Innovation Discussed Podcast – Episode 15 (2025)
Live from Manufacturing and Engineering North East
For our final live podcast recording of 2025, we were at the Manufacturing & Engineering North East show in Newcastle. It was a brilliant opportunity to step out of the office and connect with the industry in person.
Recording at the Vertu Motor Arena, Mark Daniels and Adam Sells were joined on stage by Alan Scholes, Chief Technology Officer at the Materials Processing Institute. The MPI acts as a vital bridge between academic research and commercial application.
The conversation focused on the challenge of scaling up. Alan noted that while universities often perfect the product in a beaker, the industry needs to master the processing to produce it by the tonne. This transition is where innovation truly meets reality.
We explored the material demands of nuclear fusion. The panel discussed the critical need for low-activation steels that remain safe for handling within a human lifetime rather than thousands of years. And the discussion covered the supply chain reliability required for metal powders in additive manufacturing and the complexities of green steel.
For a fascinating look at the future of materials processing, listen now on your favourite podcast platform. There were plenty of questions from the audience and if you'd like to ask a question for the team to answer on a future episode, drop us a line here.
Keep an eye on our Events page to find out where we're exhibiting in 2025 and which events we're recording podcast episodes at!
