Apart from other support for clean energy projects, the government is investing £10m in the nuclear industry, of which £5m is being invested in British companies and start-ups, developing new ways of manufacturing advanced nuclear parts for modular reactor projects in the UK and abroad.
David Clark, operations director for Createc, said: “Weld inspection is an essential component of many high value manufacturing and maintenance activities, such as ships, aircraft, and nuclear reactors.
“Weld radiography is a mainstay of weld inspection but has two considerable drawbacks when deployed in-situ: it is potentially hazardous, making its use obstructive and dangerous, and it does not reliably detect certain types of defect.
“Createc has developed a concept that will combine 3D position sensing techniques with autonomous robotics to make an in-situ radiography system that is safer, less obstructive and has higher performance by achieving in-situ Computed Tomography (CT) for generic welds or other industrial inspection.
“One of the key innovations is the ability to achieve the accuracy required for CT while using independent robotic systems on either side of the weld. This would allow the system to be used in a wide range of applications, not limited by having to physically co-locate the two robotic systems.”
Createc is a technology development company, specialising in applied imaging, sensors and robotics. It has a worldwide reputation for innovation, also has proprietary technology in navigation and positioning methods used in robotics and remote handling systems. The firm has developed a number of technology platforms which have been successfully commercialised in markets such as civil nuclear, infrastructure and defence.
Createc, which has expanded to employ 27 people, holds two different Queen’s Awards, having received the award for both International Trade and Innovation. It has also won awards for innovation from The Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET), The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).
