A new suite of equipment at the University of Bradford will let researchers watch advanced materials as they are being made, catching defects and structural changes in real time rather than only after the fact. This matters because materials used in healthcare—such as polymer nanocomposites for drug delivery or biocomposites for implants—often have complex internal structures that change during processing. Temperature and time can alter their properties, and current methods typically check the final product only after it has cooled and solidified, missing crucial information about how it actually formed. The new at-process monitoring tools will track a material’s real process history, giving engineers the data they need to predict and control performance. If this succeeds, manufacturers could produce more reliable medical devices and pharmaceutical formulations with fewer failed batches. The equipment also supports micro-scale processing for expensive or scarce materials, reducing waste. The work is primarily fundamental science—understanding how hierarchical structures form during manufacturing—but that knowledge directly underpins process feasibility studies and prototype development for real healthcare products.
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We propose equipment to enhance our specialist advanced materials processing facilities and suite of at-process monitoring and off-line characterisation equipment aimed at advanced materials with healthcare applications, including extensive nanoscale characterisation, plus modelling facilities for processing and materials performance. These will complement our current advanced materials manufacturing process technology and characterisation facilities in the Polymer IRC laboratory at Bradford. SPECIALIST ADVANCED MANUFACTURING PROCESSES: We undertake fundamental processing-related studies (for novel polymer nanocomposites, blends, and biomaterials/ biocomposite and pharmaceutical formulations, and reactive processing) which lead to process feasibility projects (e.g. processability of new formulations, with underpinning material characterisation) or novel product development. Products may be prototypes (typically at the small scale for limited availability or expensive materials), or full production items. Facilties for process feasibility research or micro-scale processing are proposed for small scale products, micro/nano surface features, and macro scale processing.CHARACTERISATION AND MONITORING FACILITIES: Characterisation at nano- and other length scales is required for hierarchichal structure materials and functional gradients. This will be 'off line' for pre-process materials and post-process products; while at-process characterisation aims to evaluate real material process histories, which is important for time and temperature dependent materials. At-process monitoring is in effect, advanced manufacturing metrology.
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