| Professor Chris Cook . . . his talk for the Research Strength Showcas... Professor Chris Cook . . . his talk for the Research Strength Showcase Series will cover current ‘hot’ manufacturing topics |
Engineering the future through manufacturing research
15 Apr 2008 | Bernie Goldie
Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Chris Cook will present the next lecture in the Research Strength Showcase Series at the University of Wollongong tomorrow (Wednesday 16 April).
Professor Cook will discuss the importance of engineering in today’s world and cover current ‘hot’ manufacturing topics at Wollongong, many of them receiving substantial funding from current industry partners.
He will discuss how the research challenges for engineers in manufacturing include finding new ways of making things which use less energy, which last longer while costing less, which provide users with greater safety, productivity and efficiency. This includes finding ways of using new materials, new ways of joining components together to make finished products, new ways to automate assembly, and new ways to design ‘intelligent’ machine tools.
Research at Wollongong is investigating new ways to manufacture submarines and surface ships, aeroplanes, manufacturing and protecting armoured vehicles, and new ways to use state-of-the-art materials, such as titanium.
The inherently multidisciplinary nature of manufacturing, which brings together physicists, and electrical, computer, mechanical and materials engineers, will be illustrated through examples of current research under way in welding, robotics, superconductors, electricity supply and generation, and new automation techniques for major industries as diverse as underground coal mining, fresh food processors and medical supplies.
If variety is the spice of life, then manufacturing research is a rich addition to life, and this presentation will illustrate this with many real life examples drawn from existing research projects at Wollongong.
The Research Strength Showcase Series is a new lunchtime lecture series which provides an opportunity to showcase the research conducted within each of UOW’s research strengths. Professor Cook is speaking on behalf of Professor John Norrish from the Faculty of Engineering who was listed earlier to present this lecture.
The talk will be held from 12.30 to 1.30pm in the Communications Building (Bldg 20) Lecture Room 2.
For further details see: http://www.uow.edu.au/research/news/strengthseries/index.html
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