Sensing technology ‘could transform UK industry’

In a study published in Waves in Random and Complex Media, researchers from Bristol University said they have developed a formula that can inform the design boundaries for a given component’s geometry and material microstructure.

According to the team, there could be ‘significant commercial advantages in the manufacturing sector’ through the development of sensing technology and associated imaging algorithms to assess the safety and quality of additively manufactured metallic parts.

The University said the key breakthrough is the use of ultrasonic array sensors, which are effectively the same as those used in medical imaging. However, these new laser-based versions would not require the sensor to be in contact with the material.

In a statement, author Professor Anthony Mulholland, head of the School of Engineering Maths and Technology, said: “There is a potential sensing method using a laser based ultrasonic array and we are using mathematical modelling to inform the design of the equipment ahead of its in situ deployment.”