The Jules Verne Institute for Technological Research, founded in 2012, is dedicated to manufacturing, particularly technological breakthroughs in manufacturing processes. It brings together 42 industrial partners—international groups and SMEs—and 14 academic partners, including Arts et Métiers.
Research is conducted in three areas: integrated product/process design, flexible and intelligent systems, and innovative processes. With regard to the latter, the IRT's objective is to develop technologies for the implementation and assembly of composite, metallic, and multi-material components, as well as related elements (tool optimization, process monitoring, non-destructive testing, recycling, and recovery).
Technology transfer in the field of manufacturing processes
While this work is at the heart of the IRT's activities, its ambitions go further. In particular, it aims to exploit research results through a strategy of technology transfer and commercialization. The IRT Jules Verne also offers services to businesses, in conjunction with the EMC2 competitiveness cluster. The Institute also aims to enhance the appeal of industrial professions through its Manufacturing Academy training program.
The research teams involved in IRT Jules Verne are mainly concentrated in technocampuses, shared technological research platforms: the first, Technocampus Composites, is dedicated to the implementation of high-performance composite materials; the second, Technocampus Ocean, deals with metal processes and offshore structures. The IRT is also located on the Angers campus ofArts et Métiers, which has a key piece of equipment: a multi-axial test bench used to perform mechanical characterization tests on large structures.