Additive Manufacturing

The Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (SAM) Project (https://www.samprojectuos.co.uk/) is a £10.9m programme supporting the implementation of product and process development and the introduction of technology within the SME manufacturing base in the North East LEP area.The initiative is a collaboration between European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the University of Sunderland, which has committed significant academic resources and recruited a team of industrial and research specialists to support the delivery of both practical and research projects all fully-funded to eligible SMEs.SAM Project is a knowledge exchange programme built on the underpinning research within University of Sunderland, specifically the School of Engineering in the Faculty of Technology. SAM was created to demonstrate how an externally-funded ERDF programme can be a catalyst for accelerating knowledge exchange on a large scale to a sector which the university was familiar and had a demonstrated track record in ongoing research. This included, over the last 25 years or more projects and research specialisms such as:Digital FactoryAdvanced MaterialsProduct Development and Customised ManufacturingData Analytics (inc Condition Monitoring, Energy monitoring and Management, Remote monitoring)Manufacturing ProcessesThe Technical Research and Development team, made up of industry specialists, work intensively with manufacturing SMEs on projects including:New Product Development and PrototypingFactory Layout and Manufacturing Process InnovationRobotics and AutomationAdditive ManufacturingDigital Technologies including Augmented and Virtual Reality applicationsComputer Aided Design EngineeringIndustry 4.0 and the Internet of ThingsThe project's micro-factories comprise over £1m worth of industry-leading equipment and machinery, including 3D printers, I4 rigs and VR/AR equipment and software to encourage SME engagement with advanced technology. The project also has grants of up to £50,000* available to support capital/product validation/tooling and other financial inhibitors to driving strategic development of both product and process.