News

DMTC Contract Executed

MEDIA RELEASE:  New contract with the Commonwealth executed

Young Innovator award to DMTC PhD candidate

DMTC sponsored PhD Candidate, Vanessa Lussini from Queensland University of Technology, has won the Aerospace Australia Ltd Young Innovator prize. This award was presented at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon in Victoria and recognises individuals who are leaders in aerospace and aviation technologies and innovation.

Vanessa was presented the award for her outstanding work to improve the safety of aircraft and reduce maintenance costs. Vanessa’s project is focused on using organic compounds to develop sensors that will alert maintenance crews when sections of an aircraft need repainting before mechanical strain, direct sunlight, varying temperatures, water, salt and other pressures cause dangerous corrosion resulting in potentially catastrophic failure. To prevent corrosion, modern aircraft are coated with protective materials. However these protective outer coatings are constantly under physical and chemical stress. If left unchecked, this damage can lead to corrosion, which can result in the deterioration of the aircraft’s structural integrity. Vanessa’s project has developed new sensor molecules, called pro-fluorescent nitroxides (PFNs) which can monitor the breakdown of aircraft coatings that enable a sensitive real time monitor technology within the coating to show the location and extent of the coatings wear.

DMTC researchers have now won the young innovator prize at the past 3 major Defence Platform shows, including Pacific 2013, Land Forces 2014 and now the 2015 Avalon Air Show.

DMTC is delighted with this outcome and congratulates all other winners and shortlisted candidates for the Aerospace Australia Ltd awards.

DMTC manufacturing program wins award at Avalon Air Show

DMTC is delighted with today’s announcement that our work in developing and upskilling the supply chain to support BAE Systems’ manufacture of Vertical Tail components for the Joint Strike Fighter has been selected as the winner of the Aerospace Australia Ltd Defence Industry SME Innovation Grant prize.  The activity has involved close collaboration between a number of supply chain companies and research organisations, including BAE Systems, Sutton Tools, Vipac Engineers, Seco Tools, Swinburne University, Melbourne University, RMIT University and the University of Queensland, and has resulted in the development of a range of capabilities supporting improved productivity and greater cost competitiveness in manufacture of military aerospace components.

These capabilities are now available to Australian and international companies through global supply chain collaborations and, although developed for aerospace, should also provide opportunity in the land and sea domains for Australian supply chain companies.

DMTC congratulates all other winners and shortlisted candidates for the Aerospace Australia Ltd awards.

Aerospace Awards – DMTC Shortlisted

DMTC’s aerospace supply chain project in developing and optimising titanium machining capability for aerospace components has been shortlisted for the Aerospace Australia Ltd Defence Industry SME Innovation Grant prize.  The project involves a range of companies in BAE Systems’ local supply chain, including:

• BAE Systems Australia Ltd.
• Vipac Engineers
• Seco Tools
• Sutton Tools

One of DMTC’s PhD students, Vanessa Lussini from Queensland University of Technology, has also been shortlisted for the Aerospace Australia Ltd Young Innovator prize.  Vanessa continues a strong tradition over the past 3 major Defence Platform shows (Pacific 2013 and Land Forces 2014 and now the 2015 Air Show), where DMTC researchers have won this prize.  (No pressure Vanessa).

Both the SME and Young Innovator Prizes carry with them prizemoney of $10,000.  DMTC is delighted that our work continues to be recognised by our industry peers in this way, and we wish other nominees luck (but not too much luck) when the final prizes are announced during the Air Show in the final week of February, 2015.