NEWS


TWI laser cutting dismantles nuclear power plants


TWI is working with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and various Site License Companies (SLCs) to develop the laser cutting process for the dismantling and size reduction of metal infrastructure in nuclear power plants. Laser cutting offers significant economic, technical, operational and societal benefits compared to competing techniques. The UK budget for


decommissioning the 18 nuclear installations covered by the SLCs is approximately £80 billion, and the global long-term market is estimated to be £1 trillion. A challenge common to all


nuclear installations is the dismantling, and size reduction for cost-effective storage of contaminated metallic infrastructures, typically piping, vessels, and support structures. The flexibility of laser cutting enables it to be considered as a tool for a wide number of applications, both in air and underwater. TWI, in collaboration with


other UK organisations, has demonstrated the capability of laser cutting at Technology Readiness Level 3-4 for remote in-situ dismantling using a ‘snake-arm’ robotic manipulator; in-situ dismantling using ‘hand-held’ equipment suitable for operation in low-hazard environments; and high productivity size-reduction of fuel skips for optimised packing density in nuclear waste containers (funded by Sellafield). Planned future activity


includes collaborating with other UK organisations to develop and validate the laser cutting process for remote in-situ dismantling, using new snake-arm robotic manipulators, at TRL 6 (in an active nuclear environment). TWI is also discussing this technology with its international client base, which has generated interest from Europe, the United States and Japan.


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BUSINESS INCUBATION CENTRE BRIDGES GAP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY


Cern Technology has welcomed the first company to join the Business Incubation Centre (STFC CERN BIC), which offers UK businesses access to the expertise of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Cern Technology. Croft Additive Manufacturing is a developer of 3D


printing technology based on selective laser melting to produce metal filters for industries including the aerospace, automotive and energy sectors. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between science and industry. Located at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, next to the


Cockcroft Institute and within the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus in Cheshire, the STFC CERN BIC will nurture up to ten companies over the next two years with a support package. In addition to access to Cern’s technologies, expertise and intellectual property, this package includes up to £40k funding, a dedicated STFC business champion and 40 hours of free access to technical expertise and facilities across STFC. It also includes networking and collaborative opportunities with more than 100 other high-tech businesses and entrepreneurs co-locating at Sci-Tech Daresbury, which is now an established Enterprise Zone, as well as with the universities of Lancaster, Liverpool and Manchester through the Cockcroft Institute. Neil Burns, director at Croft Additive Manufacturing,


said: ‘The successful application of AM techniques in filter manufacturing demonstrates the potential wider industry benefits of AM production across multiple sectors. Being


Graham Evans, MP for Weaver Vale (left) and Neil Burns, director at Croft Additive Manufacturing


potential to generate economic and societal rewards


This initiative has


selected as the first incubatee at the STFC CERN BIC allows us access to important technical, financial, and business support, as well as a number of valuable innovation networks, all of which will fit together to play a key role in our success.’ STFC has a long-standing relationship


with Cern and manages the UK’s membership of this international science facility. Professor John Womersley, chief executive at STFC, said: ‘UK companies already secure more than £15m each year in contracts with Cern, and this new


initiative provides further potential to generate major economic and societal rewards for the UK economy, particularly in terms of innovation, job creation and economic growth.’


More funding required for growth in UK photonics


An increase in funding and greater confidence in the photonics products made in the UK, were the pleas from industry experts taking part in a roundtable discussion on the UK photonics industry at Photonex on 16 October. The panellists speaking at the


trade fair, which took place in Coventry, UK, also said that ways to bridge the gap between research and industry needed to be addressed for growth in UK photonics. Mark Sims, a professor at the


Space Research Centre at the University of Leicester, said: ‘In the end it comes down to funding; there are more ideas than funding.’ He was talking about funding for taking research through to


LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 21 • WINTER 2013


commercialisation. Sims called for an increase in the UK government’s science budget, which has remained flat since 2011. David Gahan, an industry


consultant, commented that there needs to be a shift in where government funding is allocated, giving more emphasis and follow-on funding to prototype products at the more advanced Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). TRLs are a measure of the maturity of new products. Gahan said there was little


appreciation of how long it can take for new technology to be fully commercialised and reach the real world. He said that most funding is allocated in the early stages of


development, but that only stretches so far, to around TRL4 or TRL5, he said. However, it’s not until TRL7 that a prototype would be demonstrated in a real world environment. It is in these latter stages, from


TRL5-6, where there is a lack financial support, according to Gahan, and, while Technology Strategy Board (TSB) schemes do provide funding for this purpose, they only go part of the way to address this. Recently, Fianium, based in


Southampton UK, announced it had won funding from the UK TSB SMART scheme amounting to £1.35 million to further develop the company’s ultrafast and supercontinuum fibre lasers.


@lasersystemsmag | www.lasersystemseurope.com


STFC


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