Engineering consultancy nC2 expands service as it celebrates the third anniversary of its launch as an Enterprise Unit
Engineering specialists at the University of Southampton have set ambitious targets for quality and growth at an expert consultancy helping sectors select the best coating or materials to prevent degradation.
The nC2 engineering consultancy, which uses the University’s state-of-the-art facilities to simulate abrasive, corrosive or erosive environments, is expanding its services as staff celebrate the third anniversary of its launch as an Enterprise Unit in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
nC2 provides high quality material analysis, failure examinations, characterisation and applied research projects for a variety of industrial sectors including sports, oil and gas, manufacturing, transport and medical.
Recent additions to the consultancy have included improvements in slurry erosion services and a new accelerated weathering chamber for use in environmental testing. The team have also built on a successful industry collaboration to install a one of a kind testing rig that will simulate rail environments.
nC2 has grown its staff numbers and turnover over the past three years, supporting more than 40 companies and completing over 60 projects for clients.
“Our vision is to become the world’s leading supplier of scientific advice to industry,” nC2 Director Nicola Symonds explains. “We intend to expand our team over the next few years with our focus set on sustainability, growth and quality. Our high-end facilities and high-level expertise are ideal for customers seeking solutions in the fields of tribology, surface science and materials engineering, and it’s hugely encouraging to see clients have returned up to seven times to re-use our services. We are now ready to build upon this strong foundation and look forward to working with new customers on our latest services.”
The ambitious Enterprise Unit has significantly increased its capability for slurry erosion services in recent months and has installed a new high energy slurry erosion rig with a maximum 200 m/s jet speed. This is a step change from a previous capability of 30 m/s and makes the University of Southampton stand out from other higher education institutions.
The new QUV/se accelerated weathering tester represents another significant progression for the unit, with the facility complementing existing environmental test chambers which provide cyclic salt spray and humidity tests. The new chamber, purchased from Q-Lab, provides UV exposure to test damage caused by sunlight, which can include colour change, gloss change and cracking. The machine also boasts a condensation feature to simulate dew. The latest UV testing is part of a larger and ongoing test programme with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) to evaluate alternative corrosion resistant coatings compliant with the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation.
Within its applied research services, nC2 has built a longstanding collaboration with Perpetuum Ltd, a global leader in self-powered, wireless diagnostic sensing for the rail environment. From this partnership, staff have recently built a full scale rail axle bearing test rig. “This unique rig is housed at the University and will allow nC2 to carry out applied research and PhD projects to support Perpetuum,” Dr Ilaria Corni explains. “We can then truly optimise rail operations by understanding the relationship between sensor output and materials damage, bringing about a step change from detection to prediction.”
nC2 is one of a suite of Enterprise Units that taps into the University of Southampton’s engineering knowledge, expertise and facilities to solve complex engineering problems.
Find out more about nC2, the engineering consultancy through the nC2 website.