Industry News

The contract is part of the Federal Government’s recent $12.2m investment in Australian industry contracts to increase the Army’s experimentation, prototyping and exploration of autonomous vehicle and emerging technologies. It also underscores the Department of Defence’s commitment to IISRI’s Leader-Follower autonomous vehicle technology program, with a previous $2.9m contract awarded in late 2018 providing for the development phase of the project. The new contract provides for the second phase of the project, which involves expansion and prototyping and brings the Australian Army’s total investment in the program to $6.3m. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Alfred Deakin Professor Julie Owens said Deakin is proud to continue providing world-class technology for the Australian Defence Force in a partnership that first began in 2006. “Deakin continues to work very closely with the Australian Defence Force to provide key technologies and capabilities to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capabilities,” Professor Owens said. “Deakin is uniquely geared towards providing solutions to real-world problems and we are proud of…

Making the announcement at Apollo’s Northgate factory, Queensland State Treasurer Cameron Dick said the loan would help Apollo adapt its business to the challenges posed by COVID-19. “Apollo builds, sells and rents campervans, RVs and motorhomes, employing over 220 people in Queensland,” he said. “The ban on international travel has robbed Apollo of more than three-quarters of its rental market, the largest part of which was European tourists. But the sale of motorhomes is holding up well as our strong health response to COVID allows more Queensland businesses to open up. “Apollo will use this loan to increase their business’ focus on manufacturing, moving from four days a week of manufacturing to five. Every day we’re seeing more caravans and RVs hit the road in Queensland, spending money in businesses right across our state. Apollo’s factory also supports hundreds of Queensland small businesses who supply components as part of the manufacturing process.” Luke Trouchet, CEO of Apollo Tourism, said the company is very appreciative of the financial assistance package from…

The lens is made from a one molecule layer of atomaterials – the next generation of nanomaterials with a thickness about one millionth of a human hair in size. It could be used in ultra-compact cameras, achieving high resolution images comparable to state-of-the-art imaging systems. The research breakthrough was co-led by Founding Director of Swinburne’s Centre for Translational Atomaterials, Professor Baohua Jia, Professor Qiaoliang Bao formerly at Monash University, and Professor Chengwei Qiu at National University of Singapore. “Lenses are the key element in optical systems in our daily life, including eyeglasses, microscopes, magnifying glasses, and camera lenses,” said Swinburne’s Dr Han Lin. “Conventional lenses based on light refraction need multiple lenses to be stacked to form compound lenses to minimise aberrations and achieve good imaging quality. Therefore, current high-quality camera equipment is complex and bulky. We have put tremendous effort into the development of ultrathin flat lenses.” Unlike conventional lenses, a flat lens uses nanostructures to control light and correct image distortion. It can also produce different…

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Defence was working to take a leading role in shaping the national STEM agenda and build a strong record of inclusion. Minister Price said the awarding of the scholarships to the undergraduate students was another significant step forward for Defence – which is a major employer of people with STEM skills – in building a more diverse STEM workforce. “Defence needs to ensure that we access the best talent from all parts of the diverse Australian community to build the workforce,” Minister Price said. “This is part of Defence’s efforts to strengthen our intellectual capital, building our ability to solve problems with innovative solutions.” The scholarships were awarded to students who demonstrated academic excellence and who displayed positive attributes such as community leadership and extra-curricular engagement. The recipients were: University of Newcastle, New South Wales: Sarah Creasey – Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) Tess Horton – Bachelor of Mathematics/Bachelor of Science Odessa Mullin – Bachelor of Biomedical Science Edith Cowan University, Western Australia: Margret Beniameen – Bachelor…

Opening its doors in 1974, NEPEAN is now one of Australia’s largest privately-owned engineering service providers, having built up an elite design and project management team who understand the diverse nature of engineering. Today, NEPEAN still produce goods locally from its site in south-west Sydney and delivers to customers and sites all over Australia and globally. Items produced at NEPEAN’s facility in Narellan make their way into a wide variety of industries including civil works, infrastructure and earthmoving, as well as mining, pharmaceutical, scientific, aerospace and defence. Buckley discusses the importance the company places on investing in people: “Team members resourced to each job are hand-picked according to specific project requirements in terms of experience, specialist skills and problem-solving capabilities. We are proud of the…

The industrial-grade HP Jet Fusion 4200 printers will be used by DST for production of robust end-use parts, tooling and jigs, as well as concept models and prototypes. Due to the high output possible from the HP 4200 machines, they can also be used for on-demand local manufacturing of critical parts in the event of supply chain disruption. This revolutionary technology is set to enable the reinvention of manufacturing in Australia due to its flexibility and agility compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Joe Carmody, EVOK3D Managing Director, said: “3D printing has moved beyond just prototyping and is now a viable and flexible direct manufacturing technology. DST’s motto is ‘Science and Technology for Safeguarding Australia’ and we are very proud to be playing a part in securing supply chain sovereignty for this country.” “The fact the Department of Defence has…

The coronavirus pandemic gave rise to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) through the community and what equipment was available was very costly. Able Australia’s CEO Kate MacRae, saw a need for low-cost face shields that could be worn by disability support workers. “When the first wave of the pandemic hit in March, PPE was in short supply,” said MacRae. “While the health and aged care sectors were given access to the government’s PPE stockpile, the disability sector was excluded. We knew we needed to come up with our own solution. “Able Australia and other disability support providers like us support a significant number of people who fall in the ‘high-risk’ category for COVID-19. Social distancing at all times when supporting someone with a complex disability is virtually impossible. For the safety and wellbeing of our clients and staff we needed PPE and we needed it urgently.” Together with her husband Richard, MacRae had…

Using precision turning and milling equipment, Jmar specialises in component manufacturing, repairs and maintenance across a broad range of industries. Their work typically includes a considerable amount of ‘reverse engineering’; fabricating components and parts that customers may have previously bought from overseas suppliers who often are now defunct or uncontactable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to component manufacturing, the company has been a supplier to the agricultural industry for almost a quarter of a century, with a unique product called the Christopher Dairy Bails; a retrofit product suitable for herringbone dairies that allows the farmer to feed in the bail at milking time. Jmar has also invested heavily in 3D modelling, which has been a great sales tool as the company can now provide customers with an accurate representation of the concept design prior to actual full-scale production. Nearly all of Jmar’s business comes from around the Goulburn Valley area, within…

Printing ventilator parts for COVID-19 RAM3D became an essential supplier to the medical industry during the lockdown period. This project was a combined effort involving RAM3D, Doctor Andrew Robinson of Lakes District Health Board, and Kilwell Fibretube Engineering, who have been involved in reverse engineering and prototyping. The parts RAM3D were asked to 3D print were for an anaesthesia machine that was being converted to an intensive care ventilator for COVID-19. RAM3D successfully redesigned the valve (bridge) and will be full-scale manufacturing the part. The key aspects of the design were that it had to be simple to install and needed to have limited risk of failure; it was imperative there was no leakage through the seals during operation. RAM3D was sent the original CAD file of the part; it was made up of two pieces and had been designed for CNC manufacturing. After several failed attempts to 3D…

As can be construed from its name, cast iron is intended for castings. Machining cast iron parts involves removal of non-uniform and variable stock – for example sand inclusions, casting skin, blowholes, hot tears and other casting defects, which affects cutting tools. From a machining point of view, the higher graphite content also has a disadvantage: it accelerates abrasion wear. This means that the cutting tools must have good wear resistance to ensure high productivity. It is also worth noting that the term “cast iron” may in fact refer to different types of ferrous alloy, for which machinability can vary significantly. The latter is often neglected, which can lead to the wrong choice of cutting tools and incorrect definition of cutting data. There are several types of cast iron. Grey, nodular…

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain at the heart of the the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be seen, is difficult to detect, and is continuing to mutate as scientists race to find a vaccine. According to recent studies, the virus is detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard, and two-three days on plastic and stainless steel. Currently there are no means to check how effective cleaning protocols are, or to determine the virus’s presence in public places. There is therefore a significant need for environmental testing for COVID-19 to determine whether hospitals, schools, surfaces and personal protective equipment are clear of the virus. In order to jumpstart the economy, proactive – rather than reactive – methods to quickly identify the virus must be developed. A company developing such a proactive tool is Port-Melbourne-based GreyScan, in collaboration with the University of Tasmania. This exciting research project could pave…

If there's one thing that the current series of events has reminded us of is the fact that unforeseeable events can happen at any time, and with potentially devastating repercussions for any business that relies on transacting in foreign currency or purchases equipment from overseas suppliers. According to recent findings by specialist banking market research and analysis firm, East and Partners, Australian businesses suffered currency losses of up to AU$3.4bn in the last six months - highlighting just how damaging changing business cycles and volatile financial markets can be. Despite the current economic uncertainty, the good news is that there are ways you can protect your business from the impact of foreign exchange (FX) rate fluctuations during these turbulent times. The key is to build a risk management strategy around your business, and not just the market, by suitably hedging your FX currency risk. Why do businesses hedge their FX risk? FX rate fluctuations can negatively impact any business that: imports or exports goods and services from overseas; sends or receives funds…

The BridgeTech Program is a national professional development program that trains researchers and entrepreneurs on how to effectively navigate the med-tech commercialisation pathway. The program’s Director - Professor Lyn Griffiths, is also Executive Director of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). She explains that the BridgeTech Program is convened and administered by QUT. “Funded by MTP Connect and industry, the BridgeTech Program commenced in April 2018. It involves a consortium of 16 partners including med-tech and pharmaceutical companies, universities and industry associations. Leveraging off the industry expertise and global connections that the consortium offers, the BridgeTech Program equips its participants with the skills and networks to enable med-tech commercialisation.” The Program’s 16 partners are a powerhouse of organisations comprising universities (Melbourne, Western…