Feasibility of capturing crafts-based knowledge in an AI system to automate precision surface manufacturing

Part of EPSRC Network Plus: Industrial Systems in the Digital Age Research Grant
The project aims to demonstrate a way of capturing craft expertise in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system so that this knowledge can be stored for future use in an autonomous manufacturing cell. The context of the investigation is the manufacture of precision and ultra-precision surfaces, for products such as lenses and mirrors, semiconductors, turbine blades, moulds and dies and prosthetic joint and cranial implants, which are in increasing demand, and subject to ever more stringent specifications. These products are required by many high-value manufacturing sectors, including aerospace and automotive, consumer products, healthcare, defence and space.