InfraBuild has launched an innovative research effort to produce better corrosion resistant steel products in collaboration with the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) and Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.
The project, which is supported with $100,000 from the IMCRC’s Activate program, aims to modernize InfraBuild’s finishing process by adding CSIRO’s solid state, low-cost additive Cold Spray ZAPTM technology.
Using robotic coating application technology, InfraBuild and CSIRO will develop a fully automated digital manufacturing production line that will increase productivity and cost competitiveness.
Bradley Taylor, Director of Technical at InfraBuild Wire, said that in addition to enabling InfraBuild to explore the technology as an alternative coating option, the project will also allow the company to advance its manufacturing process and create “new innovative steel products for a number of sectors”.
“As part of IMCRC’s activate project, we aim to develop high-value, cost-effective steel products that will deliver benefits to many sectors, from our primary producers and rural sectors to nation-building infrastructure,” he said.
“By integrating CSIRO’s Cold Spray ZAP™ technology in our manufacturing process, we will be able to manufacture longer-lasting, damage resistant, coated steel products that have the ability to withstand aggressive environments. Saving our customers money over the full life of each product.”
CSIRO Research Director, Advanced Materials and Processing, Dr Kathie McGregor, said the agency aims to accelerate sustainable manufacturing through collaboration with Australian industry.
“This project will help us develop our Cold Spray ZAP™ technology into a leading-edge, commercially viable and scalable solution to manufacture corrosion-resistant steel products in Australia,” Dr McGregor said.
Dr Matthew Young, IMCRC’s Manufacturing Innovation Manager, said the research collaboration is enabling InfraBuild and CSIRO to solve a nationwide challenge – improving the sustainability of fencing in Australia under some of the toughest environmental conditions on Earth.
“It’s an example of what can be achieved through investment in shorter-term collaborations between Australian manufacturing and research organisations, something that Activate has been specifically designed to address,” he continued.
“IMCRC is pleased to be contributing to the development of a scalable steel product that has wide ranging applications and the potential to benefit many sectors in Australia and beyond.”
