Titanium alloys are now playing an increasing role in the aerospace industry and in particular the defence because of their superior properties such as high strength, lightweight and corrosion resistance.
The Defence Materials Technology Centre has secured the kind support of Enterprise Connect’s Defence Industry Innovation Centre and the CSIRO to run one-day workshops with the aim of providing the latest developments in titanium research, technology and processing in Australia and overseas in order to assist SMEs in the defence sector improve their productivity, competitiveness and efficiency.
Sessions will focus on titanium machining technology, benchmarking and hybrid machining, additive and joining technology.
A range of academic, research and industry speakers have been invited to present at the workshop. These include: BAE Systems, SECO Tools, Sutton Tools, Millatec, RMIT University, DMTC, CSIRO, University of Wollongong, CAST CRC and Swinburne University of Technology.
Where and When?
MELBOURNE: Tuesday 1 June Ian Wark Laboratories Main Conference Room Bayview Avenue, Clayton VIC 3168 9:30am – 5pm
BRISBANE: Thursday 10 June QMI Solutions Training Rooms A/B 33 McKechnie Drive Eight Mile Plains QLD 4113 9:30am – 5pm
WOLLONGONG: Tuesday 15 June University of Wollongong Innovation Campus iC Central – Ocean Room Squires Way, Fairy Meadow 9:30am – 5pm
ADELAIDE: Tuesday 22 June Mawson Lakes Hotel and Conference centre 10 Main St, Mawson Lakes SA 5095 9:30am – 5pm
BAE Systems has opened its new engineering hub in Melbourne that will integrate the company’s aerospace, autonomous systems and guided weapons research into a single facility.
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator the Hon Kim Carr and Victoria’s Minister of Industry and Trade, the Hon Jacinta Allan, officially opened the company’s new engineering centre at Richmond on Tuesday.
The building, on River Boulevard, will give teams from BAE Systems’ Aerospace and Autonomous Systems Development (AASD), and Weapon Systems (WS), access to modern laboratories to support a range of advanced design and test activities.
It will accommodate more than 300 BAE Systems employees.
Jim McDowell, Managing Director of BAE Systems Australia, said the company was at the forefront of research into autonomy and guided weapon systems.
“Our AASD group in Melbourne leads our global company’s engineering development and design capability across BAE Systems Australia’s Aerospace business unit, including design and development of autonomous enabling technologies, P-3, F/A -18 and Hawk Mission Systems support and Aircraft Integration activities for Blackhawk, Chinook and Seahawk” Mr McDowell said.
“Our Weapon Systems group is also involved in the cutting edge design, integration and support of ship air defence systems and guided weapons, including the highly successful Nulka active missile decoys and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM),” he said.
BAE Systems will initially lease approximately 3000 square metres and three floors of the new complex with capacity available to expand its presence if required.
ABOUT BAE Systems
BAE Systems is a global defence, security and aerospace company with approximately 107,000 employees worldwide. The Company delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. BAE Systems Australia is a Core Participant of the Defence Materials Technology Centre.
The Welding Technology Institute of Australia (WTIA) will present two University of Wollongong Research Fellows with prestigious awards next month in Sydney.
Dr Mark Callaghan will receive the WTIA Chris Smallbone International Award 2009 to promote technology innovation in Australia through involvement in the outcomes of the WTIA and the International Institute of Welding (IIW).
He will receive a prize trip to attend the IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference being held from 10 to 17 July 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Nathan Larkin will receive the WTIA Sir William Hudson Memorial Award Research Support Category 2009.
The Awards will be presented at the WTIA Annual Awards Dinner on 12 May 2010 during National Manufacturing Week at the Novotel Hotel, Sydney Olympic Park.
Dr Callaghan and Mr Larkin are both Research Fellows of UOW’s Engineering Faculty and are involved in DMTC’s Armour Applications program. UOW is a Core Participant of DMTC.
DMTC’s CEO Dr Mark Hodge congratulates both men on their respective Awards, which are a richly deserved acknowledgement for the excellence of their work.
Award recipients Nathan Larkin (left) and Dr Mark Callaghan (right) in the laser-hybrid welding rig in the Manufacturing Research Laboratory. Photograph by Mark Newsham.
A new ‘technology demonstrator’ has been launched at the University of Wollongong will allow New South Wales industry to assess the latest manufacturing technology for adoption in the Defence supply chain.
The NSW node of the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) was officially launched by the CEO of the DMTC, Dr Mark Hodge.
DMTC is a joint venture between Defence, industry, universities and government research agencies whose NSW node is supported by the NSW Government. NSW Government funding has enabled a technology demonstrator – the Lean Automation and Fabrication Facility – to be built at UOW for use by DMTC’s partners, including the University of Wollongong, BlueScope Steel, ANSTO, Bisalloy and several NSW Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Dr Hodge said the NSW node would assist NSW SMEs to participate in global defence supply chains in partnership with, or independently of, the leading prime contractors to the Australian Defence Force.
Professor John Norrish, Professor of Materials Welding and Joining at UOW and a Director of DMTC said the new technology demonstrator went a long way to furthering this goal.
“Many of the capabilities of the Lean Automation and Fabrication Facility involve advanced equipment which is not available elsewhere in NSW,” he said.
As part of their involvement in major research programs in Armour Applications and Maritime Platforms, DMTC’s NSW researchers are investigating more productive manufacturing processes for land-based vehicles and marine platforms.
This includes research into how the protective aspects of armoured personnel carriers made by Thales Australia can be maintained or improved while ensuring manufacturing processes are cost effective and competitive with potential imports.
“While the existing vehicle has been very successful in preventing injury and fatalities in the field, DMTC is committed to working with Thales, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and its other partners to ensure this safety record is maintained and Australian Defence personnel are adequately protected,” Professor Norrish said.
“It is also important to maximise Australian content in defence platforms to support employment and capability. In this case, the supply chain for these vehicles includes materials supplied by BlueScope Steel and Bisalloy in the Illawarra region.”
UOW’s role is to investigate potential armour material improvements and production process such as welding which play an important role in vehicle manufacture. ANSTO is contributing valuable expertise in modelling of armour damage to improve material performance characterisation.
DMTC’s NSW node is also undertaking a practical assessment of the impact of improved body armour on Defence personnel performance.
“UOW has a long association with defence industry in the assessment of the physiological demands on Defence personnel and in particular the effects of wearing body armour,” Professor Norrish said.
Facilities of the new technology demonstrator include:
• Three state-of-the-art, multi-purpose robots (one mounted on a linear track)
• Rapid tool changers (to convert the robot from component positioning to welding and machining operations)
• Advanced welding process capabilities including: Tandem Gas Metal Arc Welding, Cold Metal Transfer and Laser Hybrid Gas Metal Arc Welding
• Industry standard safety systems
About DMTC:
The Defence Materials Technology Centre is a technology development joint venture that develops new materials and manufacturing technologies for the Australian defence sector. It has activities in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia. DMTC is the Australian Government’s first Defence Future Capability Technology Centre.
