News

The Welding Institute congratulates Matthew Wadge on being awarded the Armourers and Brasiers’ Final Year PhD Student Award, 2020!

Matthew Wadge is a final year PhD student in Biomedical Materials at the University of Nottingham, studying the manufacture and characterisation of solution-generated titanate structures for biomedical applications.

Matthew’s extensive academic background comprises knowledge of materials engineering, bioengineering and biomedical science, including further knowledge in cell and microbiology, mathematics and chemistry.

Along with his academic accomplishments, Matthew has also produced an impressive selection of published academic papers throughout his PhD, with multiple citations.

Whilst undertaking his PhD, Matthew has also been involved with the promotion of science through his role as a STEM Outreach Ambassador at the Pint of Science festivals (2017-2020). Through his role at this event, Matthew’s main aim has been to bridge the gap between society and research institutions by engaging with both science and non-science students and individuals.

Matthew’s work and experience throughout his studies as a final year PhD student illustrates his worthiness of being the recipient of the Armourers and Brasiers’ Final Year PhD Student Award 2020!

Read more about the Armourers and Brasiers’ Final Year PhD Student Award here!

As you are aware there are a number of new medical facilities being built at ExCel London as well as two other Field Hospitals in Manchester and Birmingham to treat patients with COVID-19.

Under normal operations, engineers and technicians work quietly in the background. With such unprecedented circumstances before us, this is no-longer the case. The effective delivery of clinical care will only be achieved if engineers and technicians work alongside their clinical counterparts.

We have been approached by The Royal Academy of Engineering and NHS England to ask for volunteers to help with a range of engineering requirements that will enable them to continue to deliver frontline services.

Time is of the essence and it is likely that volunteers will be needed on site and in the regional hospitals within the week, if not within the next few days. We have been asked to share this letter along with a job description. Within the letter is a link to a form which volunteers must complete to register their skills and offer. The Royal Academy of Engineering has agreed to maintain this database but selection will be made by the NHS Team based on need.

On behalf of NHS England and The Welding Institute, thank you for your commitment to our profession and all that is stands for, in these extraordinary times.

The Welding Institute would like to congratulate David Hews on his appointment as our new West Midlands Branch Secretary.

Branch Secretary is a vital role which ensures that our branches are able to operate effectively and productively. The role varies depending on the location of the branch, however, the position primarily entails supporting the Chairperson of the branch to ensure the smooth running of all branch related activities.

To find out more about what it means to be Branch Secretary or to find out about our branches click here.

The Welding Institute’s Northumbria Branch has welcomed its new chairman, Stuart Banks.

The Branch Chair plays a strategic role in representing the vision and purpose of The Welding Institute. They ensure that the committee functions effectively to allow the organisation of the branch to meet the needs of its Members. Overall, they hold a significant place in ensuring the success of Branches through allowing them to work cohesively with The Welding Institute.

To find out more about what it means to be a Branch Secretary or to find out more about our Branches click here.

The annual ‘Defect Detectives’ educational outreach event was hosted by TWI Ltd at its Cambridge site for a third year. The event was jointly organised, with Matt Haslett, our Younger Members Committee Chairman, representing The Welding Institute in inspiring the young minds of the year 5 pupils from Fulbourn Primary School by bringing STEM subjects to life.

The 50 year 5 pupils were tasked with an activity involving robotic inspection using Lego Mindstorms EV3 Kits and programming equipment. The students worked in small teams of 4 to 5 with volunteer experts from TWI Ltd and NSIRC helping them out. The aim was to build and program a robot which could detect defects along a simulated weld line.

Their work was put to the test at the end of the day with a final competition consisting of the students’ robots travelling along a simulated weld line, fitted with defects, to test how successfully and accurately the robots could detect the defects.

Categories and winners:

Best design – Dare to Create

Best teamwork – NEVFF

Top Team – Dixie

The Welding Institute congratulates all pupils who took part in the competition for their enthusiasm towards their work!

Educational outreach days like this allow young pupils to understand real life applications of engineering and what it actually means to be an engineer. It allows the stereotypes and misconceptions of the engineering industry to be challenged by young minds as they are given the opportunity to see the extent of the engineering industry, all whilst promoting teamwork and design skills.

The successful event was jointly organised by Catherine Condie, Matt Haslett, Gabriela Gallegos and Ameni Lounissi with the support of 20 volunteers from TWI.

The event was organised in association with TWI, Granta Centre, NSIRC volunteers, and the Tipper Group, including support from the UK Robogals series. Cambridge Launchpad, a movement that aims to inspire people into STEM careers, were responsible for organising the ‘Defect Detectives’ engineering challenge.

The Welding Institute is pleased to announce that TWI Team Manager, Miles Weston is the recipient of the Young Engineer Award 2020!

The Young Engineer Award is awarded to an individual aged under 40 who has contributed significantly to the advancement of welding technology throughout the five years preceding the year of the award. The annual award was introduced by ESAB (UK) in recognition of Leslie Lidstone, who was a managing director for the company and whose work significantly contributed towards the welding industry within the UK and Sweden.

TWI’s Miles Weston has been awarded the Young Engineer’s Award due to his work and experience within the past five years. This includes his progression from the role of Project Leader to Team Manager at TWI. Within these roles, Miles has led and managed the development of an advanced inspection technique, leading to the technique now being developed with multiple sector industrial collaborators to standardise and accept it. Miles has also contributed to the development of students through his involvement with students at Strathclyde University where he takes on the role of a PhD external examiner. This, combined with the 17 journal publications (with over 90 citations) that he has produced, exemplified Miles as a worthy recipient of the Young Engineer Award.

Find out more about the Young Engineer Award here.

The Richard Dolby Rolls-Royce Prize 2020 has been awarded to TWI Project Leader Madie Allen.

The Richard Dolby Rolls-Royce Prize is awarded biennially, by The Welding Institute’s Younger Members Committee, to an individual who has demonstrated success in, and enthusiasm for, welding, joining and/or materials engineering within the first five years of finishing their full time education.

The award is judged based upon a technical report that candidates have submitted, along with a short presentation on the project subject.

Madie Allen is a PhD student, in coordination with NSIRC and Brunel University and received the award for her project, ‘Predicting the microstructure of metal additively manufactured parts.’ This project looked at the wide-scale adoption of additive manufacturing and aimed to help address the associated issues with this technique through developing and validating numerical models that can predict the microstructure of metal additively manufactured parts.

The Welding Institute congratulates Madie Allen for her work and commitment in receiving the Richard Dolby Rolls-Royce Prize 2020.

To find out more about the Richard Dolby Rolls Royce Prize click here.

The Outstanding Personal Contribution Award was established in memory of Harry Brooker, an engineer who, during the 1930s, played an important role in introducing low temperature silver brazing alloys into British industry. The award is sponsored by Johnson Matthey plc where, later in his career, Harry Brooker became a Chief Executive and Managing Director.

During his time at Johnson Matthey plc, Harry Brooker encouraged and promoted research with The Welding Institute on resistance welding of aluminium. Harry Brooker’s work and support of the joining industry is the basis for the Outstanding Personal Contribution Award, with recipients needing to demonstrate their personal contribution to the science, technology and industrial exploitation of materials joining.

The award commends an individual who has demonstrated high industrial research or educational responsibility positively and beneficially to encourage the advancement of materials joining technology.

The winner of the Outstanding Personal Contribution Award 2020 is Professor Jicai Feng, who works for the Chinese Institute for Welding. Professor Feng has been awarded the Outstanding Personal Contribution award due to his commitment towards industry development related to joining processes. Professor Feng has both a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) and a Masters of Engineering (MEng) degree. He achieved a PhD from the University of Osaka and was briefly the president of the China Welding Society. His experience and work underline the significant impact that he has had, including:

• Inventing over 190 Chinese patents
• Managing projects involving producing solutions associated with joining dissimilar materials in industrial applications
• Research focused on the joining of dissimilar materials including joining ceramics with metals and dissimilar metals, using processes including brazing, welding brazing and diffusion bonding
• Publishing over 450 SCI-indexed papers

The Welding Institute would like to congratulate Professor Jicai Feng on winning the Outstanding Personal Contribution Award.

To find out more about the Outstanding Personal Contribution Award please click here.

The Wales Skillweld Competition 2020 was hosted by Neath College on 6 February, 2020. 

This first stage of the competition is called the Passive Heat round and involves candidates completing a list of welding geometry. This round is an excellent opportunity for candidates to gain both practical and competition experience which, in turn, will help them in future rounds of the competition including the National Qualifiers and National Finals.

Candidates of the Wales Skillweld competition were tasked to complete four weld types. The first involved using the welding process of MAG to produce a tee fillet plate in the PF welding position. The second task was to use the MMA welding process to weld pipe to plate in a PB welding position. The third task involved using the TIG welding process to produce a tee fillet plate in the PC welding position. The final task was to use the TIG welding process to weld pipe to pipe in a PC position.

Judges of the competition have commented on the high levels of skill displayed by competitors at this first level and said that it was a promising start for many candidates for when they entered the higher rounds. They commended the overall production of good quality weldments and noted that all competitors should be proud of their accomplishments.

The Skillweld Competition is an excellent way for a new generation of welders to develop their skills and learn from experienced personnel within the welding field.

Click here for more details and to apply.

The Skillweld Competition 2020 is now open for registrations! 

What is The Skillweld Competition? 

This Skillweld Competition has been created to assess the skills of trainee welders in three manual fusion processes. They will be required to complete and produce four weld tests. 

The aim of the Skillweld Competition is to promote the development of a skilled workforce that will be equipped to meet the needs of the UK welding industry. It is an excellent opportunity for students and trainee welders to learn new skills and gain hands-on experience of the practical application of these welding processes.

The main objectives of the Skillweld Competition are:

To help trainee welders develop their welding skills in a competitive and pressurised environment 

• To encourage trainee welders to be inspired about their future careers in welding
• To test trainee welders’ knowledge and skills against a set criteria
• To encourage employers/training providers to reflect on their own apprenticeship schemes and training programmes 

Why should employers/training providers get involved?

Through allowing your employees/learners to compete in the Skillweld Competition, you are enhancing their experience and knowledge within welding and therefore also investing in the future of industry. 

Closing date for competition entries is 27th March, 2020.

To find out more about the Skillweld Competition, click here!

Click here to enter!