University of Sheffield's AMRC to build Factory 2050

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing has secured funding for a new £43 million state-of-the-art research factory, to meet the future needs of aerospace and other high-value manufacturing industries. Leading manufacturers including Boeing, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and Spirit AeroSystems are also committed to supporting the project which will be completed in 2014

The AMRC Factory 2050 will combine technologies including advanced robotics, flexible automation, unmanned workspace, off-line programming in virtual environments linked to plug-and-play robotics, 3D printing from flexible automated systems, man-machine interfaces, and new programming and training tools.