Jun 15 2016
Imagine Intelligent Materials Pty Ltd (Imagine IM), opened Australia’s first commercial graphene plant in Geelong today. The pilot plant will produce up to 10 tonnes of graphene per year. It was built for Imagine IM by Geelong--‐based engineering company, Austeng.
Graphene is a revolutionary two--‐dimensional, atomic scale carbon material with unmatched properties and is expected to revolutionize industry and consumer products over the next 20 years.
Graphene is widely seen as a new platform material for advanced manufacturing, with applications including; electronics, fashion and sports wearable technology, mining, water conservation and purification, automotive structures and energy storage.
Imagine IM has developed a graphene coating technology that enables the production of a world--‐first conductive geotextile that will be manufactured and launched into the Australian marketplace by Victorian based Geofabrics Australasia later in 2016.
According to international analytics company Markets and Markets, the geosynthetic industry is expected to generate US$16 billion per year in global sales by the end of 2018, growing at 10% per annum. Growth is driven by increasing environmental regulations including the management of water related issues in civil engineering and mining.
Chris Gilbey, CEO of Imagine IM said, “Graphene is a material that is critical to the future of advanced manufacturing globally. Imagine IM’s focus is on developing applications that utilize the amazing properties of graphene to enable the manufacture of transformative smart textiles, fibres and membranes. The challenge is to enable integration into manufacturing and to deliver product at scale. Our Initial pilot plant will serve the needs of Geofabrics Over the next two years and will provide sufficient graphene for other products that are currently in R&D. The Commissioning of this plant positions Imagine IM as one of the few graphene companies anywhere in the world with a path to market. Geelong Can now consider itself the Graphene Capital of Australia”.
We Were determined to be involved in bringing graphene manufacturing to Geelong by fabricating Australia’s First commercial graphene manufacturing plant for Imagine IM. We Love the vision that Imagine IM Has and believe that building Imagine IM’s Initial plant will lead to Austeng Developing the skills and knowledge to build further plants that will be exported to the world.
Ross George, MD of Austeng
This Project has involved all roads leading to Geelong. Austeng Came highly recommended as tech enablers and unrelatedly, we have undertaken R&D Work at both CSIRO in Geelong and Deakin University. Geelong Is one of the most innovative Australian Cities in which to work.
Phil Aitchison, COO and Head of R&D at Imagine IM
Graphene Is the first 2--‐Dimensional material. It Is made from carbon and was discovered in 2003, With its discoverers being awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery in 2013. Graphene Is the most hydrophobic material known, totally impermeable to gas, the most electrically conductive material, stronger than steel, and harder than diamond.
It is extremely difficult to manufacture graphene in a way that makes it possible to use in manufacturing. Nevertheless, Interest in commercial applications for graphene is growing rapidly. BCC Research Estimates the global market for graphene products will reach $1.3 Billion by 2023, And Reports and Reports Forecasts that in 2018, $100 Million of graphene will be sold for use in RFIDs, Smart packaging, super capacitors, composites, ITO replacement, sensors, and memory. Imagine IM Stands at the forefront of the graphene revolution.