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