Composites industry moving from strength to strength
The importance of strategic innovation, diversification and research utilisation in a challenging economic climate was the common thread at this year’s Composites Australia and CRC-ACS Conference.
Close to 200 delegates from as far afield as the United States, Germany, Malaysia, Israel, Austria and Finland attended an array of almost 60 sessions given by speakers representing the global and domestic composites industry across business, research and technology.
Now in its 11th year, the 2014 conference, held in Newcastle, NSW, offered a wealth of knowledge and perspectives on the theme: materials for a lighter and smarter world.
The Honourable Bob Baldwin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, set the tone for the conference with an upbeat look at what he described as the “inspirational” way the composites industry was rising to the tough challenges being thrown at the Australian manufacturing sector.
“There is no sugar coating it,” Mr Baldwin said. “Manufacturing in this country is facing very tough times. The high dollar, intense international competition, high input costs and low profit margins are just some of the factors conspiring to make life a little bit more difficult for the sector. Our manufacturers must be prepared to transform, adapt and reinvent themselves.”
Mr Baldwin emphasised the key role composites played in Australia’s transition towards the “prosperous high-technology, high-value add manufacturing sector of the future”, reiterating that the possibilities for the composites industry were “boundless”. He congratulated the CRC for Advanced Composite Structures for its critical role as a world leader in the development and application of composites, as well as for the estimated $7.5billion it will have contributed to the Australian economy by 2017.
Mr Baldwin’s sentiments were echoed by Professor Murray Scott, chief executive officer for the CRC-ACS, who shared with delegates the CRC’s approach to bringing the Australian composites industry into the international global supply chain by focussing on three end-users – the aeronautical sector (the Airbus Group); the defence sector (Defence Science and Technology Aerospace Division) and the oil, gas and petrochemical sector (Petronas).
Presentations
[To request copies of presentations please contact the speaker direct or email Composites Australia ]
Mr Nicholas Melillo, Senior Manager, The Boeing Company’s Research and Technology business unit and leading the Advanced Design Technologies Organization
Rapid Structures Prototyping as a Tool for Technology Insertion – Recent Examples at the Boeing Company
Mr Zoran Angelkovski, META
META: The Australian manufacturing platform for innovation
Mr Rohan Muni Bajracharya – University of Southern Queensland
Tensile properties of glass fibre reinforced recycled mixed plastic composites
Rohan Muni Bajracharya, University of Southern Queensland
Moisture absorption and hygrothermal aging in bamboo fibre/polyester composite
Mr Tanmay Bhat – School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Enegineering, RMIT University
Fire structural performance of basalt fibre composites
Dr Andrew Beehag , Advanced Composite Structures Australia Pty Ltd (ACS Australia)
Design guidelines for biocomposites
Dr Andrew Beehag, Advanced Composite Structures Australia Pty Ltd (ACS Australia)
Development of automated composite research facility at University of New South Wales
Dr Mohammad Dalour Hossen Beg , University Malaysia Pahang
Bio polymer matrix for composites
Peter Bruchmuller, Deakin University
Effect of matrix properties on damage onset in single fibre composites
Mr Erwan Castanet, Deakin University
Bamboo and polylactic acid bio-composites
Mr Shakar Ullah Chowdhury, University Of New South Wales
Damage detection in composite plates using transient vibration analysis
Mr Chris Cranitch, PATH
Basics of chemical resistance
Dr Lucy Cranitch, PATH
Composites in the oil and gas industry
Dr Stephen Daynes, RMIT University
Damage diagnostics for structural health monitoring of composite structures
Mr James Fay , University of Queensland
Detecting moisture in honeycomb sandwich structures using through-thickness resonance measurements
Mr Wahid Ferdous, University of Southern Queensland
Benefits of geopolymer concrete-filled FRP beams and its flexural behaviour
Mr Wahid Ferdous , University of Southern Queensland
Structural optimisation of composite railway sleeper
Mr Wahid Ferdous, University of Southern Queensland
An experimental investigation of the threaded bolt effect on the double lap joint strength of pultruded fibre reinforced polymer
Mr Calum Fowler, RMIT University
Review of composite toroidal pressure vessel research, design and development for on-board CNG and hydrogen storage
Mr Geoff Germon, Talon
A case for a carbon fibre industrial design course in Australia
Mr Pierre Gouhier, RPC Technologies
Light my fire
Dr Michael Heitzmann, Advanced Composite Structures Australia
Optimisation of the twin-screw compounding process for short fibre biocomposites.
Dr Michael Heitzmann, Advanced Composite Structures Australia
Business case for plant fibre biocomposites in Australia
Dr Rik Heslehurst, University of New South Wales
Comparison of hollow core densities with core shape, cell size and wall thickness
Miss Ting Huang, University of New South Wales
Parametric effect on mechanical properties of PVA-ECC
Mr Brian Hughes, Composites Materials Engineering
Diversity beats adversity
Mr Matthew Jennings, Deakin University
The effect of material parameters on honeycomb sandwich structures
Mr Christopher Lagat, Curtin University
Design and Evaluation of Filament Wound Composite Coiled Tube for Hard Rock Drilling
Mr Christopher Lagat, Curtin University
The mechanical properties of multi-angle filament wound hybrid composite
Professor Reinhold Lang, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria
Polymer science based high-throughput methodology for the characterization of novel polymer matrix systems for advanced composites
Mr Jeff Lawrence, Sykes
Staying ahead of the market
Mr Quanxiang Li, Deakin University
Effects of electrospray-deposited carbon nanotubes on the interface of carbon fibre embedded in epoxy matrix
Mr Chenjun Liu, University Of New South Wales, Canberra
Experimental study of sandwhich panels with aluminium foam core subjected to repeated impact
Dr Dilip Manuel, Business Development Manager, CSIRO
CSIRO’s megatrends and sustainable manufacturing
Mr Warren Miller, Senior Design Engineer, Composites Consulting Group
A practical engineering approach to a cutting edge composite solution
Mr Majid Muttashar, University of Southern Queensland
Flexural and axial behavior of pultruded GFRP hollow sections filled with low strength concrete
Ms Sahar Naghashian, Deakin University
Manufacture and actuation of morphing composite structures
Dr Asintha Nanayakkara , DSTO
Structural evaluation of thick composites for maritime applications
Antti Ojala, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Thermo-mouldable wood fibre nonwoven composites
Mr Dominic Parsonson, Tasman Machinery
Benefits of 3D printing for patterns, mandrels and moulds
Mr Jean-Guy Picard, CCP Composites
Resin Technology Innovations
Mr Golam Rashed, University Of New South Wales
An overview on the structure and applications of metallic micro lattices
Thomas Schmidt, DLR
Optimization on CFRP manufacturing processes by using automated thermography
Mr Stephen Smith, Exel Composites
Driving profitable growth through new applications for composites
Mr Tony Stanton, APAC for GURIT
Bridging the gap with composites
Mr Geoffrey Thomas, RMIT University
PWAS for health monitoring of composite structures and challenges facing their introduction
Mr He Tian, University Of New South Wales
Tensile mechanical properties of a sustainable hybrid fibre reinforced cementitious composite
Dr Ramon Tozer, Davies Collison Cave
Intellectual Property – What is it and why do you need to know about it?
Dr Russell Varley, CSIRO
The quest for sustainable polymer composites: synthesis, simulation and self-healing
Mr Hongxu Wang, University Of New South Wales
A numerical study on through – thickness shock response of CFRP composites
Johannes Wolper, DLR
Sizing method for 3D modeled scarf joints using advanced finite element analysis
Sam Wong, Defence Industry Innovation Centre and Adam Fairbairn, Armour Composite Engineering
Building and Running a Successful Composite Business – How hard can it be?
Dr Kok-Chong Yong, Malaysian Rubber Board
A flexible laminate composite based on natural rubber wood fibres
Mr Kuang Yu, University of New South Wales
Numerical analysis of the flexural behaviour of reinforced thermoplastic pipes for offshore oil and gas applications
Professor Rosli Yunus, University Malaysia
Effect of solvent dispersion on the toughness and thermal properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes-reinforced unsaturated polyester nanocomposite
Mr Holger Zorn, Spheretex
Volumised core materials for lightweight laminates