皇家华人

Professor Peter Lee聽from UCL Mechanical Engineering has been recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering today as a world leader in applying synchrotron imaging to help develop more efficient, environmentally friendly and cost effective additive manufacturing technologies.

One of the fastest growing emerging technologies, additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing, enables the direct production of complex shapes from digital designs in materials, from polymers to aerospace alloys.

Professor Lee will use the advanced imaging capability of聽, the UK鈥檚 synchrotron, to help develop tomorrow鈥檚 improved, cost-effective AM technologies. Using ultrafast x-ray imaging and diffraction, the project will include the creation of AM machines that can see inside the printing process to capture key phenomena. These insights will be used to accelerate the development of new materials, design rules, AI control algorithms and multi-scale predictive models聽while removing expensive trial-and-error development in 3D printing.

On receiving the award, Professor Lee, said: 鈥淎dditive manufacturing promises to be a truly enabling technology. It will allows us to make personalised products that are digitally designed and electronically delivered. These designs can then be fabricated on the other side of the world to help tackle a range of challenges, from alleviating drought to solving medical emergencies.

鈥淭he new insights gained from our project will help to make metal AM a more reliable and affordable technology for the production of components, with applications in a wide variety of fields, from aerospace to biomedical. This will place the UK at the heart of this key underpinning technology, enabling manufacturing in a truly digital environment from concept to final component, as well as personalised production, while reducing resource consumption.鈥�

Professor Nigel Titchener-Hooker, Dean of UCL Engineering, said:

鈥�鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled that Peter鈥檚 invaluable contributions to additive manufacturing and his future potential has been recognised by the Academy with this prestigious award. Peter is at the forefront of developing unique nanoprecision equipment that applies ultrafast synchrotron X-ray imaging to improve advanced materials and manufacturing techniques. The support of from the Academy will enable Peter and his academic and industrial collaborators to develop this vital technology to help lead the way in design without bounds, revolutionising manufacturing so that it becomes a digital tool where future generations don鈥檛 have to worry about how objects are produced聽and can focus solely on personalised design.鈥�

The 拢2.6 million聽funding for Peter Lee and his Harwell-based team is one of nine prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Chairs in Emerging Technologies awarded in 2019, each of which focuses on developing technologies with the potential to bring significant economic and societal benefits to the UK. The ten-year support provided to these world-leading engineers aims to enable the progress of disruptive innovations from basic science through to full deployment and commercialisation.

Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: 鈥淭he new technological areas advanced by our Chairs in Emerging Technologies have the potential to transform our everyday lives, as well as positively impact to the UK鈥檚 economy and generate new sources of wealth. Engineering is critical to achieving the goals of the UK government鈥檚 industrial strategy, and investment in emerging technologies means that we can secure our footing in important future markets.

鈥淔or these technologies to reach their full potential it is important to invest in the pioneering individuals who advocate for them, as without their vision and foresight it is difficult to identify the products and services of tomorrow.鈥�