Program 7 Project: Portable Power Generation recently achieved a major milestone with the development of a Field Fuel Cell (FFC). Working with DSTO and VCAMM, industry partner Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies designed and built a laboratory prototype FFC capable of producing 912Wh of energy. The FFC was developed to provide an in-field capability for charging the 24V batteries typical of those carried by ADF soldiers. On a 72 hour patrol, a soldier can carry up to 18 batteries weighing 65kg in total. The FFC can provide enough charging capacity to potentially reduce the battery weight burden for a 72 hour patrol by 45kg. Instead of storing hydrogen gas, the FFC utilises a liquid chemical feedstock from which hydrogen is extracted on the go, making it ideally suited for the rugged military environment.
Taras Wankewycz, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies commented that, “We are very pleased to work with Australia’s DMTC on reducing the battery weight burden of the modern soldier. We are confident our solutions will help extend mission endurance and increase soldier safety, often limited by today’s battery capacities”.
Posted by DMTC on May 28th, 2013 DMTC’s project ‘Automation technology for armoured vehicle manufacture’ was shortlisted in the Awards for Excellence in Innovation at the Cooperative Research Centre Association (CRC Association) conference dinner in Melbourne on the 16th of May. The CRC Association Awards for Excellence in Innovation were initiated in 1999 to recognise outstanding examples of the transfer of CRC research results, knowledge and technologies that have been developed for a wide range of users of research, including the community, companies and government agencies.
Automated Offline Programming (AOLP) is an innovative new technique that can be used to program industrial robots. Developed through the DMTC with a collaborative partnership between Thales and University of Wollongong, the AOLP system generates weld paths in a fraction of time required using conventional programming methods. AOLP uses sophisticated robot motion planning algorithms to generate collision-free robot paths. This new technique has been applied to the robotic manufacturing cell at Thales Land Vehicles in Bendigo. The implementation of AOLP has significantly improved the capability of the robotic welding system resulting in substantial cost and time savings through the minimisation of manual welding and weld repair.
Congratulations to the Automated Offline Programming team for being shortlisted for this award, and congratulations to the winners of the award at Dairy Futures CRC, Future Farm Industries CRC and the Hearing CRC. To read more about the awards on the CRC Association website please click here.
Posted by DMTC on May 23rd, 2013 The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) FOCUS magazine has published an article by Dr Alex Zelinsky, Chief Defence Scientist, DSTO, on “turning great ideas into Defence capabilities”. The article discusses the importance of transferring technology into capability for the Australian Defence Force and how DSTO is seeking to partner more widely with industry and R&D providers. DSTO’s partnership with DMTC and Diggerworks is mentioned throughout the article. To read the article please click here and see pg 15.
Posted by DMTC on April 18th, 2013 DMTC is pleased to announce that it will be presenting a new four-part briefing series in 2013. The aim of the briefings is to increase the awareness within the Defence community on the objectives and outcomes of the DMTC. Discussion will include how the DMTC model works, technical achievements to date, and opportunities to engage with DMTC into the future.
The briefings are open to all; however they are targeted towards CDG and DMO representatives with an interest in technology and capability management and planning. Discussion and questions after each briefing are encouraged. This is an excellent chance to engage with DMTC and is not to be missed!
For further information, or to RSVP, please contact information@dmtc.com.au.
Briefing 1, 2013
Date: 16 April 2013
Time: 1300h-1400h
Location: Canberra, Russell Offices
Presenter(s): Heidi Garth, Program Development Manager, DMTC.
RSVP: information@dmtc.com.au
Posted by DMTC on April 10th, 2013