Page 40 - Materials Australia - April 2019

FEATURE – Additive Manufacturing
The Australian Additive
Manufacturing Market
Traditionally, it is the universities of Australia that have taken the plunge and invested in the latest, cutting-edge technologies. It was much the same with additive manufacturing. Several of Australia’s leading academic institutes have conducted in-depth research that has, in turn, showcased the extraordinary capabilities of additive manufacturing. As a result, commercial players are becoming more and more interested in the new technology, particularly with a number of the universities offering them a chance to ‘try before they buy’.
RMIT University’s
Centre of Additive Manufacturing
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing Precinct at RMIT University’s Melbourne City Campus, the Centre for Additive Manufacturing supports research in a range of areas including bioengineering, aerospace and automotive.
Driven by market requirements, the Centre’s research is focused on design, materials, manufacturing and system development, particularly shape and topology optimisation algorithms, bio-inspired design and connectivity between additive manufacturing and
Equipment at RMIT University’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing. Images courtesy of RMIT University
A sample of a 3D-printed bone. Image courtesy of RMIT University.
industrial design industry. The Centre also offers materials and manufacturing research, geared towards process modelling, material characterisation, process control, and materials development and design.
RMIT University’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing recently worked with a medical device company and a neurosurgeon to successfully create Australia’s first ever 3D-printed vertebral cage for a patient suffering from severe back pain. Made from a titanium alloy, the piece was designed to replace cancerous bone removed in surgery. Its lattice structure mimics the density and weight of human bone, enabling the implant to
carry blood and encouraging healthy bone to grow into it.
According to Professor Milan Brandt (Technical Director of RMIT’s Advanced Manufacturing Precinct), “This revolutionary process allows the implant to be built layer by layer, adding successive layers of material under computer control – as opposed to the subtractive manufacturing technique of casting, fabrication, stamping and machining,” Brandt said.
“An advantage of 3D printing is that a custom implant can be made of any shape and complex internal architecture for a reasonable cost.”
40 | APRIL 2019
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