In their 27th year of partnership, Boeing and the CSIRO have begun work on joint research projects in 2016. Scientists and engineers in Melbourne, Brisbane and from Boeing sites across the US will conduct and oversee 22 projects across multiple research domains.
Several areas of joint research include advanced manufacturing materials and chemicals research, secure network communications, 3D imaging and mapping technologies. Successful research projects can be adapted by Boeing’s global commercial aircraft manufacturing facilities including Boeing Aerostructures Australia (BAA) in Fishermans Bend; BAA designs and manufactures structural composite components for Boeing’s 737, 747, 777 and 787 commercial airplanes.
“Innovation requires investment, and the investments we have made with CSIRO for nearly three decades has led to significant advances in the aerospace industry,” Lane Ballard, Boeing Research & Technology’s vice president of Materials & Manufacturing Technology and co-chair of the Boeing-CSIRO steering committee said.
In 2011, CSIRO was named a Boeing Supplier of the Year after a joint research project invented a process for painting aircraft that allowed a coated surface to be activated with an environmentally-benign and cost-efficient spray-on pre-treatment. That innovative coating has saved Boeing millions of dollars and provided CSIRO with a growing revenue stream to fund other research projects.
”A partnership with a global company like Boeing helps us direct our research to meet market needs and to see our research in real world applications. It also allows us to act as a connector between Australian manufacturers and Boeing’s global supply chain, providing a major benefit to local industry,” Dr Keith McLean, director of CSIRO Manufacturing said.