Mar 7, 2018 | By Benedict
Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology is establishing the world’s first operational Industry 4.0 Testlab for carbon composite manufacturing. The lab will contain a carbon fiber Multilayer 3D printing system from Austrian company Fill.
Want to utilize the latest advanced manufacturing technologies to 3D print some state-of-the-art carbon fiber components? You might just have to visit Melbourne to do so, since that’s where Swinburne University of Technology is setting up the world’s first Industry 4.0 Testlab for carbon composite manufacturing.
The opening of the lab is part of the university’s “groundbreaking” research into digital manufacturing, and could help a huge number of Australian SMEs get ahead of their international rivals.
At the heart of this shiny new facility will be a 3D printing system provided by Fill, an Austrian provider of advanced manufacturing equipment. The “Multilayer” system will be used to 3D print carbon fiber composite components.
Swinburne's Professor Bronwyn Fox has high hopes for the Industry 4.0 Testlab
3D printing will represent just one area of the new Testlab. Swinburne has partnered with three equipment manufacturers and one supplier to demonstrate the manufacture of actual commercial parts in an integrated pilot line, which will include resin dispensing and curing in addition to the Multilayer additive manufacturing process.
“With our industrial partners, we will create a digital twin of the process and push the boundaries of virtual commissioning,” commented Professor Bronwyn Fox, Director of Swinburne’s Manufacturing Futures Research Institute.
Swinburne University of Technology
All this exciting Industry 4.0 tech won’t come cheap, but that’s no obstacle for Swinburne thanks to the assistance of one major backer. A few months ago, Swinburne received a massive A$135 million ($105M) grant from Siemens to digitize its Factory of the Future and create Australia’s first fully immersed Industry 4.0 facility.
The proposed Industry 4.0 Testlab will provide Australian manufacturers with access to state-of-the-art technology, potentially providing a massive boost to the national manufacturing sector.
“Swinburne, with our partners, will lead the world in providing digital manufacturing solutions to secure Australia’s place in the lucrative intermediate product market,” Fox said.
Posted in 3D Printing Technology
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