We will research smart manufacturing routes, which impart controllable enhancement of properties and functionality of polymers and polymer composites whilst achieving precision geometry products. These will be relevant to a range of potential medical devices, selected with our industry partners, Zmith * Nephew, Wittman Battenfeld and Corbion Purac, particularly those exploiting shape memory functionality and surface feature control. The initial focus is for soft tissue fixation to bone (e.g. rotator cuff and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repairs); longer-term goals include fixations for fracture (including intermedullary nails) and knee joint replacements. Solid phase orientation processing of polymers at temperatures above their glass transition point, but below their melting point, provides the major route to imparting a wide range of polymer molecular orientation, from low up to very high levels. This can be utilized to create dynamic devices which change shape in-situ on exposure to temperature or, potentially, body fluid, allowing the device to adapt to the surrounding bone topology. Protype devices will be manufactured from known resorbable or inert polymers, inorganic particles and suitable plasticisers all having known clinical history. The devices will be programmed to mechanically function and then degrade to expose known inorganic salts/scaffolds which can then be used to promote osteogenesis. In the case of medical implants such as tissue fixations, the recovery typically needs to take place at an appropriate temperature to avoid tissue damage (so less than ~50C), or (more challenging) be driven by exposure to body fluids, and to occur in an acceptable timescale to the operating clinicians (e.g. less than 15 s), and to retain fixation strength over required timescales (months for bioresorbables, permanent for non-resorbables). In addition to the solid phase orientation processing route, a range of melt processing techniques can be used to obtain (in general) lower levels of orientation but which may have other advantages in terms of manufacturing, including net shape processing. Novel variants of these are explored in the Research Programme,including: (a) micromoulding (single shot property gradient products, or over-moulded products, and surface feature control), (b) micro-extrusion (for precision preforms for die drawing, or controlled surface continuous products), and (c) hybrid processing, such as a novel injection-drawing process. Manufacturing challenges to be addressed include (i) the overall goal of 'Smart Manufacturing', defined here as the effective control of property levels through processing, simultaneous with achieving precision geometry products at economic production rates for shape memory polymers; (ii) materials and additives suitability, combined with processability for the complex requirements for bioresorbable fixations; (iii) formation of starting materials suited to manufacturing routes, and (iv) refined modelling for developed understanding of solid and melt phase processing, vital in developing understanding of the processes and process design.

NIMRC's research portfolio is at the heart of the national manufacturing agenda and is active in the generation of patents and the construction of full scale demonstrators to enhance technology transfer. The Centre has strong links with industry in a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, instrumentation, power engineering, steel, textiles and clothing, and consumer product sectors. With the exception of a small number of blue-skies projects, all projects are driven by industrial need. During the past 3 years, the Nottingham Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (NIMRC) has continued to succeed in its stated objectives. By exploiting synergies between themes and research strands within the Centre and with other academic groups and industry outside the Centre, NIMRC has continued to expand its world-leading research portfolio and develop new directions. From a start of 8 principal investigators in the IMRC, this year we have an additional 15 investigators participating in current projects within the portfolio, complemented by 22 researchers and 29 research students. In the past 3 years, 9 students have been been awarded a PhD and another 7 are currently submitting their dissertations.The quality, timeliness and novelty of NIMRC's research is highlighted by its publication record. Since the Centre began, staff have published widely in peer review journals and presented at prestigious international conferences.The IMRC status has attracted a wider research community both in the University and without. The NIMRC continues to develop strategic partnerships with research groups outside the University and include many internationally recognised centre's of manufacturing excellence. The Centre also has strong links with other IMRCs. Already, NIMRC has collaborative research projects with Warwick, Bath, Cranfield and Loughborough IMRCs. NIMRC is also participating in the Grand Challenge 3D Mintigration related to the economic Manufacture of 3D Miniaturised Devices . NIMRC has made excellent progress during the last 3 years towards its stated objectives. It believes that the future research strategy it has developed will continue to address both the immediate and longer term needs of the manufacturing industry and it looks forward to providing the enabling research needed to improve the competitiveness of UK plc. The importance of NIMRC's world-class research is demonstrated in the composition of the Industrial Advisory Board which includes 20 senior industrialists from well established UK manufacturing sectors. The Board is impressed with the work of the Centre and the rapport with the Board of PIs. Board members have their own examples of how their company has benefited from the work of the NIMRC. In summary, Rolls-Royce and the Industrial Advisory Board fully support the activities of the NIMRC and will continue to do so. Chair of NIMRC Industrial Advisory Board, Mr Stephen Burgess, Manufacturing Process and Technology Director, Rolls-Royce Plc.

The Cranfield IMRC vision is to grow the existing world class research activity through the development and interaction between:Manufacturing Technologies and Product/Service Systems that move UK manufacturing up the value chain to provide high added value manufacturing business opportunities.This research vision builds on the existing strengths and expertise at Cranfield and is complementary to the activities at other IMRCs. It represents a unique combination of manufacturing research skills and resource that will address key aspects of the UK's future manufacturing needs. The research is multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral and is designed to promote knowledge transfer between sectors. To realise this vision the Cranfield IMRC has two interdependent strategic aims which will be pursued simultaneously:1.To produce world/beating process and product technologies in the areas of precision engineering and materials processing.2.To enable the creation and exploitation of these technologies within the context of service/based competitive strategies.