grinding

Manufacturing processes and simulation
Contact and non-contact reverse engineering
Rapid product development
2D and 3D metrology systems
Advanced materials mechanical characterisation
Metallographic analysis
Nondestructive testing and evaluation
Intelligent sensor systems

The collaborating company is looking to recycle silicon wafer by dispersing silicon particulate through a polymer carrier.
They have a supply chain available for the used silicon in flat pieces (0.6mm thick, various sizes), but have not secured a technology/process or supplier who can grind the silicon into fine granules;
- the required particle size is around 30micron,
- the finished dry 'powder' will have to be 99% pure silicon,

The 4M affiliated partner Avio Group is a leading producer of aircraft engines that has had long term collaborations with the University of Naples Federico II in fields as diverse as metal processing, welding and brasing non traditional manufacturing, metrology, nondestructive evaluation, material characterisation, etc. Avio Group recently submitted a technological enquiry regarding Ni base alloy CBN grinding and related metrology aspects with particular attention to the micro features of the products of interest: turbine blades for jet engines.

K.U.Leuven is one of the three divisions of the department of Mechanical Engineering. PMA is active in the following areas: manufacturing processes, machine and instrument design, structural dynamics, acoustics, CAD/CAM/CIM, robotics, assembly automation, mechatronics, micro- and precision engineering, and metrology. The PMA division work includes original fundamental work as well as successful industry-oriented projects carried out in collaboration with small, medium and large companies and with international organisations like the European Space Agency. An important role of the research activities of the PMA division is based on international collaboration as shown by the participation of the division in more than 40 EC funded projects. The PMA division has also been nominated as Centre of Excellence by the Belgian Government.