MTC helps bring complex ultrasonic measurement product to market

A new ultrasonic measurement product has been brought to market following a partnership with Coventry’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).

Precision Acoustics came to the MTC for help when they were looking to launch a new anechoic test tank liner for measuring ultrasonic signals at frequencies below 1MHz.

A mould needed to be produced for which the absorber materials of the liner could be cast, however, this proved to be a challenge due to the complexity of the geometrics.

Therefore, MTC’s Manufacturing Support Services worked with Precision Acoustics to come up with an appropriate material to use for the 3Dprinting of the moulded former.

Using the MTC’s large-build envelope 3D printer, the team was able to produce a full-size liner template using a simulated polypropylene material.

Precision Acoustics research physicist Megan Jenkinson-Garner said, “The support, advice and expertise the MTC team offered throughout was invaluable and the outcome was one we wouldn’t have been able to achieve otherwise.

“Together we’ve been able to develop a solution that enables us to reach new markets and engage with more customers while building our own understanding and knowledge of additive manufacturing which will undoubtedly benefit us in future projects.”

Dorchester-based Precision Acoustics, established in 1990, is a supplier of ultrasonic measurement products to the medical and academic sectors, and also for companies involved in non-destructive testing.

MTC research engineer Chris Burchell said, “The Precision Acoustics team…had a clear target that they wanted to achieve and they were very engaged throughout the project. It was a true collaboration which enabled us to work through the design iterations at pace and to a specification that overcame all the challenges they had faced previously.”

The MTC Manufacturing Support Services team has worked with more than 500 SMEs, and at any one time has more than 150 live projects.

The MTC was founded by the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and TWI Ltd and is part of the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult, supported by Innovate UK.