To be ultra-precise...
Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:25:00 BST
Dr Luo is an addition to the University’s world-class precision technology team
THE University of Huddersfield’s global reputation for precision technology has been further enhanced by the arrival of a scientist whose varied research work includes a key contribution to a space telescope that aims to probe the secrets of the universe.
Dr Xichun Luo is newly appointed as Reader in Ultra Precision Manufacturing at the University. Chinese born, he has been UK-based for some 11 years, holding a succession of university-based research posts around the country.
One of his areas of expertise is increasing the accuracy of machine tools which process nano-metrically smooth and precise complex shape surfaces for optical lenses. It was while based at Cranfield University that he was closely involved in the ultra-precise turning of infrared spectrometers destined for the James Webb Space Telescope. Destined for launch in 2018, it is designed to seek out the first galaxies that formed the Universe.
The University of Huddersfield is home to the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing, which headed by several leading researchers in the field of precision technology. Dr Luo will work with his new colleagues in the Centre and continues his own areas of research into fields such as micro-machining, nanotechnology and micro-robotics. One of his goals is to improve the durability of diamond-tipped tools used for cutting large diameter silicon optics.
Dr Luo’s professional career in nano-manufacturing began at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, where he obtained his first PhD. Research in molecular dynamics simulation earned him two national awards. He then relocated to the UK for further study and then embarked on a lecturing and research career.
Explaining his move to Britain, Dr Luo said: “In terms of ultra-precision machining, the UK was at that time way ahead of China so I came here to learn. In certain areas of manufacturing, China has caught up, but in the field of precision machine tools the UK is still ahead of China and rest of world, including the USA.”
