December 2011 - Issue #14
Virtual predictions beat destruction
Story by Tim Treadgold
View articles in related topics: Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, Commercialisation
Key points
- New computer modelling capabilities at Swinburne will help Australian manufacturers design and test new materials and components.
- The virtual method saves time and money in the later physical testing process.
Before computer modelling there was only one way to discover the limits of a metal alloy, or any other material – test it to destruction.
The problems with this approach are obvious: it’s expensive, wastes resources and takes time.
Therefore it’s not surprising that ‘virtual manufacturing’ at the Swinburne-based Australian Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AusAMRC) is attracting the attention of major industrial companies looking for solutions to complex technical issues.
Headed by Professor Jeong Yoon, the Swinburne virtual manufacturing team offers Australian manufacturers access to cutting-edge engineering and technology capabilities.
“What we do is simulate the manufacturing process using computer-aided engineering to predict outcomes in the physical process,” Professor Yoon says. “Our work helps a manufacturer design components and achieve the best results from the materials being used.”
Companies using the computer simulation skills of Professor Yoon include Boeing – where the focus is on composite materials such as those used in the 787 Dreamliner ordered by Qantas – and aviation suppliers such as Sandvik Australia.
Expertise grounded in industry
Korean-born Professor Yoon is a US citizen with an international reputation. He joined Swinburne in 2010 as Professor of Advanced Manufacturing after a career that included research and development roles at the world’s largest aluminium company, Alcoa, at MSC Software Corporation and at Korean electronics firm LG. He retains a part-time position as invited professor at the University of Aveiro in Portugal.
“What we bring to a manufacturer is a combination of cost and time saving. If the behaviour of a material is not well known, it can take a long time to accurately assess its properties and the point at which it fails,” Professor Yoon says.
“For example, in automotive design, a manufacturer must know how materials will perform in a crash. We can do most of the essential early analysis using our computer-modelling techniques.”
Professor Yoon predicts that many manufacturers will adopt early stage modelling as part of their design process. “We can recommend a design to a manufacturer and they can then conduct trials, and very often there is an accurate correlation between the computer model and the final product,” he says.
Global research network
AusAMRC, which opened in November 2009, is modelled on a successful research centre established with Boeing at the University of Sheffield in the UK. It is part of a network of collaborating Boeing-engaged research centres around the world.
Professor John Beynon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences and principal investigator of AusAMRC, led mechanical engineering at Sheffield before relocating to Swinburne in 2005, bringing with him the template that led to the Australian research centre’s creation.
Boeing Research & Technology-Australia coordinates the work of AusAMRC, with the primary aim of helping suppliers to Boeing improve their capabilities and deliver globally competitive products.
Research projects are funded by membership fees, and through partnerships with other research organisations and state and federal government.
Membership is not restricted to Boeing suppliers, although participation is intended to assist companies preparing to join the company’s global supply chain.
Companies leverage process predictions
AusAMRC industrial liaison Miro Miletic says the work of Professor Yoon is attracting widespread interest in the manufacturing sector.
“Companies are beginning to appreciate what early stage computer-aided modelling can do for the predictability of their products, not just in terms of saving time and money, but in achieving a better finished product,” Mr Miletic says.
Swedish-based Sandvik is working with AusAMRC at Swinburne on drilling and trimming of carbon composite materials, seeking ways to improve surface finish and extend cutting-tool life in aerospace applications.
Melbourne-based Lovitt Technologies, a manufacturer of complex machined components for the global aerospace industry and member of AusAMRC, is working to improve machining times of hard-metal components used in new-generation commercial and military aircraft.
