Laser Assisted Machining of Hard-to-wear Materials for Slurry Pump and Mineral Processing Equipment. The project aims to develop techniques for commercially applicable machining of very hard-to-wear materials using high power laser beams. Traditional techniques of machining such components using cubic boron nitride (CBN) based cutting tools are highly time consuming and expensive both in terms of labour costs and inserts costs. The laser assisted machining of these materials is expected to redu ....Laser Assisted Machining of Hard-to-wear Materials for Slurry Pump and Mineral Processing Equipment. The project aims to develop techniques for commercially applicable machining of very hard-to-wear materials using high power laser beams. Traditional techniques of machining such components using cubic boron nitride (CBN) based cutting tools are highly time consuming and expensive both in terms of labour costs and inserts costs. The laser assisted machining of these materials is expected to reduce the cost and lead time of manufacturing, provide improved tool wear life, and improved on time delivery of products. The technology will have application to the manufacture and use of slurry pumps associated with the mineral processing and mining industries.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775553
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
The Nanoscale Characterisation Centre WA Focussed Ion Beam Nanofabrication and Milling Facility. The advanced capabilities of the proposed nano-machining scanning electron microscope will facilitate research at the forefront of materials science and engineering. The proposed facility will play a key role in leading applied research across a wide range of areas including materials technology, nanochemistry, corrosion research, geology, sensor development, minerals processing and environmental re ....The Nanoscale Characterisation Centre WA Focussed Ion Beam Nanofabrication and Milling Facility. The advanced capabilities of the proposed nano-machining scanning electron microscope will facilitate research at the forefront of materials science and engineering. The proposed facility will play a key role in leading applied research across a wide range of areas including materials technology, nanochemistry, corrosion research, geology, sensor development, minerals processing and environmental research. The proposed facility to be used by scientific and industrial researchers will deliver applied interdisciplinary research of an international standard and allow Australian industries to remain internationally competitive.Read moreRead less
Topography Optimisation of Implants for Enhancing Osseointegration. With recent increased life expectancy, the ratio of implant recipients to total population has dramatically increased. The project will address a critical issue in ensuring long-term success of prosthetic treatment. The proposed computational multiscale modelling will provide a sound scientific alternative means to optimisation of overall implant design including surface topography. The anticipated outcomes of this research will ....Topography Optimisation of Implants for Enhancing Osseointegration. With recent increased life expectancy, the ratio of implant recipients to total population has dramatically increased. The project will address a critical issue in ensuring long-term success of prosthetic treatment. The proposed computational multiscale modelling will provide a sound scientific alternative means to optimisation of overall implant design including surface topography. The anticipated outcomes of this research will help improve the quality of prosthetic therapy, and benefit our prosthodontic and orthopaedic professionals and their patients. The study clearly aligns with the national research goals of frontier technologies and maintaining good health.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346666
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$260,000.00
Summary
Mobile high power diode laser for thermal processing applications. This proposal seeks to establish a mobile, high-power diode laser facility for thermal processing of in-situ components in the power generation, defence, shipbuilding and mining industries. Diode lasers offer significant advantages for laser thermal processing over conventional CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers in terms of their output wavelength, size and efficiency. The mobile high power diode laser facility will help build a strong infr ....Mobile high power diode laser for thermal processing applications. This proposal seeks to establish a mobile, high-power diode laser facility for thermal processing of in-situ components in the power generation, defence, shipbuilding and mining industries. Diode lasers offer significant advantages for laser thermal processing over conventional CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers in terms of their output wavelength, size and efficiency. The mobile high power diode laser facility will help build a strong infrastructure for in-situ repair of worn components and is expected to reduce overall component repair costs and time.Read moreRead less
Supersonic flow past micro-scale particles: Industrial applications. Droplet based materials processing has developed significantly over the last decade, with applications in a wide range of industries where high-strength, light-weight materials are critical. Our research will allow for continued progress of this method, by developing accurate models to predict the cooling rate throughout the process and hence the physical properties of the finished product. Development of this knowledge will al ....Supersonic flow past micro-scale particles: Industrial applications. Droplet based materials processing has developed significantly over the last decade, with applications in a wide range of industries where high-strength, light-weight materials are critical. Our research will allow for continued progress of this method, by developing accurate models to predict the cooling rate throughout the process and hence the physical properties of the finished product. Development of this knowledge will allow for higher precision products to be produced and allow for new techniques to be developed. This information will allow for material processing in Australia to be maintained at world class levels, and for Australian industry to continue to lead the way in the production of technologically advanced materials.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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668473
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$710,000.00
Summary
Direct Metal Deposition Freeform Fabrication Facility for Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing. Tools, dies and moulds produce approximately 87% of plastic and metal products for industries ranging among automotive, medical, electronics, aerospace and consumer products. The industry appears to be in a state of decline with domestic demand for tools, dies and moulds shrinking because manufacturing facilities are relocating to foreign countries to take advantage of low-cost labour and manufacturing cos ....Direct Metal Deposition Freeform Fabrication Facility for Rapid Tooling and Manufacturing. Tools, dies and moulds produce approximately 87% of plastic and metal products for industries ranging among automotive, medical, electronics, aerospace and consumer products. The industry appears to be in a state of decline with domestic demand for tools, dies and moulds shrinking because manufacturing facilities are relocating to foreign countries to take advantage of low-cost labour and manufacturing costs. The new technology of Direct Metal Deposition offers an opportunity to reverse this trend by providing tools that are faster to manufacture, allow for old tools to be refurbished and to incorporate special features into the tools, to deliver competitive advantages.Read moreRead less
Nano/micro grinding mechanisms and technologies for brittle materials. The successful completion of the project will solve a long standing problem, that is, the ductile removal mechanism in the machining of brittle materials and create a strong knowledge base for the development of technology and characterization techniques for nano/micro mechanical machining of such materials. This will strengthen UWA's research capability and international competitiveness in the field of nano/micro manufacturi ....Nano/micro grinding mechanisms and technologies for brittle materials. The successful completion of the project will solve a long standing problem, that is, the ductile removal mechanism in the machining of brittle materials and create a strong knowledge base for the development of technology and characterization techniques for nano/micro mechanical machining of such materials. This will strengthen UWA's research capability and international competitiveness in the field of nano/micro manufacturing. The pragmatic grinding technology developed for fabricating micro aspherical mould inserts and lenses will directly benefit the optics/photonics, microelectronics and biomedical industries in Australia. This will help to position Australia in the forefront of emerging industries in the new millenniumRead moreRead less
Designing the Next Generation of High Performance Cutting Tools. In order for Australian manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness in the production of manufactured goods it is essential to have access to cost effective high performance cutting tools. This project seeks to meet this challenge by exploiting new pathways in the development of advanced metallic-based vapour deposited coatings. This new approach will provide a much needed opportunity for value adding in the economically ....Designing the Next Generation of High Performance Cutting Tools. In order for Australian manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness in the production of manufactured goods it is essential to have access to cost effective high performance cutting tools. This project seeks to meet this challenge by exploiting new pathways in the development of advanced metallic-based vapour deposited coatings. This new approach will provide a much needed opportunity for value adding in the economically significant area of tribological coatings for industrial components. The outcomes of this project will directly impact on the ability of Sutton Tools, an Australian owned company, to sustain and expand its export markets while adding more broadly to the competitiveness of Australia's manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less
High Performance Twist Drill Design and Drilling Operations for Machining Mould Steel. In this project a high performance drill point design, based on low drilling forces and high drill-life criteria when machining mould steel will be developed together with a computer application software for drilling force predictions, based on the ¡®unified-generalised mechanics of cutting approach¡¯, and optimal drilling feed and speed selection for minimum cost and time per hole, based on a multi-constraint ....High Performance Twist Drill Design and Drilling Operations for Machining Mould Steel. In this project a high performance drill point design, based on low drilling forces and high drill-life criteria when machining mould steel will be developed together with a computer application software for drilling force predictions, based on the ¡®unified-generalised mechanics of cutting approach¡¯, and optimal drilling feed and speed selection for minimum cost and time per hole, based on a multi-constraint drilling optimization analysis. Particular attention will be given to the manufacture of the drill point geometry. It is anticipated that the application software will enable the drill design, manufacture, performance and drilling conditions to be integrated.Read moreRead less