News

International award for manufacturing research

Three Australian academics working together on a DMTC project have been awarded a prestigious international prize by the London-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

Shoujin Sun, Milan Brandt and DMTC Chief Technology Officer Matthew Dargusch have won the Institution’s 2018 Thatcher Bros Prize, awarded for the best paper on manufacturing / mechanical engineering published by IMechE in the preceding calendar year.

The paper entitled ”Effect of tool wear on chip formation during dry machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy” was published in the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2017.

The related DMTC program of work has involved industry partner Sutton Tools and other Australian SMEs as well as research partners from Swinburne University, RMIT and the University of Queensland. A number of breakthroughs have been made in the machining of titanium alloys, specifically in working with different cutting tools and laser-assisted machining methods that can potentially enhance finish quality and reduce costs in the supply chain.

The award recognises the excellence of their research and the continuing success of the DMTC’s collaborative model.

In May the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working with the Australian defence sector “to further expand, innovate and draw upon our nation’s entire toolkit of people and skills which are necessary to deliver what we need”.

“I am a great believer in our defence industry and they have my complete backing. They are paramount in supporting our nation’s defence and transforming our economy,” Minister Pyne said.

The award for this journal publication is just one example of the brilliant and industrially-relevant work of DMTC’s research partners, which is showcased here.