Dr Stuart Lucas with the CottonScan Instrument.

Dr Stuart Lucas: robotics and instrument maker

Dr Stuart Lucas has a background in system modelling, robotics, dynamic feedback control systems and software engineering.

• 5 May 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Current role
• Background
• Innovation and advanced manufacturing award
• CSIRO online dark speck contamination detector
• Instrumentation and machine prototyping

Current role

Dr Stuart Lucas is the Fibre Science Research Program Leader at CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering.

Our fibre science research program investigates the structure, properties and behaviours of fibres and fibrous materials for new industrial materials.

Fibre Science and engineering research aims to:

• create innovative fibre and textile product solutions across a broad spectrum of Australia’s needs
• stimulate international demand for Australia’s natural fibres, such as our cotton products
• create new commercial products based on advanced fibrous structures and materials.
  

Background

Dr Lucas has a background in:

• system modelling
• robotics
• dynamic feedback control systems
• software engineering. 

Since joining CSIRO, Dr Lucas has worked on a number of projects with nonwoven manufacturers.

These projects include:

• development of the CSIRO online dark speck contamination detection system for quality control in nonwoven healthcare products 
• a model predictive controller for a cross-directional web-uniformity control of a spunbond geotextile manufacturing process
• software for predicting the sound absorption properties of fibre-based materials, currently being used in industry as a design tool.

He has also contributed to a number of CSIRO cotton instrument development projects, for example as:

• an inventor of Siromat, an instrument that measures cotton maturity
• one of the developers of the Cottonscan instrument, which measures cotton fineness
• as a team member working on improvements to the cotton FMT instrument, commissioned by Cotton Inc in the United States.

Innovation and advanced manufacturing award

Dr Lucas was awarded the 2007 Chamber of Commerce Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing Award for his work on developing a state-of-the-art computerized inspection and quality control system capable of continuously monitoring nonwoven fabrics for the medical and healthcare markets.

CSIRO online dark speck contamination detector

Dr Lucas led the team that developed the CSIRO online dark speck contamination detector.

This is a continuous computerized inspection system that provides accurate quality assurance in the production of nonwovens healthcare fabrics.

Key to the technology is the image illumination and acquisition system, which consists of balanced lighting and a high speed digital camera arranged in such a way as to ensure the system is not sensitive to changes in ambient lighting conditions. 

The system uses a camera and lighting system above and below the fabric, one before a slitting station in the production line and one immediately after it.

The device has been running in a nonwoven factory, manufacturing diaper surge layer material, for more than two years. During this time several refinements have been made to:

• improve the interface
• store results to a database
• to modify the alarm actions.

Elimination of width variations, normally causing trimmed wastage of 10 mm each side, has improved nonwovens production rate by four per cent.

Customer satisfaction in a high quality product has assisted a Victorian textile manufacturer to:

• compete in the healthcare product market in Asia
• grow their position in a fiercely competitive environment.

Instrumentation and machine prototyping

Dr Lucas’ instrument and machine prototyping team applies electronics, electrical, mechanical, optical, software and systems engineering techniques to a range of industry needs.

Find out more about our Instrument and machine prototyping.