CUTTING edge research will be carried out at the University of Nottingham thanks to a donation by Electronics giant Mitsubishi.
The Japanese firm has donated an Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) machine valued at £250,000.
EDM is a manufacturing process which enables hard metals to be cut using repeated electrical discharges.
The machine will support research into the potential use of the practice for coating components, including aerospace to medical devices.
Professor Svetan Ratchev, director of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing at The University of Nottingham, said: "This EDM machine from Mitsubishi is a welcome addition to the great range of research equipment we already have.
"A number of companies have already shown great interest in EDM technology and how it can potentially be used to improve components manufacture in their industry."
The donation came about as a result of relationships established with the company by manufacturing research specialist Dr Adam Clare from the university's Faculty of Engineering.
Last year, Dr Clare received the Furusato Award at the Japanese Embassy in recognition of his work on EDM techniques at the University of Tokyo and Okayama University.
He said: "Although EDM manufacturing is already being used in a number of industries, its full potential is not fully understood.
"This is an exciting opportunity for researchers here at the University, to gain a better understanding of the potential applications of electrical discharge machining, and I am very grateful to Mitsubishi for donating this machine to us."
Noriaki Himi, group vice president for the Industrial Automation Machinery Marketing Division of Misubishi, said: "It is important for us to work with universities, in order to understand the potential of our EDM technologies.
"The research work which The University of Nottingham team is undertaking, which examines the ways in which specialist coatings can be applied through EDM, is going to be invaluable for us in helping to explore how industry can benefit from the use of EDM and in finding new applications for this technology in future."
To support EDM research, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council also provided a grant of almost £200,000 to the university.
