---
title: "£5 million FENDER program to advance electromagnetic inspection of 3D printed metals and critical infrastructure"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/5-million-fender-program-to-advance-electromagnetic-inspection-of-3d-printed-metals-and-critical-infrastructure/
date: 2026-04-17
modified: 2026-04-17
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "A five-university UK research consortium has launched a £5 million ($6.7m) program to develop electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technologies capable of detecting hidden defects in aircraft components, nuclear power systems,..."
categories:
  - "Aerospace AM"
  - "AM Research"
  - "Metal Additive Manufacturing"
  - "Money & Funding"
  - "Research & Education"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FENDER-program-01-640x400.jpg
word_count: 341
---

# £5 million FENDER program to advance electromagnetic inspection of 3D printed metals and critical infrastructure

A five-university UK research consortium has launched a £5 million ($6.7m) program to develop electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technologies capable of detecting hidden defects in aircraft components, nuclear power systems, and metal additive manufacturing (AM) parts.

The Frontiers in Electromagnetic Non-Destructive Evaluation Research (FENDER) program is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and brings together scientists from the Universities of Strathclyde, Manchester, Warwick, Bristol, and Newcastle. 

The aim of the project is to build on existing inspection methods with faster, safer, and more automated alternatives — including [robotic systems capable of inspecting components during the manufacturing process itself](https://www.voxelmatters.com/35-bi-mu-2026-places-robotics-digitalization-and-additive-at-the-core-of-sustainable-industry/).

## Robotics and real-time inspection

![GKN Aerospace and US Air Force Research Laboratory launch $8.4 million TITAN-AM program](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GKN-Aerospace-USAF-TITAN-AM-02-340x213.jpg)

The University of Strathclyde will lead the robotics strand of FENDER, integrating electromagnetic NDE with robotic systems to deliver fully automated inspection. That work will be conducted through the Sensor Enabled Automation, Robotics, and Control Hub (SEARCH) within the university's Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, with support from the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

The Strathclyde team will also investigate the use of augmented and mixed reality (XR) tools to present inspection data to industry in a quantified, accessible format. A key demonstration objective is a robot arm autonomously inspecting a previously unseen complex component, with results viewable remotely in real time via XR.

Dr Ehsan Mohseni, Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering (CUE) at the University of Strathclyde, said: "By combining sensing, modeling and robotics, we can move towards faster, more reliable and more flexible systems that work in environments where existing techniques struggle. Our aspiration is to pave the way in deploying these advances with our industry partners across the engineering sector.”

**Industry engagement and training**

Beyond its research objectives, FENDER will work with industry partners to develop real-world applications and establish a cohort of PhD studentships with strong industrial collaboration, with the aim of training the next generation of NDE engineers.

The program is scheduled to hold a launch event in Manchester on July 9–10, 2026, where industry representatives will be invited to share input and explore opportunities for involvement.