department/unit: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Materials Science Department
services: UPC research centers offer both knowledge and knowhow, as well as access to state-of-the-art equipment needed for the correct development of research and industrial projects. We can offer from technical advice to turn-key projects and partnerships for long-term research-based technology development. Most of our services includes design of software, hardware, materials, products and processes for their optimum production
previous experience: UPC is the top university and third institution in Spain in terms of income from the EC for H2020 funded projects. Some examples aligned with cultural and creative sector are: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING: We are partner in the AMITIE European Project focused in the reinforcement of European capacities in the additive manufacturing (AM) field. AMITIE will promote fast technology transfer and enable as well training of AM experts from upstream research down to more technical issues. This will provide Europe with specialists of generic skills having a great potential of knowledge-based careers considering present growing needs for AM industry development. We are developing a new concept of smart factory for the future based on 3D AM technologies (i.e. powder bed methods, robocasting, etc.) and their possible hybridization together or with subtractive technologies (e.g. laser machining). It will allow for the production of parts whose dimensions, shapes, functionality and assembly strategies may be tailored to address today’s key technological issues of the fabrication of high added value objects. A VIRTUAL ‘TAILOR’ THAT TELLS YOU YOUR SIZE WHEN YOU PURCHASE CLOTHES ONLINE: We have developed, together with an European consortium under the MORPHEOSPROJECT project, the world’s first system that can guarantee absolute precision in taking measurements of the human body so that online clothes buyers can choose the right size for themselves. The introduction of this system and the application ‘ISizeYou’ will allow online fashion outlets to significantly reduce the number of returns due to wrong sizes and, as a result, the costs generated by this process. SOFTWARE FOR ROUTING and MULTIMODAL – MY-TRAC: We have developed specific software for routing that improves the quality of data by keeping databases clean, prevents duplicates, and allows different data sources to merge and process their data in real time. Based on this experience, we are collaborating in MY-TRAC, an European project focused on the research and development of user-centered services to improve the multimodal passenger experience. This helps citizens develop greater confidence and adherence to multimodal transport services. UPGRADING OF OPAQUE PET INTO INNOVATIVE MATERIALS. REVALPET. New plastic bottles in opaque PET (polyethylene terephtalate) cannot be mixed to those of transparent-PET-based because of a loss of properties and the obtained material cannot be recycled anymore. The occurrence of these new packaging creates a threat for the recycling industry. Together with the rest of partners we are developing a new eco-friendly procedure in which the properties of the opaque PET are improved by different technologies such as compatibilization and confinement of the fillers present in the opaque PET.
