Month: October 2020

Suzanne Shipp is one of the key people responsible for Laser Central’s aggressive growth strategy. Since being appointed as the company’s new CEO earlier this year, Shipp has been busy driving new ideas and initiatives at this 100% Australian, family-owned business. “One of our core strategies has been around establishing a complete, centralised network of suppliers that can provide complimentary services and a full capability suite to our clients,” says Shipp. “The reasoning behind this, is that we can simplify our client’s supply chain. The client can come to us and while we might provide 80% of the work, we might also incorporate another supplier to provide the finishing, which means we can provide a full end-to-end service. “This makes it easier for the customer as they only have to deal with one supplier, while they receive the end product that they need. We’ve worked hard to establish a large and reliable network of partners that we can work with and fill any capability gaps.” Moving…

The report Leaders and Legends: Thousands of Clean Jobs for Queenslanders finds that accelerating the development of renewable energy zones (REZs) will give Queensland a global competitive advantage in energy-intensive industries, create jobs for Queenslanders, and new export opportunities. “There are so many reasons to be optimistic about Queensland’s economic future as it rebuilds from COVID-19,” said the Climate Council’s CEO Amanda McKenzie. “The growth of renewable energy generation in the state is bringing down power prices, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which will help protect Queensland’s natural tourism assets, like the Great Barrier Reef. Recent commitments from State and Federal governments to progress the Copperstring 2.0 (transmission link) project demonstrate that the time is right for Queensland to just get on with it and unlock new opportunities in both renewables and clean manufacturing.” Key findings from the report included: Queensland can accelerate the development of REZs across the…

McIntosh specialises in supplying quality forage and feed-out wagons, tip trailers, manure spreaders and bale feeders to farms and vineyards and wanted to replace its existing ERP system to significantly improve its production and scheduling capabilities. The company has been designing and manufacturing reliable farm and agricultural machinery for more than 60 years from its Palmerston North production facility on New Zealand's North Island, after being established by the McIntosh brothers as a farm equipment maintenance business. The company provides its farming equipment through over 200 trusted dealers across New Zealand, Australia and Chile. The firm had concerns over its ability to plan for future customer orders, ensuring it had the right stock on hand to meet production needs. The management team also felt that as a family-run business with a loyal longstanding workforce, much of the knowledge and expertise is in people’s heads. Many processes are paper-based, and the company has over 6,000 production drawings featuring around 20,000 parts. “We found our…

The National GS1 Traceability Advisory Group (NGTAG) was established earlier this year by GS1 Australia, the global not-for-profit organisation that is the leading provider of standards and solutions. NGTAG comprises more than 80 senior-level members from industry and government, addressing traceability linkages across supply chains to ensure Australia maintains and builds global competitiveness, sustainable economic growth and positive socio-economic outcomes and opportunities. McNeil currently works for InfraBuild Steel as Manager – Customer Experience; he is also the chair of the Technology Committee at the Australian Logistics Council. McNeil commented: “I am honoured to be appointed as a Co-Chair of the National GS1 Traceability Advisory Group. The group is uniquely placed to inform GS1 Australia on the requirements of industry and government for traceability standards, and to co-define a roadmap for implementing end-to-end traceability and trade modernisation in Australia in the most efficient and economic manner possible. “I look forward to leveraging the knowledge and experience of the network of companies, associations and government departments that represent the NGTAG, as well as working closely…

Rheinmetall will use the MILVEHCOE facility to build and assemble the majority of Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles, which are being delivered to the Australian Army under the $5bn LAND 400 Phase 2 project. The facility will also be used to conduct integration, support and heavy grade repair for the logistics trucks and modules being delivered under the LAND 121 Phase 3B and 5B projects. Morrison said the new defence industry facility in Redbank is part of the Economic Recovery Plan to create jobs as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are committed to keeping Australians safe, while protecting the nation’s interests in a rapidly changing global environment,” said Morrison. “This week’s budget has seen the Federal Government bring forward $1bn worth of capability projects and reservist days to support jobs, the Australian defence industry and the wider economy. “This Queensland centre will be where some of the most advanced armoured vehicles in the world will be produced, by Australian workers.…

A starting point would be to recognise that manufacturers across the developed world succeed not because they make certain products, but because they have invested in manufacturing technology, adopted sophisticated manufacturing methodologies and process techniques. They typically use a combination of three factors to remain competitive: advanced knowledge, advanced processes and advanced business models. But this is not new news. According the World Economic Forum’s Readiness for the Future of Production report, Australia is a “high potential” country for this type of future production. Key opportunities and advantages are arising for Australian manufacturing from increasing amounts of investment in digital technologies, but also from the integration of these new technologies into an increasing range of the manufacturing processes and supply chains. Manufacturing workplaces increasingly rely on technologies, methodologies and techniques (what we…

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new partnership with Boeing Australia means more high-skilled jobs, local supply opportunities and defence industry stimulus, as Queensland continues its recovery efforts from the COVID-19 downturn. The unmanned aircraft is Boeing’s first military aircraft to be designed and developed outside the US, and will use artificial intelligence to extend the capabilities of manned and unmanned platforms. The first aircraft prototype, called the Loyal Wingman, was unveiled with the Royal Australian Air Force in May this year. “The creation of additional new aerospace capability could see unmanned defence aircraft produced here by the middle of the decade, with prototype testing and certification taking place before that,” said Palaszczuk. “Our investment in this advanced manufacturing project will provide critical skills for suppliers, academia and Boeing, and culminate in Queensland becoming the primary final assembly facility for the Boeing Airpower Teaming System, conditional on…

There are various types of cutting materials: cemented carbide, polycrystalline diamond, high-speed steel, ceramics and so on, and each type contains different grades. At various stages in the history of metal cutting, the introduction of each new cutting material and its use have led to a significant change in the level of cutting speeds, and consequently of productivity. However, if the previous century, especially its second half, was marked by the rapid progress of tool materials, today we do not see any significant new solutions in this field. Does this mean that the development of new tool materials has already reached its peak and is experiencing stagnation? Of course not. It is simply that the new developments are deep within the cutting material and are focused on its structure and can be observed only with the help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron backscatter diffraction (EBCD), and other sophisticated methods. They cover a tremendously complicated world of…

The study will assess the capabilities of the Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) industrial-scale additive manufacturing process to create structural satellite parts made from a high-performance metal. Titomic’s participation in this joint research project will analyse the various capabilities of both traditional and additive manufacturing methods relative to radiation shielding within satellites. Under the research agreement, Titomic will manufacture high-performance, metal demonstration samples for satellite parts using TKF. The research project may also lead to commercial opportunities for Titomic within the space and defence sectors following the successful validation of the additively manufactured demonstration satellite parts. Titomic’s Managing Director Jeff Lang said: “Titomic is excited to be involved in this RMIT joint research initiative alongside Lockheed Martin, which will provide significant mutual benefit for all involved. As we demonstrate the unique capabilities of TKF for the additive manufacture of satellite structures using high-performance metals and superalloys, we are also enabling exponentially faster production to reduce lead times for the space industry, from months to hours, compared to traditional processes.” Professor Milan…

Imagine where we’d be without the engineering feats we’re all too familiar with today. Hard to imagine, I know. At the end of a long day at work, we come home to comfortable and efficient living spaces, decked out with appliances that are both time and cost-effective. The pandemic would have been twice as difficult to endure if we didn’t have telephones, radios, and television to keep in touch with loved ones, receive the latest updates from authorities, or pass the time spent in isolation. Through imaging technologies, engineering has changed the way we view ourselves and the world around us. There’s no limit to where innovation in engineering might propel us to in the coming years. Engineering was first conceptualised with human ability in mind. The very first tools were invented to accommodate human sustenance. Before buildings towered over our heads, humans have been innovating tools or devices to solve problems or improve their state of living. The Egyptians, for instance, used wooden trunks…

Under the terms of the US$22m award, Vaxxas will perform a phase 1 clinical study using Vaxxas’ high-density micro-array patch (HD-MAP) delivering pandemic influenza vaccine to more than 400 people using both unadjuvanted and adjuvanted vaccine formulations. The award is funded through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services, and is aimed at advancing clinical demonstration of Vaxxas’ proprietary HD-MAP patch for pandemic influenza. The total cost of this project is estimated to be US$24.1m ($33.4m) of which 8.5% or US$2.1mwill be contributed by Vaxxas. Pandemic influenza vaccine was selected for this clinical validation study to comprehensively baseline the immune responses and safety of the novel HD-MAP vaccination platform when used for pandemic preparedness and response. Vaxxas is actively investigating opportunities to improve performance of other pandemic vaccines including against COVID-19, as well as a broad range of non-pandemic…

The modern industrial robot has come a long way since 1961 when Unimate #001, the first industrial robot arm, appeared on the General Motors assembly line in Trenton, New Jersey. When entreprenuer Joseph Engelberger, the father of modern robotics, appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1966 to demonstrate the Unimate, many began to envision a future where it might be possible for artificial intelligence to completely take over industrial production processes. Six decades later, we have not seen the Hollywood narrative of the 1956 sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet play out, where robots perform every task requested of them by their masters. And we are still some time away from full automation with a science fiction icon like ‘Robby the Robot’ taking control of manufacturing systems. We have, however, seen industrial robotics improve rapidly and adapt into its most commonly recognisable form: the SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm) format. For business owners and engineers, selecting the right SCARA robot…

The University of Sydney, Whiteley Corporation and the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) initially embarked on the project in 2018. By signing the collaborative research agreement, UNSW’s involvement significantly increases the academic manpower available to the project. Over four years, more than $5m will be co-invested in the research and development of new therapeutic treatments for biofilm mediated infection by the IMCRC, University of Sydney, UNSW and medical and industry manufacturer Whiteley Corporation. Announcing the participation of UNSW in the project, Dr Greg Whiteley said the extra resource and skill set will significantly increase the project’s ability to develop and commercialise a series of combination therapies: “Building on the early findings by Associate Professor Jim Manos and his team at the University of Sydney’s School of Medical Sciences and Charles Perkins Centre, and with UNSW’s expertise in the development of novel antimicrobials used in disinfectants, we are accelerating our development efforts to bring new biofilm removal solutions faster to market.” The UNSW team, led by Professor…