IIT Madras Collaborates with GE to establish India’s first ‘Cold Spray’ SMART Lab

NEW DELHI, APRIL 5: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has established a ‘Cold Spray’ SMART (Surface Modification and Additive Research Technologies) Laboratory in collaboration with General Electric (GE). This is the first of its kind High-Pressure Cold Spray (HPCS) facility being installed in any academic institute in India.

The project is funded under ‘Uchchatar Avishkar Yojana’ (UAY) of the Government of India, which is intended to boost collaboration between academia and private sector. The Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, was the key investor along with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, IIT Madras, and GE.

Speaking about the importance of this collaboration, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, said, “This event signifies one more standard in the evolution of the IITs collaborations with the Industry. The UAY has been successful in drawing the attention of both academia and the industry. The reviews have indicated good progress under this scheme and this facility and the initiative are part of a joint collaboration with GE. This has many applications not just for aviation but many other verticals. I hope some startups come out of this as well.”

Highlighting the benefits to the country from this initiative, Alok Nanda said, “India’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market for civilian aircraft is expected to grow at 7% CAGR from its current value of Rs. 4,800 crore. Currently, 90% of the MRO needs of Indian carriers are done outside India. This program will enable strengthening the MRO ecosystem in the country, help develop advanced technology expertise in the country and skill development of our engineers in additive technology. I am excited about this technology partnership with IIT Madras.”

The collaboration is also aligned with GE’s aim to develop and nurture knowledge of newer technologies for aero-engines and other industries. As part of the collaborative efforts, IIT (Madras) would develop advanced coatings meeting specifications of aerospace standard.

Speaking about this collaboration, Steve Pisani, General Manager-Advanced Services Technologies, GE Aviation, U.S., said, “Our endeavor is to provide impetus to technological development. Scientists at GE are already combining gas dynamic ‘cold spray’ deposition technology with robotics and machine learning to build and repair metal parts using additive manufacturing with greater precision which was never a possibility earlier.”

Cold Spray is an emerging technology for advanced manufacturing & services and will be utilized to co-develop processes for aero-engine applications. This smart technology has application temperatures that are much lower than other thermal-spray and welding processes, which means the distortion and stresses associated with those repair techniques are avoided; leading to longer asset life.