Pioneering University uses Street Crane for heavy lifting

The new Advanced Manufacturing Building incorporates purpose-built teaching spaces, specialist research laboratories and a specialist clean room for the research and development of 3D printed pharmaceutical devices. The building is the home of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IfAM) which brings together the research activities of the Advanced Manufacturing, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing and Polymer Composites research groups under one roof with over 200 academics, researchers and PhD students, providing a focal point for manufacturing innovation.

Professor Svetan Ratchev is the director of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IfAM) and is based at the new centre. He explained: "The new Advanced Manufacturing Building allows us to continue expanding the research portfolio of IfAM andprovides a unique environment for the University to work with manufacturers of all sizes to deliver world class research and transfer the created knowledge into high impact future industrial technologies."

The new facility has created a real buzz and will support start-ups as well as existing businesses, like GSK, BAE Systems and JLR. Currently, the centre is working on a new range of robot mechanics that could transform Rolls Royce's jet engine maintenance operations, helping to improve service for passengers, whilst reducing costs for airline operators.

Gus Zona, Managing Director at Street Crane and explained: "We have worked with many colleges and Universities around the UK as they invest in new specialist manufacturing facilities. As the UK's only manufacturer of overhead cranes, we know the challenges companies face as they seek to compete and win on a global stage. It gives us a real feeling of pride knowing that our products are being used to help build solutions for the energy sector that could prove critical to the future of mankind."

The crane supplied and installed by Street Crane has a lifting capacity of ten tonnes and a span of twenty metres. It is mounted on 37m length rails, allowing it to lift or drop heavy equipment to any part of 700sq. metre laboratory.

The building has achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent' rating, meaning that it meets strict industry standards for eco-efficiency which will help keep running costs low and protect the environment.