As a Sheffield-based university spin out, Magnomatics is one of seven UK companies awarded grant funding from the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) to carry out supply-chain improvement projects for offshore wind power. To deliver the ambitious ROBOMAG project, the company is working with engineers from the Integrated Manufacturing Group (IMG) at the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
Dr Lloyd Tinkler, senior project engineer at IMG, says: "By automating the task of manipulating high-strength permanent magnets, this project presents a fantastic opportunity to support Magnomatics in increasing production rates and capitalising on the demand for offshore wind generation. A clear benefit would be the elimination of any potential trapping hazard when manually placing the magnets as they snap into position.”
Matt Bacon, AMRC project manager for SMEs, adds: “This is a tremendous opportunity for the AMRC to work with a globally recognised SME and help realise and de-risk automated processes for magnetic hub placement.”
The UK is the world leader in offshore wind, with more installed capacity than any other country. Already, offshore wind powers the equivalent of 4.5 million homes annually and is set to power more than 30% of British electricity by 2030.
Kwasi Kwarteng, Minister of State for Business and Energy, says: “The UK is a global leader in offshore wind and this funding will help our supply chain to innovate even further. Renewables are not just good for the climate, but for jobs and the economy, with up to 2 million new green-collar jobs by 2030. I look forward to seeing what these companies go on to achieve.”
The OWGP is a key part of the joint government-industry Offshore Wind Sector Deal announced in 2018, funded by the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC).
Andrew Macdonald, OWGP programme director, says: “This was a very competitive process and we received a high number of quality applications, totalling almost £2 million in project costs, demonstrating the huge opportunities to maximise the economic benefits of our leading position in offshore wind.”
Other companies successful in winning were Cedeco, Global Energy Group and W3G Marine, while Cognitive Business, Sennen Tech and Smart Component Technologies will work to develop sensor, IoT and communications solutions for the offshore wind segment.
Cedeco is working with the National Composite Centre in Bristol, and Global Energy Group has joined forces with the Nuclear AMRC in Rotherham. The projects are due to begin this month (February 2020).
