The Centre for Additive Manufacturing's cutting-edge activities extents to both fundamental and applied research, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in additive manufacturing.
We have extensive expertise in additive manufacturing of single materials (polymers and metals) and we are pioneering the use of multiple materials—both functional and structural—in unison to engineer highly functional, durable and life-changing parts such as:
- multi-metal functional parts with selectively distributed properties
- complex pharmaceutical and healthcare devices, such as prosthetic limbs, solid dosage forms (tablets), and intestinal patch
- optoelectronic engineering devices, such as field effect transistor, multifunctional sensors, and photodetectors
- other advanced engineering components in the domain of 3D electronics, clean energy and extreme environments
The core research carried out by the CfAM investigates the underpinning processes, materials, computational methods, and AM management for additive manufacturing. This gives the potential to move beyond structural applications and create fully functional systems using additive manufacturing rather than passive individual components.
The group works closely with businesses to translate its technology into commercial use, through industry funded projects, commercialisation activities and spin-out companies. By collaborating across both academic and commercial enterprises, we have created new opportunities for advancing research in functional devices and adding value to the manufacturing sector in the UK and worldwide.