News & Events
- New Equipment Launch
- 06/10/2008
The Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC), part of Birmingham City University, has gone live with its newly equipped Rapid Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping Centre, providing invaluable new product development assistance to West Midlands based companies.
The centre was set up to assist the jewellery and silversmithing industries with new technology applications. Ten years on it has developed an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally for its holistic 'concept to prototype' approach to new product development. Companies from a range of industries are provided with the opportunity to assess, evaluate and research new technologies and are encouraged to take-up new processes through technical support and mentoring in their use and application.
The refurbishment has been made possible thanks to funding from Advantage West Midlands (AWM) regeneration zone. Technical manager, Frank Cooper, explained which new equipment has been installed, and how it will add to the JIIC offering to industry:
"As well as the fully refurbished CAD training suite and its range of CAD software's, the centre has used this significant funding to update all of the technology available to our client companies and research partners."
"We can now rightfully claim to offer unrivalled access to a unique collection of complementary Rapid Manufacturing (RM) and Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies right here in the heart of the West Midlands, and as a result offer the following equipment and technologies to those companies and organisations working in partnership with us";
Included in the upgrade is:
- An EnvisionTec Perfactory DLP (Direct Light Processing) III SXGA+ Mini Multi-lens with ERM, (Enhanced Resolution Mode) with a build envelope of 84 x 63 x 230mm
- An EnvisionTec Perfactory DLP (Direct Light Processing) III SXGA+ Standard/UV with ERM, (Enhanced Resolution Mode) with a build envelope of 140 x 105 x 230mm
- An Objet 250 that uses Ultra thin-layer Polyjet technology in 16 micron resolution and with a build envelope of 250 x 250 x 200mm
- An Objet Eden 350V that also uses Ultra thin-layer Polyjet technology in 16 micron resolution and with a build envelope of 350 x 350 x 200mm
- Two Solidscape T66 thermoplastic wax 3D printers that have a build envelope of 152 x 152 x 152mm
- A Dimension SST 1200 which is a 3D Printer that uses the FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) process. It builds in an ABS plastic material and has a build volume of 254 x 254 x 305mm
- A 3D systems InVision HR multi-jet modelling, acrylic photopolymer printer. Maximum build volume is 127 x 178 x 50mm
- A ZCorp Spectrum Z510 high resolution, powder based 3D printer also capable of colour printing and offering 24 bit colour
- A Roland Picza LPX 600 Laser Scanner offering a non contact laser method for scanning the shape of solid objects, it has a maximum table size of 254mm and its maximum scanning area has a plane scanning width of 254mm and height of 406mm and a comparable rotary scannning area
- A Roland JWX-10 CNC bench top milling machine
- A Charlyrobot Charly4U CNC bench top milling machine
- A Delcam Proma 3020 with internal milling fixture
As the JIIC is part funded by European Regional Development Funds the centre is able to offer up to thirty hours of free new product development assistance utilising this equipment and technology to eligible West Midlands based companies.
Gay Penfold, Centre Manager, said, "One of the most exciting prospects of this new equipment is its potential to help us, and our client companies, with their new product development needs, and our ongoing research and development into the innovative technological development of rapid manufacturing. This technology has huge potential for a great many companies, particularly those in the high value added and specialist designer manufacturing sectors. We are also currently actively seeking academic and manufacturing research partners to fully exploit the potential of this new process".
For further information please contact Frank Cooper Technical Manager at frank.cooper@bcu.ac.uk or on 0121 248 4587.