A new partnership between Swinburne University and a research facility at the University of Stuttgart in Germany will see collaborative research to develop new materials and production processes.
Swinburne has become the first Australian university to be made a full member of ARENA 2036, a flexible factory of the future on the University of Stuttgart’s Baden-Wuerttemberg campus.
Swinburne and University of Stuttgart researchers will collaborate with the German research campus to develop the next generation of lightweight materials and automated production processes.
The agreement to formalise the partnership was signed on 19 November 2018, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in April 2016 between Swinburne, ARENA 2036 and the University of Stuttgart.
“We are thrilled to become a full member of ARENA 2036 and look forward to exploring the new opportunities for collaboration with current and new German institutes and industry partners,” Swinburne’s acting deputy vice-chancellor (research and development), Professor Bernadine Van Gramberg said.
Director of the Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, Professor Bronwyn Fox, has led the coordination of the partnership and says it will further cement Swinburne’s position at the forefront of Industry 4.0.
“Our partnership with the University of Stuttgart is incredibly important because Germany is spearheading Industry 4.0 initiatives globally.
“Our focus on Industry 4.0 involves the digitalisation of manufacturing processes, working closely with industry on everything from projects on collaborative robotics to projects with the food and beverage industry. These efforts have resulted in Swinburne’s world-first 3D printing process for the manufacture of industrial scale carbon fibre composite products,” Professor Fox said.
Swinburne and ARENA 2036 will conduct research in areas such as:
- Internet of things and 5G
- Advanced manufacturing and production technology
- Lightweight materials
- Carbon fibre composite manufacturing and graphene enabled technology
- Future oriented methods for teaching and research
ARENA 2036 is a research campus where researchers and industry collaborate in advancing production of lightweight structures, materials and construction as well as simulation and prototyping. Industry partners include Daimler, Bosch, Siemens, Pilz, BASF, DLR and Festo.
Located in the heart of the Baden-Wuerttemberg economic region, ARENA 2036 allows onsite testing of practical uses for research findings from the manufacturing and development fields.
It develops competitive production models for a flexible factory manufacturing the car of the future in 2036, the year of the 150th anniversary of the automobile.
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