Australia’s Gale Pacific, Deakin University to develop novel composite fabric 

The Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC, Carlton, Australia) has granted technical fabrics manufacturer, Gale Pacific (Melbourne, Australia), and Deakin University (Victoria, Australia) $70,000 in funding to develop an innovative fabric platform.

The eight-month, $425,000 project will leverage the research capabilities at Deakin University’s Carbon Nexus facility — an open-access carbon fiber/composite research facility — to deliver a novel fabric with unique form and function, which is expected to suit a broad range of applications across the construction, defense, mining and agriculture sectors. 

Andrew Nasarczyk, senior global manager of research and development (R&D) at Gale Pacific, says the R&D project will help to commercialize an Australian manufactured product of significant benefit to industry. “Innovation is a key pillar of Gale’s vision and values,” he notes. “We are excited to engage with university partners who offer unique capabilities to develop new-to-world technologies which provide the potential to disrupt markets which we operate in.” 

“Carbon Nexus is leading the way in advanced fiber development and manufacturing,” adds Prof. Russell Varley, professor of composite materials at Deakin University. Varley believes the IMCRC collaboration will draw on the significant local capability and capacity on offer at Deakin’s purpose-built research facility.