The Gold Coast tech landscape is changing fast. Opportunities arising in the digital media revolution are creating an environment where digital designers no longer need to slug it out in big cities. Instead, entrepreneurs, 3D designers and individual designers have the incentives of working locally on high level, interesting projects.
The digital media revolution is impacting business practices worldwide.
RFID scanning techniques include micro to environmental, through to the astonishing innovations made possible by 3D printing
The Gold Coast is poised to take advantage of the opportunities it is providing to generate new directions in advanced technology projects development, through its application of new 3D Design digital media.
With worldwide internet-based communication providing a global market for interactive customer relationships, and the generation of data through the use of RFID and complex scanning techniques, the digital revolution is changing what is possible and how designers can operate in practice.
Individual designers are empowered to take control of their own distributed manufacturing as the new generation of emerging designers in 3D Design digital media are breaking the boundaries of digital disciplines.
At Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Head of the School of Engineering Professor Geoff Tansley believes that Australia is ideally placed to capitalise on 3D printing as a platform for a return to small-scale/mid-scale and bespoke manufacturing. Furthermore, he says southeast Queensland – and the Gold Coast in particular – could be its development hub.
“3D printing offers Australia the chance to reignite bespoke, regional-scale production. It’s about rethinking manufacturing and taking advantage of an opportunity for Australia to lead the Asia-Pacific region in a process that embraces so many fields.
“In mining, 3D printing can be used to make metal printed filters for diesel engines. In the automotive industry it has applications for steering, gears, motors, chassis and more. However, healthcare is the field creating the most excitement because of 3D printing’s capacity to create bespoke features – joints, bones, devices – specific to individuals,” he said.
The remarkable diversity of 3D printing is changing the way the world thinks about engineering, manufacturing, design, medical technology, industry and more. Some say it could be the catalyst for the next industrial revolution.
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Griffith University student, Troy Baverstock’s project is a great example of new design digital media thinking. As a first year student, Troy designed and modelled in 3D CAD, then 3D printed a four-part speaker housing with screw threads.
He then said ‘you know what, if I built this housing around a prosthetic leg, you could feel the vibes as you walked’. The result is a functional 3D printed housing for a music speaker, with lights, a pedometer and a temperature gauge all controlled by an App he designed with a friend—a great example of working across digital boundaries creating innovation.
Another illustration is James Novak’s 3D printed bike which he designed and printed as part of his honours project. It is based on a scan of his optimal body position on the bike and fits him perfectly. It is a great example of customisation based on the generation and manipulation of 3D digital data.
3D Design Digital Media at the Gold Coast is providing an excellent example of innovative practice worldwide. With the region at a digital crossroads, the chance to lead the world in combining lifestyle and advanced technology project work is emerging as a very real possibility.
Troy Baverstock’s designed and modelled four-part speaker housed around a prosthetic leg.
James Novak's 3D printed bike
Stand on Me (Wedges) by designer Melinda Looi
RepRap 3D printer that prints itself
3D PRINTING ALREADY HAS A SIGNIFICANT PROFILE ON THE GOLD COAST.
In March this year, the world’s leading exponent of 3D printing, Belgian-based company Materialise, joined Griffith University in hosting an international 3D printing conference. Around the same time, following a stint at Brisbane’s Prince Charles Hospital where she modelled 3D-printed practice hearts for cardiac surgeons, Master of Visual Arts graduate Kaecee Fitzgerald began an internship with Materialise’s Malaysian office.
The message is clear: 3D printing is the way of the future and Professor Tansley says Australia must act now if it is to be a viable part of it.
Read more about how the Gold Coast could engineer a 3D-printed future.
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