Space with Royce at the University of Sheffield

Welcome to Royce at the University of Sheffield, one of the leading partners for the UK's national institute for advanced materials research and innovation; The Henry Royce Institute.

Welcome to Royce at the University of Sheffield ...

... where the boundaries of space research and development are continuously pushed to new frontiers.

Situated within one of the UK's leading research institutions, the University of Sheffield, we offer a dynamic ecosystem designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and exploration in the realm of space technology.

Our state-of-the-art facilities, coupled with a diverse community of experts spanning disciplines from materials science to aerospace engineering, provide an unparalleled environment for advancing cutting-edge solutions to the challenges of space exploration.

Whether you're seeking to develop next-generation materials for spacecraft or pioneering novel propulsion systems, let us be your launchpad to the cosmos.

We recognise the transformative potential of space research and development in shaping the future of humanity's presence beyond Earth. Our collaborative ethos encourages partnerships with industry leaders, startups, and governmental agencies to drive forward progress in space exploration and technology commercialisation.

With access to a world-class research infrastructure, tailored support services, and a rich network of academic and industry collaborators, we empower businesses to accelerate their innovations and contribute to the collective effort of unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

Case Studies

THE ESA (EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY) COMMISSIONED THE RECREATION OF FINDINGS FROM THE ARIANE 3 UPPER-STAGE HELIUM TANK

Dr Yunus Azakli, Engineering Lead for Materials Discovery and Prototyping, adapted the Arcast SC100 at the Royce Discovery Centre, Sheffield, to drop molten aluminium on to sheets of Ti-6Al-4V and 316L that had been heated by a specially designed mini furnace to recreate the Ariane 3 materials found in 2002 following its re-entry.

Using 3D Printing to help us see into space

Nanosatellites offer a way to greatly increase access to space-based imaging. Whether these telescopes are looking to space for astronomical measurements, or to earth to track climate and weather, the costs are fraction of the large-scale satellites.

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Key Personnel

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Dr Yunus Azakli

Henry Royce Institute Engineering Lead (Materials Discovery & Prototyping)
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Advanced metal processing via melting, casting and thermomechanical treatments.

Email address: y.azakli@sheffield.ac.uk

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Dr Nick Weston

Application Scientist (Advanced Metals Processing) | Henry Royce Institute
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Developing capabilities and understanding limitations of Field Assisted Sintering Technology in order to apply its unique processing capabilities to solve real-world industrial manufacturing problems.

Email address: n.weston@sheffield.ac.uk

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Dr Robert Deffley

Henry Royce Institute Technology Platform Lead (Near Net Shape)
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Email address: robert.deffley@sheffield.ac.uk

Key Equipment

Arc Melting

Royce at the University of Sheffield combines computational material design, high-throughput materials discovery, rapid scale-up, and material property screening, to deliver a step-change in the manner novel materials are developed for specific applications.

Our capabilities support the key technical challenge of innovating processes to efficiently fabricate and test material libraries, whilst simultaneously capturing sufficient information which can be shared with manufacturers to enable rapid deployment to occur.

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Additive Manufacturing

Royce at the University of Sheffield offers a wide range of state-of-the-art additive manufacturing (AM) equipment, hosting open source software with full instrumentation and complete control of the manufacturing process, which are therefore able to optimise for new alloys.

Additive Manufacturing technologies developed through Royce at the University of Sheffield hold the potential to displace existing technologies with reduced material waste and increased part complexity.

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Field Assisted Sintering Technology or Spark Plasma Sintering

Field Assisted Sintering Technology/Spark Plasma Sintering (FAST/SPS) uses a DC electric current to directly heat the mould and/or sample through Joule heating. This direct heating allows high heating rates and low processing cycle times to be achieved. Lower temperatures and mould pressures are also typical compared to conventional hot pressing and sintering techniques.

FAST/SPS offers new possibilities to manufacture numerous materials with potentially extraordinary characteristics. The Type HP D 250/C Furnace is ideal to investigate the scale-up of FAST/SPS for industrial applications.

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