Professor Tim Claypole MBE, founder and Director of WCPC, which is based within the College of Engineering at the University’s Bay Campus, has been appointed as the Haydale Supported Chair in Advance Manufacture by Printing.  Professor Claypole took up the role on 1^st July 2016.

Haydale Ltd, which is housed in a purpose-built facility at Parc Hendre in Ammanford, is focused on enabling technology for the commercialisation of graphene and other nano-materials, in fields such as inks, sensors, 3D printing, energy storage, composites, paints, and coatings.

‌‌Haydale already has existing links with the WCPC and the new Professorial Chair appointment will provide Haydale with a dedicated ink and coating service capability, to assist the company in developing and commercialising their inks together with on-going research, formulation, and rheology.

The University’s College of Engineering will also appoint a new Professor to provide additional leadership capability in the area of functional coatings, as part of the new agreement with Haydale.

Ray Gibbs, Chief Executive O‌fficer at Haydale Ltd, said:

“I am pleased that we are sponsoring this Chair which is a natural progression of our existing relationship with the WCPC. We have already achieved good results with our graphene based inks and derivatives of it such as the patent applied for pressure sensor.

This appointment will assist us in the commercialisation of our graphene enhanced conductive inks as Tim has a worldwide reputation in the ink, printing and coating world.”

Professor Tim Claypole (pictured), the Haydale Supported Chair in Advance Manufacture by Printing, said:

“The WCPC is focused on collaboration with industry. This development strengthens our relationship with Haydale, which has been built up over many years.

This new Chair reinforces our position as a World leading Centre for Advanced Manufacture by Printing working with companies who are at the leading edge of technology.

This collaboration will lead to the creation of more innovative products, with economic benefits including well paid jobs.

Our relationship with Haydale is helping the WCPC engage with industry worldwide, especially in Asia and South America, as well as in Europe.”

‌Professor Steve Brown, Head of the College of Engineering at Swansea University, said:

“This new relationship forged between the WCPC, College of Engineering and Haydale Ltd is a prime example of how academia and industry can work together to drive innovation, economic growth, and entrepreneurship in the region and beyond – and precisely what our new Bay Campus, recognised as one of Europe’s leading knowledge economy projects, is designed and equipped to support.

The world-leading Engineering expertise available at Swansea will offer Haydale enhanced capacity and research expertise, to support their company to rapidly develop commercial products with the application of graphene and carbon nano-materials, and we look forward with interest to the successful outcomes of this new relationship in the near future.”