Scintam secure £224K award from Innovate UK for game-changing aerospace maintenance tool
Scintam Engineering, a University of Nottingham spinout, is proud to announce a significant funding win from Innovate UK alongside the Aerospace Technology Institute to support its latest R&D initiative. The new project, FastEDR Expansion: Enhancing Aerospace Asset Dependability (FEEAD), will see £224K of grant support go towards scaling and refining Scintam’s breakthrough EDM technology (FastEDR) for aerospace maintenance applications.
Building on the success of the FastEDR system, which uses electrical discharge machining (EDM) to safely and efficiently remove seized fasteners, the FEEAD project is focused on transforming how seized fasteners are removed from high temperature areas of jet engines. These fasteners, which are notorious for seizing during operation, have long caused costly delays and component damage during overhauls. Scintam’s solution dramatically reduces the time, cost, and environmental impact of these maintenance operations.
Duncan Kerr, CEO of Scintam, explained:
“We’re delighted to have been selected by the ATI to advance our EDM tools for aerospace applications. The ambition of this next development of our innovative tooling is to have a system that can be applied in virtually all situations where fasteners are seized, avoiding the need for a bespoke fixturing system for every application.”
The new investment will support an 18-month R&D programme, which focuses on three major areas:
- Adaptive fixturing: A universal fixturing system will be developed, improving confidence in the precise location of the toolhead, that can be quickly adapted to a variety of aerospace applications
- Computer vision alignment: Integration of machine vision algorithms will verify the exact alignment of the FastEDR tool in real-time, reducing the need for highly trained operators and improving the reliability of the process.
- Optimised EDM parameters: The project will involve extensive research to optimise EDM parameters specifically for aerospace materials and conditions, ensuring efficient, safe and accurate faster removal.
The innovation also brings significant advancements to the sustainability of the MRO sector. By avoiding the scrapping of serviceable components like titanium compressor spools, FastEDR could prevent up to 32,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2028. This aligns directly with the net-zero ambitions of the aerospace sector and the growing pressure for MRO to reduce environmental impact as global air travel rebounds post-COVID.
Scintam was co-founded in 2021 and continues to grow; this award marking another major milestone in Scintam’s journey, and a vote of confidence for engineering innovation to solve industry challenges. With interest already growing from major MRO providers, FastEDR is poised to become a vital part of the aerospace maintenance toolkit.