Perth manufacturer muscles in on uni help
1 min read
A leading manufacturer of resistance heating elements has called on experts at Napier University to help it flex its competitive muscle in international markets.
Kanthal, a high-technology industrial heating systems company with a manufacturing facility in Perth, has chosen Napier's School of Engineering and the Built Environment to assist it with bend strength trials on its heating element materials.
Alan Davidson, a lecturer in materials engineering at Napier is working with Kanthal's product development manager Stan Moug on trials into the bend strength of recently developed materials - which are designed to combine improved performance with cost effectiveness and competitive edge.
Industrial users of silicon carbide heating elements increasingly wanted improved mechanical properties and element life performance to allied low cost manufacture, Davidson said. Key to delivering the demands of manufacturers is the bend strength and bend modulus of the elements and Kanthal, part of the multi-national Sandvik Group, turned to Napier to add to Kanthal's in-house testing capabilities.
"The bend strength and modulus of these elements - allied to cost-effective manufacturing routes - are key selling points for manufacturers when it comes to competition in the international marketplace," explained Davidson.
"It's vital that such strength is accurately measured through the kind of highly calibrated materials testing and characterisation that Napier can provide."
Around 300 silicon carbide rods have so far been tested and both Davidson and Moug are encouraged by the results which are prompting Kanthal to carry out further research into its manufacturing and development processes.
Napier was introduced to Kanthal after the firm initially contacted Scottish Enterprise Tayside which, in turn, put it in touch with Interface - the knowledge connection for business, which offers a free matchmaking service, providing businesses with information about the specialist expertise, skills and research facilities available in all Scottish universities and research institutes.
For more on knowledge transfer matters, look out for the November issue of Works Management available on line here soon.
