An innovative system for accurate bending of fracture fixation plates in orthopaedic surgery. Bone fractures cost the Australian healthcare system about 1 billion annually, with the costs associated with non optimal surgical outcomes due to post-operative complications being much higher. The novel system developed in this project will not only shorten surgical procedures but also result in anatomically better fitting plates which will improve the functional outcome and reduce the need for surgic ....An innovative system for accurate bending of fracture fixation plates in orthopaedic surgery. Bone fractures cost the Australian healthcare system about 1 billion annually, with the costs associated with non optimal surgical outcomes due to post-operative complications being much higher. The novel system developed in this project will not only shorten surgical procedures but also result in anatomically better fitting plates which will improve the functional outcome and reduce the need for surgical implant removal. It will further lessen degenerative changes in adjacent joints as a result of incorrect fracture alignment. It can be expected that these improvements in surgical techniques will translate into reduced healthcare expenditure and ensure patient's quality of life.Read moreRead less
Development of Topological Optimisation Techniques for the Conceptual Design of Multi-storey Buildings. The building design process often begins with a case based preliminary design which derives its main parameters and features from a number of existing buildings of similar dimensions and functionality. This project aims to develop a design tool which incorporates two topological optimisation techniques in the conceptual design of multi-storey buildings. This design tool will enable inefficient ....Development of Topological Optimisation Techniques for the Conceptual Design of Multi-storey Buildings. The building design process often begins with a case based preliminary design which derives its main parameters and features from a number of existing buildings of similar dimensions and functionality. This project aims to develop a design tool which incorporates two topological optimisation techniques in the conceptual design of multi-storey buildings. This design tool will enable inefficient materials to be automatically removed from the design, thus producing a structurally efficient building system. At the same time, the new topologies generated by these optimisation techniques can be used by the designer to create innovative forms and layouts for the building.Read moreRead less
Application of Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) Technology to Intelligent Design Engineering Systems. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is a systematic approach to the integration of design and manufacturing of products and their related processes, from concept to disposal. Typical for KBE applications is that it accepts design rules and procedures. This makes the design process more efficient, which reduces development cost and product lead time. It also enables knowledge and experience to be ....Application of Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) Technology to Intelligent Design Engineering Systems. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is a systematic approach to the integration of design and manufacturing of products and their related processes, from concept to disposal. Typical for KBE applications is that it accepts design rules and procedures. This makes the design process more efficient, which reduces development cost and product lead time. It also enables knowledge and experience to be captured and retained which reduces training cost and makes new staff more effective. The aim of the project is to develop a KBE environment for wire and conduit routing through complex structures and verify the benefits in an industry environment.Read moreRead less
An intelligent design support system for manufacturing of palletising machinery. The food and beverage manufacturing process in most Australian enterprises is a highly automated process, where food cartons, bottles or cans are required to move at a controlled speed for filling or assembly operations. These operations require highly efficient and reliable material handling machinery such as palletising systems. The outcome of this research will be of direct economic benefit to Australian manuf ....An intelligent design support system for manufacturing of palletising machinery. The food and beverage manufacturing process in most Australian enterprises is a highly automated process, where food cartons, bottles or cans are required to move at a controlled speed for filling or assembly operations. These operations require highly efficient and reliable material handling machinery such as palletising systems. The outcome of this research will be of direct economic benefit to Australian manufacturers and suppliers of such machinery in reducing the cost and lead time of designing and delivering highly automated flexible palletising and de-palletising systems with maximum performance.Read moreRead less
An Intelligent Flexible Virtual Design System for Jigs in Furniture Manufacturing. The objective of this proposal is to develop an intelligent flexible virtual design support system for powered jigs for timber furniture assembly. Current techniques employ manual techniques with high cost and time for assembly operation. The system will provide a virtual environment to design and measure the performance of the jig considering geometry, material property, manufacturability, quality and cost. The ....An Intelligent Flexible Virtual Design System for Jigs in Furniture Manufacturing. The objective of this proposal is to develop an intelligent flexible virtual design support system for powered jigs for timber furniture assembly. Current techniques employ manual techniques with high cost and time for assembly operation. The system will provide a virtual environment to design and measure the performance of the jig considering geometry, material property, manufacturability, quality and cost. The system will initially be developed to design jigs for assembly of timber bed-heads and will incorporate an advanced feature based design methodology and an expert system to automate, simulate and advise the viability and manufacturability of the jigs.
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Process models and control strategies for abrasive waterjet precision cutting of amorphous magnetic metal parts for energy efficient electrical machines. Amorphous magnetic metal (AMM) is the most energy-efficient material for electrical machines and can save more than 36% of the energy wasted by an electrical motor using an ordinary core material. Since electrical motors consume about 70% of all the electricity generated, energy saving of approximately $900 million annually in electricity bills ....Process models and control strategies for abrasive waterjet precision cutting of amorphous magnetic metal parts for energy efficient electrical machines. Amorphous magnetic metal (AMM) is the most energy-efficient material for electrical machines and can save more than 36% of the energy wasted by an electrical motor using an ordinary core material. Since electrical motors consume about 70% of all the electricity generated, energy saving of approximately $900 million annually in electricity bills, and an annual reduction of 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia are expected. This project will develop a unique technology able to cut AMM to the required quality and productivity. It targets the national research priorities in Frontier Technologies and An Environmentally Sustainable Australia. Read moreRead less
An advanced design support system for sofa furniture manufacturing. Moran currently exports its products and has an established brand name in Australia and parts of Asia due to its long-term emphasis on the structure and comfort of its furniture. However it, like the whole of the furniture industry in Australia, faces a growing threat from cheap substitute imports. Lowering the manufacturing cost and lead-time, as well as offering a wide variety of designs, are strategic tools for Moran and othe ....An advanced design support system for sofa furniture manufacturing. Moran currently exports its products and has an established brand name in Australia and parts of Asia due to its long-term emphasis on the structure and comfort of its furniture. However it, like the whole of the furniture industry in Australia, faces a growing threat from cheap substitute imports. Lowering the manufacturing cost and lead-time, as well as offering a wide variety of designs, are strategic tools for Moran and other Australian furniture manufacturing companies. Development of a consolidated design approach to respond rapidly with the needed accuracy, which in turn guarantees the desired results, would greatly benefit Moran and other Australian companies who adopt it.Read moreRead less
Intelligent Design Advisor for Manufacturing Process Knowledge within Concurrent Engineering in the Aerospace Industry. At present the design of engineering components in the aerospace industry is accomplished by experts from design and manufacturing either sequentially or in collaboration. If performed in sequence then time and quality is jeopardised. If performed in collaboration then more manpower than is necessary is expended. The aim of this project is to develop an intelligent design advis ....Intelligent Design Advisor for Manufacturing Process Knowledge within Concurrent Engineering in the Aerospace Industry. At present the design of engineering components in the aerospace industry is accomplished by experts from design and manufacturing either sequentially or in collaboration. If performed in sequence then time and quality is jeopardised. If performed in collaboration then more manpower than is necessary is expended. The aim of this project is to develop an intelligent design advisor for Manufacturing Process Knowledge that will provide this expert knowledge to the design engineer in order to speed up the design process while reducing costs and still maintaining the high standard of quality necessary in the Aerospace industry.Read moreRead less
An Intelligent Computer Aided Engineering Environment for Design and Production of Blow Moulded PET Bottles. The aim of this research proposal is to develop an intelligent computer aided engineering environment for design and manufacturing of blow moulded PET bottles. Current techniques involve a mixture of trial and error leading to high costs in time and money. The proposed research will adopt a concurrent engineering approach and integrating intelligent knowledge based systems for optimum p ....An Intelligent Computer Aided Engineering Environment for Design and Production of Blow Moulded PET Bottles. The aim of this research proposal is to develop an intelligent computer aided engineering environment for design and manufacturing of blow moulded PET bottles. Current techniques involve a mixture of trial and error leading to high costs in time and money. The proposed research will adopt a concurrent engineering approach and integrating intelligent knowledge based systems for optimum part design of PET bottles, PET preform and moulds based on user specific requirements. The work is expected to provide a highly efficient environment able to design and produce a new PET bottle economically and quickly with maximum functional performance.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of Mass Flow Bin Design Using 3D Parametric Modelling. The storage, feeding and transfer of bulk solids are of vital importance to the resource and process industries. The current techniques used for the design of storage vessels are reliable but time consuming and limit the degree of optimisation that can be achieved. This project will develop a design methodology for bulk solids storage vessels such that it can be integrated with the parametric design system developed by Gulf Con ....Optimisation of Mass Flow Bin Design Using 3D Parametric Modelling. The storage, feeding and transfer of bulk solids are of vital importance to the resource and process industries. The current techniques used for the design of storage vessels are reliable but time consuming and limit the degree of optimisation that can be achieved. This project will develop a design methodology for bulk solids storage vessels such that it can be integrated with the parametric design system developed by Gulf Conveyor Holdings to provide a reliable, accelerated design process that provides a high degree of optimisation. This will lead to greater use of the technique in industry and a consequent increase in reliability and cost effectiveness.Read moreRead less