SMEC to develop the future of sustainable metal casting
How can Sweden retain cutting-edge expertise in metal casting while transitioning towards net zero? SMEC brings together industry, academia and research institutes in a joint national initiative to develop the materials, processes and skills of the future.
The automotive and manufacturing industries are in the midst of a technological shift. Electrification, new manufacturing methods and growing demands for circularity are changing both material choices and production processes. At the same time, industry needs to reduce emissions and resource use without compromising productivity or competitiveness.
Against this backdrop, SMEC (Swedish Manufacturing and Engineering Center) is being developed as a joint initiative by the Swedish Foundry Association and Jönköping University’s School of Engineering. The ambition is to create a national platform where companies, academia and research institutes can jointly develop, test and demonstrate new materials, processes and components.
– SMEC is unique because we bring together the entire value chain – academia, research institutes and industry – on a common national platform. For Sweden to remain competitive, we need to bring together knowledge, infrastructure and expertise in a concerted national effort, says Toni Bogdanoff, CEO of SMEC and Assistant Professor at the Department of Materials and Manufacturing.
A faster route from research to industry
A central part of SMEC is the opportunity to test and validate new technologies in advanced demonstration environments. Companies can gain access to research infrastructure, AI, simulation and full-scale testing without having to build all the necessary capabilities themselves.
This can both reduce risks and shorten the path from research and development to industrial application.
– The greatest innovations often emerge when different areas of expertise come together. Industry understands the real-world challenges, academia contributes new knowledge, and research institutes help turn research into practical solutions. Together, we can develop, test and validate technologies that no single organisation could achieve on its own, says Toni Bogdanoff.
In the longer term, the initiative aims to contribute to improved processes, lower rejection rates, more efficient use of materials and more products based on recycled materials. At the same time, SMEC will help build long-term expertise through industry-oriented research and education.
Circularity and resilience on the path to net zero
SMEC also has a clear link to Net Zero Industry’s mission. Metal casting is energy-intensive, but it also offers significant potential for circularity, as metals such as aluminium, iron and steel can be recycled many times.
A key challenge is to increase the proportion of recycled material while ensuring the required quality, performance and service life. Advances in process control, quality assurance, electrification and digitalisation can make a significant difference. Reducing melting losses and rejected components, as well as improving energy and material efficiency, are other important areas.
But the transition is not only about reducing emissions. Retaining critical expertise and production capabilities in Sweden is also a matter of resilience.
– A country that loses its process expertise becomes dependent on other countries, even if product development remains at home. SMEC therefore strengthens both the climate transition and the resilience of Swedish industry by helping to retain critical expertise and production capabilities in Sweden, says Toni Bogdanoff.
EFFECT laid the foundations
An important foundation for SMEC has been EFFECT, a project funded by Net Zero Industry. Through the project, industry, academia and research institutes have come together around the development of sustainable casting processes and a national demonstration environment.
The work has helped identify the industry’s technical needs, develop a common roadmap and define the technologies and capabilities required. In this way, EFFECT has helped move the initiative from vision towards implementation.
– EFFECT showed the way. With SMEC, we are taking the next step and creating a long-term national platform for research, education, demonstration and industrial development, says Toni Bogdanoff.
In the longer term, the ambition extends beyond establishing a physical demonstration environment. For Toni Bogdanoff, SMEC is ultimately about building Sweden’s long-term capacity to develop and industrialise the technologies of the future.
Ten years from now, he hopes that SMEC will have become the natural national hub for metal casting and helped develop a new generation of researchers, engineers and industry leaders with the expertise needed to drive the transition forward.