DMTC has won the Land Defence Australia National Industry Innovation Award. This award was presented at the Land Forces Conference 2014 in Brisbane and recognises companies who are leaders in technology and innovation in the land domain.
DMTC was presented the award for its work on Boron Carbide body armour production. From 2009 to 2012, the DMTC led a project consortium consisting of Australian Defence Apparel (ADA), CSIRO, VCAMM, DSTO and the University of Melbourne to develop a unique method of producing body armour plates out of Boron Carbide, the third hardest material on the planet and one third the density of steel. The unique production method was based upon two established techniques, Viscous Ceramic Processing and Pressureless Sintering. Alternative manufacturing processes require diamond grinding post-sintering or significant infrastructure investment in the form of hot pressing or high pressure casting equipment, so this process offers significant economic benefits over other ceramic armour forming processes. The key differential of this production process is the ability to form near-net shape, thin, highly shaped, curved ceramic armour plates. This key piece of innovation has enabled ADA to quickly and cost effectively respond to new customer requirements and produce armour plates that are effective against new and emerging threats.
Posted by DMTC on September 24th, 2014 DMTC research engineer, Tristan Alexander of Deakin University, has been awarded the Land Defence Australia Young Innovator Scholarship. This award was presented at the Land Forces Conference 2014 in Brisbane and recognises individuals who are leaders in technology and innovation in the land domain.
Tristan was presented the award as a result of his work in polymer ceramics. These materials are a composite material created via the addition of a ceramic material into polymer matrix, enabling lower cost, more easily fabricated, more multihit resistant strike face materials. These can be utilised in applications where the use of traditional ceramic armour is difficult or costly. Key advances include the development of new tooling and quasi-static test methods improving yields and development time. To date, the materials have been modified using novel particle functionalization and introducing new materials like graphene. The result has been a 350% modulus increase and a 180% increase in round deformation.
Posted by DMTC on September 24th, 2014 The DMTC Annual Conference 2015 will be held on the 17th and 18th March in Canberra.
The DMTC Annual Conference has become a key event in the defence calendar, providing the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in technologies and priority industry capabilities within the DMTC community. The conference will include keynote presentations by prominent Defence and industry guest speakers, synopses of the technical challenges facing the Army, Navy and Air Force in the coming decade and detailed technical presentations on the progress within the DMTC projects.
The DMTC Gala Dinner will again be held as part of the Conference, including the presentation of the esteemed Awards of Excellence.
Further information will be made available in due course. DMTC looks forward to seeing you there.
Posted by DMTC on September 1st, 2014 DMTC is pleased to have participated in Australian Maritime College official launch of the ARC Training Centre for Transforming Australia’s Naval Manufacturing Industry. The $3.8 million centre, funded through the Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Training Centres scheme, is a collaboration between the University of Tasmania, University of Wollongong, Flinders University, ASC Pty Ltd, Babcock International, Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Thales Australia Ltd, PMB Defence Engineering Pty Ltd, and the Defence Materials Technology Centre.
The centre will deliver research solutions by supporting and connecting postdoctoral and postgraduate candidates with industry, university and defence. It provides an opportunity for 10 research higher degree students and three postdoctoral fellows to undertake a combination of research and professional training in an industrial environment.
These researchers will focus on developing advanced techniques to efficiently design, construct and sustain the new fleets of submarines, future frigates and patrol boats as part of Australia’s multi-billion dollar naval shipbuilding program.
AMC Principal Professor Neil Bose said the centre provided an important boost to the college’s mission to shape how the Australian maritime industry responds to the world through research, education and training.
“We are proud to be building on a long history of maritime defence driven research and, together with the partnering companies, look forward to playing a significant role in the future of naval defence design and manufacturing in Australia,” Professor Bose said.
“Having our researchers work alongside these companies will not only increase the impact of their research, but it will also provide future opportunities for our graduates.”
The launch was attended by representatives from the Australian Government, Australian Research Council, Department of Defence, DSTO, the partnering universities and other key stakeholders.
For further information please visit the Australian Maritime College Website: www.amc.edu.au
Posted by DMTC on August 27th, 2014