The

Australian Research Council The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government, distributing more than in grants each year. The Council was established by the ''Australian Research Council Act 2001'', ...

Industrial Transformation Training Centre (ITTC) Automated Manufacture of Advanced Composites (AMAC) is a research centre focussing on lowering barriers for Australian industry to access, engage, adopt and propagate automated composite manufacturing innovations. Led by the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

(UNSW SYDNEY), AMAC was established in 2017 by a consortium of Australian and international universities and Industries. AMAC operated across two other university nodes (

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

and

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

) located both locally and internationally. The primary objective is to develop and implement automated manufacturing techniques for advanced composite materials through automation and innovative technologies. AMAC has nine industry partners. The partnering industries include

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is a statutory body of the Australian Government that is responsible for nuclear research and the production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. It was established in Apr ...

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

s, Advanced Composite Structures Australia, the

Defence Science and Technology Group The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is a part of the Australian Department of Defence, which provides science and technology support to Defence and defence industry. The agency's name was changed from Defence Science and Technolog ...

, Omni Tankers, Carbonix, Advanced Fibre Placement Technology (AFPT), FEI, and

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

. Funding was provided by the

(ARC) and the industries involved. The AMAC Centre was funded with $3.85 million by ARC for five years between 2017 and 2022, during and after which industry collaborations and further funding were established to continue the AMAC Centre’s research. AMAC had its official opening on 27 November 2017 at UNSW Sydney. Organisation Professor Gangadhara Prusty from UNSW SYDNEY is the Founding Centre Director. Prof. Paul Compston acted as the Deputy Director of the Centre during 2017-2021. The collaborators and partners of AMAC include: *

(ANU), Canberra *

, Germany *

The University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

- ANSTO * Advanced Composite Structures Australia *

* Omni Tanker * Carbonix * Advanced Fibre Placement Technology (AFPT) *

FEI Company FEI Company (Field Electron and Ion Company) was an American company that designed, manufactured, and supported microscope technology. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, FEI had over 2,800 employees and sales and service operations in more than ...

(Thermo Fisher) *

* FlexeGraph *

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is a Government of New South Wales, New South Wales Government transport services and roads List of New South Wales government agencies, agency established on 1 November 2011. The agency is a different entity to the NSW ...

* Rux Energy * Gowing Bros. * Ocius * SDI Limited * Australian Coal Industry's Research Program (ACARP) AMAC focuses on four key themes: # Material Enhancement: Novel materials, additives, and reinforcements to enhance composite properties. This includes investigating advanced fibres, resins, and hybrid materials to achieve superior mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance. # Process Property Optimisation: Manufacturing processes and automation methods to optimise composite properties. Techniques such as AFP, resin infusion, and curing cycles are studied to achieve consistent quality, reduce defects, and enhance overall performance. # Simulation and Performance Prediction: Computational models and simulations are explored to optimise designs and manufacturing processes by predicting material behaviour, structural integrity, and performance. # Design, Integration, and Optimisation: Methods to develop integrated solutions for sensor integrated structural designs and integrations. This theme focuses on designing composite structures for specific applications (e.g., aerospace, naval, automotive) and optimising their performance throughout their lifecycle. Research Facilities at AMAC AMAC is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that support its research and development activities. These include advanced manufacturing labs, composite material testing facilities, and simulation environments. The infrastructure enables researchers and industry collaborators to conduct cutting-edge experiments, prototype development, and technology validation in a controlled and innovative setting. Facilities at AMAC include * Facilities for composite material design, analysis, lay-up, curing, and testing—all under one roof for hand-layup, vacuum bag infusion, prepreg and automated fibre placement. * Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) facility AMAC has pioneered the use of embedded sensor technologies to monitor processing conditions during composite component manufacturing. These sensors also track structural health throughout the life of composite components, enhancing safety and reliability.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{authority control Materials testing institutes Research institutes in Australia