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New Professor in Institute for Manufacturing

Professor Ian Hutchings has recently joined the Department as the new GKN Professor of Manufacturing Engineering. Ian Hutchings' main research interest is in the engineering of surfaces. "Surface engineering includes painting, coatings and electroplating. The points at which components fit together are of central importance and you might also want to change surface properties. For instance, the surface topography can be modified to alter lubrication properties, the aesthetics, optical reflectivity, the 'feel' of the surface or even its biological response. For example, by tailoring the shape of medical implants you can increase their biological compatibility.

He is interested in applying this science of surface engineering to a manufacturing context. "There are ways in which we could reduce the friction between two surfaces without using a liquid lubricant: there are some interesting possibilities of using ultrasonics. I am also interested in using 'MEMS' (micro-electro-mechanical systems) in the context of surface engineering. Engineers are beginning to think of ways in which changing the feel of a surface can provide tactile feedback. For instance changes in the feel of a steering wheel could be used to alert a driver to some information about the way a car is behaving."

A Fellow of St John's College, where he was tutor to engineering students for thirteen years, he also has strong links with local industry in his role as Chairman of St John's Innovation Centre Ltd. "This was the first Innovation Centre in the UK and has been extremely successful. The services it provided to start-up companies are now used as a model by other similar ventures, and we are often called upon for advice."

Ian's first degree was in Physics, and he maintains strong links with the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at Cambridge, where he was based for twenty three years after completing his PhD.

For further information, please contact Professor Ian Hutchings, T:01223 765217,email: imh2@cam.ac.uk.