The first iLAuNCH Trailblazer project is underway to establish an advanced manufacturing facility that will design and deliver stronger more durable satellite and hypersonic vehicle structures using additive manufacturing (AM).
Additive manufacturing, the process of creating an object by building it one layer at a time, has disrupted the traditional manufacturing world where subtractive manufacturing, created by cutting away at a solid block of material until the final product is complete, was once the norm.
Partners in this iLAuNCH Trailblazer program includes the Future Industries Institute at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Adelaide-based advanced manufacturer, VPG Innovation.
The facility will be located near space sector businesses in Adelaide and will support the industry with rapid 3D printing of metals for space structures. Partnering with UniSA’s established additive manufacturing capability, this project will support an increase of VPG employees and the upskilling of current ones in the area of AM for space applications.
The technology behind this new endeavor will use additive manufacturing through Electron Beam Melting (EBM) of metals. The EBM technique has the huge advantage that almost all of the energy put into creating the electron beam goes into melting the metallic dust. This is extremely important as the dust that we are talking about is high temperature metals such as titanium and nickel which melt at very high temperatures or can become brittle.
The EBM process takes place in a vacuum, allowing for a high temperature in a non-oxygenated environment, which relieves internal stresses and results in more resilient, flexible parts. The design freedoms allowed by additive manufacturing methods such as 3D printing provide designers of space objects with immense opportunities to optimize parts for performance by removing the limitations imposed by traditional manufacturing methods.
Together through iLAuNCH, this project will enable the partners to develop best practices for manufacturing design and devise the most appropriate way to build parts with this novel new technology.
“This important project is well underway in one of our key focus areas – additive manufacturing,” said . “Increasing the availability of custom structures, which are space-ready, will support the growing space sector. The partnership will also support a world-class Australian sovereign manufacturing capability that will create new jobs, alongside a highly trained workforce, leading to global exports within the space industry and other markets.” — Darin Lovett, Executive Director iLAuNCH Trailblazer
“The iLAuNCH hub is dedicated to building the space engineering capability of Australian Manufacturing. This project, the first to kick off for the space trailblazer program, will deliver additive manufacturing, at scale to Australia. The project is full steam ahead; we already have two engineers in Sweden developing the practical skills to operate and maintain the systems. It’s a great to work with a company, that is innovative, proactive and has a long-term vision.” — Professor Colin Hall, Industry Professor, University of South Australia
“VPG Innovation is excited to collaborate closely with the esteemed researchers from the Future Industries Institute at the University of South Australia (UniSA) to introduce and advance this cutting-edge technology within the Australian landscape. This partnership reflects our commitment to fostering innovation and cultivating sovereign capability on a national level.” — Al Jawhair, Group CEO and Co-founder of Stärke-AMG, the parent company of VPG Innovation
The Australian Government is building new research capabilities, driving commercialization outcomes and investing in new industry engagement opportunities through the Department of Education’s Trailblazer Universities Program. The Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics (iLAuNCH) program will build Australia’s sovereign space capability by addressing critical gaps and accelerating development of a space manufacturing sector. Through this federal program, iLAuNCH will receive $50 million of investment over 4 years, alongside a further $130 million from universities (University of Southern Queensland, The Australian National University, and the University of South Australia), industry partners, and CSIRO. The net economic benefit of the $180 million investment is expected to be $3.6 billion by 2040.
VPG Innovation serves as an essential partner within the Stärke-AMG group, a collaborative group encompassing eight companies with operational facilities in Australia and the USA. Specifically designated as the engineering and prototyping arm of the group, VPG Innovation plays a crucial role in the design-for-manufacture process.This affiliation empowers VPG to harness the comprehensive array of services offered by the group, thereby presenting clients with an impeccably integrated suite of cutting-edge end-to-end Advanced Manufacturing services. Bolstered by a diverse scale of services and an increasing expertise of over five decades, Stärke-AMG stands as a wholly Australian-owned and operated group of companies that specialise in turnkey solutions for design, prototyping, complex precision machining, tooling, plastic injection moulding and fabrication projects, delivering full product and system assemblies.
