PEMC Working with Industry
With over 30 years of experience working with industry, Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre (PEMC) provides a comprehensive service that brings together academic expertise and research with businesses across the UK and beyond. PEMC has a commercial user group spanning a range of sectors including aerospace, manufacturing, engineering, textiles, microelectronics, biomedical, food, and more. Our relationships within the commercial sector have earned us a strong reputation as a reliable, well-rounded and professional centre, providing insight and solutions to real-world problems from a strong foundation of scientific research.
We provide expert, local access to imaging and analysis instrumentation, supporting a diverse range of activities including materials properties analysis, analysis of defects and component failure, evaluation of product quality, bio-imaging, mineralogical analysis and sample characterisation, and 3D digital imaging and analysis.
PEMC has strong links with other departments within the University, so can offer a full analytical service in addition to electron microscopy data capture, including composites, metallurgy, engineering and food science.
We offer bespoke services with competitive hourly rates to make the most of our extensive suite of instruments, to investigate and understand your products in depth. As keen knowledge sharers experienced in interdisciplinary collaborations, our team of experts will help you to benefit from:
  • Improved performance of products and processes
  • Enhanced quality control and monitoring
  • Increased efficiency (waste and cost)
  • New product development
  • Promotional images and outreach materials
  • Educational materials
  • Research support
  • Collaborative research and development

Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre is a jewel in the crown not just for the University, but for the city of Plymouth.

Jerry RobertsJerry Roberts
Emeritus Professor

If you would like more information on how Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre could help your business, please contact us at emc@plymouth.ac.uk and we'll be happy to help.

Plymouth Materials Characterisation Network (PMCN) 

PMCN aims to build a self-sustaining network of researchers, technicians, industry experts, and academics who are familiar with and benefit from the use of electron microscopy in their day-to-day business. Any Devon-based company wishing to utilise electron microscopy in their research and development can now access the equipment available at PEMC, along with benefitting from our technical expertise across a range of disciplines, including SEM, TEM and FIB-SEM. New companies wishing to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity have until 31st of March 2023 to sign up.
PCB
Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre

We found the PEMC service extremely useful. The communication was excellent; any potential problems were communicated to us for verification before PEMC carried out the work. We are extremely happy with the results and will definitely be using PEMC again.

Ben Daniels, Production Planner, Peter Day Precision Engineering

How European funding supported SMEs in the South West, using Electron Microscopy from 2010–2015

Thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund, we gave 121 companies 12 hours of free support in PEMC. Our customers came from Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, and companies varied from;
  • Peter Day Precision Engineering Ltd - to verify the precision thickness of their platings for their customers.
  • Langage Farm LLP - examining the microstructure of their quarg and yoghurt, leading to new product development. 
  • BB Photonics Ltd - precision measurement to support new product development. 
A number of these companies have now come back to work with PEMC regularly, demonstrating the real value of our service to businesses of any size.
As a result of their initial work with PEMC, Langage Farm LLP embarked on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the University. This collaboration was so successful that Langage Farm secured a £4.2 million deal with a major supermarket as a result.
The three reports below (produced by the Heart of the SW Local Enterprise Partnership (HOTSW LEP), CaSE and the National Centre for Universities and Business) mention the impact of PEMC's work with industry.