3 minute read
New Digital Manufacturing Centre officially opens
The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) says it is heralding a new era of UK manufacturing with the launch of its all-new advanced engineering and production facility at Silverstone Park. Built from the ground up to solve complex engineering challenges, the DMC utilises state-of-the-art additive manufacturing (AM) processes, connectivity and pioneering engineering to enable companies operating at the forefront of their sectors.
Having overcome the challenges of building a world-class facility during the pandemic, the 2,000 square metre facility is now fully operational. With an engineering-led philosophy, the DMC works in partnership with customers to understand their specific requirements, designing for application as well as manufacture.
With many sectors navigating significant shifts in technology, product development, increased competition and rising demand for advanced, low-carbon solutions, the DMC is preparing to play a key role in enabling innovators across the space, aerospace, motorsport, automotive, medical, industrial, oil & gas and marine industries.
The new Digital Manufacturing Centre at Silverstone Park has officially opened / Picture: Digitial Manufacturing Centre
As an end-to-end solutions provider, the facility brings together metal, polymer and silicone AM processes with complementary machining, finishing and inspection services for a fully-connected process chain.
The DMC will leverage actionable data from across the facility and its machines to deliver a step-change in AM capability and capacity. Embracing Industry 4.0 practices and principles, in line with the Industrial Strategy, the DMC’s data-driven approach will allow its engineers to further refine part design and processes by effectively implementing capabilities including predictive analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
As an engineering, technology and manufacturing business within the Oxfordshire-Cambridgeshire Arc, the DMC is helping to develop sought-after STEM skills in frontier applications. Not only is this providing new employment opportunities, but it is also offering valuable support to local education, with the DMC team already working closely with Silverstone University Technical College (UTC) and other schools and colleges.
Collaboration has been a vital aspect of the DMC’s creation, with the business working alongside a number of significant industry and technology partners including Renishaw, Beckhoff, Spectroplast, DyeMansion, DMG Mori, Enable Manufacturing and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
Its close partnership with Produmax, the aerospace and precision engineering specialist, is bridging the Midlands with Northern England. Not only will the two businesses share capability and expertise, but Produmax has set up a satellite site at the DMC to provide on-site advanced machining and metrology for DMC customers.
The DMC’s extensive partnership network also means that customers have access to multiple proprietary processes, including Spectroplast’s silicone AM technology and Enable Manufacturing’s Additive Casting.
Kieron Salter, CEO at the DMC, said: “Undertaking construction and fit-out in the middle of a global pandemic has not been without its challenges, but thanks to the support of our partners and SEMLEP, the DMC team’s efforts speak for themselves. While we have been operating at a limited capacity on a select few customer projects, we are now opening the doors and offering these unprecedented capabilities to wider industry.
“When we first looked around at the existing AM market, there was a clear lack of engineering collaboration, focus and support. Parts were being made, but suppliers had little practical engineering input or capability. We set out to bridge that gap by focussing on engineering for application and the production of end-use ready parts. Now, we offer a truly end-to-end solution that will enable innovators in the UK and abroad to really push the boundary, whether that be launching satellites or beating lap records.
“Not only are we bringing together the most innovative processes and equipment from across the industry, but we are doing so with a focus on connectivity and the end goal of integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence into our process chain, realising Industry 4.0 and aligning with the government’s Industrial Strategy.”