Research and development at the Nuclear AMRC is dedicated to helping companies identify and overcome their manufacturing problems.

Core R&D topics are determined by the board of industrial partners. This ensures that work is focused on industrial commercial requirements and can provide lasting value to members. We also carry out specific research for individual companies, and take part in externally funded research projects.Our research spans the Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) scale. The Manchester team focuses on proof of concept manufacturing research at MRL1-3, while the Sheffield team focuses on advanced manufacturing research at MRL4-8. This means that we can take new manufacturing technologies and processes from the initial concept through to production readiness.

Research in South Yorkshire focuses on the machining, fabrication and assembly of components for new nuclear power stations, based on the collaborative research model of the established University of Sheffield AMRC with Boeing. See our list of research equipment for more information on current resources.

Research areas include:

• Large-scale welding and cladding using robotics and adaptive control.
• Non destructive evaluation (NDE).
• Machine tool optimisation.
• Large-scale demonstrators to take innovative technologies and processes to pre-production level.
• Virtual manufacturing and assembly.

The Nuclear AMRC Laboratory at The University of Manchester provides expanded manufacturing, testing and analytical facilities, building on the established nuclear and materials expertise of the Dalton Nuclear Institute.

Research in Manchester focuses on:

• Materials processing, cutting, joining and surface technology.
• Component performance in nuclear environments.
• Materials characterisation.
• Early-stage product and process development.