Manufacturing Innovation for Economic Return: Developing Optimal Machining Processes for Improving Metal Surface Integrity and the Product Life Cycle

Campus Plus is pleased to share another impactful collaboration progressing through the National Industry PhD Program. This partnership brings together engineering, machining, and manufacturing innovation capabilities of Berg Engineering Pty Ltd and the advanced manufacturing and machining science research expertise of CQUniversity.

The project, “Manufacturing Innovation for Economic Return: Developing Optimal Machining Processes for Improving Metal Surface Integrity and the Product Life Cycle,” will investigate Stellite‑6 machining behaviours, evaluate cutting tool performance, analyse surface and sub‑surface integrity, and optimise machining parameters using statistical and machine‑learning techniques. The goal is to reduce production costs, minimise machining defects, improve component durability, and extend asset service life. The outcomes have the potential to deliver significant operational benefits for heavy industry through longer maintenance intervals, improved reliability, and lower lifecycle maintenance cost for critical components used in refinery and processing environments.

The research will be conducted by PhD candidate Mr Avi Narayan with industry mentorship from Mr Patrick Fordyce from Berg Engineering Pty Ltd (pictured together) and academic support from Dr Abdul Mazid from CQUniversity and Prof. Ramesh Singh of University of Malaya.

CQU Partnerships Development Manager, Josh Ariens, has also played an instrumental role in formalising this collaboration and making it possible.

Congratulations to all involved!