Midlands manufacturer JVM Castings has joined forces with two universities to collaborate on research projects aimed at changing the way castings are manufactured.
The firm has begun working with both Birmingham University and Brunel University’s research labs, as well as local industrial partners including Jaguar Land Rover and JBMI, to bridge the gap between academia and real world commercialisation.
JVM is currently working on four separate projects which explore the materials and methods that will help to create lighter weight, stronger, more cost effective products with a reduced carbon footprint, enabling it to manufacture products that would normally have to be sourced from Europe.
Simon Ruffle, group design director at JVM Castings, said: “Constant research is the only way to make sure new developments take place in our industry, and by collaborating with local universities we are able to share great ideas and trial our products in cutting-edge facilities.”
Mr Ruffle added: ““With the rising cost of fuel, and the time and costs involved in manufacturing castings, we’re always looking to do whatever we can to manufacture and supply products locally.”
JVM’s main project at present, in conjunction with TSB, involves research into A20X, a new material developed by JVM, Jaguar Land Rover, Aeromet International, LSM Aluminium and Birmingham University.
Another TSB collaboration being researched by Brunel University, JVM Castings and a number of other local firms is exploring the potential of creating an alloy from recycled content.
The successful completion of this research would enable JVM to use a greater per cent recycled content in its castings whilst reducing reliance on primary grade Aluminium. This would significantly reduce not only the cost of production, but also the carbon footprint.
