MicroTau Selected by DIU for US Air Force Flight Tests
Advanced manufacturing company MicroTau has been selected by the United States’ Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct flight testing of its sharkskin-inspired ‘riblet’ film on US Air Force Lockheed Martin.C-130J aircraft. The project is led by the Air Force Operational Energy Office, in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The contract also includes Lockheed Martin as a key subcontractor to support flight testing and performance evaluation.
MicroTau awarded Australian Aviation’s ‘Best Innovation of the Year’
MicroTau’s CEO and COO accepted the award.
Commonwealth awards MicroTau $3M CRC-P grant
The grant will enable the first trials of MicroTau’s riblet film on operational aircraft.
Media
FS Sustainability, 2022 CEFC allocates $2m to airlines emissions solution developer
Renew Economy, 2022 Just a lick of paint: CEFC backs Aussie coating innovation to slash transport emissions
news.com.au, 2022 Tiny change to Australian planes could save industry $61 billion
Clean Energy Finance Corporation, 2022 Prepared for take off: Australian ingenuity to cut aviation emissions
Australian National Fabrication Facility, 2022 Case Study: ‘Sharkskin’ makes planes faster, smoother, cheaper
Australian Financial Review, 2022 Sharks on a plane! Sydney start-up plans to save airlines $61b a year
UV+EB Technology, 2020 https://uvebtech.com/articles/2020/aerospace-uv-cured-coatings-yesterday-today-and-tomorrow/
Coatings World, 2020 RadTech 2020 to Focus on End Uses, Sustainability and More
The University of Sydney, 2019 Biomimicry and polymer surfaces recreate nature for industry use
Channel 7 News Report 2018 Shark Skin inspires Aircraft Drag Reduction Surface
RadTech 2018 RadTech Emerging Technology Award Winner news report on shark skin surfaces (enabled by UV+EB Technology)
Australian Defence Magazine, November 2017 Issue, page 24 Innovation Pitchfest highlights
The University of Sydney, 2017 US Air Force energy use efficiency bolstered by our graduate
Aviation Week, 2017 U.S. Air Force Tackles Fuel-Burn Reduction On Legacy Aircraft
Technical Papers
Bilinsky et al. 2024 “Growing Riblets with Light: Rapid Prototyping of Riblet Designs, Drag Reduction Analysis and Product Lifetime Performance”, AIAA SciTech 2024 Forum (AIAA 2024-1110) https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/6.2024-1110
Bilinsky et al. 2023 “Materials and Performance Testing of DCM Drag-Reducing Riblets for Aviation”, AIAA SciTech 2023 Forum (AIAA 2023-1762) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-1762
Quinn et al. 2022 “Advancements in Drag-Reducing Riblet Film Production for Aviation and Other Applications”, AIAA SciTech 2022 Forum (AIAA 2022-0920) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0920
Bilinsky 2021 “Riblets for Aircraft Application: Material Qualification and Scale up”, AIAA SciTech 2021 Forum (AIAA 2021-0037) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-0037
Bilinsky, Builth-Williams & Quinn 2020 “Curing Functional Properties into UV Coatings: Direct Contactless Microfabrication of Drag Reducing, Anti-bacterial, Anti-fouling and Optical Microstructures”, RadTech NA Conference 2020
Dvorchak, Clouser & Harbourne 2020 UV+EB Technology - 2020 Quarter 2 Aerospace UV Cured Coatings: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Bilinsky 2020 “Direct Contactless Microfabrication of 2D and 3D Riblet Geometries for Drag Reduction” AIAA SciTech 2020 Forum (AIAA 2020-0310) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2020-0310
Bilinsky 2019 "Direct Contactless Microfabrication of 3D Riblets: Improved Capability, Metrology and Durability", AIAA SciTech 2019 Forum, (AIAA 2019-1626) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2019-1626
Bilinsky, Wilson & Dvorchak RADTECH 2018 DCM of Drag Reducing Riblets Utilizing UV Curable Allophanate Structures
Bilinsky & Wilson 2018 "Maturation of Direct Contactless Microfabrication for Application of Drag Reducing Riblets", AIAA 2018 SciTech Forum, (AIAA 2018-0321) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2018-0321
Bilinsky 2017 “Microfabrication of Riblets for Drag Reduction: A Novel UV Approach Utilizing Photolithographic Methods”, Issue 2, 2017 UV+EB Technology
Bilinsky 2017 "Riblet Microfabrication Method for Drag Reduction", AIAA 2017 SciTech Forum, (AIAA 2017-0047) https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-0047