In the Media

Two themes stood out during the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC (ACM CRC) annual Partner Meeting last week. One was the intensified focus on industry-led R&D and commercial readiness. The other was AI, which as one guest put it: “isn’t the elephant in the room. AI is the room.”

August 27 – Five doctoral students got a chance to rethink their research in commercial terms through a nation-first pitchfest at the Australian Composites Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (ACM CRC) annual Partner Meeting last week. 

A project supported by the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC (ACM CRC) links Oilfield Piping Systems (OPS) and The University of Queensland (UQ) to develop more durable sucker rod guides, essential components for the oil and gas industry.

July 13 – A team from Hypersonix Launch Systems and The University of Queensland has beaten the extreme heat produced when travelling more than five times the speed of sound while also disproving the old proverb “if you want to go fast, go alone.”

July 8 – A new artificial intelligence-based manufacturing augmentation platform, supported by the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC (ACM CRC) and developed at Deakin University’s Applied AI Initiative, has the potential to create billions of dollars in efficiencies if adopted throughout the country.

June 12 – The Australian Composites Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (ACM CRC) has supported a newly-developed digital platform, delivering cash-strapped smaller manufacturers, startups and others access to vital but often-unaffordable machinery, while also helping unlock new value from idle assets.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – The global marine industry is facing an unprecedented materials crisis. Right now, an estimated 35 to 40 million fibreglass boats worldwide are reaching their end of life 1 . With no scalable pathway for recycling, these vessels are becoming a significant environmental burden, dumped in mangroves, scuttled in deep water, or destined for landfills where they will persist for centuries.

Reports last month that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is attempting to raise US$100 billion to buy up manufacturing businesses are a sign that perhaps a bigger game is afoot.

A recently launched research project funded by the Australian Composites Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre addresses the risk of shark attacks on surfers.