Member News

For the first time, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US have enabled a soft robotic arm to understand its configuration in 3D space, by leveraging only motion and position data from its own “sensorised” skin. Soft robots constructed from highly compliant materials, similar to those found in living organisms, are being championed as safer, and more adaptable, resilient, and bioinspired alternatives to traditional rigid robots. But giving autonomous control to these deformable robots is a monumental task because they can move in a virtually infinite number of directions at any given moment. That makes it difficult to train planning and control models that drive automation. Traditional methods to achieve autonomous control use large systems of multiple motion-capture cameras that provide the robots feedback about 3D movement and positions. But those are impractical for soft robots in real-world applications. The researchers describe a system of soft sensors that cover a robot’s body to provide “proprioception” — meaning awareness of motion and position of its body. That feedback…

Prima Power is a leading specialist in machines and systems for sheet metal working. With manufacturing facilities in Italy, Finland and the US, it delivers machines and systems all over the world. Its range of machinery in this field covers all applications: laser processing, punching, shearing, bending, automation and now additive manufacturing. The Prima family of highly advanced servo-electric solutions for punching, bending and integrated processes is the widest in the world. Prima has been at the forefront of this technology since 1998 and is a world leader in servo-electric machinery. The company is also among the main world players in the 2D laser segment, with a wide range of top-performance, highly efficient machines used in a multitude of fields around the globe. Prima is now one of the only laser system manufacturers able to offer its own solid state diode laser up to 10kW. All Prima products are developed according to a “Green Means” concept, combining sustainability and productivity. Industry 4.0 marks a new era in the history…

The process known as ‘Design Thinking’ has been adopted as standard practice at some of the world’s most successful companies – Apple, Google, Samsung and GE, to name just a few. Similarly, some of the most prestigious seats of learning teach courses in this progressive approach to problem-solving. Rikke Friis Dam, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Interaction Design Foundation and product designer Yu Siang Teo, explain the main phases of the Design Thinking process as taught at Stanford University’s renowned school design institute: Empathise with your users. Define your users’ needs. Ideate by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions. Prototype to start creating solutions. Test your solutions. As they explain, these steps are not linear: “You should not understand the phases as a hierarchical or step-by-step process. Instead, you should look at it as an overview of the modes or phases that contribute to an innovative project, rather than sequential steps.” Roger Simpson, design consultant and mentor to the team at Integra believes that ‘Design Thinking’ as a…

Markus Stumm, Product Manager for Grooving at Walter, states: “We have significantly expanded our portfolio in recent years. In 2020, we will further strengthen our activities in this field. With the Walter Cut DX18, we are launching a tool with innovative clamping that will set completely new standards.” Conquering a conservative market with innovative solutions Users are particularly conservative when grooving. Stumm explains: “In mass production, when the process is running reasonably well, manufacturers rarely change the tooling system. We have to offer a clear advantage in terms of productivity and cost-efficiency to get to the machine. Problems with process reliability with the existing tools, or when a machining strategy is changed, provide us with an opportunity.” The parameters according to which the decision for a parting-off process and the corresponding tools is made, are machine run times, tool life and process reliability.…

Developed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), the COVID-19 Manufacturer Response Register will bring together manufacturers, suppliers and customers via a self-managed platform. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said finding a solution to connect local supply and demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) was at the forefront of the Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. “Industry asked for this and we have delivered,” Minister Andrews said. “This digital platform is the missing puzzle piece that will unlock widespread collaboration across the manufacturing sector and boost domestic capability by creating and expanding local supply chains. “The matchmaking platform has already resulted in local businesses pivoting to produce essential medical supplies for COVID-19 – keeping Australians in work and building long-term capability in the recovery phase. Importantly, the platform can be used by hospitals, GPs and community groups to find Australian suppliers of essential products such as hand sanitiser, ventilators and PPE not just now but into the…

Triple Eight – also known as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team – is an Australian motor racing team that competes in the Virgin Australian Supercars Championship, Australia’s premier motorsport category. Parts inside Triple Eight cars need to be structurally fit-for-purpose and durable enough to endure the harshness and vibration that come with racing. High temperatures inside the cars can exceed 65 degrees Celsius. During racing, these cars reach speeds in excess of 300kph and generate g-forces up to 2.5 times gravity. In early 2017, EVOK3D, a Melbourne-based 3D printing solutions company and HP partner, visited Triple Eight’s workshop to show HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) parts. “We were blown away with the part quality and strength, compared to what we were used to,” said Mark Dutton, Race Team Manager at Triple Eight. “We realised we needed to have access to this technology to improve a whole host of components”. This aligned with a broader discussion with HP and resulted in a joint partnership with EVOK3D, HP, and Triple Eight. The team…

ProtoSpace is unique in offering access to both high-end equipment and technical advice and expertise beyond the reach of many manufacturing businesses. It encourages direct, hands-on experimentation, and offers training and consultation alongside access to AM capabilities supported by operational and engineering teams. “We want to collaborate with industry partners by providing access to cutting-edge expertise in 3D printing technology, software, engineering and design,” says Hervé Harvard, Director of both ProtoSpace and UTS’ Rapido facility. “We have assembled a highly advanced suite of printers, with eight individual AM machines on-site, and provide guidance on how AM technologies will best fit a business. And we can bring together multi-skilled teams from across UTS drawing on specific discipline areas including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and automation to work closely with businesses to develop their best solution.” As AM has matured from design/prototyping and tooling, a new era in bespoke 3D printing promises great potential for further innovation, says Hervé.…

AMT: What is the Tonsley Manufacturing Innovation Hub and what are its objectives? CT: Well there are two ways of looking at that. You can look at it in the small scale, which is that on the ground floor here, we have our cyber-physical factory, which we established with the South Australian Government and the Innovative Manufacturing Co-operative Research Centre (IMCRC), which is a showcase of Industry 4.0 technologies, interconnectivity of devices, augmented reality, RFID technologies, and also collaborative robots and industrial robots. So in the lab itself is a demonstration of advanced technologies. But you can also look at the Hub as a bigger hub, with all of the resources of Flinders University and the Tonsley Innovation Precinct – all of those resources collaborating to assist manufacturing. Collaboration in the Tonsley precinct is enjoyable and advantageous, with innovative companies like Sage, AZZO, Phoenix Contact, Micro X and Zeiss based here, and TAFE SA as well. So when you find an issue, you’re…

Vibrations always accompany a cutting action, and have a forced or self-excited nature. Machining vibrations are referred to as “chatter”, highlighting their specific nature, which inheres in every processing where chips are formed. Even if cutting is considered as stable, it does not mean that vibrations do not take place. In this case, the vibrations simply remain on a level that provides the required machining results and the task is considered as a “no vibration” operation. In fact, vibrations in cutting are a damaging factor that reduces performance. Manufacturers make every effort to diminish vibration and, ideally, bring them to a level that does not affect machining results. Chatter is a subject of serious research that has already provided manufacturers with ways to model vibrations in machining which, despite their complexity, can be very effective in finding a way to reduce chatter. However, this modelling takes time and requires various input data, including sometimes additional measurements. In most cases, when manufacturers face vibrations…

If you were to ask almost any business in Australia which relies on imported or exported goods to comment on their supply chain costs, the resounding groan and corresponding eye-roll should provide a fairly good indication of the pain being felt by many. Let’s not beat around the bush, moving freight globally and even domestically can be downright expensive. We’ve all heard the horror stories of freight costs equalling or exceeding the actual value of the goods being transported – whilst that’s a terrifying scenario, unfortunately it’s nothing new. The real question is ‘why?’ – Why does it cost so much to move something from point A to point B? Surely it can’t be that complicated, right? The truth is, it kind of is complicated. Correction – it can be complicated. The sheer number of parties that may be involved in any one shipment can knock the uninitiated about – seller, buyer, shipper, consignee, consignor, notify party, manufacturer, shipping…

The European Space Agency (ESA) wants to study the Sun up close. The Solar Orbiter space probe is equipped with 10 measuring instruments, and scientists hope that the mission, which will last several years, will provide them with new insights into phenomena such as the solar wind, as well as the complex dynamics that are responsible for solar eruptions. Solar Orbiter will fly to within 45 million kilometres of the Sun – closer than Mercury, its nearest planet. At this distance, the side of the probe facing the Sun will be exposed to intense heat: more than 500°C. A heat shield will protect the important instruments on board the probe, equipped with shutters to provide a view of the Sun only when measurements are being taken. The same applies to the spectrometer-telescope for imaging X-rays (STIX), whose purpose is to study solar eruptions more closely, possibly enabling large-scale eruptions to be predicted in future. STIX was developed at the University…

As our country locks down and migrates indoors to flatten the curve, our consumer-based economy is suffering. We could be heading into a worldwide COVID-19 recession with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) expecting more than 80% of Australian businesses to be adversely impacted before the end of April. That’s 80% of businesses impacted in the first four months of a crisis that could last anywhere from six to eighteen months with the economic downturn possibly continuing beyond that. It is this uncertainty that makes implementing business strategies a long-term challenge, with many of the businesses experiencing a decline in sales and future concerns on cashflow, redundancies and potential closures. So, what can you do to ensure your company thrives and not just survives in the following months? Re-purpose products and services First, businesses can repurpose their products and services to meet the changing market. We’re sure you’ve already seen some examples in the last month as distilleries start…

The Ai Group’s Australian Performance of Business Index (Australian PBI) fell a further 12.6 points to 27.2 in April – the lowest monthly result in the Australian PBI and the largest single-month drop since the series commenced in 2005. The Australian PBI is a weighted composite of Ai Group’s indexes for Manufacturing, Services and Construction. The news regarding the Australian PBI came on the back of last Friday’s announcement that the Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) dropped by 17.9 points to 35.8 in April. This represented the largest month-to-month fall in the 28-year history of the index as Australian manufacturing contracted at its worst pace since April 2009. amtil.com.au/australian-pmi-march2020-amtil-2 The Safe Work Australia website has been updated to provide a central hub of work health and safety (WHS) guidance and tools to help Australian workplaces manage the health and safety risks posed by COVID-19. The website gives users easy access to guidance that is directly relevant to their…