Leading additive manufacturing company Conflux Technology has joined forces with Deakin University’s School of Engineering and Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) to develop new aluminium alloys for Conflux’s 3D-printed heat exchangers.
The nine-month research collaboration, which is supported by $138,000 in funding from the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), will deliver alloys with enhanced material properties that optimise heat exchange operations. Dr Matthew Young, IMCRC’s Manufacturing Innovation Manager, said the IMCRC activate project had the potential to catalyse significant advances in Australia’s additive manufacturing capabilities.
“Supporting novel alloy development specific to 3D printing processing conditions will maximise heat exchange efficiency, benefiting a number of sectors across Australia, from aerospace to energy,” he said. “More broadly, it will enable an Australian manufacturing sovereign capability to produce products with improved performance, geometries and fabrication. As this project demonstrates, enabling research institutions and industry to build symbiotic relationships remains key to developing a world-leading Australian manufacturing industry.”
Conflux Technology’s CEO and founder Michael Fuller highlighted that improving heat transfer efficiency played a fundamental role in reducing humanity’s impact on atmospheric climate change: “At Conflux, we strive in our internal program of research and development to create the technologies that transform heat transfer efficiencies. It has been a long-held ambition to partner with Deakin University on this project to create truly bespoke solutions tailored to meet our necessarily ambitious targets. The outcomes of this project will further reinforce Conflux Technology’s place at the pinnacle of heat transfer technologies enabled by additive manufacturing and consequently fortify Australia’s position as an advanced manufacturing nation.”
Dr Qi Chao from Deakin University said the School of Engineering and IFM were excited to be working hand in glove with Conflux Technology to design, manufacture, and characterise the revolutionary novel aluminium alloys.
“Currently, there’s a limited range of materials available for 3D printing, few of which possess ideal material properties required for heat exchange applications,” he said. “To remedy this, Conflux Technology’s team have drawn from their considerable experience in heat exchanger design and manufacturing to define the enhanced material properties they require to improve their product. Using our rapid alloy development program, we can then deliver them the next generation of competitive and high-performance novel aluminium alloys for industrial application.”