Established in November 2018 by Dr Andrew Hopkinson, Hopkinson Research offers bespoke scientific services to a range of customers across industry and academia.
From his base at Sensor City, Andrew develops scientific measurement instrumentation for sale or hire, alongside undertaking software development and consultancy services especially in the area of the tactile feel of materials and haptics.
Dr Andrew Hopkinson, Founder of Hopkinson Research, said: “In the 12 months since moving into Sensor City, I have been able to make great use of their on-site engineering resources and technical expertise.
“The innovation hub is also an ideal space for me to build things and a fantastic place to undertake product demos for my clients.”
With a background in physical chemistry and over 20 years’ experience in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry, Andrew is passionate about keeping up to date with the latest technologies and production methods, both through continuous professional development and throughout his business practices.
While traditional milling is available at Sensor City and used from time to time, Hopkinson Research has really benefited from using their more advanced prototype technology, including 3D printing and laser cutting, for producing a wide range of functional components. This enables bespoke equipment to be developed quickly and iterative designs are able to be tested on site.
Utilising the additive manufacturing resources within the Sensor City rapid prototyping laboratories has removed many practical limitations for the business and the depth of knowledge transfer provided by the Sensor City engineering team has allowed Dr Hopkinson to expand his skills into new areas of engineering and electronics.
More recently, Hopkinson Research have experienced a greater demand for data acquisition and analysis software projects. Being able to extract and handle the data measured by instrumentation delivers significant value for customers.
With a full pipeline of work until the end of 2020, the small business is looking ahead to 2021 to undertake some R&D work to widen the types of products that can be supplied.
To find out more or enquire about a project you’d like assistance with, please email: andrew.hopkinson@hopkinsonresearch.co.uk