The Scintam Podcast

Texture Jet's spin-out journey so far with Jonathon Mitchell-Smith | Episode 3 | The Scintam Podcast

In this episode, Scintam's CEO Duncan Kerr sits down with Jonathan Mitchell-Smith, CEO and Co-Founder of Texture Jet, to unpack how a university research project grew into a high-precision manufacturing business serving aerospace, defence and power generation customers around the world. Jonathan shares how Texture Jet's electrochemical jet machining (ECJM) technology works in simple terms - using a tiny jet of salt water and electricity to remove material at the atomic level, without heat or surface damage. He talks through the journey from undergraduate project to PhD, patents and Innovate UK support, and ultimately to founding Texture Jet in 2019 - just in time to run straight into the challenges of COVID as a hardware startup. Duncan and Jonathan also explore why the Midlands has such a strong aerospace and engineering ecosystem, how UK hardware companies struggle with funding compared to software and AI, and which regions of the world are quickest to adopt new industrial technologies. Jonathan reflects candidly on what he’d do differently, the importance of the right investors and team, and what it really takes to build deep-tech hardware in the UK. Learn more about Texture Jet: • Website: https://texturejet.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/texture-jet • Connect with Jonathon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-mitchell-smith-292ab092/ Learn more about Scintam: • Website: https://www.scintam.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scintam-engineering/ • Connect with Duncan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncankerr/ #mro #sparkerosion #electricaldischargemachining #edm #aerospace #maintenance #repair #overhaul

The future of MRO with Tomáš Zeman | Episode 2 | The Scintam Podcast

In this episode, Scintam's CTO Peter Smith is joined by Tomáš Zeman, B1.1 Engineer at Austrian Airlines and hugely successful aerospace online content creator. Peter and Tomáš cover: Tomáš’ career in MRO • Tomáš’ career in MRO to date and experience of building his audience online and becoming an influencer • Sharing insights on the exams and accreditations that technicians need to get, and Tomáš’ journey to achieve them The challenges that MRO technicians face • How MROs deal with the risk of damaging high value assets • The shortage of skilled technicians, and also interest in the profession • The importance of demonstrating return on investment in new tooling Future of MRO: trends & innovations • Going paperless • New engines • Innovative tooling like Scintam’s FastEDR system Follow Tomáš: • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@zeto.r/shorts • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeto.r • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeto.r/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom%C3%A1%C5%A1-zeman-1861a094/ Learn more about Scintam: • Website: https://www.scintam.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scintam-engineering/ • Connect with Peter on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-h-smith/ #mro #sparkerosion #electricaldischargemachining #edm #aerospace #maintenance #repair #overhaul

The RAISE Project with Dr James Kell at Amentum | Episode 1 | The Scintam Podcast

In this podcast we’re joined by Dr James Kell, Robotics Technical Director at Amentum, a global engineering technology consultancy delivering innovative solutions to critical national infrastructure challenges. Amentum was formerly part of Jacobs, specifically the Critical Mission Solutions (CMS) division. After Jacobs split its business, CMS became part of Amentum. Though the name is new, the work continues with the same focus, clients, and scale, backed by a global workforce of around 60,000 people. As a former Rolls-Royce employee, James has worked with university research networks, which is where he first encountered Scintam Engineering. Today, he leads Amentum’s robotics and remote handling team, with a particular focus on keeping people out of harm’s way through intelligent, automated solutions. In the episode we cover: The CRADLE Partnership • The story behind CRADLE, a UK government-backed Prosperity Partnership between Amentum and the University of Manchester • CRADLE’s mission to develop robotic solutions for demanding environments in critical infrastructure: nuclear, flood defences and more RAISE Sub-Project • How the idea emerged from decommissioning challenges involving seized bolts in hazardous environments • Applying EDM (electrical discharge machining) - from factory floors to robotic deployment on mobile platforms • The collaboration with Scintam Engineering Technical Challenges and Solutions • Designing a semi-autonomous robotic crawler and vision system to identify and remove fasteners • Tackling cable management issues  • Emphasis on real-world usability - simplifying robotics for operators, not just engineers Demonstration Success and Industry Interest • Hosting a successful demonstration for industry stakeholders • The role of Scintam’s tooling expertise in advancing the technology • Applications beyond nuclear - shipyards, aerospace and more Learn more about Amentum: • Website: https://www.amentum.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/amentumcorp/ • Follow James Kell on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kell-ceng-fimeche-5602167a/ Learn more about Scintam: • Website: https://www.scintam.com/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scintam-engineering/ • Follow Adam Clare on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dradamclare/ #robotics #sparkerosion #electricaldischargemachining #remanufacturing #manufacturing #automation