Metal Manufacturing – A Sustainability Solution

Leading aerospace design, engineering, and manufacturing business Sylatech announces that its
Digital Liquid Metal Manufacturing project has been awarded £2.07m of grant funding from the ATI
Programme. Sylatech’s £3.4m project, delivered in collaboration with Cranfield University, Alloyed
Limited and the University of Sheffield, aims to deliver ultra-high quality aluminium components,
with dramatic performance and manufacturing repeatability, exceeding current technologies.

Aluminium shape casting remains heavily under exploited in the aerospace industry, primarily due to
concerns over process and product consistency and mechanical performance. Together with its
collaboration partners, Sylatech’s Digital Liquid Metal Manufacturing project will focus on elevating
the mechanical properties of post-consumer aluminium to reduce weight and increase the inservice
life of each casting. The novel aluminium casting process will also drive aluminium
circularity in line with net zero sustainability targets.

Charlie Breese, Sylatech’s Managing Director commented “Alongside the technical challenges, there
is a fundamental requirement to reshape the aerospace industry’s perception of cast components,
the presence of both Rolls-Royce and GKN Aerospace on the project industry advisory panel will
support advancement in this area”.

The 3-year program promises to bring numerous IP and manufacturing benefits to the UK
aerospace, foundry, and aluminium recycling industries, safeguarding jobs and creating significant
manufacturing jobs for this cutting-edge process in Ryedale.