The award, presented at the 72nd CIRP General Assembly hosted at University College Dublin, Ireland, recognises Sir David’s outstanding contribution to innovation and research in advanced manufacturing over many decades.
This year marks 50 years since Sir David and John Deer founded Renishaw, which is an industry leader in a range of engineering fields, including dimensional metrology and metal additive manufacturing (AM).
CIRP, The International Academy for Production Engineering, includes around 600 worldwide members with the aim to address scientifically, through international co-operation, issues related to modern production science and technology. The award was presented during the organisation’s General Assembly — an annual event that brings together an international network of leading experts in production engineering from across academia and industry.
The I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, is a partnership between seven educational institutes, which brings together a nationwide pool of industrial expertise in materials science, engineering, data analytics and artificial intelligence.
The Centre includes a Renishaw RenAM 500 series metal additive manufacturing system, which has played a key role in doctoral and post-doctoral research projects carried out by I-Form. These include projects related to the development of novel titanium alloy processing conditions, process monitoring, machine learning and operator feedback technologies. This partnership demonstrates Renishaw’s strong commitment to industry-academia collaboration for advanced manufacturing research and innovation.
Professor Denis Dowling, Director of the I-Form Centre, said, “The I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Excellence Award recognises the significant contribution that Sir David McMurtry has made to innovation and research since Renishaw was established 50 years ago. It also reflects his contribution to advancing the manufacturing sector in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. The investment in innovation and research and development (R&D) from companies such as Renishaw, has helped to drive advancement in the manufacturing industry and result in substantial economic and societal benefits.”
“We pride ourselves on contributing to the global advanced manufacturing research and innovation industry”, said Will Lee, Chief Executive at Renishaw. “This is a great honour for Sir David and Renishaw, and our aim is to be able to continue making a positive impact on production engineering around the world, helping our customers to make advancements in their ability to manufacture their products accurately and efficiently.”
The award was designed and assembled by Dr. Owen Humphreys from the I-Form Centre. It includes the triple spiral symbol, which is similar to that found on some Neolithic tombs, such as the entrance to the Newgrange Stone Age Passage Tomb in Boyne Valley, Ireland. This tomb dates back over 5,000 years. The spiral design for the award was 3D-printed using a titanium alloy by Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR), using their Renishaw RenAM 500M system. This alloy was then mounted onto a mahogany base prior to the award presentation.
