International Research Collaboration for Manufacture of Plastics and Polymers

International collaboration is a cornerstone of almost all scientific research; the opportunity to share techniques, expertise, and ideas is essential to discovery and development. To no surprise, 3D printing is no exception to this rule. In a recent example of this, The University of Leeds, UK, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, have furthered their scientific collaboration with the announcement of a new project intending to study how machine learning can be combined with 3D-printed reactors. They hope that this could lead to the development of high-quality polymers and plastics.

This 3D printing research project was originally carried out at Leeds; its equivalent parts are now under construction and preliminary tests at KIT. The collaboration involves lots of international travel and back-and-forth: a PhD researcher from KIT has spent time in Leeds to learn about the software and techniques. They will then use these technologies to make 3D printed parts at KIT, to then be tested back in Leeds. The two institutions began collaborating many years ago, and in 2019 signed a Memorandum of Understanding as a symbol of their commitment to the strengthening of international cooperation and research. They have a number of different projects together, from studies in climate change, AI and robotics, advanced materials, and data analysis.

3D printed reactors such as this one can be used for flow chemistry – when a chemical reaction is run continuously as opposed to in batches. (Photo credit: Reaction Chemistry Engineering, 2020,5, 728-735)

Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice-President for Transfer and International Affairs at KIT, said: “The University of Leeds is a very important partner of KIT in the UK and Europe. This is reflected by the large range of topics covered by our increasingly close collaboration in research, academic education and transfer.”