Month: February 2026

**This story originally appeared in the February 2026 edition of AMT Magazine** By Martin U. Ripple, Chief Executive Officer, ANCA Group For much of modern history, engineers have been expected to advance humanity and build the future without being invited to shape it. They are often portrayed as technically brilliant but socially awkward, more comfortable with machines than people. A familiar cartoon shows a mother taking her child to the doctor, only to be told, “Oh no, it’s worse than I feared. Your son is going to be an engineer. The joke implies a lifelong condition of logic over emotion and facts over conversation. Yet this stereotype obscures a deeper truth. Almost everything that defines contemporary life from our homes and transport systems to our food supply chains, energy networks, medical devices and digital infrastructure - exists because engineers designed, built, tested and continuously improved it. While others debate direction, engineers quietly turn ideas into reality. Why then does a profession so central to modern civilisation…

**This story originally appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** Imagine this scenario: Your team installs a new collaborative robot application on the production line to automate what was once a manual task and introduce collaborative interaction with workers. Because the system does not rely on physical distance barriers such as perimeter guarding, it promises flexibility, space savings and productivity gains. The robot has been designed to operate under a power and force limiting (PFL) safety function, but no risk assessment was carried out to identify the contact scenarios, nor has validation been performed using a pressure and/or force measuring device. As a result, when the robot moves into action, its force and power output exceed the biomechanical limits set out in ISO 10218-2:2025, putting operators at risk of injury. It’s a stark reminder that a thorough risk assessment might have flagged that hazard and prompted better safeguards. Risk assessments are a cornerstone of workplace…

Newly announced technology greatly expands capacity of AI Replicates real world physics to truncate lead time and simulate stress testing of products Rolling out to select partners imminently, with plans for broad availability this year At 3DEXPERIENCE World in Houston, a joint announcement from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Dassault Systèmes CEO Pascal Daloz put “physical AI” and production‑grade virtual twins at the centre one of the largest engineering gatherings of the year. The message delivered to nearly ten thousand attendees was bold: a new class of industrial AI, grounded in physics rather than just language, could compress the distance between concept and reality in dramatic fashion. Whether or not this partnership ends up defining the next decade of manufacturing software, the idea of physical AI matters. It signals a shift that could reshape design, simulation, testing and factory optimisation for manufacturers of all sizes, including in Australia’s precision sector. “AI is just an engine — you…

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**This story first appeared in the October 2025 edition of AMT Magazine** A strong sense of confidence in Australia’s precision engineering future has encouraged Redline Engineering to invest in a new 11 pallet, 5-axis Okuma CNC vertical machining centre. The model MU-5000V & Tower APC with OSP-P500MH control is the first of its type – a 5-axis machining centre with a Tower APC an automatic multi pallet system – to be installed anywhere in Australia.  Redline general manager Ken Stuart says he is confident his business will continue to grow manufacturing of its precision engineering components, due in part to the high regard in which Australian manufacturing is held around the world.  This high regard is due both to its quality and the on-time delivery that companies generate, he says. “The service aspect, I think, is becoming really important,” he says.  “Whether it is the culture we have or the way that we engage with the market, you get a sense there's a really strong passion for what we do – solving problems, being innovative, connecting to opportunities…