Partnership for microtechnology push

CECA, University of Nottingham, has taken delivery of the first Zeiss F25 CCM in the UK. CECA is to offer UK industry the opportunity to access breakthrough technologies and customisable manufacturing solutions without the need for high investment costs. Events for industry innovators to be held regularly at CECA’s world-class facility at the University. The CMM is one of the first F25 units to be used in post-development phase anywhere in the world. The machine will complement the existing range of equipment installed at CECA’s Nottingham facility, including Carl Zeiss’ new multi-sensor measuring machine, the O-INSPECT, and the Zeiss Stemi-2000 stereo microscope. The recently released Zeiss F25 has brought CMM technology into the microtechnology field, it being developed for the quality assurance of micro-parts, and is capable of repeatability to an accuracy of less than 50 nanometres. The CECA Precision Manufacturing Centre, which opened its doors in March 2007, and is a collaborative project between the Universities of Sheffield, Loughborough and Nottingham . They have developed three technology centres, focusing on Large Scale Assembly, Digital Engineering and High Precision Technology. The facilities at Nottingham are available for projects ranging from research and development of new product designs and manufacturing techniques, to pilot production of low-volume, high value products, as well as specialist training - enabling the full production cycle of small devices to be carried out in one location. Several global manufactures have already formed commercial partnerships with CECA, including BAE Systems, Boeing, Messier-Dowty and Rolls Royce plc. CECA also recognises the importance of supporting regional and national SMEs and works with them to strengthen their abilities as specialist sub-contractors by accelerating the adoption of innovative technologies. With ongoing support from Carl Zeiss’s UK Metrology Division, CECA aims to demonstrate to forward-thinking UK manufacturers the vast potential for microtechnology. It aims to continue working in partnership with manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness by using the latest technology to develop cutting edge assembly techniques. CECA will be holding events and seminars where industry professionals will be given demonstrations and will receive a general introduction to the commercial potential of these new high-class coordinate measuring machines. These events will take place throughout the summer, and will also available on an ad-hoc basis through individual requests made to CECA.