Guide to CSIRO Pt.4/12

I was expecting to add a high speed front comb motion video. in my earlier post dealing with Front comb simulation. ( lead picture is June Morris - pleasure to work with just like Dr.B.J.Kirby, happy times at CSIRO )

see Link: "Cam linkage motion analysis - Front comb"

That was my post which I would like to include in this series. It is demonstration of my ability to get to the grips with NSC Sclumberger technology as it existed in 1990's

Prerequisite is : "Young User Guide ( part 3 )" , also read (part 1-3)..Also : "Young user Guide to CSIRO (part 2)" 

High speed video of PB31L insertion comb - see my publications in this series to appreciate the complexity of this project.

Discussion:

In 1990 NSC Sclumberger message to CSIRO; " If you are working on comb to improve its productivity - if there is anything at all - please tell us and we can tell you if it will work" . I am a working class man that has grown up in a working class suburb and my father did not bring up a na?ve children. But I was mistaken when it came to CSIRO - they ( management of my particular group and division ) were na?ve about the technology I developed. Their confidence in Dr.Kirby and myself was limited.

I still hold the technology 25y later to double the productivity of the comb. This is an important technology in servicing the Australian Wool Clip destined for the best apparel in the world.

No there has not been change in way I view  science and technology, I love it, but I am amused by the management moving from having conservative view about technology like they did in 1985-1995, but know running to the front just because they learned a new "key word" in "disruptive" technology - so were is the technology that benefits Australia in all that "social media" from CSIRO. ( I admit that I have seen one of two items that reminds me of the CSIRO that I like but wast majority of posts are "key words" for social media consumption...:-)

What is the difference now and then? Why have I not developed this technology earlier? --; its simple family and money. I now own Comb R&D P/L with Lab floor and equipment to work on this project. This was a direct result of the mining boom 2006-9 which provided the funding. I have had setback from ATO but my company has survived as R&D entity and its working on Combing - while CSIRO Division of Wool Technology has ceased to exist in 2010 (aprox).

From 1985-1995 I did some wonderful work post 1990 I was joined by Dr.Kirby. I expect that our efforts are recognized by CSIRO in form of CSIRO medal. It was original work and with evidence now that technology is used world wide. However it might be difficult for CSIRO to recognize the work that was lost. Dr.Kirby and I were simply working on our end of R&D - providing tools and innovation to get the IP. It was not our job to take out the IP let alone to protect it. Our protection was that we kept working on our project and once the relationship with local management became dysfunctional - to keep our results close until they were published. There was no shortage of people offering "new ideas" on our project - the aim was to "just stick to a few paths" and ignore the "noise" - which we did well.

Some more pictures post 1990's

In my quest to understed Combing Dr.Kiby and I were looking at variety of other combing methods which were less complicated - such as a cotton comb.

Here is picture of "Ken" shortly after BVH appointed him as a leader of Combing project ( also shifted from ES to RS designation, without a PhD, but then PhD is not everything in life - one does not need PhD, just good background in physics, mechanics, electronics , math and above all imagination  ). "Ken" had experience he has spent prior 20 years balancing the rollers on a card ( renaming it from high speed card to very high speed to ultra high...). Our project was a good project, as it had directions and results (IP and patent ) in less then 2 years, "Ken" was happy his mates were looking after his job. This picture was taken in a cotton mill country Victoria - that night as Dr.Kirby and I were traveling back discussing the technology of combing with "Ken" driving and feeling "bit out of it", he got the speeding ticket just outside Geelong. Dr. Kirby and I made some light of a situation talking about a UFO landing - as in pitch darkness on a country road sky was ablaze with high way patrol lights...." it was pity that the UFO didn't take Ken". He disappeared for a week, my guess was that he was trying to get CSIRO to pay for the speeding ticket. On way back I told him in no uncertain terms that he will be held to pay "speeding ticket" - it didn't go down well - as CSIRO does not justify breaking the law. Kirby and I didn't learn that making fun of "our betters" will get us into trouble. It is how Kirby was removed from his previous project by Peter ( no second names ). Anyway we were now combing - and running hot with ideas and concrete results such as Sokolov cams, Kirby's theory of combing and high speed combing results, we didn't need Ken. Ken was imposed on us by BVH.

Dam it, he was in most of my pictures ...

While I was having good time at CSIRO my home life was going well. I now had also acquired a mortgage in a nice seaside town - Torquay. Life was good...

however in 1992-3 CSIRO engaged KPMG to study the benefits of research and how money can be made from research with IP. The redundancies were coming at CSIRO Division of Wool Technology. "Mates" were beginning to form circles to protect themselves and "disruptive people" and "non-team players" were being identified by group and project leaders. I will cover that in future posts.

I am happy to say that Dr.Kirby, and more so myself were "disruptive elements".

This overnight success took 25 years and its still unfolding.

Just a small reminder of "Ken's" contribution from CSIRO publication.

Still technology and IP exists that has not been utilized by Australian industry. The justification for combing project today 2015 are the same as they were in 1988. 

Direction from BVH was to produce a radical new technology of combing not an incremental step in technology. I have done that only a small portion was shared as I was begin to fear in early 1990's that my contributions would be stolen or down played - a fear I was justified in ( All R&D belongs to CSIRO and achievements are used in a promotional case ). I recognize only Dr.Kirby as co-contributor in that technology - the rest were "white noise" of the management.

STATUS:

CSIRO failed to deliver on combing after Dr.Kirby and I were made redundant.

NSC Sclumberger failed to advance the project on the next level - but that could be simply based on commercial grounds.

Australian wool grower lost an important project.

On positive note - I have not abandoned the project and feel optimistic that new comb technology can be implemented saving billions of dollars in worsted wool production. Technology lives as long as my company CRD P/L is supporting the data base and design facility.

On personal note I would like to win over CSIRO and its not that hard in last 20 years I came close with aid of NSC Sclumberger but they were reluctant to take on CSIRO. They did attempt compromise so we could all work together but CSIRO placed unreasonable conditions in path of joint effort . Sclumberger simply sees CSIRO as the arm of Australian government and not a commercial organization. There could perhaps be other reasons but they are not going to be discussed here. One can say that status-qua is win - win for Sclumberger. My relationship with Sclumberger is very good. 

CSIRO position on new combing technology has always been; "Trust us we are CSIRO"...I am not that naive and neither is Sclumberger.

Alternative Sclumberger position on new combing technology; " if you have IP protection we will talk about implementation"....which is reasonable but its beyond an individual to maintain a functional company and provide lawyer fees to secure IP and even then its not a guarantee that due to a small imperfections in IP definitions the IP content might be lost. I don't mind that as I will be doing a definition - the source of R&D not a second hand definition by CSIRO group and project leaders with limited skills in that particular area of expertise. The combing IP in apron retraction clearly demonstrates management of CSIRO deficiency in that area of skill set. Bottom line is CSIRO group leader might not have the skills in the appropriate areas as oppose to their job definition matrix.

Add to the bottom line is: each comb cost $250,000 and it is unlikely that CSIRO would allow a research on such a costly capital piece of equipment. On the same hand on my earlier CSIRO project, GOL purchased a "sizing machine" after I was dumped from "high speed yarn drying" project at cost of $400,000 from Japan. Before I left the CSIRO site for a last time I visited the lab only to find it still in packing container. In a closing down sale after the Division of Wool technology was closed it was listed as scrap metal. In CSIRO it depends who you are to spend ( clearly the money is not a road block for some staff ).

NOTE: one must understand this is my experience and perhaps it was simply the conditions of my employment and some dysfunctional nature of the group I was in - it should bear no reflection on the rest of the CSIRO that works on other R&D projects. From that point it is a historical fact. 

Refrences: Consider Reading my other posts..

>>>>>>>>Topics that are Bold are related

22 Sep 27, 2015 Guide to CSIRO ( part 3 )

21 Sep 10, 2015 Guide to CSIRO ( part 2 )

20 Sep 10, 2015 Guide to CSIRO ( part 1 )

19 Jul 5, 2015 Mining Fan modal analysis

18 Jun 29, 2015 Mining Fan Failure and analysis

17 Jun 22, 2015 Cam linkage motion analysis - Front comb

16 Jun 10, 2015 Flash Furnace model, method & Gauss solution

15 May 30, 2015 Rod Mill failure analysis

14 May 17, 2015 Art of 3D CNC/CAD/3DP

13 May 4, 2015 WiFi & RF noise

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5 Nov 25, 2014 Worsted Combing - Rise of Computing (part 1)

4 Nov 2, 2014 Mechanical Computer - prime numbers

3 Oct 30, 2014 Wavelets v Heisenberg uncertainty (part 1)

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