Researcher developing Additive Manufacturing ‘smart language’
July 31, 2018
Dr Qunfen Qi, the University of Huddersfield’s EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology (Courtesy University of Huddersfield)
A researcher at the University of Huddersfield, Yorkshire, UK, is developing a ‘smart language’ designed to enable designers, Additive Manufacturing engineers and part inspectors to communicate clearly across the workflow. Such a language has the potential to improve process repeatability and part-to-part reproducibility, reduce failure rate and lower production costs.
Dr Qunfen Qi, a research fellow at the University’s EPSRC Centation, she explained that she has been using category theory to develop computer-readable guidelines and rules for Additive Manufacturing.
“The research can provide a smart language that enables designers, AM engineers and inspectors to truly communicate with each other in an intelligent, robust and productive way,” she stated, adding that the goal is to create a smart language which can be used widely throughout industry with no requirement for an in-depth knowledge of category theory.
Professor Paul Scott, a Research Director at the EPSRC Centre, added, “It will have an enormous range of applications, not just limited to advanced manufacturing, but in the future to be applied in smart cities, healthcare, social science and more.”
