Described by attendees as ‘collaborative,’ ‘insightful’ and ‘inspiring,’ the AMRC's annual Tech Fellows conference brought together industrial partners to showcase the centre's latest research and end-to-end capability designed to drive the future of UK manufacturing.

Last week, the University of Sheffield AMRC held its annual Tech Fellows conference at the flagship Factory 2050 facility in Sheffield. The programme, designed to foster collaboration, innovation and knowledge sharing, featured more than 15 technical presentations, four panel discussions and several poster showcases. 

This diverse schedule served as a critical mechanism for the AMRC to disseminate research outcomes, providing partners a direct opportunity to explore the latest findings and take away innovations relevant to their own organisations.

AMRC interim CEO, Professor Ben Morgan, kicked off the day by welcoming a packed room of brilliant partner companies and AMRC colleagues, celebrating the immense technical depth present in the room. 

Highlighting the strategic purpose of the event, he said:  “Today is about the technology, the processes and the connections. We’re here to build capability, we’re here to build capacity, and we’re here to secure the future.”

Session 1: Leading from the front

Starting strong with some powerful thought leaderships in the first session, delegates heard about the latest progress in key strategic areas, including:

• Additive manufacturing (AM) by Evren Yasa, head of AM at the AMRC
• Development and testing of rotor development for electrical machines by Lloyd Tinkler, senior technical fellow
• Future-proofing data assets through a digital passport by Jon Hall, lead engineer.

Session 2: Industrial engagement

Reinforcing the AMRC’s commitment to solving immediate industry challenges, AMRC engineers presented solutions aimed at optimising processes and reducing costs. Some of the projects were:

• Baslin James, project engineer, shared research that investigated the feasibility of low-cost Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions for industrial condition monitoring, using a KUKA KR16 L6 robotic arm as a case study.
• Oliver Hayes, technical fellow, spoke about AI-enabled prediction of remaining useful life during carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) drilling.

Session 3: Academic engagement

In this session, researchers from Innovation Launchpad Network+ took to the stage to highlight the vital link between academic rigour and industrial application. 

A snapshot of the deep-dive technical projects presented included the research into the repair of 3D printed components presented by AMRC technical lead, Ellis Taylor, and Cranfield researcher, Eloise Eimer.

Session 4: End-to-end capability

The final session demonstrated how the AMRC supports partners beyond the research into real impact. Delegates explored collaborative, multi-group projects that showed the full loop of capability. Some highlights included: 

• Development of trustworthy AI pathways by Lindsay Lee, technical fellow - data science
• AMRC Scale-up programme presented by Rushabh Shah, commercialisation manager
• Shirley Harrison, SME engagement manager, talking about how ‘innovation only works if it reaches the supply chain’.

The event concluded with Chris Greaves, AMRC’s project delivery director, reiterating the enduring importance of partnership. He said: “This place is built on collaboration. Without events like this, we start to falter quite quickly. We really do appreciate your support.”

Julia Yeardley, partnership engagement manager, said that the Tech Fellows conference has always been at the heart of the AMRC’s partnership model. 

Reflecting on the history of the event, she recalls: “In the early days, everyone pitched-in welcoming our partners – it was something we all took pride in. While we might be bigger now, with hundreds of colleagues and partners, the conference has evolved, that same spirit of talking about our research and helping people to meet and share ideas still runs through everything we do.”

The success of the Tech Fellows conference reinforces the AMRC’s mission to remain a national asset, driving industrial capability and capacity to secure the future of the UK manufacturing industry.