Centre for Precision Technologies (CPT)

Projects

Research Areas

Impact statement

CPT is a national centre of excellence and innovation in metrology research and it is at the forefront of creating new measurement technologies which are not only imperative for industry but for wider society too. Its work is key to addressing some of the grand challenges facing society as defined by Research Councils UK.

Over the last 15 years CPT has delivered £15 million in research and enterprise activity, published over 400 journal papers, worked collaboratively with world leading companies including Rolls-Royce, Taylor Hobson, De Puy, Renishaw, NPL and it is the lead partner on multi-million pound European and EPSRC research projects. Members of the CPT have presented more than 30 invited plenary lectures and keynotes addresses at international conferences and CPT hosted the 12th CIRP Conference on Computer Aided Tolerancing (CIRP CAT 2012).

The CPT has a track record of innovation and achievements, including first demonstrations for many applications in precision engineering. Two of its most successful commercial products are:

• SURFSTAND software developed for the characterization of 3D surface topography which has been embedded into all Taylor Hobson surface metrology software.
• A Volumetric Compensation System ‘VCS’ which maps both geometrical and thermally-induced positional errors in machine tools and corrects for those errors within the machine tool controller. This has been applied around the world to aerospace customers including Lockheed, Northrop Grummen and BAE Systems.

The work by CPT has led to the development of 20 International Standard (ISO) projects in metrology and machine tools and researchers sit on ISO and BSI technical committees as well as the government advisory board for the National Measurement System.

External Relationships

CPT supports the UK manufacturing industry by collaborating with key private and public organisations to deliver innovative solutions to long-term challenges. We work with companies in a variety of sectors including aerospace, automotive, biotech, instrument manufacturers and machine tool manufacturers.

CPT Partners

Our EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology brings together a consortium of leading research and development organisations and global companies: Asquith Butler, CIP, Cummins Turbo Technologies, David Brown, MTA, MTT, NPL, Renishaw, Rolls-Royc, STFC and Zeiss. The partners are world-leaders in their fields and bring expertise, knowledge and resources to ensure that the research and projects will benefit the metrology and precision engineering sectors and ultimately lead to more efficient and accurate manufacturing processes.

Our track record of research and international expertise has been recognised by NPL (National Physical Laboratory) who signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University providing a framework for collaborative research and business collaboration in the field of engineering measurement. As a result of this relationship and the expertise within CPT, NPL chose to open a Measurement Services Laboratory on campus, the only laboratory outside of its London base and the first of its kind of any university in the UK. CPT is part of NPL’s National Product Verification Programme which encourages and supports the adoption of measurement best practice.

Regional CPT work

Our work is strategically important for large national companies within precision engineering but it is also important for smaller regional companies. The local manufacturing sector is the third largest in Great Britain, employing 20% of the local population with advanced manufacturing representing the highest growth potential within manufacturing (Local Economic Assessment Report 2010/2011).

The Centre led a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Precision Technologies Centres of Industrial Collaboration project and is currently a partner in another ERDF project, Nanofactory. These projects, which work exclusively with regional SMEs, ensure that the University’s research and development expertise is being translated directly to industry and is bringing business benefits by accelerating innovation and creating commercial opportunities.

International links

At an international level we are recognised for CPT's metrology expertise and we work closely with the US and German national measurement institutes and collaborate with a number of Chinese and European universities including Beijing University, Tsinghua University, Fraunhofer institutes, Tampere University of Technology and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Collaborative relationships

This multi-disciplinary team of over 40 research staff and students includes engineering scientists, physicists, mechanical and electrical engineers, mathematicians and computer software developers, ensuring a high level of innovation and collaboration from researchers who deliver excellence in learning and research. As a result, our researchers apply their research into different sectors and disciplines leading to collaboration into areas not commonly linked to precision engineering including skin science, forensics, implants and archaeology.

CPT has two industrially sponsored Chairs: the Taylor Hobson Chair in Surface Metrology held by Professor Paul Scott and the CHMTI-PTG Chair in Machine Tool Technology held by Professor Alan Myers.

We collaborate closely with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, which includes the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), and we are a member of their metrology forum. We also work closely with the Universities of Bath, Cranfield and Leeds to deliver collaborative research projects.

Facilities and Equipment

The Centre for Precision Technologies (CPT) is based around a unique 'nanolab' facility and a well equipped machine tool research facility.

Laboratories

The ‘nanolab’ facility consists of five sophisticated laboratories:

• surface nano-metrology laboratory
• precision manufacturing machine room
• precision dimensional metrology room
• micro-computed tomography laboratory
• applications surface metrology laboratory.

The machine tool research facility consists of

• CNC research laboratory
• dimensional metrology laboratory
• control and instrumentation laboratory
• robot research room
• applications manufacturing laboratory.

Recently, with the University and UK industrial support, a new advanced optical laboratory has been custom built to pursue further research in on-line measurement techniques for surface metrology.

Equipment

Each is equipped with the state-of-the-art instrumentation and machinery including an atomic force microscope, scanning electron microscope, optical interferometer, CCI optical profiler, stylus based form and surface texture instruments and precision scale coordinate measuring machine. The ‘nanolab’ allows the CPT researchers to carry out true nanoscale metrology and work on components as diverse as silicon wafers and orthopaedic implants.

The surface nano-metrology laboratory was specially designed for vibration minimisation. The lab is temperature controlled to ±0.5°C or better and is a class 10,000 clean room which has an air handling capability of 30 changes per hour.

The machine tool research laboratory has a range of specialist equipment and software used for testing and development and includes co-ordinate measurement machines, three and five axis machine tools; Renishaw sponsored interferometry systems and on-machine probes; and Faro laser measuring equipment.

CPT constantly strives to develop novel surface measurement instrumentation, measurement techniques and new hardware and software which push the scientific boundaries of what can currently be achieved.  

CPT also offers industry focussed metrology training including CNC machinery courses, co-ordinate metrology training “CMTrain”, and surface metrology training as well as bespoke training.