Magazine Spring 2007 This is the second edition of our new bi-annual magazine. if you would like to be added to the mailing list please send us your information on info@walesinternationalconsortium.com and specify if you prefer to recieve it electronically or by post. |
May 2007
Wales Higher Education Driving Technology
The design and manufacture of automotive components is one of Wales’ most strategically important sectors. It includes business at all levels in the global industry’s supply chain.
The future focus in this field will be to cater for the low emissions motor industry through the use of new technologies, new materials or new sources of energy. Wales is already establishing itself as a European leader in the research and application of such technology. Wales’ higher education centres of excellence are at the forefront of research and development and offer specialities in all areas of automotive technology including powertrain, material (metals, plastics, composites, ceramics and bio), automotive electronics (telematics), fuels (alternative) design and automation (robotics, vision systems, micro).
Throughout Wales there is a vast array of courses and research opportunities linked into all these areas of the automotive industry.
Cardiff University’s School of Engineering has an international reputation for research in energy, combustion and process management,. It has been awarded funding from the Science Research Investment Fund for two major laboratory developments, including a £2.4 million investment in high performance laboratories. Cardiff’s Manufacturing Engineering Centre offers rapid prototype, machining and tooling down to the micro-scale, including titanium casting. The Wolfson Centre at Cardiff is an international leading group for magnetic research – several spin-out companies are commercialising their advanced motor land generator designs.
The University of Glamorgan is working with industry and recently opened a dedicated research centre for alternative powertrains. It is also building a competitively priced hybrid-engine for commercial sale. Its Centre for Electronic Product Engineering CEPE has the most extensive test system in the UK. The Automotive Sub-System Test Centre gives access to vehicle communications protocols for engine and chassis control (LIN and CAN), media orientated systems technology (MOST) and assistance in producing info-tainment systems.
Swansea University’s electronic systems design group worked with Toyota to further develop hybrid vehicles technology. The Civil and Computational Engineering Centre at Swansea pioneered finite element analysis, including super plastic forming, and is one of the leaders in computational fluid dynamics, helping companies reduce risk and time to market in developing new structure, and achieving maximum efficiency from minimum material. The Materials Centre of Excellence was a partner on INTCAST, designing and manufacturing cast aluminium components with considerable weight savings. Swansea University are also working with University of Wales Aberystwyth collaborating with a Welsh company to build a bio-fuel refinery.
The Centre for Advanced Software and Intelligent systems, at University of Wales Aberystwyth works with automotive partners on failure mode effects analysis software for electrical systems. It is now extending its focus to fluid systems and the interaction of both models.
The award winning National Centre for Product Development and Design at University of Wales Institute, Cardiff has designed a leading edge steering column for TRW, and invested in selective laser melting. UWIC also offers leading edge rapid prototyping, casting and machining.
Motorsport is an initial market for high performance engineering, and Swansea Institute of Higher Education (who generated the world’s first motorsport degree) is now moving in a new direction with the Motorsport Manufacturing degree. The course comprises on-track teaching rooms and facilties at Pembrey circuit. SIHE offers vehicle styling design and automotive engineering expertise, and is planning a new Automotive Design Centre to provide full size clay modelling and structural design.
Roger Dowden, Head of the School of Automotive Engineering, SIHE said, “The School of Automotive Engineering has built up a strong relationship with industry. The companies that employ our graduates praise their skills and productivity. The graduates are now working in a wide range of motorsport and automotive engineering companies including Pi Research, Mahle, Ford, Prodrive and Delphi, as well as the Williams, Red Bull, Super Aguri , and Honda F1 teams.”
The performance car technology programmes at North East Wales Institute NEWI, fully explore the engineering of modern racing car design and development. Students gain a full understanding of the structures, systems, dynamics and design of a car, as well as having the opportunity to develop business skills.
NEWI Racing is an established team that is an integral part of all the programmes. During 2006, the students built a Westfield Megabird, NEWI Racing’s road going track day car and one of the fastest accelerating road cars in the world! The team now runs a range of high performance vehicles including a Van Dieman RF79 Formula Ford 1600, a Westfield Megabird, and a LoCost race specification car. These cars are complimented with a range of racing karts that a student team use to participate in endurance karting competitions.