For publication, Thursday, September 12, 2024 -Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC), an industry-leading production facility and additive manufacturing (AM) innovation hub, is working in partnership with NP Aerospace to deliver state-of-the-art metal engineering solutions. This collaboration is part of the UK MoD’s Project TAMPA.
Project TAMPA is a UK Strategic Command Defence Support-sponsored project designed to enable the UK defence industry supply chain to investigate and exploit the key capabilities and benefits available to defence from the speed, quality and flexibility that additive manufacturing (3D printing) can bring. With expertise developed across multiple sectors such as space, aerospace, motorsport and medical, DMC are leading the way in this rapidly evolving engineering space. Many of the large defence prime contractors are engaged with Project TAMPA to deliver what their UK MoD customer needs.
NP Aerospace has a long heritage of supplying military vehicles and support solutions. Post-UOR period, in 2019, NP Aerospace was awarded the PMETS engineering support contract, for the UK’s core protected mobility fleet. More recently this has expanded, with NP being one of the companies selected on the Marine Systems Transformation (MaST) framework (total contract value £850m), so are deeply engaged in supporting capability and maintaining a secure UK supply chain.
Underpinned by an ethos of truly creative engineering and the pursuit of perfection, DMC applies a holistic approach to the additive manufacturing process and is pushing the boundaries of possibility while ensuring full quality assurance with AS9100 certification and PPAP (Part Production Approval Process) and NPI (New Product Introduction) practices. Together DMC and NP Aerospace are rapidly innovating, using the additive manufacturing process in both metal and polymer parts, to help UK defence resolve long-standing challenges, meet operational demand, secure the supply chain and combat supply chain obsolescence. For example, DMC has produced parts for the rear step assembly and the door latch assembly on Mastiff and Ridgback platforms which can be rapidly produced. The future concept includes the ability to securely transfer digital files to a forward-deployed AM production facility to reduce the delivery time. These parts can be seen fitted to a new generation Ridgback Platform on NP Aerospace’s stand OR-13 at DVD taking place 18/19 September, at Millbrook.
David Wilson, Director of Engineering, NP Aerospace Vehicle Systems, Services and Spares said, “Project TAMPA has opened the door to allow us to fully explore the incredible benefits that can be achieved by utilizing the additive manufacturing processes. It has been very rewarding working with DMC, the experts in the field, who not only have the engineering acumen to solve complex problems alongside NP Aerospace engineers, but also have the necessary certification and accreditation to provide essential quality assurance, critical to defence.”
Kieron Salter, CEO of the DMC said, “We are very proud to be supporting NP Aerospace, and many others across the UK defence industry, by sharing our vast experience and expertise in the additive manufacturing process gained from the most demanding of sectors such as Formula 1, aerospace and space. We pride ourselves at DMC in being more than a traditional ‘build to print’ supplier, although production work is always our end goal. We also provide a holistic approach to additive manufacturing, being creative and innovative in our engineering that leads to the final production solution. Hence, DMC delivers truly pioneering solutions for businesses operating at the forefront of their industry.”
About DMC: The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) is an industry-defining production facility and innovation hub, located at the world-renowned Silverstone Park. With a solution-led philosophy, DMC are realising the disruptive potential of end-to-end, digitally-connected additive manufacturing (AM). The award-winning engineering team harness state-of-the-art metal and polymer AM systems, in combination with machining and inspection equipment, to provide a truly unique production solution. Dedicated to delivering exceptional quality, DMC supply end-use ready components for industry-defining projects across the space, aerospace, defence, motorsport, automotive, defence, industrial, marine and medical sectors.
About NP Aerospace: NP Aerospace is a world-leading armour manufacturer and vehicle integrator delivering high-performance defence and security solutions and engineering services for commercial applications. The company has over 90 years of experience, providing lightweight, fatigue-resistant products from advanced materials and has a well-established vehicle systems and support business. NP Aerospace is headquartered in the UK and Canada and employs more than 300 people across its global facilities.
About Chamois Consulting Ltd: Chamois Consulting Ltd is a full-service B2B and B2C marketing and communications consultancy based in southwest UK with a wide-ranging, cross-sector portfolio of clients on account. Our team operates across a broad spectrum of sectors including engineering, defence, energy, automotive, motorsport, marine & leisure. We work together with our clients to define and deliver a marketing and PR strategy in order to help them achieve their aims, win business and grow. Our services are comprehensive yet flexible and range from ad-hoc advice to fully outsourced service provision contracts. We are proud of our ability to integrate with and work alongside in-house teams to augment and enhance the results. We recognise that every activity, large or small, has a budget and we shape our work to meet the client’s needs, within budget, in order to maximise the return on investment.
