Research capabilities

Additive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) is becoming an important manufacturing technology that is creating new opportunities in both product design and manufacturing flexibility.

AMPAM has an emerging research strength in additive manufacturing across a range of materials including polymers, metals and ceramics.

AMPAM is a core participant in the ARC Research Hub for Transforming Australia’s Manufacturing Industry through High Value Additive Manufacturing and is collaborating with national and international industry end-users and other Australian universities to facilitate the adoption of advanced metal 3D printing technologies.

Together with QMI Solutions (a core AMPAM participant), we are also working with Australian SMEs from a range of industries to assist in the adoption of multi-material additive manufacturing technologies. AMPAM researchers are also developing new customised 3D printable metal alloys and affordable and high speed 3D printing technologies. We also work with a range of polymeric materials and are developing new technologies suitable for producing engineering ceramics through 3D printing.

Key researchers

Casting

UQ has a long history of working with industry on solidification and casting problems.

Our industry partners include Rio Tinto Alcan, Nissan Castings, Ford Australia, Investment Castings, Bradken, Hydrexia, Nihon Superior and others.

We have a world leading research group with a reputation for excellent science and providing technical solutions to industry. With our research partners in CSIRO and Monash University all casting processes are investigated.

AMPAM has particular strengths in grain refinement, silicon modification, lead-free solders, microstructural control and defect minimisation of porosity, hot tearing and segregation.

We currently work on aluminium, magnesium, titanium and other high temperature metal alloys, electronic and energy storage materials, and wear resistant cast irons.

Key researchers

Composites Manufacturing and Evaluation

The Composites Group is renowned for its expertise in the application of thermoplastic polymers for composites manufacturing, surface optimisation and joining of dissimilar materials; the development of biobased composites including natural fibre composites and nanocomposites; the application of linear and non-linear ultrasonic techniques for materials characterisation, damage evaluation and structural health management; and numerical simulation of guided wave propagation and scattering as well as damage initiation and evolution.

Current research partners include Airbus Helicopters, DMTC and DSTO and we collaboratively work with colleagues from the University of Bordeaux, Monash University, RMIT and University of Auckland.

Research groups:

Translational Polymer Research Group
Composites Group
Civil Composite Structures Group

Key researchers

Corrosion

Energy Materials

Forming

Research into Advanced Forming Mechanics at UQ is specialised on providing fundamental and practical insight and control of highly nonlinear plastic deformation processes to produce many everyday products from sheet metal. The group has dedicated experience with theoretical Finite Element modelling and control of Advanced Forming processes including unique experience with important tribological effects. Recent applications include Cold Roll Forming, Incremental Press Forming and Millipede Forming (inventors).

Major research has commenced on the modelling and control of Incremental Sheet Forming and is supported by Boeing and QMI. Millipede forming is a new continuous press forming process that combines the speed and efficiency of roll forming shaped product from continuous flat sheet with the continuous control and precision of an array of specially synchronized oscillatory dies and is supported by the recently developed Millipede Company business structure to commercialise the technology.

AMPAM facilities boasts one of the few state-of-the-art ISF machines that allows mold based forming for greater control and quality, Millipede prototype machines, an experimental roll former, two disk rolling contact tribological testrig and laser measurement technology.

Key researchers

Joining

Joining processes are important in the production of many components and are also commonly used in the repair and maintenance of plant and equipment.

At UQ we have several projects that interface with both national and international industrial partners to provide support and make advances in joining technology. The range of processes which are of interest to our partners is diverse and includes adhesive bonding, self-piercing riveting, soldering, aluminium brazing, diffusion bonding and laser and conventional welding.

These processes are used to join a range of metallic, non-metallic, composite and dissimilar materials for a variety of applications including biomedical, electrical, structural and functional.

Key researchers

Machining

UQ is an emerging world leader in metal machining and our industry and research partners extend across Australia.

UQ has multi-axis Milling machines and CNC turning lathes at our premises along with a number of process monitoring tools. AMPAM also has access to the latest machine tool systems at our industry partners’ shop floor to carry out application-based R&D activities.

AMPAM has particular strengths in turning and milling operations, advanced cooling technologies, laser-assisted machining, vibration monitoring, tool coatings, micromachining/ultra precision grinding and industry best practice. We currently work on a host of aerospace grade materials including titanium, ferrous alloys, aluminium and magnesium.

Key researchers

Polymer Processing

The polymer processing facilities at UQ are internationally renowned in both breadth of scale (from small, pilot and large scale equipment) and because of our links to fundamental processing understanding (links to polymer characterization, rheology (flow behavior) and polymer performance resources).

Our particular research skills are in polymer formulation and blending, rheology, flow simulation, polymer properties and lifetime modelling.

Polymer systems we are currently examining include bio-based polymers, natural composites, degradable polyethylene, nanocomposites, thermoset coatings and supercritical polymer processing for aerospace, agricultural, biomedical and high value industrial plastics applications.

Key researchers

Peter Halley
Bronwyn Laycock
Darren Martin
Timothy Nicholson
Celine Chaleat
Steven Pratt
Paul Luckman
Fengwei Xie

Powder Metal Science and Engineering

UQ is an international leader in the powder metallurgy (PM) of the light metals with pioneering research in PM aluminium alloys beginning in the early 1990s, led by Prof Graham Schaffer, supported by Australian and US industry, the Australian Research Council and the CAST CRC.

Since 2004, the research in the group has been further extended to include a range of novel powder processing and sintering processes and other metals and alloys. A powder metal injection (PIM) laboratory and a high vacuum (10‑3 pa) high power (3 kW) microwave (MW) sintering laboratory were established in 2010.

In addition, we are a partner in a newly established spark plasma sintering laboratory at Monash University. Current primary research activities of the group include powder metallurgy of (i) titanium and its alloys with the assistance of density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) modelling; (ii) aluminium and its alloys with the assistance of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling; (iii) amorphous alloys (Al-based and Ti-based); (iv) porous metallic materials (metal foams); (vi) metal-ceramic hybrids and/or composites; (vii) functional materials.

Key researchers

Surface Engineering

UQ is a world leader in research on light metals, including aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys. The task of surface engineering is to improve the surface durability of this group of structural materials so that they can be used in corrosive, wearing and oxidization environments through surface modification and coating.

Our internationally recognized researchers associated with AMPAM have developed a number of novel surface treatment technologies, including packed powder diffusion coating, surface nanocrystallization, anodizing and kinetic metallization for light alloys, which provide technical solutions to industry.

In addition, we have been successful in extending the new technologies to surface treatment of ferrous alloys, including welding, and to development of new biomaterials for implants with improved bioactivity.