Researcher in Residence: Waste-free composites manufacturing
Mikhail Matveev of the University of Nottingham is working on a transformative solution in composite manufacturing in collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. With fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) already proving their worth by reducing vehicle weight and fuel consumption, Matveev will be focussing on slashing production costs for wider adoption in transport and beyond.
At the moment, the Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) process, despite its efficiency in aerospace and automotive sectors, faces a challenge—wasteful scrap due to material variations, with rework and repairs requiring costly manual intervention. Matveev’s solution is to create adaptive process control through in-process sensing. By intelligently detecting defects and adjusting manufacturing parameters accordingly, wastage could be significantly reduced or eliminated. Leveraging proven lab methodologies, Matveev’s project will bring this innovation to an industrial scale at AMRC (Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre) as part of his Researcher in Residence award.
Speaking about the collaboration, Mikhail said: “I am delighted to work with Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. It is my aspiration that working together with this AMRC, we can bring the UK composites industry closer to Net Zero and make it more competitive internationally.”
The timely work by Matveev promises a greener, more cost-effective composite manufacturing future as UK industry heads toward Net Zero.
