In 2016, Dr Rajesh Ransing, Associate Professor in the College of Engineering at Swansea University, was awarded an Industrial Fellowship. These Royal Academy of Engineering fellowships strengthen links between universities and industry as well as encouraging new collaborative partnerships.
Dr Rajesh Ransing’s Industrial Fellowship saw him collaborate with Polycast Ltd on research to improve the productivity levels at metal-casting foundries manufacturing turbocharger components. He used knowledge that he had gained in developing 7-Epsilon – a seven-step process to eradicate defects in manufacturing. By gathering data from international foundries, he was able to help Polycast apply an evidence-based approach to reducing production losses when working with super alloys subjected to very high operating temperatures.
Dr Ransing says that “The fellowship support means that I can now confidently transfer practical insights to students and prepare them to put across evidence-based research ideas to technical directors in industry.”
He learnt about the latest developments in FMEA (failure modes and effect analysis) and how the system can interface with graph-based deep-learning algorithms. This has led to a new Royal Academy of Engineering funded project, under the Transforming System through Partnership grant scheme, titledSmart manufacturing and product development in connected environmentsin conjunction with a South African university.
Dr Ransing says “If I am able to connect my deep-learning research with an FMEA-based knowledge repository for industry, then I’d like to use conversational AI, like Alexia- or Siri-style systems, to converse with process engineers and help them solve process improvement problems.
Industrial Fellowships
The Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellowships scheme enables mid-career academics and industrialists to undertake a collaborative research project in either an industrial or academic environment, where one party would host the other.
The scheme aims to strengthen the strategic relationship between industry and academia by providing an opportunity to establish or enhance collaborative research between the two parties.
