August 22, 2019
There are many ways to define a Makerspace, but essentially it is a place where people can come to use – and learn to use – equipment, develop creative projects, or simply gain experience. They are most commonly associated with offering technology to create, develop and design in an informal, non-traditional, environment. Becoming a member of a Makerspace enables you to access the resources (training, machinery, technology and materials) at times that are convenient to yourself, without the capital outlay often required for production. FAB9 is a purpose-built space, located in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, for hardware entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, tinkerers, craftspeople, artists, hobbyists and anyone who wants to experiment through the making of physical objects. Whether you’re an amateur working on a fun project, or an inventor set to create the next world-changing product, they are open for people of all interests and skill levels. Architecturally…
August 22, 2019
The lab will enable manufacturing and other industries to create ‘digital twins’, or virtual replicas of physical objects and systems. By 2020, the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates 30% of the top 2000 global companies will be using data from Digital Twins of Internet of Things (IoT) connected assets to improve product innovation success rates and organisational productivity, achieving gains of up to 25%. The Mixed Reality Lab houses a set-up of industrial and consumer optical cameras and sensing equipment to capture detailed information about a physical object and the space surrounding it. The equipment is underpinned by sophisticated algorithms which merge the enormous amounts of data collected to create a digital twin in a matter of minutes. Matt Bolger, senior software engineer at Data61, said the lab is a unique combination of Data61’s research expertise across machine learning, computer vision, computational modelling, IoT, and CSIRO’s patented Stereo Depth Fusion technology for depth estimation. “This technology is game-changing for manufacturing and other industries,” said Bolger. “By comparing a digital twin of a manufactured object…
August 22, 2019
Accuride Corporation is one of the leading suppliers of wheels for the automotive industry. The company has a global annual turnover of US$1.2bn and a workforce of approximately 5,000 across 16 locations in North America, Europe and Asia. The product portfolio includes wheels for microcars (or motorised quadricycles), heavy vehicles, tractors, construction machines and agricultural machines. As an important company within the Accuride group, Kronprinz alone provides approximately 1.6m truck wheels and more than 1.8m motor car wheels from its plant in Solingen, Germany. The truck wheels with a particular high load-bearing capacity consist of a rim and a wheel disc. At Kronprinz, these components, which are made of rolled steel, are formed and then welded all around from the inside in modern gas metal arc welding lines. This sounds…
August 22, 2019
Based in Warren, Michigan, the company is committed to improving the lives of factory-floor workers through safety, reliability and efficiency in manufacturing, for industries ranging from medical devices to automotive. “Industry 4.0 is really the ecosystem that is a smart factory,” says Andrew Storm, Eckhart’s CEO. “It takes all of the systems in a factory, ties them together to help not only those who manage the process, but also to help the employees on the factory floor become more informed on the health of the system.” “Ninety percent of Fortune 500 manufacturing CEOs believe adopting Industry 4.0 technologies is imperative,” adds Dan Burseth, Vice-President of Eckhart. “And we build technology implementation plans with some of the largest manufacturers in the world, designing tools, equipment and automation that truly improve the life of the people tasked with running the line.” Customised, proven additive solutions Eckhart develops customised factory floor solutions to address the specific needs of each client, walking the floor to see exactly where ergonomics, line of…
August 15, 2019
After the R&D specialists were handed their notice from Toyota in 2014, they sat down and nutted out a new business concept. Bastion Managing Director Ben Schultz recalls how he and his co-founders, James Woolcock and Dean McGeary, wanted to incorporate their three passions: cycling, leading-edge manufacturing and Australian-made production. All keen cyclists, it was a classic case of creating the bike they wanted to buy but which didn’t exist. Bastion empowers the rider to design their own adjustable bike that is a unique fit not only to their desired specifications and aesthetic preferences, but the physical capabilities of their own body with all its ticks and quirks. Bastion shares the industrial warehouse it occupies in Fairfield, north-east Melbourne, with three other specialised…
August 15, 2019
Working closely with customers across the globe, Sandvik Coromant has developed a connected solution that enables manufacturers to speed up the machining of high-value components, confident that anything untoward (that is, anything that moves beyond strictly set parameters) can be identified. While Silent Tools technology from Sandvik Coromant is around 50 years old, the quantum leap comes from a new development that involves embedding sensors into the turning adaptors, making it much easier to fathom what is going on deep into a…
August 15, 2019
AMTIL’s AGM will be held on Thursday 31 October at Riversdale Golf Club in Mount Waverley, Victoria. The AGM will be preceded by a Breakfast Seminar, featuring a special presentation by keynote speaker Simon Kuestenmacher, Director of Research at The Demographics Group. Kuestenmacher is a rising star in data animation and interpretation, making astounding predictions for Australia’s future. A columnist for The Australian newspaper, he is frequently sought out by SkyNews, The Project, newspapers and radio stations across Australia as a commentator on demographic and data matters. Reaching more than 30 million people every month through his Twitter account, Kuestenmacher speaks on demographic trends, consumer insights and cultural change in Australia. Proceedings will begin at 8.00am with a networking breakfast, before the presentations get underway at 8.30am. The AGM will take place after the presentations. Tee up for Golf Day The AMTIL 2020 Corporate Golf Day will also be held at Riversdale Golf Club on Friday 14 February. As always the event will include a light breakfast, lunch and drinks,…
August 15, 2019
Developed in 2015 by researchers from CSIRO, ASPIRE is an online marketplace that intelligently matches businesses with potential remanufacturers, purchasers or recyclers to find new purposes for waste materials working towards the circular economy for Australia. Dr Melanie Ayre, research scientist at CSIRO’s Data61, said that since its launch, ASPIRE has diverted hundreds of different waste streams from landfill, including batteries, e-waste, metals, organics, polystyrene, ferric chloride and timber pallets. “Almost 80% of Australia’s waste is generated through commercial, industrial, construction or demolition activities,” Dr Ayre said. “We developed ASPIRE in response to rising costs of waste management, and to redirect waste to more productive uses.” Cameron McKenzie, ASPIRE’s newly appointed CEO, said the online marketplace has seen an impressive uptake amongst businesses, state governments and local councils in Victoria, but that a national network was pivotal in tackling the widespread waste crisis. “Around 300 businesses are using ASPIRE,…
August 9, 2019
The event was attended by more than 180 industry leaders from manufacturing businesses across Australia, as well as representatives from manufacturing technology suppliers, government and industry bodies, universities and research organisations. AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti has been with AMTIL since the very beginnning, and he noted that the association’s 20th birthday coincided with a strong resurgence in Australian manufacturing. “It’s great to be celebrating 20 years of AMTIL at such a positive time for our industry,” said Infanti. “There’s been a lot of pessimism in recent years with the GFC and the car industry closures, but right now we’re just seeing exciting stuff going on all across the sector. So tonight’s event isn’t just about looking back on 20 years of AMTIL; it’s about looking forward to what I think is a very bright future for Australian manufacturing.” AMTIL is the peak national body for the precision engineering and advanced manufacturing sector in Australia. The association was founded on 11 August 1999, following the…
August 8, 2019
The resources sector plays a big role in Australia’s economy. Iron ore, coal and natural gas were ranked first, second and fourth respectively among the country’s exports by value for 2017-18. The sector that is key to extracting these and other resources – mining equipment, technology and services (METS) – is another source of national strength. Dating back to 1859 here, it has not stood still and its technical leadership is globally renowned. An Austrade paper from 2016 notes that while Australia may not design and manufacture big capital items such as draglines and earthmovers, its METS companies “lead the world” via “time and effort in the area of innovation”. The sector is valued at $90bn, based on research in 2013 by industry body Austmine. Exports totalled $15bn, R&D spend amounted to $4bn, and the workforce numbered 386,000. “The Australian METS sector continues to develop its reputation on a global scale and is of vital importance to the domestic economy,” says…
August 8, 2019
It has been more than a year since China’s Government implemented the National Sword policy which would go on to have significant impacts across the global recycling sector. The policy set restrictions on the contamination levels of plastic waste, unsorted paper and textile materials, meaning China would only accept materials with a contamination level of 0.5% or less. From the 1990s up until 2013, global wealth manager Credit Suisse says it was cheaper to transport recycled materials by ship to China than it was to domestically transport by truck or rail in its 2018 report, The age of plastics at a tipping point. One particularly difficult waste identified in the report was modern food packaging, which use layers of different polymers as well as other materials like aluminium and ink layers that need to be separated before sorting if they are to be reprocessed. “Food packaging is also often contaminated by its contents, requiring screening and washing,” the report notes. “Councils also have different requirements…
August 8, 2019
AMTIL has been working on putting plans in place for the development of the Export Hub, and these are now starting to build momentum. Phase One – Get ready The first stage of the Export Hub has involved setting up its governance structure, with an advisory committee and financial management system put in place, and the appointment of an Export Hub Manager and Export Hub Coordinator. Industry engagement will be done through four mechanisms: Primes and OEMs will be approached to identify their critical key supply chains and encourage them to work with the Export Hub on aspects as networking, business improvement programs and trade mission activity. Key partner organisations such as the Entrepreneurs’ Programme, the Industry Capability Network, the Australian Rail Authority, and Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) will be invited to suggest relevant companies. AMTIL Members in these supply chains or who wish to access them will be encouraged to be involved. Other companies who find out about the…
August 8, 2019
Now in its ninth season, the ATC is a national competition to recruit, spotlight and promote commercially attractive SMEs to a global audience, providing a platform for recognition, mentoring and acceleration support and an avenue to meet potential partners and investors. This year 33 semi-finalists have been chosen from a pool of 206 entrants, comprising of high-growth potential companies from across Australia. Victoria is represented by: AgriNous, Aspire, Navi Medical Technologies, Tournicare and Unpackaged Eco. Having been staged in Sydney for almost a decade, the 2019 national awards and finals will be held in Melbourne thanks to welcoming sponsors and hosts: the Victorian Government’s Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions (DJPR) and Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DEWLP). Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment & Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio remarked: “We have an international reputation for fostering innovation in new energy and environmental technologies here in Victoria. Chargefox electric vehicle charging stations are capable of delivering up to 400km in 15 minutes,…