Swinburne-CSIRO Testlab grows composites competency via industrial-scale 3D printing

Swinburne University of Technology’s (Melbourne, Australia) Swinburne-CSIRO National Industry 4.0 Testlab, which provides fully digitally supported engineering and manufacturing solutions for parts, processes and entire systems, has recently highlighted its “world-first” fully automated, industrial-scale production facility using a 3D printing approach to carbon fiber composite component creation.

Based at Australian Government agency CSIRO’s Clayton facility, the Swinburne-CSIRO National Industry 4.0 Testlab supports innovative research and development for Swinburne’s Aerostructures Innovation Research (AIR) Hub, Victorian Hydrogen Hub, ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing and collaborations with CSIRO's Data61 arm.

The Global Innovation Linkages program project is another key initiative of the facility. Developing a highly automated, flexible approach to the manufacturing process, the project integrates 3D printing technology with a distinctive composite curing process and digitization technologies. Swinburne notes that this will achieve a leap forward in increasing the production rates and quality of composites part manufacture, while reducing production costs.

“Testlab is already supporting groundbreaking projects in areas like aerospace, automotive, 3D printing and digital twinning,” says Industry 4.0 Testlab research director professor Boris Eisenbart. “This is only the start for this facility, and I am excited for what we can do next to continue to build our partnership with CSIRO and our industry network.”

The facility is anticipated to give the ability to generate, translate and accelerate research, training and technology into opportunities and a competitive advantage for Australia.