New centre of excellence in customised assembly

Citation

(2007), "New centre of excellence in customised assembly", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 79 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2007.12779fab.028

New centre of excellence in customised assembly

New centre of excellence in customised assembly

CECA has recently received the first Zeiss F25® to be delivered to the UK, and one of the first F25® CMMs to be used in post-development phase anywhere in the world. The machine will complement the already impressive range of equipment installed at CECA's Nottingham facility, including Carl Zeiss' new multi-sensor measuring machine, the O-INSPECT® and the Zeiss Stemi-2000 stereo microscope (Figure 10).

The recently released Zeiss F25® has brought CMM technology into the microtechnology field. The F25® was developed for the quality assurance of micro-parts and is said to be capable of repeatability to an accuracy of less than 50nm.

Figure 10 The Zeiss (F25®/O-INSPECT®) CMM in CECA's new high-class facility at the University of Nottingham

The CECA Precision Manufacturing Centre is the perfect partner for Carl Zeiss to develop a strong strategic partnership with the aim of bringing new and exciting microtechnologies to UK Industry.

The new Centre of Excellence in Customised Assembly offers UK industry the opportunity to access breakthrough technologies and customisable manufacturing solutions without the need for high investment costs. This collaborative project between the Universities of Sheffield, Loughborough and Nottingham has developed three technology centres, focusing on Large Scale Assembly, Digital Engineering and High Precision Technology. The facilities at Nottingham are available for projects ranging from research and development of new product designs and manufacturing techniques, to pilot production of low-volume, high-value products, as well as specialist training – enabling the full production cycle of small devices to be carried out in one location.

Several prestigious global manufactures have already formed commercial partnerships with CECA, including BAE Systems, Boeing, Messier-Dowty and Rolls Royce plc. CECA also recognises the importance of supporting regional and national SMEs and works with them to strengthen their abilities as specialist sub- contractors by accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies.

The future for microtechnology

During a recent meeting at CECA's world-class High Precision facility, academic director, Professor Svetan Ratchev, said: “At Nottingham University we have traditionally had a strong Metrology research department. With the founding of CECA and the addition of the new Zeiss F25 we now have an extremely strong micro manufacturing base, which gives us the opportunity to link this to our research in a completely different way”.

“Micromanufacturing is a rapidly growing sector in the UK, particularly in the biomedical, defence and aerospace industries, and the F25 has enormous potential for application in these key sectors.”

Professor. Ratchev added: “The potential for this technology to the UK's economy is vast, so CECA is also working with key industrial partners to develop the strategic agenda for microinspection, and this is where Carl Zeiss also fits very naturally.”

“CECA has received funding from the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF3) to forge links with UK manufacturers, such is the importance of this technology to the country's future manufacturing sector”.

Industry events

With ongoing support from Carl Zeiss's UK Metrology Division, CECA aims to demonstrate to forward-thinking UK manufacturers the vast potential for microtechnology. It aims to continue working in partnership with manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness by using the latest technology to develop cutting edge assembly techniques.

For more general information on CECA, please visit the web site: www.ceca-uk.com.