GMG is part of the Advanced Manufacturing Centre located in Mechanical Engineering. Headed by Dr R. J. Cripps, it has its own dedicated well-equipped office, a comprehensive library and a modern working environment. The Group also has access to 3- and 5-axes machining centres that are used in both research and teaching. The Groups research interests are in fundamental aspects of CAD/CAM, with a particular focus on geometry, applied to develop robust solutions to engineering problems in surface modelling and CNC machining. GMG undertakes internationally recognised collaborative research funded by EPSRC and industry and maintains very strong links with our industrial collaborators that include CAD users in the automotive, aerospace and shoe industries along side CADCAM vendors especially Delcam plc.
GMG pioneered the point-based approach to geometric modelling which is underpinned by the generalised cornu spiral (GCS). This allows the construction of high quality curves with specified curvature characteristics.
Current project are focused on:
- CAD/CAM compatible representation of the GCS to enable existing systems to take advantage of the high quality curve definitions.
- Geometric Characterisation of errors in multi-axis machining centres using the Renishaw Ball Bar:
Recent projects have focused on:
- Developability of triangulated surfaces. This has applications in for example the ceramics industry where 2D transfers have to be wrapped onto doubly curved surfaces with minimum distortion.
- Realistic simulation of the true surface finish of 5-axis machining of highly complex parts, for example turbine blades:
Contact
Dr. Robert Cripps
E-mail: r.cripps@bham.ac.uk