Sustainable Smart Factory Student Design Challenge
In October 2023, we invited industrial design students from University of Brighton to imagine new ways of designing products for a new generation of on-demand digital manufacturing technology we’re piloting at Plus X Innovation.
As part of a £1.8m InnovateUK research project, we’re working with circular manufacturing specialists Batch.Works and AI research spinout Matta to host an automated 3D printing facility at PXB that uses robotic control and AI to scale 3D printing to allow for local batch production of products.
We aim to learn how designers can use the latest advances in digital manufacturing to produce locally, with a circular flow of materials and to take advantage of the possibilities for agile product development, extreme customisation and low-wastage production.
Students will be working with the project team to design and manufacture products that exploit this radical new way of making physical products.
The people I have met here make it a dream coming in a few times a week! I don't see myself being able to go back to working from home the same way I did before coming to Plus X Innovation, I don't think I could leave the sense of community behind. It really is something everyone who is working from home should try!
Central Research Laboratory has contributed to our journey in many ways: access to a network, manufacturing, procurement services, and workshop facilities. CRL enables us to feel like a slightly bigger company than we would otherwise be if left to our own devices. Being here at CRL as a cohort member, makes it feel a lot more real and plugged in into the ecosystem.
Besides the workshop facilities, the best thing about working in the Brighton hub has got to be being able to collaborate with people in the same building as you. The variety of expertise and experience in the building is awesome.
Through my time at Plus X Innovation my business has turned from a student project into a registered R&D company. My favourite thing about being at Plus X Brighton is having a mini family in the office and a beautiful space to be the best you and make the best connections.
We could not be in a better place to grow as a company. We get amazing support from the Plus X Innovation staff, plus collaboration opportunities with the other inspiring residents and companies. We feel like we’re living in the future of workplaces in the present and that is pretty damn cool.
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What you’ll learn:
- Unlocking New Ways of Manufacturing: Explore the possibilities in modern manufacturing, perfect for students who want to expand their knowledge.
- Learning New Automated 3D Printing: Gain hands-on experience in designing for automated AI 3D printing processes.
- Prototyping vs Manufacturing: Understand the distinctions between prototyping and full-scale production with 3D printing technology.
- Transforming Product Development: Discover how this cutting-edge technology can revolutionise the product development process.
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