It will also demonstrate Future Energy Concepts, some of which will focus on hydrogen production
Hydrogen production
Hydrogen production is the family of industrial methods for generating hydrogen. Currently the dominant technology for direct production is steam reforming from hydrocarbons. Many other methods are known including electrolysis and thermolysis...
, storage and power generation, which will be actively used to manage the building demands and to make maximum use of the installed wind capacity. The hydrogen storage will provide a buffer to allow the facility to continue generating power in low-wind conditions and to provide an on-site electricity consumer for excess power generation when building occupancy is low (i.e. overnight and weekends).
The aim is to make the entire project zero carbon. The building itself will have very low energy emissions. It will be heated by a network of pipes set into the concrete, supplied by water from bore holes heated naturally to 28 degrees Celsius. In the summer the water will remain at its normal 12 degrees Celsius, cooling the building.