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Ultra Precision Microscopy and Machining Facility

The Precision Manufacturing Centre’s new Ultra Precision Microscopy and Machining facility has been opened by David Wallace, International and Innovation Director at the East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA).

A £760,000 grant from EMDA and funding from other collaborators has enabled PMC to purchase the Zeiss NVision 40 with Focused Ion Beam (FIB) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). This facility allows PMC to produce nano-scale machining and material deposition, with experienced technicians able to watch the entire process in real time. It is the first installation in the UK solely for micro-fabrication and has so far found applications in advanced photonics, cancer research and micro-fluidics.

The facility is being used to support local companies in developing innovative products and processes with this new technology. It can be used for a wide variety of applications, including material characterisation, thickness verification, tribological structure analysis, nano-patterning, fabrication of micro/nano features for embedded sensors, optics, MEMS, etc. It is particularly relevant for biomedical, pharmaceutical, automotive and aerospace companies.

David Wallace watching the EMDA logo being machined