Technology News

A pioneering group of Canberra chemical engineers is putting a hefty round of funding into the recycling science of tomorrow, and it might spell the end of one of our biggest environmental headaches. We know about microplastics in the oceans. We've given up plastic shopping bags and drinking straws and we separate rubbish and recycling every week when we put the bins out. Would it surprise you to learn it's not nearly enough? It might be time not just for doing more of what we're already doing but a new approach altogether. There are 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste in the world, and only about 10% of the plastic we discard is recyclable simply because of its chemical properties. There's simply no way to recycle polymer plastics in textiles, for instance, and Professor Colin Jackson (who we'll hear more from later) calls the amount of textile waste 'massive'. "Clear plastic bottles. We can recycle them pretty well but that's about it," he adds. Even among the material we can recycle, we seldom get more…

Red Range Stock Supplements manufacture quality animal feeds across the top of Western Australia, throughout the Northern Territory and into Queensland, manufacturing nutritional and high-quality supplements for livestock.  They worked with ABB Channel Partner Current Engineering Solutions and contractor Agtric Pty Ltd to select fifteen of ABB’s ACS580 variable speed drives to optimise control of their operations, which has enabled significant energy savings as a result.  Red Range has already observed energy savings in the amount of over 230,250kWH, and 180 tonnes of saved C02 since 2020, following the installation of the ABB drives in their operations for various onsite applications as compared to energy use of DOL drives.  Red Range Stock Supplements is a locally owned family-run business located in Kununurra, Western Australia with clients all over Australia’s North-West. Red Range manufactures animal stock feed using imported domestic and local produce while offering a range of customer blend supplements for cattle tailored for their individual dietary requirements.  Their manufacturing operations consist of a combination of conveyors, augurs, crushers, mixers, pumps, and fan-related applications. Due to the nature…

The ‘Australia’s Generative AI Opportunity’ report is a collaboration between Microsoft and the Tech Council of Australia. It’s contents says Australia’s manufacturing sector could unlock billions of dollars in value by 2030 if it accelerates the responsible adoption of generative artificial intelligence (GAI). The report shows that GAI could contribute between $45bn and $115bn a year to Australia’s economy by 2030 through two major channels: improving existing industries and enabling the creation of new products and services. Manufacturing has been identified as one of the four key sectors of the Australian economy poised to benefit from GAI. The report demonstrates that the technology could contribute between $2bn and $5bn annually to the manufacturing sector by 2030. TCA’s CEO says the report underscores the enormous economic potential of GAI for the manufacturing sector. However, Kate Pounder warned that the sector risks falling behind other industries in the adoption of this technology if it fails to accelerate its digital transformation. “Generative AI has the potential to redefine the industry, playing to Australia’s strengths of producing high-quality and highly technical products. But the sector needs…

Since then, advanced, third-generation laser technology has led the expansion of cutting processes for a wide range of materials such as sheet metal, wood, plastic, glass, ceramics, textiles, semiconductors and paper. With the recent development of high-power, fibre laser cutting machines, processers are able to reduce costs through faster cutting times and reduced gas usage. This greatly improved cutting process has replaced traditional cutting methods, particularly in the sheet metal industry. One of the thermal cutting methods, used in the laser cutting industry is a focused, high power, and high-density laser beam to irradiate the workpiece so that the material at the irradiated place will melt, vaporise or blow away. The main factors affecting the metal laser cutting thickness and cutting efficiency are the power of the laser cutting machine, the type of auxiliary gas, the pressure, and the flow rate of the auxiliary gas. Laser-cutting machines now require high-energy lasers and auxiliary gases to complete the cutting process. The most common auxiliary gases used for laser cutting are oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), and compressed air. Compressed air is easier to obtain and…

Monash University startup ElectraLith is building an extraction system to filter Lithium from brine using a polymer-ceramic composite membrane, allowing the critical mineral to be extracted from salt lakes, mine tailings, and other brine solutions using small amounts of solar-generated electricity without added chemicals or water. Harnessing the power of cutting-edge electro-filtration membrane technology, ElectraLith seeks to usher in a new era of lithium extraction, propelling the battery market into a cleaner, cheaper, and faster future. At the forefront of this groundbreaking technology is Professor Huanting Wang. An Australian Laureate Fellow and the Director of the ARC Research Hub for Energy-efficient Separation at Monash University's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. His pioneering work in nanostructure membranes has paved the way for ElectraLith's game-changing technology. “Current lithium extraction methods involve either roasting hard rock at high temperature and dissolving it with hot sulfuric acid or evaporating brines in a solar pond, both of which use chemicals to precipitate lithium out. It is time-consuming, disruptive, expensive, and wasteful. My research in nanostructure membranes is all about efficiency and ingenuity to make the most…

Tonsley Innovation District has surged into its second decade of operation, continuing its laser-focused commitment to driving innovation and energising South Australia’s economy. This industry district is located 12km south of Adelaide and has made dramatic strides since opening in 2012. From its initial remit to re-ignite a stalling manufacturing sector in Adelaide’s southern suburbs following the closure of the Mitsubishi plant in 2008, to now solving some of the world’s most complex problems through creative innovation. As a hub for cutting-edge research and development, Tonsley has driven Adelaide’s transition from traditional to high-value manufacturing and with it, built out the state’s sovereign capability. Around 2,000 people across 140 companies are now employed at Tonsley – more than double that when Mitsubishi closed. 8,500 students study alongside this highly skilled and specialised workforce each year at anchor academic institution Flinders University, and TAFE SA. And more than 500 residents call Tonsley home as part of its growing community. These statistics reflect the substantial increase in scale, productivity, output, and economic impact of Tonsley in its first ten years. What was once a 61-hectare industrial wasteland has…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that Australia will export 100 Boxer armoured fighting vehicles to Germany, according to reports. The value to the economy is more than $1bn, making it one of the largest defence export deals in history. The vehicles, to be manufactured by Rheinmetall Defence Australia at its Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, are eight-by-eight-wheeled, all-terrain, Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRV). The Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy and his German counterpart, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence Thomas Hitschler signed a Letter of Cooperation in March this year and began formal negotiations to manufacture and export the vehicles. Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2025. The sale was confirmed as Albanese landed in Europe enroute to the NATO summit as reported by AP. “This will increase our defence capability and boost our economy, this is a great outcome,” Albanese is quoted when asked during a brief doorstop. “And it’s the first outcome of quite a few that we have ready to announce tomorrow with our friends here in Germany.” The “schwerer Waffenträger Infanterie” (sWaTrInf, for…

Australia is one of the most wasteful developed nations, second only to the US in terms of per capita plastic bag consumption. On average, each Australian consumes over 24kg of plastic and uses over 230 plastic bags every year. In 2020, only 12% of the plastic waste was actually recycled and 81% went into landfills, with a lot of it ending up in waterways and the oceans. The 2021 National Plastics Plan (NPP) also says over one million tonnes of single-use plastics goes straight to landfill and about 130,000 tonnes of plastic leaches into Australian waterways and oceans every year. This is equivalent to 1,280 kg of plastic being dumped every hour in Australia’s ocean. National Geographic estimates there are 5.25 Trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean and of that mass, 269,000 tonnes float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibres per square kilometre litter the deep sea. Various waste technology solutions are emerging, and some behavioural changes are taking place, but is enough being done…

Starting in 2007 within the Federal Department of Education’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) provides access to world-class micro- and nanofabrication-related facilities and expertise in a simple open access model. In April last year, the Commonwealth Government released the 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap (NRI) outlining the Research Challenges to be faced by Australia, which included Frontier Technologies and Modern Manufacturing. With a national recognition of the importance of fabrication technologies' ability to address these challenges, ANFF continues to support a broad spectrum of R&D. Frontier Technologies and Modern Manufacturing (FTMM) is one of the eight research challenges identified in the 2021 NRI roadmap. The others are: Food and Beverage, Medical products, Recycling and Clean Energy, Defence, Space, and Environment & Climate. ANFF facilitates cutting-edge discovery and product development in all of these areas. ANFF is a national enterprise, with 500 tools and over 130 experts spread across 21 institutions in a network of eight Nodes. The ANFF network achieved the following annual outcomes in 2022 despite COVID restrictions affecting normal operations. There were 25,189…

Plex, which Rockwell Automation acquired in 2021, is a Software as a Service (SaaS) Smart Manufacturing Platform that connects people, systems, machines, and supply chains. It is a digital system of record that automates business processes, tracks data from the shop floor to the top floor, and delivers analytics to improve visibility, quality, and control. Rockwell Automation recently released its 2023 State of Smart Manufacturing Report, which comprised data from thousands of manufacturers globally, including 75 in Australia. Rockwell found that more than 45% of Australian manufacturers say that they lack the innovation, skilled workforce, and technology to outpace the competition over the next 12 months. “Although smart manufacturing is key to Australia’s success, only 25% of the country’s manufacturing industry leaders said they were extremely familiar with the technologies,” said Anthony Wong, regional director – south pacific, Rockwell Automation. Plex opens up technologies to smaller players “Using Plex for food and beverage manufacturers and processors is like moving from DVDs to a streaming service. It opens up these technologies to smaller players, who don’t have to invest in large up-front costs. The good news is…

Hosted by Weld Australia in collaboration with the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, the theme of the National Manufacturing Summit is 'Manufacturing the Energy Revolution: Industrial Opportunities from Renewable Energy'. International expert, Adam Hersh, will address the opportunities and challenges presented by Australia’s renewable energy revolution at the National Manufacturing Summit in Canberra on 2 and 3 August. Adam Hersh is a Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC, one of Washington’s most influential think tanks. Adam’s work focuses on international trade, industrial, climate, China, and macroeconomic policies. He is currently leading a major research project on the industrial opportunities associated with new green energy policies. Adam will be the keynote speaker at the Summit dinner on 2 August, and a panelist at the Summit on 3 August. With an impressive line-up of international and Australian experts, just some of the other confirmed speakers include: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, The Australian Institute & Centre for Future Work Michele O’Neil, President, Australian Council of Trade Unions Emily Scivetti, Chief Operating Officer, Oceanex Ben Oquist, Climate…

Touted as the Oscars of the cutting tool industry, #ANCATooloftheYear2023 is your chance to achieve global brand recognition as well as cash and other prizes. Last year’s awards achieved: A digital audience reach of 8.1 million readers via the media; 37 global entries seen by over 202,480 fans; Over 200,000 engagements on social media. 2022 winner Edwin Juarez, CEO of SJ Tools said: “In this very competitive world with the technology that exists in cutting tools, it’s a great achievement for me as well as the whole team that works at SJ Tools. After winning the Tool of the Year award and using it in my marketing materials, my company has experienced an increase in custom specials as a result.” You can enter in one, or both categories: #MadeonANCA and Most Innovative Tool Design. The winner of #MadeonANCA receives: a trip to ANCA's headquarters in Melbourne, Australia; A$10,000 worth of ANCA parts, accessories or software; VIP access to exclusive opportunities with ANCA experts. The winner of Most…

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is boosting Australia’s advanced manufacturing capability by providing free research and development (R&D) support to businesses to help them develop new products or services. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working on new advanced manufacturing solutions can sign up for the free, 10-week online Innovate to Grow program, to support their idea by building their R&D knowledge. Upon completion of the program, eligible participants may have the opportunity to access facilitation support, through CSIRO, to connect to research expertise nationally, along with dollar-matched R&D funding. CSIRO’s Director of Manufacturing, Dr Marcus Zipper, explained how CSIRO’s unique position in the research ecosystem drives innovation to advance Australian manufacturing. “Manufacturing is a vitally important sector, employing over 800,000 people across Australia,” Dr Zipper said. “At CSIRO, we work collaboratively with SMEs on research and development to find new and improved technologies and processes that enable great ideas to see success locally and internationally. “We translate research into products and processes that businesses want to adopt because what we’ve created is economically viable, more efficient and effective, and sustainable,” he said. Connop Metal…