Swinburne and Sutton Tools join forces for smart manufacturing

Swinburne University of Technology and Sutton Tools have established a joint Smart Manufacturing Centre to work on projects in advanced manufacturing over the next five years in a model for industry/SME collaboration.

A research agreement establishing the new centre, which will be based at Sutton Tools in Thomastown, Victoria, was signed by Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, research and enterprise) Professor Bronwyn Fox and Sutton Tools managing director Peter Sutton earlier this week.

The new centre will help train students, staff and industry end users and will pursue joint research and development activities through different funding bodies.

The centre will also play a role in the Australian Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy through developing a digital and sustainable local supply chain with Sutton Tools.

The collaboration will include:

• The loan of equipment from Swinburne to Sutton Tools
• The joint funding of three PhD scholarships
• And the placement of undergraduate and postgraduate students with Sutton Tools.

Professor Fox said: “This partnership builds on a longstanding relationship between Swinburne and Sutton Tools that dates back to the early 1990s and underscores Swinburne’s research strengths in the manufacturing sector.

Peter Sutton said the strengthened collaboration would be instrumental in the continued local development and manufacture of advanced engineering cutting tools.

He said: “We see the Smart Manufacturing Centre as not only crucial in supporting research and development, but as importantly, providing the infrastructure to train both current and future engineers in systems and techniques required by increasingly demanding machining applications.”

In partnership with Sutton Tools and a number of local SMEs, Swinburne has been studying the cutting tool life of hard-to-machine materials such as titanium.

This work will assist with lengthening tool life and reducing the cost of the manufacturing process.

Swinburne also played a prominent role in the establishing Surface Technology Coatings, part of the Sutton Tools organisation.

Picture: AAMC/Sutton Tools

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