The Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) at Silverstone Park has hosted a key event for the Ministry of Defence’s accelerator programme aimed at integrating the very latest manufacturing technologies into the defence supply chain.
Amongst the technologies being explored are cutting-edge additive manufacturing (3D printing) processes – of which the DMC is at the forefront inside its c.18,000 sq ft premises at the Silverstone Park campus.
The accelerator programme, named Project TAMPA, is sponsored by the government’s UK MOD Strategic Command. The event at the DMC was also supported by the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone.
The DMC has been intimately involved with Project TAMPA since the outset, working in close partnership with the MOD and key defence players such as NP Aerospace, Babcock, Thales and RBSL, to support the development and delivery of high-technology manufacturing capabilities into defence.
The advantages of additive manufacturing in the defence supply chain are numerous and include weight saving, cost reduction, speed and agility, and innovation in design.
Major General Phil Prosser, Director Joint Support, commented: “As the MOD’s Advanced Manufacturing Champion, it is hugely rewarding to witness what we have achieved by exploring and harnessing the benefits that additive manufacturing can bring.
“Project TAMPA is a prime example of how the MOD can work in partnership with both major defence contractors and smaller innovative British companies like the DMC, to push the boundaries of innovation and technology to maximise defence capability.
“Collaborating with defence primes and high-technology SMEs in this way is critical to protecting and developing the UK defence supply chain.”
Kieron Salter, CEO at DMC, said:
“We are very proud to have hosted such an important MOD event at our facility in Silverstone Park.
“DMC has an advanced engineering pedigree born from the most demanding of sectors such as Formula 1, hypercars, aerospace and space.
“At DMC, we pride ourselves in adopting a holistic approach to additive manufacturing; applying creativity and innovation to our engineering that leads to an optimised final production solution – we don’t just 3D-print to drawing.
“From hyper-cars to armoured vehicles, we apply the same pioneering solutions to ensure the customer secures the maximum benefit from the AM process and it has been a real pleasure to be working on Project TAMPA.
“I know that we have only just scratched the surface of what is possible through working together with the MOD and the defence supply chain like this, to achieve greater benefits – lots more to come.”
