Condition-based maintenance optimisation for Australian sugar industry. The aim of this project is to develop innovative methodologies for the implementation of condition-based maintenance in the sugar milling industry. This is designed to optimise the allocation of limited maintenance resources and to significantly reduce the $350 million spent on maintenance in the industry each year. New methodologies will account for the seasonality of production and the complexity of allocating limited main ....Condition-based maintenance optimisation for Australian sugar industry. The aim of this project is to develop innovative methodologies for the implementation of condition-based maintenance in the sugar milling industry. This is designed to optimise the allocation of limited maintenance resources and to significantly reduce the $350 million spent on maintenance in the industry each year. New methodologies will account for the seasonality of production and the complexity of allocating limited maintenance resources across numerous equipment items and different production sites. The intended outcome of the project will improve the efficiency of maintenance and hence the global competitiveness of the Australian sugar industry.Read moreRead less
New Lead-Free Brass Solutions for Drinking Water Applications. The aim of this Linkage Project is to provide viable material solutions to address the health problem of Lead-contamination in drinking water arising from Leaded-brass plumbing products and the impact Lead-removal from brass will have on the brass industry. In order to achieve this, this project engages leading multidisciplinary researchers along with Australian and international industry partners from across the brass industry suppl ....New Lead-Free Brass Solutions for Drinking Water Applications. The aim of this Linkage Project is to provide viable material solutions to address the health problem of Lead-contamination in drinking water arising from Leaded-brass plumbing products and the impact Lead-removal from brass will have on the brass industry. In order to achieve this, this project engages leading multidisciplinary researchers along with Australian and international industry partners from across the brass industry supply and sales network. This project seeks to identify and harness the key material-product attributes required to develop and implement new, lead-free alloy alternatives that meet health-compliance, production and commercial viability, that offer benefits across the industry network and health benefits to society.Read moreRead less
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
Additive manufacturing wear-resistant products for erosive environments. Additive manufacturing wear-resistant products for erosive environments. This project aims to develop technology to manufacture large scale, wear resistant components, involving new materials, computer-aided-design and direct hybrid manufacturing comprising laser additive and machining processes. The technology could produce more wear resistant components, using new iron-based powders, designed mesoscale graded structures a ....Additive manufacturing wear-resistant products for erosive environments. Additive manufacturing wear-resistant products for erosive environments. This project aims to develop technology to manufacture large scale, wear resistant components, involving new materials, computer-aided-design and direct hybrid manufacturing comprising laser additive and machining processes. The technology could produce more wear resistant components, using new iron-based powders, designed mesoscale graded structures and microscale reinforcing phases of appropriate morphology and size. The proposed approach is expected to lead to lower cost manufacturing mining products which perform better and have a lower environmental footprint, and more competitive Australian mining manufacturing operations.Read moreRead less
A New Parallel Robot with breakthrough performance for Manufacturing of Aerospace Components - kinematic and dynamic synthesis, design optimisation and prototyping. The Gantry-Tau is a new parallel type robot manipulator that will have the large workspace benefit of traditional Gantry robots in addition to stiffness and accuracy benefits well beyond the capabilities of existing robots. Preliminary results have shown that the Gantry-Tau can become the most accurate Gantry manipulator to date, wit ....A New Parallel Robot with breakthrough performance for Manufacturing of Aerospace Components - kinematic and dynamic synthesis, design optimisation and prototyping. The Gantry-Tau is a new parallel type robot manipulator that will have the large workspace benefit of traditional Gantry robots in addition to stiffness and accuracy benefits well beyond the capabilities of existing robots. Preliminary results have shown that the Gantry-Tau can become the most accurate Gantry manipulator to date, with the potential of competing with dedicated machines in the manufacturing industry. The expected project outcome is a working prototype of the Gantry-Tau demonstrating machining performance on aerospace components, publications in high-ranked conferences and journals and several patent applications.Read moreRead less
Predictive modelling of the incremental sheet forming process. This project will benefit Australia with the gain of fundamental understanding of an advanced manufacturing process leading to a step change from an 'art of expertise' to a scientific understanding and improvement. The innovative design software kernel developed will facilitate a step change in manufacture of complex sheet formed product, such as aircraft and vehicle panelling. This seed collaborative research with QMI Solutions and ....Predictive modelling of the incremental sheet forming process. This project will benefit Australia with the gain of fundamental understanding of an advanced manufacturing process leading to a step change from an 'art of expertise' to a scientific understanding and improvement. The innovative design software kernel developed will facilitate a step change in manufacture of complex sheet formed product, such as aircraft and vehicle panelling. This seed collaborative research with QMI Solutions and global partner, Boeing, will enhance national modelling capability in advanced metal forming, a niche market for Australian manufacturing. The new technology and research support capabilities for its adoption, will lead to new national business and export opportunities.Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of nanoparticles in water based lubrication. This project seeks to understand the role of nanoparticles in the lubrication of hot strip rolling and then to develop novel nano-additive water-based lubricants to solve a long-standing issue for the steel-making industry. Lubrication significantly affects the surface quality of hot-rolled strips, roll wear and energy consumption in the steel-making industry. Currently, oil-based lubricants are used. However, their lubricant ef ....Understanding the role of nanoparticles in water based lubrication. This project seeks to understand the role of nanoparticles in the lubrication of hot strip rolling and then to develop novel nano-additive water-based lubricants to solve a long-standing issue for the steel-making industry. Lubrication significantly affects the surface quality of hot-rolled strips, roll wear and energy consumption in the steel-making industry. Currently, oil-based lubricants are used. However, their lubricant effect is considerably reduced by the use of high pressure cooling water, and the waste discharge is of environmental concern. Successful outcomes for the project are expected to improve product quality and reduce resource use.Read moreRead less