The Factory 2050 project will be the UK’s first fully reconfigurable assembly and component research factory.
It will be designed to be capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts.
The 50,000 sq ft building will be built to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ environmental standards and be constructed largely from glass, to showcase the advanced manufacturing technologies being developed within.
Leading manufacturers including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Spirit AeroSystems together with Government are supporting the project.
Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, executive dean of the University of Sheffield AMRC, said: “This will be the most advanced factory in the world. It will give us a home for the research and demonstration work associated with building the next generation of aircraft and energy technologies.
“The aim is to be able to manufacture any component as a one-off, and instantaneously switch between components. This will be a totally reconfigurable factory, one of the goals of the advanced manufacturing research strategy.”
The AMRC Factory 2050 will combine technologies including advanced robotics, flexible automation, unmanned workspace, off-line programming in virtual environments linked to plug-and-play robotics, 3D printing from flexible automated systems, man-machine interfaces, and new programming and training tools.
The PQQ can be downloaded by expressing your interest on the University”s e-tendering system with a closing date of 13 January.