Month: July 2017

GP Graders has been designing and manufacturing turn-key grading and packing lines for apples and various other fruit at its factory in Melbourne since its foundation in 1963, with hundreds of packing lines in operations throughout Australia and the world. The multi-award winning company’s new system uses light spectrometer technology and takes 10 images sliced across each apple to detect internal browning and core rot wherever it is located in the fruit. “This cutting-edge technology will change the industry and strengthen the packer’s ability to provide defect-free apples to supermarkets,” said Stuart Payne, Managing Director of GP Graders. The technology doesn’t just shoot a beam of light through the centre of the apple to look at the core in isolation, it also analyses the entire mass of the apple, slicing the apple at 10 incremental stages in order to check for internal rot or browning wherever it is located through the fruit. This is a standout feature of the technology as older technology only took one light…

“What we’ve used so far is fibreglass and the carbon fibre. Basically to help make our parts a little more rigid – especially some of our drill jigs,” says Joseph Walters, New Product Design Engineer at Arow Global. “We’ll do carbon fibre inlay around the corners that stiffens the part up to the point that it’s as stiff as aluminium, but it’s also a lot lighter than aluminium.” Everyday, Walters and the rest of the Arow team know that they made the right call – 3D-printed composite materials can affordably provide the mechanical properties that Arow could previously only obtain with machined metal. A few months prior, Walters had been faced with a dilemma – to deliver robust, affordable tools and fixtures, as well as to prototype new design concepts for Arow. His best choice was to outsource parts to a CNC machine shop — using Arow’s own CNC equipment would divert essential production resources. Yet, the cost was still too high and the time…

The report – ‘The Growing Role of Minerals and Metals for a Low-Carbon Future’ – indicates that the shift to a low-carbon future will result in opportunities for mineral-rich countries. Therefore these countries should forge long-term strategies for sustainable mineral extraction and make appropriate investments. Low-carbon technology requirements, and hence relevant minerals and metals demand, rise most rapidly the closer the world is to achieving the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement commitment of avoiding a 2°C rise in the global temperature. The most significant example of this is electric storage batteries, where the demand for the metals required to manufacture the batteries – aluminum, cobalt, iron, lead, lithium, manganese and nickel – grow from a relatively modest level under a 4°C rise to more than 1000% under a 2°C scenario. The future demand for specific metals is not only a function of the degree…

STC Australia, the competition’s organisers, announced the opening of applications for the 2017 National MedTech’s Got Talent Program on 24 July. Now in its fourth year, the program focuses on identifying and refining high-potential MedTech concepts from aspiring early-stage entrepreneurs and innovators associated with Australia’s world-class universities, hospitals and research institutes. After three successful years in Victoria, the program has this year gone national. Entrepreneurs will receive support to develop an investible start-up pitch, developing a go-to-market strategy, and initiating commercial activities. Participants will vie for over $160,000 in cash prizes plus critical support, such as mentoring from Australia’s leading commercialisation and technology experts. “We are incredibly excited to be taking MedTech’s Got Talent national this year,” said Dr Buzz Palmer, CEO of STC Australia. “Our mission is to support our homegrown talent within their local innovation ecosystems, and with the incredible successes achieved by our…

From moving to the high efficiency IE3 motors long before the current regulations came into effect, to more recently taking the next step to enhance energy efficiency further by upgrading all compressors from 30kW to 215 kW with the super-premium efficiency IE4 motors – Kaeser is committed to the ongoing optimisation of its compressed air production systems. As Peter Eckberg, Managing Director at Kaeser Compressors Australia said: “High-end compressor quality is directly coupled with maximum energy efficiency, so it’s only logical that we provide our customers with the best drive solutions possible.” Kaeser is releasing its ASD series of variable-speed rotary screw compressors with a completely new drive technology. The major advantage of this complete solution, which was developed in close partnership with Siemens, is that it delivers efficiency gains of up to 10%in the partial-load range. As Eckberg explains, this is yet another milestone…

To remain competitive and profitable, shops continually seek economical, productive ways to accomplish their work. The ultimate example of those process improvement efforts today is in Europe called “Industry 4.0”. Integrating state-of-the-art data acquisition, storage and sharing technologies into the manufacturing process, Industry 4.0 is presently the top level of manufacturing’s evolution, requiring strong management commitment, specialised personnel and significant investment. Unfortunately, shops that lack the resources of global industrial giants such as General Electric or General Motors may feel that productivity improvements are out of reach. However, simple, cost-effective analyses and actions can have a large positive effect on the productivity of any operation. Before investing in new computers, robots or personnel, any shop – large or small – should perform basic process analysis and organise current equipment and practices. Computerisation of disorganised shop operations results only in computerised disorder. Organisation of shop practices begins by viewing the production process…

Michael Gunner, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, said the printer, which the NT Government has invested in, would form the centrepiece of a new industrial research hub to be based at CDU’s Casuarina campus in Darwin’s northern suburbs. The hub would pave the way for the creation of jobs into the future for NT residents, as well as generating new economic opportunities in the NT. Gunner joined Vice-Chancellor Professor Simon Maddocks to announce a $400,000 NT Government grant for the purchase of the LightSPEE3D printer. “We want to partner with local enterprises to drive innovation here in the Territory,” Gunner said. “By diversifying the economy through innovation we are opening the door to new economic opportunities for Territorians – both now and into the future.” The 3D printer was invented in the NT by Steven Camilleri and Byron Kennedy, the co-founders of SPEE3D. It will be used to provide a new industrial transformation research hub for advanced manufacturing in the Territory, delivering new tools, skills and technologies,…

Researchers from Flinders University in South Australia along with Western Australian company First Graphite Ltd will use the dynamic Vortex Fluidic Device (VFD) to produce high-quality graphene for industrial use. Graphene is the building block of graphite and is one of the most sought after materials in the world because of its robust nature. More than a million metric tons of graphite are mined globally each year. It is 200 times stronger than steel but remains flexible and impermeable, making it ideal for the development of a range of modern technology such as lithium-ion batteries, sensors and transparent-conducting electrodes for flexible solar cells. Based on previous graphite research involving the VFD, First Graphite plans to scale up the process to a commercial level with the potential of delivering high-value carbon materials to global markets. First Graphite Managing Director Craig McGuckin says the potential uses of graphene cover a vast range of industries and he believed the material would eventually be used in most modern technology. “What is required is creating high quality graphene from graphite, doing so quickly…

‘No Till’ farming is a new crop planting technology that gained momentum in the early 1990s. Brothers Geoff and Mike Glenn were instrumental in developing this cutting edge technology that revolutionised and brought significant changes to the industry. In 1993 Geoff and Mike founded Agmaster, a company dedicated to the manufacture and distribution of advanced No Till seeding systems, press wheels and rotary harrows for larger-scale crop production farming enterprises across Australia. With extensive farming backgrounds, Geoff and Mike both embarked on an extensive education/seminar program, initially throughout Western Australia before expanding their activities to the cropping regions in the eastern states. From the initial ‘No Till’ concept there has been a continuous stream of agricultural innovations emanating from AgMaster such as Star Harrows, Steel Coil Harrows, Slip and Clip Points, Presswheels, precision seed placement boots and more recently kwik fit systems. Located in Welshpool, in Perth’s inner south-eastern suburbs, Agmaster remains a privately owned family business. Its workshop is equipped with some of the latest manufacturing technology enabling…

From laying underwater cables and pipes to offshore oil and gas exploration, modern subsea operations involve some of the most complex systems, constantly challenged by changing ocean environments. Driven by government regulations and market pressure to control oil production and maintain environmentally friendly practices, subsea equipment manufacturers are actively looking for solutions to reduce development and operation costs. i-Tech is one of the leading global providers of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and intervention tooling solutions for offshore engineering. It operates one of the world’s largest and most advanced fleets of ROVs to support major global energy companies in many flagship projects in the depths of the ocean. Pipeline engineers and designers at i-Tech are confronted with problems caused by underwater pressure, unpredictable weather conditions and strong ocean currents in their deep-water operations. Equipment reliability is of the utmost importance to ensure that tools can be used for extended periods of time with minimal corrosion and damage. To optimise the design, performance and application of its Chemical Stick Injection Tool (CSIT), i-Tech turned to 3D…

Country-of-origin branding is a powerful marketing tool for Australian manufacturers yet many aren’t aware of it. The ‘Country-of-origin Branding: Get the Australian Advantage’ webinar will provide information about country-of-origin branding and how business can market their products as genuinely Aussie with the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo. Registration details can be found at the foot of this article. Australian Made on 11 July announced a new partnership with Master Builders Australia aimed at boosting exports and the use of locally made products by the building and construction sectors. The initiative will encourage building and construction firms to source Australian-made goods and assist local businesses in marketing their products and services to export markets. Recently released research from Roy Morgan found 75% of Australians preference Australian-made building and construction goods, making local content an important selling factor for businesses. Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, said Australian-made often translated to better quality and durability. “Australia’s extremely stringent quality and safety manufacturing standards have helped establish our reputation for well-made products, that last,” said Harrison. “Manufacturers and developers…

On 11 July AstraZeneca announced its decision to invest a further $100m in its manufacturing operation in Sydney, which will fund the three specialised production lines for innovative respiratory medicines. The expanded manufacturing capacity will boost international exports from the North Ryde site to over $2.4bn over the next four years, and result in an additional 60 jobs at the facility. The machinery is a result of AstraZeneca’s strong collaboration with ADDE. The Melbourne-based specialist machine designers will build each new production line from scratch to AstraZeneca’s custom design specification. The machines will take a team of 36 people over 12 months to produce. Each production line has the capacity to produce over 70 million units per year of Pulmicort Respules, a medicine for patients with asthma. The medicine is produced in Australia for markets such as China, where we help to treat a proportion of China’s estimated 30 million asthma sufferers. Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca, said: “AstraZeneca has a 60-year history in…

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Fund is a part of the Government’s plan to help Australia’s manufacturing sector transitioning to globally focused, high-skill, advanced manufacturing. It is designed to encourage increased investment in advanced manufacturing activities in Victoria and South Australia, where car manufacturing will end later this year. This complements an existing $155m Growth Fund that is already helping the affected regions deal with the impacts of the automotive manufacturing closures. “Manufacturing continues to be a major part of our economy, but the sector needs to continue its transformation by investing in advanced technologies, design and engineering excellence, and innovative business processes,” said Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Arthur Sinodinos. “The Government wants to see an Australian manufacturing sector that continues to transition from traditional, heavy industrial processes to knowledge-based manufacturing of higher value products, so it can capture new market opportunities.” The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Fund will provide grants to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for up to one-third of eligible project costs, to establish and expand advanced manufacturing activities in Victoria and South Australia. Individual…