| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/L505766/1 |
| Title: |
Embedding Manufacturing Development into Formulation Research (EMFormR) |
| Principal Investigator: |
Simmons, Professor M |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Chemical Engineering |
| Organisation: |
University of Birmingham |
| Scheme: |
Technology Programme |
| Starts: |
10 March 2014 |
Ends: |
09 March 2017 |
Value (£): |
196,041
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Design Engineering |
Manufacturing Machine & Plant |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Johnson Matthey (JM), Unilever (UL) and ITS Ltd have established a project to develop approaches and techniques to
allow manufacturing related information to be gleaned during the development of new formulations. Generally, and
especially for products which contain multiple components, some of which do not mix (e.g. emulsions, creams, slurries,
suspensions), the formulator does not significantly consider the issues that will arise when the new product transfers from
the laboratory into pilot scale trials and finally into full scale manufacturing. Thus the traditional approaches to formulation
develop products at laboratory scale with little or no attention to their "manufacturability".
Not only is this inefficient in terms of research and development, it also leads to sub-optimal manufacturing; higher costs
and higher environmental impact. Compromises on product performance may need to be made to meet market launch
schedules, which may ultimately affect competitiveness and market share. Working with the Universities of Birmingham
(UoB) and Manchester (UoM), the project will address the key issues that have largely precluded gaining meaningful
process information at the laboratory scale.
This project will demonstrate the principles of embedding manufacturing process variable studies into the earliest stages of
product R&D by reducing the scale at which reliable process information can be obtained. Such concurrent productprocess
design will result in a greater innovation capability leading to faster launch of better products with an improved cost
structure and an enhanced capability for continued innovation. The project will thus introduce new techniques for product
and process characterisation, encompassing fluid flow, mixing characterisation, modelling and optimisation techniques and
engineering design. This will provide a framework for defining a process toolbox with the capability to create superior
products and production processes. This involves not only the time honoured issues of scale up but also specific
difficulties of measuring in real time the critical product properties across all scales.
Johnson Matthey and Unilever will apply the outcomes to vehicle emission control catalysts and hair care products respectively.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.bham.ac.uk |