Research

Dr. Ramesh Raghavendra, SEAM; Jonathan Downey, Schvio; Seamus Kilgannon, Schivo; Prof. Willie Donnelly, WIT

The Schivo Group and WIT’s SEAM research centre have launched a new €1m project that will develop a smart sensor for monitoring machine tool wear and tear.

The Schivo Group and WIT’s SEAM research centre have launched a new €1m project that will develop a smart sensor for monitoring machine tool wear and tear.

The project is called REALISM, which stands for ‘Real-Time In-Situ Monitoring of Tool Wear in Precision Engineering Applications’. Funded by the European Commission, it will run for two years and will involve researchers and SMEs from Ireland, Norway, Italy, and Poland.

Speaking at the launch, Vice-President of Research in WIT, Prof. Willie Donnelly said, “This latest collaboration between WIT and industry further underlines our commitment to helping stimulate economic growth and enhancing technical expertise in the South-East region.”

He said, “The SEAM research centre focusses on industry needs in particular, and is of significant importance to the development of and investment in the region. This latest project means WIT and Schivo will establish connections with leading international research centres.”

CEO of Schivo, Seamus Kilgannon, said, “Schivo is looking forward to working with SEAM on this project. This project creates the opportunity to develop a new solution to a problem that needs to be addressed in the precision engineering industry. I’m delighted that Jonathan Downey from Schivo is leading this project with SEAM, in conjunction with a Europe-wide consortium of considerable expertise.”

The engineering challenge REALISM will address is the fact that precision machine tools get worn, but currently this is only detected at the end of the process. At that stage, the product is already damaged and has to be discarded.
REALISM will develop a smart sensor to detect tool wear earlier in the process and so will allow the required adjustments to be made. This will result in less damaged products and more control over tool replacement.

The work in the project should allow Schivo to reduce costs, generate new sales and increase its overall capabilities. The company currently employs 200 people, 160 of which are based in its Waterford premises.
Schivo operates three plants in Ireland and the UK. It has over 35 years’ experience serving industries such as medical devices, aerospace, electronics, IT and telecoms, automotive and oil & gas.

SEAM’s expertise and research capabilities are well matched to these areas, and they are in demand with businesses such as Schivo and other advanced manufacturers. SEAM Centre    Manager & REALISM Project Co-ordinator,  Dr. Ramesh Raghavendra said, “SEAM is an industry-focussed applied research centre. Our unique strength lies in being able to anticipate, understand and respond quickly to industry needs. We provide competitive, customised solutions, and more importantly we’re a one-stop shop for a range of materials engineering expertise.”

He said, “We provide solutions across a wide range of sectors, including bio-medical, pharmaceuticals, micro-electronics, precision engineering and industrial technologies.”
The REALISM project is funded by the European Commission’s (EC) ‘Research for the Benefit of SMEs’ scheme. The EC also recently launched a new funding programme, called Horizon 2020. This programme will invest €79 billion across Europe between 2014 – 2020, and aims to boost jobs and growth.

Horizon 2020 will have a significant emphasis on industry and supporting innovation in SMEs. WIT’s traditional links to industry and its commitment to developing the South-East region will be a major advantage in this regard.
Dr. Raghavendra said, “We have state-of-the-art facilities here in Waterford and our involvement with EU funding has meant we’ve been able to increase our research capacity significantly.”
He said, “We will be targeting the new EU funding programme again, and we aim to use it to enable more work with indigenous companies such as Schivo, and more investment for Waterford and the South-East region.”

See www.seam.ie for more information about the SEAM research centre and the work with Schivo on the REALISM project.