£15m scheme to take the DRAMA out of additive manufacturing

The Manufacturing Technology Centre near Coventry is to lead a £15m programme aimed at encouraging suppliers to the UK aerospace industry to adopt additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing is employed across many manufacturing sectors in a variety of materials, producing everything from simple tools to major parts for aero engines.
The MTC-led Digital Reconfigurable Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace (DRAMA) project aims to encourage the UK aerospace supply chain to adopt additive manufacturing technologies, which are increasingly being demanded by the country’s prime aerospace manufacturers.
Suppliers will be able to test products and processes in a virtual additive facility at the MTC, and then transfer the work to the latest physical machines. The MTC houses the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM), which brings together what is described as the ‘most comprehensive combination of equipment and capability in the UK’.