turning

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 company searched BUTE, that it would like to produce microparts at the University. The problem was that we had to produce very small pieces. The biggest diameter of parts was 1.6 mm, and the length was 4 mm. We had to do two bores in the pieces. One of bores was 0.5 mm, and the other one was 0.7 mm. And we needed to keep the serious tolerance, for example concentricity.
The University was dealing with similar workpieces. The our tasks were the choice of tools, determination of technology and definition of proper manufacture parameters.

The precision workpieces manufacturer Precipart Ltd. is producing the optical component. This company wanted to manufacture Frenel lenses to embossing calender. This is a new technology in the polymer industry. The technology is very difficult therefore the company connected the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering). The University was dealing with similar workpieces, so we began to develop the mould tools. The tasks were the choice of tools, determination of technology and definition of manufacturing parameters.

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.

The award-winning Manufacturing Engineering Centre (MEC) forms part of Cardiff University, which dates back to 1883 and is one of Britain's major civic universities. The 80-strong ISO 9001:2000 accredited Centre has an international reputation for its leading-edge research in advanced manufacturing and information technology spanning a broad spectrum of subjects.