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Just six months after the launch of a new High Performance Compute Cluster (HPCC) at the University of Birmingham researchers can provide automotive and aerospace organisations like Rolls-Royce with the most advanced manufacturing techniques faster. Researchers using the power of the cluster are for the first time processing multiple virtual simulations of manufacturing techniques simultaneously and processing virtual simulations up to ten times faster than using the previous system. This is reducing simulation processing time from hours to minutes. With much greater processing speed available, The University of Birmingham is now providing organisations with valuable research data on welding, casting, heat treatment and forming techniques more quickly. The University is also providing organisations with valuable research data on the performance of manufacturing materials under stress more quickly – for example stretch testing, cracking and general movement. This is helping to reduce the overall cost of manufacturing for organisations. Modern manufacturing methods are vital to organisations like Rolls-Royce in achieving maximum quality while minimising the quantity of often-precious and scarce raw materials,” says Professor Roger Reed, The Department of Metallurgy and Materials, The University of Birmingham. “The HPCC is giving us the ability to virtually quality test modern manufacturing techniques and materials and reduce trial and error based testing. We are looking at ways of improving the performance of manufacturing techniques at lower cost and with greater speed.” The HPCC’s entire design, install and maintenance is provided by OCF, the UK’s premier High Performance Computing integrator. “The HPCC is giving researchers at The University of Birmingham all of the power and storage needed to arm companies with the techniques and processes needed to stay at the forefront of the highly competitive manufacturing market,” says Julian Fielden, managing director, OCF plc. The HPCC consists of a 16 node cluster capable of parallel processing. The HPCC also includes 16 desktop computers – half are IBM IntelliStation A Pro graphical workstations and the other half, Lenovo 3000 J115 desktop PCs. Simulation and modelling software is provided by ESI-Group.