3 January 2025
When Townsville-based soldiers needed to more easily see into mortar sights at night, or wanted an easier way to load tools on a Chinook – it was the Lavarack Barracks MakerSpace that helped turn their ideas into reality.
Complete with tools including 3D printers, a CNC [computer numerical control] router and laser cutter, the space allowed a mortar team to better illuminate the inside of their C2 sights using a device with 3D-printed plastic and rubber seals, AA batteries and laser-cut clear acrylic to refract a red LED.
Another team of aviation soldiers proposed mounting their heavy, fly-away toolkits on an uncrewed ground vehicle – meaning it could be easily loaded and unloaded from a Chinook.
The ideas were developed during Army innovation courses and pitched to Commander 3rd Brigade and unit commanding officers.
Townsville MakerSpace site supervisor Michael Ellison said both ideas were being further developed by Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) and Defence Science and Technology Group to explore potential uses.
“There’s a slight panic that goes through a soldier’s head when they hear colonels and scientists from CASG will be calling them regarding their idea,” Mr Ellison said.
“Once they’re over the shock, soldiers want to be kept in the loop with back-briefs of how it’s going.”
The Lavarack Barracks MakerSpace has received about 20 visitors each day since opening in November 2022, with most soldiers learning to program the laser cutter and etch a section logo to their metal water bottles.
“About a week later they come back with six more to do the engraving. Then it turns into a platoon-worth coming in. Then they’re making section stickers and heat transfers for undershirts,” Mr Ellison said.
“Most of the time they come back with stuff they’ve thought of once they realise there’s a laser cutter, 3D printer and a CNC router on base.”
While not having strict military applications, Mr Ellison said it was the underlying design skills that were important to foster.
This led to some soldiers using the equipment to make things easier at work by laser-cutting acrylic navigational aids and weapon range protractors to overlay on maps.
“It takes 20 minutes to show them how to use the software, then they’re walking out with five personal range rings,” Mr Ellison said.
Soldiers from 3RAR’s mortar platoon sometimes had difficulty attaching Cyalume sticks to mortar aiming posts for night firing without ruining the mortar’s zero. So they prototyped and manufactured a Cyalume holder, with a small window that opens and closes, to clip on the aiming post.
3RAR’s mortar platoon printed 30 before 1RAR’s mortarmen printed their own, along with 3RAR’s DFSW platoon.
Another notable concept was retractable cam nets for MAN trucks that allow for rapid disassembly to move away from attacks.
A 2RAR soldier wanted a MOLE sheath for attaching mission-essential equipment to his rappelling belt. So he brought a sheet of Multicam Cordura, took it to MakerSpace and used the laser cutter to make MOLE eyelets, then sowed on reverse Velcro.
“He was just thinking ‘how do I make my life easier getting in and out of helicopters’,” Mr Ellison said. “He came back almost immediately to make three more for his mates.”
Some soldiers will get so focused on an idea, site supervisors have to slow them down and stay within equipment limits.
“Their brain is running 1000 miles an hour to bring their creation to life,” Mr Ellison said.
“When it’s a friction point at work and they’ve got the time to solve it, it’s hard to keep them under wraps. They’ll go down rabbit holes trying to fix their problem.”
There’s no rank in MakerSpace, meaning majors and lance corporals have worked together on projects not knowing each other’s rank.
It’s the way site supervisors want things, meaning solders learn new skills without any pressure to perform.
“You can see the calm, relaxed enjoyment they have when they’re tinkering with something they love doing or learning,” Mr Ellison said.
“Even if it’s something basic like learning geometry on a laser-cutting program, once they figure it out you can see their eyes light up.”
