The pandemic continued to impact the globe in 2021, and for the manufacturing sector, one of the notable effects was the international supply chain crisis.
While this posed a significant challenge for many, there was some good news for Australian manufacturing.
A growing focus towards onshore production proved beneficial for local manufacturers with the expertise, team and technology to meet the demand.
At Romar Engineering, we were fortunate to be able to mitigate supply issues and continue to provide our leading manufacturing solutions for the aerospace, medical, mining and defence sectors.
In our Australian manufacturing annual wrap, we showcase our 2021 activities and achievements, including recognition for our advanced manufacturing, innovative aerospace collaborations, new faces for our expert engineering team and additional niche technology – offering even more opportunities for our customers.
Recognition for advanced manufacturing
In July, the Australian government recognised Romar’s capability in advanced manufacturing with a $5.8 million grant to grow our Australian-designed fluid and motion control solutions.
The winning grant was the largest of four allocated to manufacturers working in the aerospace sector under round one of the Integration and Translation streams of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI), a $1.3 billion Federal Government program designed to bolster Australia as a globally recognised manufacturing nation.
Romar is using the grant towards 18 new positions in our advanced manufacturing department, and we’ve already begun to grow our expert team with our first new hires.
Romar continued to shine in the media spotlight this year. In September, ABC program The Business interviewed Romar CEO Alan Lipman for a feature on Australian manufacturers who have thrived through the pandemic.
Growing industry collaborations
In 2021 Romar continued to collaborate with industry innovators. We formally partnered with RMIT to find better solutions to challenging design problems involving thermal, fluid and structural loading present in high-value components such as rocket engine components, advanced heat exchangers and conformally cooled tooling.
We also worked with US-based partner companies Kruse Analysis and Kruse Training, specialists in CAE simulation services and training for the plastic injection molding industry.
We installed new molding filling software and increased our focus on conformal cooling, which holds great potential for Australian manufacturers looking to improve cycle times and reduce part prices.
Also this year, we collaborated with Hypersonix Launch Systems, an Australian aerospace engineering, design and build company developing scramjet engines and hypersonic vehicles for sustainable and affordable access to space, and we delivered our first Flight Ready model of the Main Oxygen Valve (MOV), designed and manufactured for Gilmour Space Technologies.
New technology for innovation and efficiency
To deliver our cutting-edge advanced manufacturing solutions, we utilise state-of-the-art technology. Our Lasertec 65 hybrid 3D printer is unique to Australia, and we added to our stable this year with the Concept Laser M2 Series 5, a Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM) machine from GE Additive.
A next-generation additive printer, it delivers exceptional part quality, machine usability and repeatability at scale, making it particularly suited to highly regulated industries.
With this technology, Romar Engineering is leading in design-centric and qualification-focused metal additive manufacturing in Australia.
At Romar, we also know that smart technology isn’t always the flashiest. Throughout the year we adopted new digital software to enhance our traditional processes in line with Industry 4.0 manufacturing. While system integration is helping us gather data to better understand our moulding capability, we also focused on new IT directions to streamline processes and enhance production efficiency.
Expanding our expert team
As mentioned, Romar’s winning MMI grant is allowing us to grow our team of world-class manufacturing engineers.
The first new hire from the MMI grant was Agnendra Singh, a Mechatronics Engineer who joined our advanced manufacturing department. His role is to transition engineering concepts into tangible products, using our Lasertec 65. More recently, we welcomed Dan Meck, our new Principal Design Engineer, and Ben Bax, a world-authority on additive technology, formerly of DMG Mori.
Romar has always valued our internship program which helps us connect with the brightest university students around the country.
In April we invited our 2020 intern, Hayden McLaughlin, onboard as a Manufacturing Engineer; and in June we welcomed our newest intern, Sophie Heasman, a Sydney university student completing a double degree in mechatronic engineering and philosophy.
We also worked with students this year through ANSTO’s National Graduate Innovation Forum.
After a fruitful 2021, we look forward to continuing to provide innovative manufacturing solutions in areas including advanced manufacturing, medical device manufacturing and silicone manufacturing. Please read more of our Romar Engineering news or contact us to discuss your 2022 project.
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