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
Development of High Performance Mechanical Sorting of Plastics for Recycling. This research program aims to develop and test a range of high performance, mechanical in-process plastics sorting technologies in conjunction with Australia's lead recycling company. Currently, recycling techniques result in an insufficient purity and quality level, thus limiting the extent of recycling and opportunity for end product applications. Increasing the purity of recycled plastics and economics of recyclin ....Development of High Performance Mechanical Sorting of Plastics for Recycling. This research program aims to develop and test a range of high performance, mechanical in-process plastics sorting technologies in conjunction with Australia's lead recycling company. Currently, recycling techniques result in an insufficient purity and quality level, thus limiting the extent of recycling and opportunity for end product applications. Increasing the purity of recycled plastics and economics of recycling, without compromising throughput levels, will result in an increase in recycling rates and the range of applications of recycled plastics.Read moreRead less
Non-destructive characterisation of residual stresses for the silicon-on-sapphire technology. Every sapphire wafer for the fabrication of integrated circuits using the silicon-on-sapphire technology is worth more than a thousand dollars, and the cost grows exponentially with successive processing of circuitry. Early detection and prevention of wafer failure is therefore an economic and quality necessity. The fast, non-destructive method to be developed by the proposed research will enable semic ....Non-destructive characterisation of residual stresses for the silicon-on-sapphire technology. Every sapphire wafer for the fabrication of integrated circuits using the silicon-on-sapphire technology is worth more than a thousand dollars, and the cost grows exponentially with successive processing of circuitry. Early detection and prevention of wafer failure is therefore an economic and quality necessity. The fast, non-destructive method to be developed by the proposed research will enable semiconductor electronics manufacturers to achieve a cost-effective fabrication of integrated circuits by detecting damages in wafers at the very early stage of production.Read moreRead less
Sustainability Cockpit: an integrated tool for assessment and improvement of sustainability in manufacturing. This project aims to understand the relation between the traditional business indicators, such as cost, and the environmental indicators, such as carbon footprint. The outcome of this project will be an integrated tool which will allow manufacturers to assess and improve their environmental footprint in a cost effective manner.
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
Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. This project aims to transform microscale three-dimensional prototyping into a cheap high volume manufacturing process through a novel soft embossing process. Although three-dimensional printing has been hailed as a disruptive technology, because it can print complex shapes directly from drawings, it is too slow at m ....Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. Scaling manufacture of three-dimensional microstructures for the medical devices industry. This project aims to transform microscale three-dimensional prototyping into a cheap high volume manufacturing process through a novel soft embossing process. Although three-dimensional printing has been hailed as a disruptive technology, because it can print complex shapes directly from drawings, it is too slow at microscale for high volume manufacture. This research will develop microdevices for painless collection of blood, its analysis, and drug delivery. Cost-effective manufacture of these microdevices is expected to tap into the large medical devices industry, leading to establishing new businesses in the point-of-care and drug delivery markets.Read moreRead less
Dimensional Control of Stamped Components for Optimized Assembly Operations. Dimensional control is one of the most important challenges in automotive body assembly. The aim of this project is to develop a method of characterizing dimensional variation in a stamped sheet formed parts such that the effect of this variation on assemblies can be analysed. This will lead to an approach to flexible fixturing to minimizing assembly dimensional variation and improve dimensional quality.
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
Mechanisms of mixed lubrication in rolling. Advanced manufacturing is always a major wealth-creating sector in developed economies. To catch up the revolution in rolling industry, Australia must develop her own technologies, train her own professionals of high competence, and thus increase her share in the international market. The proposed research will enhance Australia's record in production-orientated fundamental research in the field of metal rolling, and stimulate the growth of the world-c ....Mechanisms of mixed lubrication in rolling. Advanced manufacturing is always a major wealth-creating sector in developed economies. To catch up the revolution in rolling industry, Australia must develop her own technologies, train her own professionals of high competence, and thus increase her share in the international market. The proposed research will enhance Australia's record in production-orientated fundamental research in the field of metal rolling, and stimulate the growth of the world-class Australian industry, BlueScope Steel, and train young engineers most needed by the country. The research outcome will bring about long-term benefit to Australia.Read moreRead less
A new abrasive waterjet milling technology and process models for fabricating energy-efficient electrical machines from amorphous magnetic metal laminations. As the most energy-efficient core material for electrical machines, amorphous magnetic metal (AMM) can save more than 36% of the energy wasted by ordinary electrical motors. Since electrical motors consume about 70% of all the electricity generated, if all electrical motors in Australia use AMM as the core material, an annual energy saving ....A new abrasive waterjet milling technology and process models for fabricating energy-efficient electrical machines from amorphous magnetic metal laminations. As the most energy-efficient core material for electrical machines, amorphous magnetic metal (AMM) can save more than 36% of the energy wasted by ordinary electrical motors. Since electrical motors consume about 70% of all the electricity generated, if all electrical motors in Australia use AMM as the core material, an annual energy saving worth approximately $4 billion and an annual reduction of 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emission in Australia are expected based on the predicted electricity consumption in 2010. This project will develop a new technology for fabricating larger electrical machines from AMM laminations. It targets the national research priorities in Frontier Technologies and An Environmentally Sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less