6 NEWS WELDINGNEWS NEWS AND VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE WELDING WORLD
OPEN DAY SPARKS THE START OF A NEW ERA OF RESEARCH FOR TWI
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS
THE PRINCESS ROYAL OPENS NEW LABORATORIES AT TWI
HRH The Princess Royal visited the Cambridge headquarters of TWI at Granta Park to open three new buildings dedicated to the advancement of engineering. During the morning, TWI Chief Executive Christoph Wiesner also presented Her Royal Highness with the Royal Fellowship of The Welding Institute. The Princess Royal’s visit marks the completion of a large-scale construction programme supported by government, which will allow TWI to extend the scope and scale of work it carries out for its industry partners in workspace specifically designed for research and education in materials science, joining technologies and engineering processes. The opening was also the official launch for TWI’s pioneering educational establishment, the National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC), which provides postgraduate engineering students with the opportunity to qualify with direct industry experience. The buildings provide a location and state-of-the-art equipment for use by NSIRC students as they complete study programmes designed by industry partners and awarded by UK universities. Her Royal Highness spent almost an hour and a half touring the laboratories and meeting some of the 600 engineers, apprentices and students that work on site. The tour route took in demonstrations of laser welding, fatigue testing of steel mooring chains, linear friction welding of components for the aerospace industry, pipeline inspection and X-ray imaging, as well as welding with chocolate in a demonstration manned by pupils from nearby Great Abington Primary School.
Christoph Wiesner said: ‘It is a great honour for us to be able to show Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal a little of what we do here at TWI. We welcome The Princess Royal’s interest in materials joining and engineering and hope we have demonstrated how our new research capabilities will enhance our work with industry on the key issues affecting the everyday use of welded products and structures.’ l
Over 90 Industrial Members and technical experts visited TWI for the company’s first open day in over eight years recently. It was a day to showcase the breadth of new and existing expertise, capabilities and services at the culmination of a £60m build project to establish technical facilities for a new era of research and education in materials joining and engineering. 3D printing using lasers, linear friction welding, and X-ray microscopy were among the eye-catching technical demonstrations presented by TWI staff along the route at the organisation’s recent open day at its new buildings in Cambridge. Chief Executive Christoph Wiesner welcomed visitors with a background to the build project and introduced short presentations on the National Structural Integrity Research Centre for postgraduate education, and a look at highlights from TWI’s 70-year knowledge base. Invention and innovation in welding and joining at TWI have shaped the path of progress for many industrial sectors. Visitors then took part in a tour covering 11 technology stations and more than 10 exhibition areas across five connected buildings and engineering laboratories. Demonstrations and displays represented all areas of TWI business including the world renowned Library, Training and Examinations, The Welding Institute and group company Pi Ltd. During the afternoon, industry guests took part in a series of sector specific briefings and workshops focused on current needs and technical advances. The open day took place against the exciting backdrop of the live final of the European Welding Federation’s WeldCup competition, which saw teams of bright young welders from seven countries competing for the skills award. Winning team Romania beat off the competition from runner-up Germany, with the UK in bronze medal position. Guest team China also scored highly. l
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