Month: August 2020

AMT: Tell us firstly about the Australian Made Campaign and its objectives. Ben Lazzaro: The Aussie Made Campaign’s remit is to administer and promote the famous Australian Made, Australian Grown logo, the green and gold kangaroo. That’s everything from compliance, to ensure that products that carry the logo comply with the criteria, through to promoting the brand and all the products that carry the logo. Essentially we’re running what’s called a country of origin certification trademark. It’s the only one in Australia. The logo itself has been around since 1986. Our organisation was established in 1999 by our governing members, which are the Australian Chamber of Commerce, the state and territory chambers of commerce, as well as the National Farmers Federation. So we have links into the business community and to the agricultural sector. Being a certification trademark, the Australian Made brand is governed by a set of criteria that products need to meet in order to ensure compliance. And that’s a big part of what we do. We have a compliance team that ensures the…

These stories have featured items such as a 3D-printed prosthetic jaw designed by the patient’s own doctor; spinal parts to support fractured or damaged vertebrae; a patient-specific sternum, and so on. These are just some of the phenomenal achievements 3D printing technology can bring to suffering patients. Becoming increasingly aware of solutions they can offer their patients, doctors are embracing the technology, applying their own knowledge of anatomy, using the latest imaging technology, and working with CAD designers to construct unique parts for their patient. What we are really talking about is a world of ‘customised body parts’ – customised because all human beings are unique and no one size fits all! More common implants occur for hips and knees, but here, most replacement parts used in operations come in a standard size and form. Injuries to knee and hip joints generally arise as a result of musculoskeletal trauma from accidents, sports injuries, improper training practices or when a person is not sufficiently warmed up or stretched in readiness to undertake…

McArthur River Mine, which excavates zinc, lead and silver, required two new water trucks to be added to its operations but, being mindful of improving dust control and ensuring better safety for its workers, decided to have trucks specifically designed that would address these issues. The result was the coming together of local Australian companies – Australian Diversified Engineering and Austin Engineering – that produced two uniquely designed CAT 789 water trucks for the mine patented as “Stairway Access Tank”, with a capacity of 159,000 litres. The exclusive design has produced what is now known as the safest water tank in the mining industry, and is an engineering collaboration of which ADE General Manager Clive Gray says has set the bar for water truck technology to new heights. “Controlling airborne dust on mine sites is incredibly important,” Gray explained. “It minimises the risks to workers, but knowing just how much water to spray has its own…

Never has the axiom ‘Change is inevitable’ been more relevant to manufacturers than in the emerging post-Covid era, when Australian industry is being reshaped by tectonic events.We already know supply chains will change, automate and truncate to become more rapidly responsive to domestic and international events. The way we work, communicate and engineer the future will also change. The degree to which countries must be more self-sufficient in key areas may emerge as a national priority. Technologies focused on flexible manufacturing, health, hygiene, energy, infrastructure, defence, construction, sustainability and environmental risk management will all be among the winners from change. Some of the changes will be new; some will be an acceleration of trends that were already underway; and some will kill off old practices that were already on life support before Covid-19 struck. And while no-one has a clear chart to the future (that would be like having tomorrow’s race…

Thomson Mathew, ANCA Software Product Manager says: “This upgrade responds directly to what our customers want and need for effective tool simulation. CIM3D V9 allows for customisation based on regularly-used features no matter which industry. The simulation quality of ANCA’s software is unmatched and you can simulate complete grinding sequences. “The offline capabilities of using the latest CIM3D version mean important background calculations are easily verified, increasing machine productivity. This not only maximises machine time but for those working from home, CIM3D can be run independently on any computer – so it is possible to do all the programming remotely. “We have automated many manual steps and introduced process verification and analysis in a central hub to get improved cycle time, and better wheel and tool life. Collisions can be detected automatically and overall CIM3D V9 is more enjoyable and easier to use.” The new…

The contract is part of the Federal Government’s recent $12.2m investment in Australian industry contracts to increase the Army’s experimentation, prototyping and exploration of autonomous vehicle and emerging technologies. It also underscores the Department of Defence’s commitment to IISRI’s Leader-Follower autonomous vehicle technology program, with a previous $2.9m contract awarded in late 2018 providing for the development phase of the project. The new contract provides for the second phase of the project, which involves expansion and prototyping and brings the Australian Army’s total investment in the program to $6.3m. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Alfred Deakin Professor Julie Owens said Deakin is proud to continue providing world-class technology for the Australian Defence Force in a partnership that first began in 2006. “Deakin continues to work very closely with the Australian Defence Force to provide key technologies and capabilities to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capabilities,” Professor Owens said. “Deakin is uniquely geared towards providing solutions to real-world problems and we are proud of…

Making the announcement at Apollo’s Northgate factory, Queensland State Treasurer Cameron Dick said the loan would help Apollo adapt its business to the challenges posed by COVID-19. “Apollo builds, sells and rents campervans, RVs and motorhomes, employing over 220 people in Queensland,” he said. “The ban on international travel has robbed Apollo of more than three-quarters of its rental market, the largest part of which was European tourists. But the sale of motorhomes is holding up well as our strong health response to COVID allows more Queensland businesses to open up. “Apollo will use this loan to increase their business’ focus on manufacturing, moving from four days a week of manufacturing to five. Every day we’re seeing more caravans and RVs hit the road in Queensland, spending money in businesses right across our state. Apollo’s factory also supports hundreds of Queensland small businesses who supply components as part of the manufacturing process.” Luke Trouchet, CEO of Apollo Tourism, said the company is very appreciative of the financial assistance package from…

The lens is made from a one molecule layer of atomaterials – the next generation of nanomaterials with a thickness about one millionth of a human hair in size. It could be used in ultra-compact cameras, achieving high resolution images comparable to state-of-the-art imaging systems. The research breakthrough was co-led by Founding Director of Swinburne’s Centre for Translational Atomaterials, Professor Baohua Jia, Professor Qiaoliang Bao formerly at Monash University, and Professor Chengwei Qiu at National University of Singapore. “Lenses are the key element in optical systems in our daily life, including eyeglasses, microscopes, magnifying glasses, and camera lenses,” said Swinburne’s Dr Han Lin. “Conventional lenses based on light refraction need multiple lenses to be stacked to form compound lenses to minimise aberrations and achieve good imaging quality. Therefore, current high-quality camera equipment is complex and bulky. We have put tremendous effort into the development of ultrathin flat lenses.” Unlike conventional lenses, a flat lens uses nanostructures to control light and correct image distortion. It can also produce different…

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Defence was working to take a leading role in shaping the national STEM agenda and build a strong record of inclusion. Minister Price said the awarding of the scholarships to the undergraduate students was another significant step forward for Defence – which is a major employer of people with STEM skills – in building a more diverse STEM workforce. “Defence needs to ensure that we access the best talent from all parts of the diverse Australian community to build the workforce,” Minister Price said. “This is part of Defence’s efforts to strengthen our intellectual capital, building our ability to solve problems with innovative solutions.” The scholarships were awarded to students who demonstrated academic excellence and who displayed positive attributes such as community leadership and extra-curricular engagement. The recipients were: University of Newcastle, New South Wales: Sarah Creasey – Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) Tess Horton – Bachelor of Mathematics/Bachelor of Science Odessa Mullin – Bachelor of Biomedical Science Edith Cowan University, Western Australia: Margret Beniameen – Bachelor…

Opening its doors in 1974, NEPEAN is now one of Australia’s largest privately-owned engineering service providers, having built up an elite design and project management team who understand the diverse nature of engineering. Today, NEPEAN still produce goods locally from its site in south-west Sydney and delivers to customers and sites all over Australia and globally. Items produced at NEPEAN’s facility in Narellan make their way into a wide variety of industries including civil works, infrastructure and earthmoving, as well as mining, pharmaceutical, scientific, aerospace and defence. Buckley discusses the importance the company places on investing in people: “Team members resourced to each job are hand-picked according to specific project requirements in terms of experience, specialist skills and problem-solving capabilities. We are proud of the…

The industrial-grade HP Jet Fusion 4200 printers will be used by DST for production of robust end-use parts, tooling and jigs, as well as concept models and prototypes. Due to the high output possible from the HP 4200 machines, they can also be used for on-demand local manufacturing of critical parts in the event of supply chain disruption. This revolutionary technology is set to enable the reinvention of manufacturing in Australia due to its flexibility and agility compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Joe Carmody, EVOK3D Managing Director, said: “3D printing has moved beyond just prototyping and is now a viable and flexible direct manufacturing technology. DST’s motto is ‘Science and Technology for Safeguarding Australia’ and we are very proud to be playing a part in securing supply chain sovereignty for this country.” “The fact the Department of Defence has…

The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) through the community and what equipment was available was very costly. Able Australia’s CEO Kate MacRae, saw a need for low-cost face shields that could be worn by disability support workers. “When the first wave of the pandemic hit in March, PPE was in short supply,” said MacRae. “While the health and aged care sectors were given access to the government’s PPE stockpile, the disability sector was excluded. We knew we needed to come up with our own solution. “Able Australia and other disability support providers like us support a significant number of people who fall in the ‘high-risk’ category for COVID-19. Social distancing at all times when supporting someone with a complex disability is virtually impossible. For the safety and wellbeing of our clients and staff we needed PPE and we needed it urgently.” Together with her husband Richard, MacRae had…

Using precision turning and milling equipment, Jmar specialises in component manufacturing, repairs and maintenance across a broad range of industries. Their work typically includes a considerable amount of ‘reverse engineering’; fabricating components and parts that customers may have previously bought from overseas suppliers who often are now defunct or uncontactable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to component manufacturing, the company has been a supplier to the agricultural industry for almost a quarter of a century, with a unique product called the Christopher Dairy Bails; a retrofit product suitable for herringbone dairies that allows the farmer to feed in the bail at milking time. Jmar has also invested heavily in 3D modelling, which has been a great sales tool as the company can now provide customers with an accurate representation of the concept design prior to actual full-scale production. Nearly all of Jmar’s business comes from around the Goulburn Valley area, within…