University specialist wins collaboration award  

A manufacturing lecturer from The University of Nottingham has been given an award by the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), in recognition of his work in manufacturing and processing of materials research with two Japanese Universities.

Dr Adam Clare was presented with his Furusato Award at the Japanese Embassy in London, one of only three people in the country to receive the accolade this year. Adam’s award came about as a result of his collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Okayama University, where he worked in non-conventional manufacturing techniques, such as Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM).

The research work which Dr Clare conducted with Professor Okada at Okayama University, focused on looking at what happens to materials when they are processed by electron beam melting. This is especially useful for the manufacture of mould tools for high value products.

Dr Clare has also worked closely with Professor Kunieda of the University of Tokyo. Together they have investigated the effects of electrical discharge machining on single crystal materials. This provides useful information for the future of electrical component manufacture. The results of this work have recently been published in the Journal of Materials Processing Technology.

Commenting about receiving his award, Dr Clare said: “My work, together with colleagues in Japan and Nottingham, is helping to build up an understanding of Electrical Discharge Machining and the effect it has on various materials such as Silicon and alloys suitable for the aerospace and biomedical industries. It will play an important role in helping manufacturers make more informed decisions about the way in which they use non-conventional manufacturing techniques such as EDM and EBM, so that they can optimise their processes.”