The Swedish Manufacturing R&D Clusters; geometry och quality

The Swedish Manufacturing R&D Clusters is an organisation with the objective to identify and initiate common areas for research that will strengthen the competitiveness of all manufacturing companies in Sweden. In 2020 RISE was commissioned to coordinate the clusters that at the same time have broadened their target group to all companies with manufacturing in Sweden.

Today there are eight clusters focusing on different manufacturing expert areas. Four of the clusters cover manufacturing processes and four clusters cover areas that support all manufacturing processes.

Effective geometry and quality assurance in product design and manufacturing are a prerequisite for achieving customer satisfaction; this also reduces the risks of late adjustment costs, delays, and warranty costs. In a total perspective, it also involves sustainability, Geometry, and Quality Assurance aims to produce less scrap and provide more accuracy in product and processes. A critical enabler is the standards for specification and verification and that they are understood and interpreted equally by all involved.

Priority research​ areas:

Product and process specifications and requirement management

• Managed model-based 3D engineering (MBD, PMI, GD&T, etc.)
• Smart manufacturing enabling standards (GPS, STEP, etc.)
• Requirement decomposition and dependency management
• Specifications with a balance between function, quality, and cost
• Tolerance analysis on components, in-process parts, and assemblies
• Surface characteristic and specification with correlation to function.

Tools and methods for measurement and quality planning

• Simulation-driven engineering (inspection engineering, process analysis, and visualization)
• Measurement planning (method simplifications, control plan integration, and communication)
• Quality management systems (APQP, PPAP, IATF 16949, etc.)
• Cost models for quality deficiencies.

Verification technologies and quality control

• Tactile and optical measurement, cleanliness verification, non-destructive testing (NDT), leak testing
• Characterization of material properties, mechanism kinematics, dynamics, acoustics
• Measurement result analysis, visualization, and communication
• Uncertainty assessment – measurement method and MSA
• Self-calibration.

What is the advantage of participating in a cluster?

The aim is to develop economically and environmentally sustainable manufacturing systems capable of effectively providing the market with the innovative products of the future. Through the cluster's working methods, we strengthen Sweden's continued success as a sustainable industrial nation. You can win this by participating:

• New valuable contacts for cooperation.
• A support for own strategic research and development work.
• Opportunity to set a strong common agenda with national and international influence.  
• Early information and invitations to project cooperation.

Clustermembers:

​Sandvik Coromant, NEVS, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, SAAB Group, Scania, Volvo Group, Volvo Cars, Husqvarna Group, Hexagon, Väderstad, Valmet, Tetrafix, ​Lidhs, Lars Hammare Utbildnings AB, Cascade, KTH.

The cluster welcomes more companies! For more information, contact Helena Björk.