Month: January 2026

**This story first appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** Being faced with growing global demand for the high-precision gears that Ronson Gears produces is the sort of problem that might put a spring in the step of any company director. But for Ronson Gears technical director Jason Graham, the primary issue was throughput, as the company sought to serve a highly competitive global market. “We had a large backlog of work. Our equipment just wasn’t technologically advanced enough for what we were doing. Setups were taking far too long,” he says. Founded in 1954 as a local operation in Victoria, Ronson Gears today has become a globally trusted manufacturer, delivering high-precision gear solutions for industries ranging from outer space to mining. Offering full-service manufacturing capabilities covering turning, milling, gear cutting, grinding and advanced measurement, Ronson Gears employs 46 people and operates 24 hours a day, six days a week across three shifts. Graham says the company needed a solution…

Australia’s premier advanced manufacturing showcase, Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW), returns in 2026, and for the first time it is heading to Brisbane. From 12 to 14 May 2026, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre will host thousands of industry professionals eager to explore the technologies shaping the future of precision manufacturing. Register to visit AMW 2026 in Brisbane With visitor registration now open, prospective attendees are encouraged to secure their place early. Registering ahead of time not only guarantees smooth entry but also ensures visitors are fully credentialled before arriving at the venue. This saves valuable time and allows them to move straight onto the exhibition floor without delay. AMW 2026 promises an expansive and highly curated experience. Organised by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), the event brings together an exceptional array of suppliers, innovators and technology leaders from across the sector. The exhibition will be structured across six specialised product zones—Machine Tools, Additive Manufacturing, Robotics and Automation, Welding and Air Technology, Manufacturing Solutions, and the Australian Manufacturers’ Pavilion—giving visitors clear pathways to explore the…

**This story first appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** Q1: Can you tell us a bit about your background and what led you to specialise in batteries? My background is in material science—I completed a Bachelor of Science with honours, focusing on materials in my final year. I initially wanted to pursue a PhD in chemistry, but due to the competitive environment at the time, I ended up crossing into engineering for my PhD at Monash University. My research focused on solid-state batteries before they became a major field, and I was fortunate to have supportive supervisors in Prof. Maria Forsyth and Prof. Doug McFarlane who encouraged me to pursue this path. The irony was that I ended up doing a PhD because I just really loved the research. I really enjoyed the collaborative and supportive work environment that I had – I had great other…

**This story first appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** Industry 4.0 – the integration of digital technologies into all aspects of industry – has been well established for some time now. But now researchers are looking at ways of using robots with a much older, more unpredictable technology. The human being. At the heart of the human-centric approach of Industry 5.0 is collaborative robotics, or “cobotics” – which are designed to work safely alongside human workers, and currently for sale and working at sites across Australia. Australian Cobotics Centre (ACC) associate director for research training Glenda Caldwell says there’s “a big shift” for researchers to consider. “Industry 4.0 is very much about how industry develops and uses more advanced technologies in their processes,” Caldwell says. “So the focus of Industry 4.0 is the technology itself, whereas Industry 5.0 is looking at, well, what are the complex problems that we face… and how do we use those technologies in different industry sectors to address those problems?” “Now we understand we’ve got these technologies,…

**This story first appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** When it comes to medical innovation, Australia has much to be proud of – with world leading research institutions and great minds hard at work developing products for the greater good. But taking that success in innovation and transitioning it to success as a leader in advanced medical manufacturing is another challenge – with four panellists at a recent forum explaining their own reasons why. BioMelbourne Network’s BioForum, The Smart Health Revolution: Rewiring Care Pathways, held in late July, heard from three developers of new wearable technologies – Nutromics chief executive Peter Vranes, Kali Healthcare cofounder Fiona Brownfoot and Proton Intelligence co-founder Victor Cadarso – along with Madhu Bhaskaran, research director of the Discovery to Device medtech prototyping facility at RMIT University. In her role at RMIT University, Bhaskaran leads a team of electronic materials engineers, helping companies create technologies and better design medical products including care diagnostics – such as saliva-based tests - or which are either…

**This story first appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** In the world of advanced manufacturing, few Australian companies have achieved the global reach and reputation of ANCA. Founded in 1974 by Pat Boland and Pat McCluskey, ANCA has grown from a local startup to a world leader in CNC tool grinding machines, with a legacy of innovation and customers spanning the globe. As a leading manufacturer, ANCA co-founder Pat Boland knows that in a changing world some constants remain – the need for vision, adaptability and an ongoing focus on people. “The world is very different now, compared to what it was when we started – and possibly the biggest changes have been in communications,” he says. “When we started our exports the Telex was the top method of communication internationally – and then what a fantastic invention the photocopier and fax machines were.” Today, with the accessibility of the internet and new artificial intelligence, Boland says the concept of a “home market”, partially isolated from the rest…