Rotherham hi-tech centre’s £150,000 dark room

EXPERTS at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre are turning to the industry “dark arts” to develop new materials.

The Composite Centre has invested £150,000 in a high-tech loom, allowing them to weave their own, stronger creations.

“Resin transfer moulding is a bit of a dark art,” said Dr Jody Turner, from the centre. “It’s supposed to be a very rapid process, but getting it right can involve trial and error.

“We plan to carry out research that will help us to understand more about why results can be so erratic.”

If successful, they could weave materials with a box or honeycomb structure that would give the composite extra strength.

q DAVID Cameron praised the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre during Question Time in the House of Commons.

The prime minister was responding to an MP’s enquiry about investment in manufacturing in the north.

The AMRC and Nuclear AMRC will benefit from extra funding to the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a consortium of leading centres.

Mr Cameron said this would make a real difference by backing the revival of manufacturing in our country.

He added: “We will be playing our part by investing £10 million in the development of the AMRC in South Yorkshire.”