University of Sheffield - Royce Translation Centre

The University of Sheffield sought to establish the Royce Translational Centre (RTC) as a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advanced powder manufacturing and processing. The objective was to create an open-access centre that fosters collaboration between academia and industry, enabling the translation of novel materials and processing techniques into practical applications. The challenge lay in designing a facility that accommodates both research and industrial needs, equipped with specialised infrastructure to support materials testing and production at a demonstration scale.

To address this challenge, the University engaged G&T to provide Project Management services for the development of the RTC. The centre, located within the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre 2, was designed to promote integration between departments and various research sectors, ensuring a collaborative engineering environment among academics and commercial tenants. The facility includes unique research spaces for materials testing and production at a demonstration scale, with a steel-framed superstructure fitted with several large cranes to assist in the lifting and configuring of new robot technology.

The successful completion of the Royce Translational Centre has positioned the University of Sheffield at the forefront of materials processing research. The facility enables the university to lead in advanced powder manufacturing and processing, transferring knowledge and experience gained from working with industry to small and medium-sized enterprises active in sectors such as healthcare, energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, and engineering supply chains. The RTC serves as an open-access centre of excellence, evolving new materials and processing techniques developed by research teams and making them accessible for trial by industry.