Sir David McMurtry, the co-founder and executive chairman of global engineering technologies firm Renishaw, has been awarded the prestigious I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Excellence Award 2023. The award was presented at the 72nd CIRP General Assembly held at University College Dublin, Ireland, in recognition of Sir David’s remarkable contributions to innovation and research in advanced manufacturing throughout his illustrious career.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Renishaw’s founding by Sir David McMurtry and John Deer. Renishaw is renowned for its leadership in various engineering fields, including dimensional metrology and metal additive manufacturing (AM).
CIRP, The International Academy for Production Engineering, boasts approximately 600 members worldwide and aims to address contemporary production science and technology issues through global cooperation.
The award was conferred during the annual General Assembly of CIRP, an event that convenes an international network of prominent experts in production engineering from both academia and industry.
The I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, is a collaborative effort involving seven educational institutions, uniting a wealth of industrial expertise in materials science, engineering, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Among its assets is a Renishaw RenAM 500 series metal additive manufacturing system, which has played a pivotal role in doctoral and post-doctoral research endeavors undertaken by I-Form.
These projects encompass various aspects of advanced manufacturing, including novel titanium alloy processing conditions, process monitoring, machine learning, and operator feedback technologies. Renishaw’s steadfast commitment to industry-academia collaboration for advanced manufacturing research and innovation is exemplified through this partnership.
Professor Denis Dowling, director of the I-Form Centre, lauded Sir David McMurtry’s significant contributions to innovation and research since the inception of Renishaw 50 years ago. He emphasized Sir David’s role in advancing the manufacturing sector in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, underlining how investments in innovation and research and development (R&D) by companies like Renishaw have catalyzed progress in the manufacturing industry, resulting in substantial economic and societal benefits.
Will Lee, Chief Executive at Renishaw, expressed the company’s commitment to contributing to global advanced manufacturing research and innovation. He described the award as a great honor for both Sir David and Renishaw and reiterated their dedication to making a positive impact on production engineering worldwide, facilitating customers’ advancements in precision and efficiency in manufacturing.
The award itself was designed and crafted by Dr. Owen Humphreys from the I-Form Centre, featuring a triple spiral symbol reminiscent of those found on some Neolithic tombs, such as the entrance to the Newgrange Stone Age Passage Tomb in Boyne Valley, Ireland, dating back over 5,000 years. The spiral design was 3D-printed using a titanium alloy by Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) with their Renishaw RenAM 500M system. It was then mounted on a mahogany base for the award presentation.