Course overview

The essence of industrial wealth generation is the profitable manufacture and marketing of products and processes. The manufacturing environment has to continuously adapt to the ever more discerning expectations of customers and to meet increasing competition. There is a need to exploit developing technologies, advanced manufacturing processes and computer-based techniques with efficient operation and effective management. Manufacturers must meet, by intent, the quality of product and service together with the ready and prompt availability expected by the customer at a price that can be afforded.

Modern manufacturing systems must integrate a wide range of methods, technologies, equipment and people in a flexible manner, to accommodate the anticipated rates of change. Any such system is concerned with the basic specification, associated design and development, and subsequent operation and maintenance of manufacturing and production systems. The processes, machines, people, information flows, controls and organisation structures have to be combined to form a coherent whole with common aims.

The design, operation and management of manufacturing within a total quality system therefore requires engineers with multi-disciplinary skills and the ability to integrate design and manufacture with market need for profit. The MSc in Advanced Manufacturing Technology is specifically designed to meet these needs.

Professionally accredited course that meets the needs of industry

This course has been accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that this degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC).

This accredited degree will provide you with some of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

Course content

This course aims to provide you with the inter-disciplinary knowledge, attributes and skills necessary to apply the principles of advanced manufacturing systems within the manufacturing industry.

You will gain a broad appreciation of materials, processes and techniques, together with the methods used for their evaluation in advanced manufacture, as well as build up an overview of developments in information technology and the ways that software can be applied within manufacturing systems.

The course also explores the full range of benefits that may be achieved through advanced manufacturing technology and the need to match manufacturing techniques with the product, company and the market. It will engender your understanding of the management role in the investigation, implementation and operation of manufacturing systems for efficiency, cost effectiveness and quality of product. It will also encourage you to develop a flexible systems approach to originating, adapting and developing processes and systems to meet changing technological, management, economic and social criteria.

You will study:

• Integrated Manufacturing Systems: systems concepts and techniques are developed in logistics and manufacturing areas with a strong emphasis on simulation techniques and practical case study analysis.
• Operations and Quality Management: a strategic approach is used with modern inventory and supply chain management and logistics tools and techniques. Management strategies are developed for quality, including quality systems and quality control.
• Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes: modern processes and techniques are evaluated, including rapid prototyping/manufacture. Material selection is incorporated with particular emphasis on modern composite materials including eco-friendly options using natural fibres.
• Supply Chain Management: supply chain management involves the coordination of production, inventory, location and transportation, among participants in a supply chain. This unit considers the principles and tools of supply chain management, with an emphasis on lean six sigma methods.
• Virtual Prototyping for Production: a systematic approach is developed for the planning and specification of automated systems with consideration of virtual prototyping tools and techniques. Human factor requirements are critically analysed from ergonomic principles applied to workplace design.
• CAD/CAM Systems: an integrated approach is used towards CAD and CAM. Significant practical hands-on experience is given with commercial level software. Emphasis is placed on case study analysis and system selection and evaluation.
• Individual Project: a strong feature that comprises a third of the course. You will be encouraged to undertake projects where possible in industrial companies. However, we also use our extensive resources and staff skills to undertake them within the University.

Teaching and assessment

You will be taught by a mixture of lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions in conjunction with implementing an individual MSc project. Each unit typically has about 36 hours scheduled for lectures and supervised activities. In addition, you will need to spend significant time in our state-of-the-art laboratories and University Library as well as in private study directed by lecturers.

Lecturers generally spend part of the scheduled time in tutorial sessions to help you with any technical aspects of the taught units. You will also have a personal tutor who can help with any other personal or academic problems, should they arise.

Assessment is geared towards the subject matter in a way that encourages a deeper understanding and allows you to develop your skills. It includes examinations, assessed coursework, a laboratory report and a dissertation, which can often be linked with industry.

Career prospects

This course has a record of almost 100 per cent of students gaining employment in relevant areas. Typical careers followed include:

• manufacturing management (production management, quality management)
• logistics management
• systems engineering (operations, design and maintenance)
• production engineering (developing processes)
• design engineering
• project management

Facilities and features

The School of Engineering provides a range of facilities to support your learning experience. Lectures, tutorials and seminars take place in the well equipped multimedia lecture theatres and classrooms. You will have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art laboratory facilities attached to different research groups to learn specific subjects and to carry out your individual project. It will help you familiarise yourself with industry-standard equipment and software packages.

The aerospace materials research group focuses on deformation, fatigue and fracture of engineering structures and components subjected to in-service loading conditions, particularly for nickel and titanium alloys used in turbine blades and discs in aero-engines. The laboratory provides extensive specialist experimental facilities and advanced modelling capacities for creep, fatigue and oxidation damage.

The biomechanical engineering research group undertakes research into mechanics in artificial joints and musculoskeletal systems. It has a unique hip simulator for in-vitro fatigue testing of acetabular reconstructs and a micro CT scanning system equipped with a loading stage as well as standard biomechanical testing systems.

The design engineering research group is interested in knowledge management for engineering design, including how to capture, store, retrieve and re-use design knowledge. It also works on collaborative design and simulation, where different simulation models may be integrated to solve design problems, as well as design optimisation using the finite element method and hybrid 3D parametric and freedom modelling of complex geometries.

The manufacturing engineering research group focuses on rapid product realisation, optimisation of process parameters, characterisation and optimisation of additive manufacturing, reverse engineering and mass customisation. Facilities include metrology, CAD/CAM integration, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping/tooling/manufacture, production process innovation and implementation, proof of concept and commercialisation, manufacturing systems, lean and agile design and manufacture, virtual manufacturing, discrete event simulation, logistics and supply chain management. It also works on remote monitoring and control of manufacturing machinery and processes. The facilities have been extensively utilised by the Regional Centre for Manufacturing Industry (RCMI) with extensive links with local SME as well as knowledge transfer partnerships with industries.

The polymers and composites research group undertakes R&D on characterisation, formulation, manufacturing, design, testing, repair and structural integrity evaluation of polymers and composites, including thermoplastics, thermosets, coatings, elastomers, adhesives, polymer matrix composites, eco-composites and nanocomposites. It has a well-equipped laboratory with nano-testing (indentation, scratching and impact), thermal characterisation (MDSC, TMA, TGA, DSC, DMA, hotwire and laser flash thermal diffusivity), mechanical and thermal mechanical testing, durability testing, surface properties testing, non-destructive evaluation as well as manufacturing.

The thermo-fluid, petroleum and energy engineering research group is interested in both the development of numerical methods for fluid mechanics, fluid-structure interaction and also the use of CFD for a range of industrial applications. Particular areas of interest include application of CFD to arterial blood flow, simulation of non-Newtonian fluids; simulation of phenomena involving the interaction of acoustic waves and fluid flow, turbulence, chemical mixing, combustion, wave energy device, development of application of the lattice Boltzmann Method. It has advanced computational and modelling software including Abaqus, ANSYS (Fluent), Lattice Boltzmann software, finite volume and finite element analysis.

The University Library

Our extended library is open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time. It provides a variety of information to help with study and research and has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks, which can be accessed across campus, from home or wherever there is an internet connection.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MSc Advanced Manufacturing Technology are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: School of Engineering (ENG)
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 2555
Email: technology.admissions@port.ac.uk