Magnomatics embarks on major new project
MAGNOMATICS, the technology company with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy, will be part of a consortium developing new actuators (motors) for primary aircraft control systems.
The project has been funded through an open competition run by the Technology Strategy Board on behalf of the Aerospace Technology Institute. £19m of public funding was provided with a further £11m from industry to support new projects covering a broad spectrum of aerospace technology research.
The consortium is led by Triumph Actuation Systems UK & IOM and also includes Romax Technology and the University of Sheffield.
The project was announced by the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg. He said: “The UK’s aerospace industry is going from strength to strength and helping our economic recovery. We are the number one aerospace industry in Europe and second only to the United States globally.
“I want to ensure the UK remains at the cutting edge of aerospace innovation, which is why I am pleased to announce that we are investing £154m for research to explore new technologies like the 3D printing of plane parts and creating lighter, greener aircraft.
“By working in partnership with business, we are building a stronger, more balanced economy, creating more jobs and sharing the wealth equally.”
Chris Kirby, CEO of Magnomatics, a University of Sheffield spinout business which works across sectors including automotive, marine and aerospace, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this funding which will enable us to further develop our novel light-weight and fault tolerant actuator motors. Modern aircraft are replacing hydraulic systems where possible and Magnomatics’ advanced technology is able to deliver the demanding characteristics required for safety critical actuation of flight surfaces.”
The Electro-Mechanical-Magnetic Actuator Systems (EMMAS) project aims to create safer, quieter, more-reliable electro-mechanical actuator designs, containing electronics suitable for extreme environments (wide temperature ranges, and high vibration).
