Month: September 2020

AMTIL CORPORATE PARTNERS. EXPERTISE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. To help AMTIL cater to the needs of our members and the broader advanced manufacturing community in Australia, we benefit from the ongoing support of a select group of Corporate Partners. Especially as we work through the difficult times under COVID-19, AMTIL’s Corporate Partners can offer you expert assistance across a range of different areas. AMTIL gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Corporate Partners. Should you require assistance in any of these areas, please do not hesitate to reach out to them. BMS Group –Insurance Brokers  Our new approach to insurance allows us to provide strategic, innovative and personally tailored risk management advice and related insurance solutions. Interlease – Finance Broking  We are an experienced group of finance professionals involved in Equipment, Property and Business Finance.  We are well known and respected for our knowledge and skill in obtaining customised outcomes for our clients Rigby Cooke Lawyers   A full-service Victorian commercial law firm providing specialist legal expertise, supported by in-depth industry knowledge, to public and private sector clients across Australia. SternaGL – Freight  As an internationally recognised and respected freight specialist, SternaGL offers a truly seamless service, utilising resources positioned…

AMT: What are manufacturers talking to you about right now? Reece Moore: Definitely Industry 4.0 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Manufacturers are obviously keen to utilise a lot of the new transformative technologies, to help them develop products, but also to transform the actual manufacturing process itself. What manufacturers are particularly talking to us about though is how to improve the management of their product data and processes to harness these technologies. They look to us for advice on how to digitally transform their businesses using product lifecycle management software. AMT: What is your advice to those who are keen to adopt these technologies? RM: We advise them on how to achieve digitalisation throughout the product lifecycle phases: the ideation phase, where you’re doing your concepts and designs; the realisation phase, where the manufacturing takes place; and utilisation – how the product is used and maintained by the customer. Many manufacturers are trying…

The Victorian State Government on 1 September announced an order for 170 of the units, after Gekko’s machine was provided with a production exemption from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Gekko will now harness its local suppliers and 100-strong workforce to build the GeVentor ventilators, which will be among the first to go into production. They are expected to be available within five weeks and will be used in health services across the state. The GeVentor is an affordable alternative to the latest model ventilators, designed to be simple, robust and reliable. It features low gas and power consumption and can be operated using batteries and an oxygen bottle, making it ideal for more remote and regional health centres. A prototype for the GeVentor was developed in April by Gekko’s innovation team lead by technical director Sandy Gray, in consultation with Ballarat anaesthetist Doug Paxton. The initiative was in response to fears of shortages of ventilators in Australian hospitals. The development of the prototype was assisted by a…

Robovoid Pty Ltd was established in July 2018 by Dr John Stehle and Scott Olding for the specific purpose to research, develop and commercialise Stehle’s Robovoid Invention. The Robovoid Invention is a patent-pending recycled plastic void former for concrete construction applications. The Robovoid Invention has drawn on Stehle’s previous experience developing new and innovative precast construction solutions, an example being the innovative dowel connection system adopted in the flooring system implemented for the Leadenhall Building (aka the “Cheesegrater”) in London. On the back of Stehle’s 25-year career in the construction industry, and with a strong desire by Stehle and Olding to introduce new solutions to the industry that reduce the environmental impact of new construction, the Robovoid Invention commenced its development journey. The Robovoid Invention involves multiple research & development (R&D) components but one of the key areas identified at the beginning of the project was how to make the Robovoid recycled plastic components, or Robovoid Components. Of course,…

The Wage Theft Act 2020 (Vic) (Wage Theft Act) passed the Victorian Parliament on 16 June 2020 and commences operation on 1 July 2021. The underpayment of wages and entitlements have been a particularly fraught issue in Australia over the past few years with a number. A range of large employers have self-reporting ed underpayments to the Fair Work Ombudsman. These instances of underpayments have coincided with a push to criminalise some types of deliberate underpayment. As a result, The phrase ‘wage theft’ has been introduced into the Australian industrial landscape. Underpayment of wages and record-keeping obligations are issues that have historically been governed by industrial relations laws that, if not abided by, may lead to civil penalties being imposed on employers. The Wage Theft Act is different. It is the first piece of legislation in any jurisdiction in Australia that creates statutory criminal offences related to non-payment of employee entitlements or the falsification of employee records. Under the Wage Theft Act there are three main criminal offences. Offence 1 - Dishonestly withholding of employee entitlements It is an…

The prototype device developed by a team at RMIT University can electronically replicate the way human skin senses pain. The device mimics the body’s near-instant feedback response and can react to painful sensations with the same lighting speed that nerve signals travel to the brain. Lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran said the pain-sensing prototype was a significant advance towards next-generation biomedical technologies and intelligent robotics. “Skin is our body’s largest sensory organ, with complex features designed to send rapid-fire warning signals when anything hurts,” Bhaskaran said. “We’re sensing things all the time through the skin but our pain response only kicks in at a certain point, like when we touch something too hot or too sharp. “No electronic technologies have been able to realistically mimic that very human feeling of pain – until now. Our artificial skin reacts instantly when pressure, heat or cold reach a painful threshold. It’s a critical step forward in the future development of the sophisticated feedback systems that we need to…

In short, reverse engineering is the reproduction of a product or part that cannot be obtained by other means. It involves measuring an object and reconstructing it as a 3D model, then manufacturing the part. The process is primarily used for machinery parts, rather than the production of parts for mass assembly line manufacturing. “Reverse engineering is the only option when OEM parts are no longer available, particularly for an aged piece of equipment,” says Leussink’s Managing Director Jason Leussink. “However, there is no reason why reverse engineering processes cannot be used for newer components. The process can be applied in many industries and applications.” Reverse engineering can be undertaken using a variety of tools and technologies. Generally, the complexity of the part being reverse engineered will dictate the type of equipment and software used. “The simplest reverse engineering process is manual measurement and data collection…

RUAG is the first Australian company to receive an award under the ADAC initiative covering the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of selected components for the F/A-18 Hornet fleet. RUAG is now a designated and approved source of repair for Navy Supply (NAVSUP) within the APAC Region under this program. “RUAG Australia appreciates the trust that the US Navy has placed in their ability to support their regional activities,” says Terry Miles, General Manager RUAG Australia. “RUAG’s MRO capabilities and track record of success with the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF), will form the basis of a partnership with the US Navy to support the fleet readiness of the F/A-18 fleet in APAC and other Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers moving forward.” ADAC is a senior bilateral forum for co-operation between the US and Australian Military, aiming to facilitate closer defence and industry collaboration related to the acquisition, logistics and follow-on support of defence equipment. “We are pleased and proud to be recognised as an…

UQ Space is designing and building ‘Project Asteria’, a rocket that will zoom past the Kármán Line, 100km above sea level, reaching speeds greater than Mach-5. With support from UQ aerospace engineering experts and industry partners including Queensland-based Black Sky Aerospace, the 90-strong student team hopes to set a new world record. UQ Space Managing DirectorMyrthe Snoeks, an engineering and arts student, said the team had been working towards this ambitious goal despite delays caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. “We started developing the rocket in 2019, and we are now planning and undertaking static testing and sub-orbital launch preparations before our official launch next year,” said Snoeks. “The UQ Space team has achieved so much already, having taken out the top position in Australia for competitive university rocket launches in 2019, only one year after establishing the team. “While 2020 has presented some additional challenges to our progress, we haven’t given up – we absolutely intend on achieving this goal with the help of our supporters.” UQ Space will be using…