Sheffield takes Possession of new Processing Centre

A new research centre at the Henry Royce Institute reached a key milestone as the building was handed over to staff at the University of Sheffield. The Royce Discovery Centre will focus on early-stage, fundamental research into the discovery of new materials and processing.

Expected to be fully operational in 2021, the centre will feature specialist laboratories and workshops and will house the very latest technologies in 3D additive manufacturing, digital manufacturing and nanocharacterisation.

It will benefit from equipment provided by the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, alongside specialist equipment already based at the University in its Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

The centre will work alongside the Royce Translational Centre, based at Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP), to take these new research discoveries and work with companies to help apply them to their manufacturing challenges.

It will also work with the University of Sheffield’s Faculty of Engineering to train the next generation of materials scientists in order to bridge the UK’s skills gap in this area.

Professor Mark Rainforth, Principal Investigator at the Henry Royce Institute in Sheffield, said: “Five years ago we were asked by the government to create a world-leading Materials Science and Engineering Institute. We believe we have done just that. The Royce Discovery Centre will fulfil our vision of delivering world-class materials discovery and manufacturing and provide an international statement on developing future technologies.”

Prof David Knowles, CEO at the Henry Royce Institute said: “It is fantastic to see the Royce Discovery Centre achieve this key construction milestone. The research undertaken in this new facility will provide a major contribution to the delivery of Royce’s vision of ‘Advanced Materials for a Sustainable Society’, enabling innovation and world-leading research in sustainable manufacturing.