The Coventry-based organisation already works with the European Space Agency (ESA), being home to the ESA's additive manufacturing benchmarking centre. In fact, the MTC is home to the UK’s National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (pictured) and claims to have the most comprehensive combination of equipment and capability in Europe.
US scientists from five NASA centres, including the Kennedy Space Centre, have visited the MTC and are particularly interested in teaming up on projects involving the manufacture of complex and high-stress components through additive manufacture.
NASA is also interested in the MTC's work on component certification and standards, particularly those produced using advanced manufacturing techniques. As it happens, the MTC is one of the founding partners of North American standards agency ASTM International's Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing, alongside EWI, Auburn University and NASA. It was these elements of the MTC’s activity that brought it into contact with NASA, as the MTC chief technologist David Wimpenny explains: “NASA came to us through our work with the ASTM, Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence and our existing links to the space sector, particularly ESA. There are many areas in which we could work together, including additive manufacture, the certification of AM-printed parts and other manufactured parts, inspection technology for thin-walled lightweight parts and extreme high temperature testing.”
Adds NASA technologist Rick Russell: “The NASA additive technologies team is excited about developing future collaborative opportunities. Our team was extremely impressed with the capabilities and staff at the MTC. Working with the ESA, we anticipate utilising the MTC and the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing as part of our future collaborative efforts.”
The MTC and NASA are also in discussions on other technologies, including robotic processing, high temperature alloys and ceramics.
