SusDRaM:EDA

SusDRaM:EDA - Sustainable Design for Rapid/Additive Manufacturing: Engineering Design Academy

About the project

Download one-page summary of the SusDRaM:EDA Project.

Project aims

The Sustainable Design for Rapid/Additive Manufacturing: Engineering Design Academy (SusDRAM:EDA) project aims to embed the principles of sustainable manufacturing at the heart of product development within a regional business support programme. The technical assistance being promoted has additive manufacturing (AM) and design for manufacture at the heart of the offering. AM offers a range of complimentary benefits including significant waste reduction, part optimisation and functional analysis, recyclability of parts and materials and the resulting reduction in energy use.

Supporting businesses in the Northwest

The academy aims to work with SMEs from across Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Lancashire utilising research expertise from the Engineering Department to contribute to creating new products, processes and ways of working. By collaborating with the University in this way, we aspire to forge collaborative relationships with companies for mutual benefit.

Specifically, the academy offers student and staff resource to work on a defined project requiring input from a higher education institution environment such as the Engineering Department at Lancaster University. This includes developing an understanding of how AM and advanced design can impact on a particular business, exploiting business benefits from technological advancements

How the project could help your SME

The SusDRaM:EDA project helps eligible SMEs in the following areas (please note that the following list is not exhaustive):

Design

  • Virtual testing
  • Physical testing
  • Manufacture of prototypes (using additive manufacturing techniques)
  • General design assistance

Financial Support

  • Software purchases
  • License purchases (e.g. additional seats on software packages)
  • Purchase of equipment

Student/Graduate Academy

The Lancaster Product Development Unit has a number of student and graduate engineers who are able to undertake design work, tests, research and other laboratory work under the supervision of our experienced project engineers.

Student Placements

There is an opportunity for SMEs working with us to take on current student engineers onto placements. These placements are part-financed and will be advertised and administered through the Lancaster Product Development Unit. Candidates usually undergo an interview process with representatives of the SME on the Lancaster University campus.

Target audience

The project will work with SMEs in either Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester or Lancashire that:

  • Are able to identify a relevant need to be addressed and for which the company are not seeking support from elsewhere;
  • Are growth hungry;
  • Serve a non-local market (e.g. not retail);
  • Have not exceeded the public funding threshold of €200, 000 in the last three years

SME brief definition: a staff headcount of less than 250, a turnover of less than €50M and not more than 25% owned by a non-SME.

Cost

The cost is fully met by the European Regional Development Fund and Lancaster University with input from private sector partners, except in the case of any significant material use for creating parts, should this be applicable.

When is support available until?

Support is available until the project ends on 31st August 2015.

Support provider

Lancaster Product Development Unit, Lancaster University

Lancaster Product Development Unit (LPDU), is the business support and knowledge exchange team for the Engineering Department at Lancaster University, offering SMEs in England's NW a range of design and product development services.

How to find out more

To find out more about SusDRAM:EDA please contact Mr Chris Lambert, the Project's Manager

Tel: 01524 594 298

E-mail: c.g.lambert@lancaster.ac.uk

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