Sheffield University Expands Their Expertise in 3D Printing

Sheffield UniversitySheffield University is redeveloping The Mercury Centre thanks to the £5 million received from the European Regional Development Fund.

The university has been using 3D printing technology for the past four years and has so far produced lightweight hinges for the aerospace industry, artificial knee and hip replacements and brackets for Formula One cars.

The new investment will be put towards five new printing machines and the running costs of the building until 2013. The machine at Sheffield University currently prints using metal materials like titanium, but other similar machines can produce products out of plastic, ceramics and nylon.

Instead of printing ink onto paper, 3D printing stacks layers of material to make a 3D shape. Each layer takes approximately 30-40 seconds, so depending on the scale of the chosen object a single print job can take from two hours to 40.

Dr Iain Todd, director of the Mercury Centre, said:

“We are trying to make this a viable manufacturing process. We are working with industrial partners such as Rolls Royce, Boeing and Airbus, to find a way of ensuring that when we make things this way, they are going to behave just like they would if they were made out of a solid piece of metal and have it machined or with casting.”

He continued:

 “These companies are already using this technology. It’s used for all sorts of things and it turns up in all sorts of surprising places. It allows you to have a very flexible piece of equipment in the corner of the room that one day could be making acetabular cups, which is a medical part. The next day you could be making Formula One widgets. I know we can do that with milling machines but the turnaround time with 3D printing is very short.”

Redevelopment of The Mercury Centre has already started and plans to be completed in July this year.