Sheffield Forgemasters' nuclear ambition

Last month’s announcement that Sheffield Forgemasters had secured £80m of government funding to buy and install a 15,000-tonne forging press was rightly seen as a coup for UK manufacturing.

As well as helping to secure hundreds of jobs, this large device – one of a handful around the world – could propel the UK to the summit of the global nuclear supply chain. Currently, the only manufacturer able to produce all of the large components required for the next generation of nuclear reactors is Japan Steelworks.

The device will use a giant set of jaws to apply pressure to huge chunks of steel that have been heated to around 1,200°C – shaping the components and improving their strength characteristics by aligning the molecular structure. According to Neil Maskrey, chief financial officer of the Yorkshire company, the extremely high integrity of the forgings produced this way makes them suitable for the exacting safety requirements of the nuclear industry. It is an intriguing reminder that the UK’s heritage of heavy engineering and emerging areas of technology are not mutually exclusive.