iChrome is an engineering company with a strong background in simulation driven design. iChrome was founded to share its expertise in the area of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE). Our Mission is to provide innovative and creative solutions to the CAE community, bringing ideas to reality.
Within the consortium iChrome will be responsible to develop the industrial version of the Fast RTM Software, including a beta version of the Graphical User Interface.
www.ichrome.com
The ACCIS of the University of Bristol is the UK academic leading group in composites materials, with activities ranging from composites design and failure, materials development, intelligent structures and manufacturing processes and characterisation. ACCIS has a core team of 20 academics, 38 PDRAs and 104 PhD students hosted by two EPSRC Doctoral Schools in Composites and Composites Manufacturing. ACCIS also hosts a Rolls-Royce plc. UTC in Composites, and has contract collaborations with Airbus, GKN and Leonardo Finmeccanica Helicopters.
Within the consortium the ACCIS center will be responsible to develop the constitutive material models and the overall theoretical formulation of the Fast RTM solver.
www.bristol.ac.uk
Wilson Benesch has always exported around 70% of what it manufactures and has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards in all the key markets including Japan, Germany, China and the USA. The company manufactures 95% of all the components that it requires to build its products on CNCs driven by 3D CAD CAM. Notable examples of materials science that have been introduced as a result of its innovation would include the world’s first Carbon fibre loudspeaker and record player, the world’s first RTM Advanced Composite structures developed in collaboration with PERA in Melton Mowbray, Isotactic Polypropylene speaker cones developed in collaboration with Leeds University and Professor Ian Ward, the world’s first NdFeB motors designs for drive units developed in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University and the world’s first carbon PET diaphragm in a patented drive technology. In Germany in 1996 the company’s turntable and loudspeaker became Reference System in the country’s leading journal Stereoplay. Alan Sircom Editor of Hi Fi Plus recently described Wilson Benesch as “The UK’s Ambassadors of Materials Science” Jonathon Valin of The Absolute Sound after the Torus won Product of The Year in the USA described the Torus as a work of genius. As lead company Craig Milnes (Design Director) has a proven track record of introducing novel ideas and taking them to completion as a finished product. Wilson Benesch encompasses the entire value chain and was an early adopter and pioneer of RTM manufacturing.
Within the consortium Wilson Benesch will be responsible for the definition and the testing of simple and more complex RTM coupons to be used to benchmark the simulation results of the Fast RTM solver.
www.wilson-benesch.com
Stress Express Ltd is an engineering consulting company specialising in development and application of multi physics simulation tools. Stress Express supports both manufacturing processes definition as well as aiding of the design decisions by using predictive numerical technologies. This is underpinned by in depth understanding of the science and delivered through developed bespoke material models, user elements and utilisation of customised simulations. Stress Express staff has vast experience in modelling the RTM process being actively involved in the scientific and industrial research furthering application of predictive technologies and aiding manufacturing process definition, hence lowering the barrier to entry of different kinds of liquid composite moulding processes including RTM.
Stress Express will participate to the project as contractor, contributing to the definition of the overall RTM test campaign, manufacturing technology and acting as initial final user, tester of the Fast RTM solver.
www.stressexpress.org