Page 43 - Materials Australia - April 2019

FEATURE – Additive Manufacturing
Innovating Manufacturing
Cooperative Research Centre
The vision of the Innovating Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) is for Australian manufacturing to be thriving, relevant and globally integrated. As a not-for- profit, independent cooperative research centre, IMCRC helps Australian companies increase their relevance through research- led innovations in manufacturing business models, products, processes, and services.
IMCRC collaborates with businesses, research organisations, industry associations and government, investing in partnerships that support innovation and improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of the Australian manufacturing industry.
The IMCRC currently has two primary focus areas, which will continue to evolve over time to align with new manufacturing innovations and industry. These are:
• Advanced Manufacturing Technology Utilisation (such as additive manufacturing and 3D printing)
• Industrial Transformation Programs
IMCRC Managing Director and CEO, David Chuter sees Australia as having something incredibly valuable to bring to the field of additive manufacturing, and it seems as though commercial interest has finally caught up with this sentiment.
“Australian companies have to be very smart where they try and compete
globally and so what you find is people in Australia tend to invest in more niche or specialised applications,” Chuter explained. “What we’re seeing is quite a bit of investment taking place here in Australia, in not just the use of Additive Manufacturing, but companies setting up and getting going in terms of how to re-design and re-create the whole 3D printing / additive manufacturing process.”
Just one of the additive manufacturing projects in which IMCRC is involved is pairing 3D printing technologies and robotics to develop turnkey plastic repair and refurbishment system.
The project will use 3D printing technologies in conjunction with novel polymer material solutions to enable a low cost rapid repair service for automotive plastic trim and assembly components.
This will be achieved through integrating additive manufacturing, 3D scanning and robotics for in-situ automotive part repairs. It is expected that when this technology is commercially implemented, it shall enable a same day repair service that eliminates the need for replacement parts when a repair option is feasible.
The technology is intended to be commercialised as a repair platform in which the repairer purchases the technology and subscribes to the
service and training. This may also be expanded to provide distributed services for the repair and refurbishment of
commercial and consumer end parts.
Another of IMCRC’s projects involves the application of additive metal technology to operational aircraft. In collaboration with RMIT University, RUAG Australia aims to develop an additive manufacturing process to address corrosion and stress- corrosion damage affecting the structural integrity of components in operational aircraft.
By exploring geometry restoration via additive metal processes the research teams aims to overcome problems associated with corrosion and cracks in wing planks without the need for traditional major structural repair or component replacement. The process would allow parts to be repaired without removal and transport back to a central maintenance facility.
The additive manufacturing technology would be located at the base or hanger where the operator would fix the part whilst still on the aircraft. This is an important outcome for Australia
where aircraft needing repair are often remotely based from repair facilities and OEM’s, which reduces revenue and operational readiness.
If successful, this project will open the door for RUAG Australia and its partners to extend the technology to address Australia’s and the worlds challenges with metal degradation with a technology that has no serious rival and has already been shown to have potential in this area.
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Australia’s Position
in the Global Additive Manufacturing Market
Australia’s location has always been a double-edged sword. At times, isolation is of tremendous benefit, at others, it is a limiter. Our place on the map will never put us in prime position with the rest of the world, but Chuter sees this isolation as important in our future.
The isolation means we have to innovate and we do have one blessing that not many other nations have – a veritable abundance of raw materials. Cobalt, lithium and copper will all play a massive role in next-generation
manufacturing, from electric battery storage to electric cars and even smart devices. The opportunities are here, as companies like SPEE3D and Amareo will attest to, it’s just up to companies to reach out and take them.
“The opportunities, I think, are going to be [there for] those organisations that can best adopt really smart design for Additive Manufacturing processes whereby they understand the metallurgy, they understand the integration opportunities so you can start to design a product that perhaps can only be made in traditional manufacturing by bolting a number of components together, for example.
That’s where we’re starting to see the trend pick up, where that really smart design for manufacturing can open up opportunities,” said Chuter.
“Australia, by critical mass, would be a little bit behind [the likes of North America, Europe and Asia] because we don’t have large scale industries. But I think in terms of innovation and looking at creative ways to apply the technology, I think you’re starting to see a number of case studies where Australia is being seen as the place to go or is doing some really innovative things in this space, and I think that’s something that Australians have always done,” said Chuter.