Additive Manufacturing
What is additive manufacturing?
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is the process for creating a 3D object from a computer aided design program by adding layer upon layer of material to fabricate it.
It has evolved from a rapid prototyping technique into a mainstream manufacturing process for products and tooling for everything from aircraft, vehicles and medical devices to fashion products.
What materials are used in additive manufacturing?
The palette of materials includes plastic, metal and concrete and is expanding with the development of ever more novel materials to broaden its applications.
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GISMO can help you to get smarter with additive manufacturing, if you are looking to:
- Investigate the technique for the first time
- Understand the latest thinking and techniques
- Prove a new concept, design, product or process
- Overcome problematic design or materials issues
- Increase your existing materials palette or capabilities & capacity
- Establish your own in-house capabilities
To introduce more flexibility into your operations or to reduce lead times, make your products and processes more consistent, greener and cost-effective, GISMO can help you to:
- Design, develop and use new or alternative materials
- Validate a design before committing to a physical prototype, using computer-based simulations for virtual prototyping
- Investigate and validate manufacturing processes for new designs and materials
- Optimise product performance and process reliability using materials characterisation techniques such as metrology and microscopy
- Evaluate product performance and reliability using electrical, thermal and mechanical testing methods
World-class facilities
The Department of Engineering houses a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities for providing an in-depth understanding of the applied and fundamental aspects of functional materials, composite systems, structural health modelling, and production processes and technologies.
In 2015, our Engineering Building won a RIBA Regional Award and RIBA Sustainability Award.
Take a virtual tour of our award-winning Engineering Building and have a look inside!
Our expertise in additive manufacturing and engineering is backed by comprehensive manufacturing technology capabilities and expertise in machining, laser-processing, heat treatment and metrology, complemented by design and modelling services.
Contact us now to discuss your needs and let our experts help you to determine how to satisfy them.
If you just want to put your materials, products and processes to the test, they will carry out a free diagnostic to assess them.
Meet the experts
GISMO is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
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