Instrument Design Technology

Instrument Design technology (IDT) was the idea of ex-Daresbury Laboratory engineer Paul Murray. As well as working on the Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS) at Daresbury, Paul had five years’ experience with the Advanced Photon Source (APS), the US equivalent of the SRS. 

IDT now has ten staff and exports worldwide to countries including the USA, Australia, Switzerland, Spain, Canada and France.

IDT provides the world's accelerator science community with design, build and test of state-of-the-art mechanical precision instrumentation together with a project management resource. 

It has a history of working in a range of scientific fields (including high energy physics and astronomy) but specialises in synchrotron beamline instrumentation. 

The Problem

The early problem for IDT was how to bridge the gap from providing consultancy in synchrotron instrumentation to how to manufacture a completely new range of products in a market for large synchrotrons as well as the new family of medium sized machines. 

The challenge

In order to do this, IDT required key grants provided through the Daresbury Innovation Centre.  A SMART grant enabled it to design and test a bespoke goniometer which it integrated into key optical instruments for the market.

A DTI Global Watch grant enabled a member of staff to spend 6 months in the US at the APS learning how to use the Epics software, the global language of synchrotrons.  This enabled IDT to bid for larger beamline projects.

The company has been supported through the Innovation Centre in seeking a second SMART grant to develop new technology (a small KB [Kirkpatrick-Baez] mirror-bender system) which will help them penetrate a new market within the global synchrotron community.  They have already sold two such systems – one to the Diamond facility at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory on the Harwell Science & Innovation Campus, and one to the Australian Synchrotron Project.

Solution

Co-location with Daresbury Laboratory, the world’s first Synchrotron Light Source with world leading on-site expertise has enabled IDT to travel up this rapid growth curve. Facilities such as SuperClean and pump shop within the Daresbury Laboratory have also added to the highly specialised blend of services available.

Being based at Daresbury also provides an opportunity for IDT to be at the heart of exciting developments within the Cockcroft Institute (the UK National Centre for Accelerator Science) as well as tapping into the valuable sources of funding and advice through the Daresbury network.

The Benefits

Now the company sources manufacturing out to companies within the North West of England and carries out processing, integration, assembly and testing in its laboratory at the Daresbury Innovation Centre. 

Paul Murray also cites the superb Daresbury Innovation Centre accommodation as the key reasoning behind the company’s move from Manchester.   The laboratory / workshop space coupled with the superb quality offices have provided the perfect mix.

In addition, UKTI support has enabled the company to seek free web consultancy and develop a market research capability.

The Daresbury Network has also put the company in touch with a local university, (Liverpool John Moores University) providing links to skilled PhD and MSc students as a pool of skilled labour. The company has also taken on the Shell Step Scheme for students.

So what does the future hold for IDT?  The company seeks to develop its existing market and remain competitive as one of only three companies in the world offering this kind of expertise.  With a developing global market and major blue chip negotiations underway in the UK, it is set to do just that.