Industry News

Uniseed and Bulugudu have agreed to invest $2.6m into Trioda Wilingi, a University of Queensland/UniQuest spin-out company, to develop innovative medical gels from cellulose nanofibres extracted from spinifex harvested in north-west Queensland. Trioda Wilingi has the exclusive global rights to develop novel injectable spinifex medical gels, which have many potential applications including osteoarthritis, drug delivery and cosmetic treatments. The concept was developed with the help of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF). Early data shows that gels using the spinifex nanofibres will last longer, be easier to inject and may be safer than current medical gel products. There’s a global multi-billion-dollar demand for cellulose nanofibres – very thin biodegradable fibres that have a vast number of applications. They can be used, for example, in medical gels, surgical gloves, nappies, transparent paper, and even flexible electronic components. Companies around the world are currently using complex, energy-intensive processes to make nanofibres from wood pulp, sugar beet, carrots, wheat straw and other materials. The University of Queensland, through the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), discovered that spinifex has a unique chemistry that yields…

AMW2023 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will take up more than 10,770 square metres at the MCEC, with over 340 organisations showcasing the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au Over the four days, there will be presentations on the AMW Future Solutions Stage from specialists in each field. Click HERE for more details On Tuesday 9 May, after the Inauguration and Opening Ceremony by the Victorian Minister for Industry Ben Carroll MP, the AMW Future Solutions Speaker Program opens with AM Hub Digital and Additive Manufacturing. Wednesday 10 May brings a range of speakers involved in the work Women have been doing in the field of Manufacturing in Australia. While the entire show is a celebration of Australian Manufacturing, Thursday 11 May’s bank of speakers on the Future Solutions stage showcases a range of manufacturing successes and advances happening here at home, exporting to the world. On Friday…

The next time you wander across the shopfloor, take notice of the machine vision cameras installed, and you may notice that many of these are often offline or turned off, allowing all products good and bad, to pass through the system. If you ask the questions, apart from rude comments, the reason provided will be that they are too sensitive and constantly reject good parts! Vision systems are often selected after a static on-bench demonstration, where the product is hand-oriented. This usually produces good results but does not represent what happens in production when the product is often moving. Most conveyors have guide rails to contain the product, which often acts as visual obstacles, and the cameras cannot be installed as demonstrated. One good example is detecting a feature on a bottle. The demonstrator can orientate the product to suit the camera on the bench, but when the bottle is on a conveyor, the whole scenario changes. We have an unstable product on a moving platform. The camera has to deal with a product that can wobble and…

Fleet Space Technologies’ $6.4m contract with Australia’s Defence Space Command, is their first defence contract. The agreement will see Fleet's next-generation of Centauri satellites used to develop and demonstrate a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications system focused on tactical communications and data transmission where connectivity is limited. The program, named ASCEND2LEO, will make use of Fleet's commercial satellites. A collaboration between government, defence industry and academia. Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Fleet Space Technologies, University of South Australia, Rice Satcom Pty Ltd and SmartSat CRC are taking advanced research and technologies to demonstrate LEO capabilities to the warfighter. This innovative approach enables Defence to take advantage of the most modern commercial space technology used by the mining industry with the most up-to-date research to rapidly advance space capabilities. Colonel Clifford White, Director of Space Services at Defence Space Command commented on the partnership: “Australia is fortunate to have a talented space industry with an inventive spirit. Space is operationally critical to the achievement of the Defence mission, and this is an example of an innovative way to advance our…

The Welcome to Country and inauguration ceremony will take place at the Future Solutions Stage from 10:10 AM on Tuesday 9th May. This is the first event for the show. AMTIL is honoured to have Tony Garvey, a celebrated Elder from the local Wurundjeri mob invite them to proceed, with a Welcome to Country for AMW 2023. The Hon. Ben Carroll MP (pictured above), Victorian Minister for Industry and Innovation, and Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty, will then cover the many insights he sees in the Australian Manufacturing future.  There may be a chance he will stay on to check out the show. Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023) is approaching fast! Two weeks away! This will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will take up more than 10,770 square metres at the MCEC, with over 340 organisations showcasing the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Over the four days, there will be presentations on the AMW Future Solutions Stage from specialists in…

Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023) is approaching fast! Two weeks away! This huge event will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will take up more than 10,770 square metres at the MCEC, with over 340 organisations showcasing the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Over the four days, there will be presentations on the AMW Future Solutions Stage from specialists in each field. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au Day Two of AMW 2023 will promote and recognise the various achievements of Women in the Manufacturing sector in Australia.   11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Geelong Manufacturing Council – What manufacturers need to excel in the 21st Century Location: Future Solutions Speaker Sessions Stage A Geelong Manufacturing Council Regional Women’s panel Leanne Nelson, Program Manager at Geelong Manufacturing Council; Elly Hanlon, General Manager at Hanlon Industries; Roya Khalil, Director of R&D at Incitec Pivot Fertilisers; and Joanne Karkham, Director of Customer Excellence at…

BlueScope Distribution Melbourne is one of 16 branches across the BlueScope Distribution network that provides high-quality steel and aluminium products and processing for its local and broader customer base. In November 2021, BlueScope Distribution committed to an investment of $1.01m to install a custom-made routing machine which enables them to process aluminium plate and sheet products into custom sizes and componentry for our customers.  They are delighted to announce the installation of the new CNC flatbed router at BlueScope Distribution’s Clayton South warehouse in Melbourne. Commissioned in February 2023, the addition of this new capability will complement our existing Aluminium routing capability which already exists at BlueScope Distribution in Perth and Brisbane.  “BlueScope Distribution is nationally aligned to support the transport and manufacturing industries and we are proud to announce our increased capabilities to better serve customers across a wide range of manufacturing industry segments, such as marine, architectural façade, and leisure,” says Sam Gerovasilis, General Manager BlueScope Distribution. As one of the largest of its kind in Victoria, this new machine has the ability to profile complex custom shapes with precision,…

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) recently released a report outlining a significant conundrum facing the manufacturing sector. On the one hand, Australian manufacturing is entering a strong period of growth, on the other that growth is being undermined by labour and supply chain constraints not seen in decades. Chief Economist at ACCI, Dr Ross Lambie said in the report that, “Manufacturers [are] continuing to expand their workforce, and expectations for future employment remain positive. However, employers are having increasing difficulties finding experienced workers because of domestic and international border closures – these labour constraints are at levels not seen since September 2007.” Like other sectors, Australian manufacturing is finding it difficult to find staff to fill positions, which is not only impacting their ability to meet their own orders but is having knock-on effects in the broader economy as supply chain shortages create production bottlenecks elsewhere. And for those thinking this is purely a COVID-related affair as national borders have closed and shipping almost ground to a halt, there are broader and longer-term issues at play.…

The original theoretical project between the Norwegian company NEO and the European Space Agency (ESA), examined the concept of hyperspectral imaging for small satellites, (HISS).  Several years on and with a good deal of research under their belt, the company is now closing the loop. The CEO of Norsk Elektro Optikk, (NEO) Trond Løke explains that HySpex is now launching into space with two partners, the European Space Agency and the Norwegian Space Agency. So why is hyperspectral image gathering so important for use in satellites? Hyperspectral images produce a spectrum of several hundred colours, (represented as numbers) for each pixel in an image. Coloured images captured by a camera can discriminate between, for example a rock, a cow and trees in a landscape. However, hyperspectral images can discriminate between the different types of rocks, cows and trees. This is because hyperspectral imaging, ‘analyses a wide spectrum of light’ instead of just assigning primary colours such as red, green, blue, to each pixel captured. The light striking each pixel is broken down into many different spectral bands providing a great…

US metal and carbon fibre 3D printing company Markforged will showcase its newest production printer, the FX20, at Australian Manufacturing Week, 9-12 May in Melbourne. In recent years, Australian manufacturing factories have been embracing this technology and integrating it into their existing manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Since launching the FX20 in Australia, Markforged has seen Australian manufacturers adopt its technology into their existing workflows on shop floors. Six months after launching the FX20, Markforged has shipped and established a two-digit network of FX20s in Australia and New Zealand. The FX20 utilised Markforged’s Digital Forge, which uses the Eiger and Simulation software to develop parts quickly and easily. One of the main advantages of additive manufacturing is its ability to produce highly customised parts and components. With traditional manufacturing methods, producing custom parts can be time-consuming and costly, requiring expensive tooling and specialised equipment. With 3D printing, however, the process is much simpler and more efficient. Manufacturers can simply design the part using computer-aided design (CAD) software and then print it on a 3D printer. Many manufacturers around Australia have already recognised…

As a step towards turning the decarbonised society into reality, Okuma has defined the “Green-Smart Machine” as intelligent machine tools that contribute to resolving environmental issues, by autonomously achieving both stable dimensional accuracy and reduced energy usage, and the company offers a full product lineup. Okuma has been using automation and process integration as a part of its effort to reduce energy usage while still achieving high-productivity, high-accuracy machining for becoming carbon neutral at three Japan plants which are its main production bases. In addition to these measures, Okuma started using green energy in October 2022, and its three plants in Japan will become carbon-neutral plants ahead of schedule (Scope 1 and 2). In its wide lineup of products, which ranges from small 2-axis CNC lathes to multitasking machines, 5-axis machining centres, and large double-column machining centres, Okuma has incorporated Intelligent Technology to achieve high-accuracy and high-efficiency machining and enhanced the technology to contribute to high-quality and stable-accuracy production. Okuma has issued a declaration that its "Green-Smart Machine" is an eco-friendly smart…

Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023) will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will take up more than 10,770 square metres at the MCEC, with over 340 organisations showcasing the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Over the four days, there will be presentations on the AMW Future Solutions Stage from specialists in each field. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au Day One of AMW 2023 will actively demonstrate the vital advances within this particular segment of the manufacturing industry. The first day of the Australian Manufacturing Week Melbourne 2023, has been named The AM Hub Digital and Additive Manufacturing Day. This day intends to celebrate the various innovations and constant developments that are sweeping this particular segment of the manufacturing industry in Australia.   11:00 AM – 11:20 AM Titomic Ltd – Additive Metal and future opportunities Speaker: Neil Matthews, Head of Engineering at Titomic Ltd. Titomic Ltd - Additive metal and…

Guill announces the introduction of a new version of its popular 800 series, known as 800 Series Hybrid. In some extrusion applications that utilize crossheads and inlines, layers of the exact same material are applied multiple times, using a single die. This method is used to reduce the propensity for errors caused by gels breaking through a thin wall, weld lines, inconsistent wall thickness, plus material and process variations. Additional errors include difficult-to-process materials and demanding applications where there is zero fault tolerance. Seeking to design the next-generation multi-layer die to overcome these challenges, the engineers at Guill looked for a way to incorporate this technology into an updated version of the 800 Series. This led to the creation of the 800 Series Hybrid. The inherent benefits of the 800 Series are retained, including compact design, low residence time and a common deflector bore that eliminates tolerance stack up. The challenge was to create a hybrid design that incorporates the benefits of layer overlapping, while reducing unnecessary complexity and making the technology more cost-affordable for customers. This was achieved by overlapping layers in each semi-deflector,…