Technology News

The facility will demonstrate and further evolve the application of K-TIG’s innovative robotic welding capabilities. Professor John Spoehr, Pro Vice-Chancellor - Research Impact at Flinders, welcomed K-TIG as a foundation research partner, in an initiative which will harness Flinders’ research expertise to advance K-TIG’s activities. “The research & development facility is involving researchers and students by working with them to trial and test their innovative game-changing welding technology at the Factory of the Future facility,” said Professor Spoehr, who is also the Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute. K-TIG Managing Director Adrian Smith said the aim of having the R&D facility within the Factory of the Future at the Tonsley Innovation District was to prove that K-TIG’s technology can not only expand Australia’s shipbuilding capability but has vast industrial applications. The Factory of the Future is under development by BAE Systems and Flinders University and will connect businesses and sectors, which are of growing importance…

The new report, Rebuilding Vehicle Manufacturing in Australia: Industrial Opportunities in an Electrified Future, has found Australia is uniquely blessed with advantages to attract and retain EV manufacturing and rebuild the nation’s car-making capacity. This potential, however, will not be met without major government action. “When it comes to creating an EV manufacturing sector, Australia enjoys advantages other nations would die for: rich reserves of lithium and rare earths, strong industrial infrastructure, a highly skilled workforce, powerful training capacity, abundant renewable energy options, and untapped consumer potential,” said Dr Mark Dean, the report’s lead author. “And contrary to popular belief, we wouldn’t be starting from scratch. Thanks to the resilience of our remaining automotive manufacturing supply chain, a surprising amount of auto manufacturing work – including components, specialty vehicles, and engineering – still exists here.” However, Dr Dean said his research found Australia’s advantages would count for little without significant government support. The report…

Dynamic milling or advanced roughing are typical descriptions of this time- and cost-saving strategy. These CAM-based strategies are ones that centre on a cutting tool’s arc of contact and its average chip load. By adapting the tool’s arc of contact via its CAM-generated toolpath, roughing speeds are increased, effectively controlling process temperature, applying higher feeds per tooth, and increasing depths of cut to significantly shorten overall part machining cycle times – all without placing any additional strain on machine tool spindles. Arc of contact and thermal load in relation to cutting speeds A cutting tool’s arc of contact is an independent variable that influences thermal load on the tool and is the key to optimised roughing operations. The maximum arc of contact on any tool is 180 degrees (its diameter). At a full arc of contact, the radial cutting depth (or cutting width) is the same as the cutter diameter, and represented…

Lovitt Technologies Australia is a leading manufacturer of complex, precision engineered, structural components and assemblies for commercial, business and military aerospace platforms. Central to the company’s current and future success is the selection and use of best in class CNC machining equipment. Flying in the face of the impact of the pandemic on Australian business and the economy, the company made two very significant investments during 2020 and 2021: a Mazak Vortex e-1600V/10 five-axis machining centre, and a Mazak Variaxis i-700 MPP five-axis machining centre equipped with a Mazak Multiple Pallet Pool (MPP) – all supplied by John Hart. “COVID-19 has had an impact on our business, but our vision and commitment are long-term,” says Bruce Ramsay, Manufacturing Director of Lovitt Technologies Australia. “Our decision to invest in these machines was driven by a combination of seeing a market for larger structures where we felt we had something to offer, and the need to do existing work more efficiently to remain competitive. “We considered all brands with an Australian presence for each requirement, but Mazak had the…

Craft Health is a healthcare research & development company committed to 3D-printed personalised healthcare. When it began looking for an accurate and precise print head for the manufacturing of personalised tablets, it came across ViscoTec. The solution that it needed had to comply with any regulatory requirement for manufacturing of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. The ViscoTec print head vipro-HEAD convinced with its technology: using the endless-piston principle, it is possible to achieve accurate and precise dosing of Craft Blends – a proprietary mixture of different GRAS excipients for 3D printing and various controlled release profiles. Other advantages of ViscoTec are the stepper motor version in the print head, that allows easy integration to already existing gantry systems for 3D printing. Moreover, the wetted and non-wetted surfaces can be clearly separated and cleaned accordingly. To meet the requirements of Craft Health, the wetted surfaces of the vipro-HEAD were customised and refabricated using SS316L material to comply with FDA regulations. Dr Seng Han Lim is the co-founder…

In an Australian and industry first, the agreement between the two Adelaide-based companies will see Tindo and Reclaim PV working towards a sustainable solution to address the problem of solar panels going to landfill when they’re disposed of – a problem that could amount to 100,000 tonnes of modules by 2035. The agreement comes as Reclaim PV continues to add partners to its national recovery and recycling network and commences recycling at its Lonsdale facility in Adelaide, and Tindo Solar installs an upgraded production line in its new factory. Shayne Jaenisch, Chief Executive Officer of Tindo Solar, said while his company did not have an immediate solar panel landfill problem because Tindo products were made to last 25 years, Tindo Group’s installation business took hundreds of end-of-life panels from roofs every month, to be replaced by Tindo Solar panels, which presented an opportunity to direct the old panels to Reclaim PV facilities. “We have partnered with Reclaim PV because as Australia’s only…

Hosted by TV presenter and author James O’Loghlin, the ceremony was attended online by stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem from across government, private enterprise, the investment and scaleup community. This year’s winners included manufacturing company FormFlow, cybersecurity specialists Haventec, and telehealth solution provider Coviu, which took home not only the Medtech & Pharma Award but also the title of Australian Technology Company of the Year. Of the 11 winners, five were led by female founders, highlighting the growing representation of women in deeptech. They include Coviu, iVvy, Plaetos, Goterra and Sound Scouts. Strong themes also included renewable energy, the circular economy, telehealth, bushfire resilience, emergency management, personal security and artificial intelligence. This year’s winners were: BlockTexx (NSW) – Circular Economy Award Coviu (NSW) – Medtech & Pharma Award + Australian Technology Company of the Year FormFlow (VIC) Advanced Manufacturing Award Goterra (ACT) – Food & Agribusiness Award Haventec (NSW) – Cyber Security Award iVvy (QLD) – Smart Cities Award Microbiogen (NSW) – Energy Award Plaetos (VIC) –…

SPARTAN is Hypersonix’ fifth-generation scramjet. It is a fixed-geometry self-igniting hydrogen-powered scramjet capable of accelerating from Mach 5 to Mach 12. SPARTAN’s fixed geometry means it has no moving parts, so the design lends itself to 3D printing (3DP). This reduces both the cost and time to produce the scramjet, while potentially adding to reliability and performance. Additive manufacturing allows the creation of parts that have a complex design, and is perfect for light-weighting, which is essential for the space industry. SPARTAN uses green hydrogen for fuel, so creates no CO2 emissions. The hydrogen fuel also allows Hypersonix to utilise regenerative cooling on the combustor, in turn allowing the use of readily available high-temperature alloys in place of more expensive and complex high-temperature composites. David Waterhouse, Managing Director and co-founder of Hypersonix said: “The use of additive engineering to manufacture a scramjet engine will fundamentally disrupt the cost structure of scramjets and an important step in providing more affordable access to hypersonic flight. We are very proud of Australia’s world…

Opening in the first half of 2022, the Simulator will provide compelling virtual worlds for vehicle development engineers and expert drivers in test and evaluation of new vehicle designs. Additionally, the associated infrastructure will allow advanced virtual vehicle prototyping design and testing, driver training, and automotive research and development. Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research Professor Julie Owens welcomed the announcement of funding for the new platform by the State Minister for Training, Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney. Professor Martin said the Next Generation Simulator will provide the first dedicated and most advanced research infrastructure for driver-based and autonomous mobility technologies in Australia. “This is an exciting initiative and a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when academia works collaboratively with government and industry partners,” he said. “This crucial infrastructure project will position Geelong as a global leader in the industry and make a substantial contribution to Deakin’s deep commitment to the economic and…

In the 11th year of the Competition, leading innovators in energy, smart cities, circular economy, manufacturing, health, food & agritech, mining and engineering, cyber security, disaster & emergency management and social impact are represented in the prestigious shortlist. The finalists were selected from 41 semi-finalists, who were all provided access to personal mentoring, a highly rated International Growth Masterclass and a deep dive growth program. The ATC21 finalists are: Avertro, NSW. Avertro delivers a SaaS platform that focusses on the business benefits of cyber security to help leaders articulate and quantify the value for the whole organisation. BlockTexx, NSW. BlockTexx has created a solution to the problem of textile waste – recovering polyester and cellulose from textiles and clothing. Change Foods, VIC. Change Foods use precision fermentation and advanced manufacturing methods to produce bio-identical dairy proteins and fats required to make cheese and other dairy products without using animals. Coviu, NSW. Coviu is a leading video telehealth solution, powering simple, secure and feature-rich…

Uncertainty is arguably what most business leaders fear most. But when you launch a new company aimed at building the first supersonic passenger jet since the Concorde, you need to embrace it, be agile and think big. That’s the story behind Boom Supersonic, an aerospace company located near Denver, Colorado. Boom is a growing company with a big idea – to make supersonic air travel mainstream. Earlier attempts at commercial supersonic flight were unable to achieve sustainability, economically or environmentally. However, advancements in technology and the growing prevalence of global travel create a market opportunity for Overture, the company’s flagship airliner. Overture will be the world’s fastest airliner and will cut long-distance flight time almost in half, making it possible for more people to go more places more often. To bring it to life, Boom has embraced 3D printing in nearly every facet of the aircraft’s development. Big ideas come with big challenges What Boom is trying to accomplish isn’t for the faint-hearted. The last time paying passengers flew supersonic, with Concorde, it was a government-driven, Cold War-era prestige…

In Australia, most high-head hydro energy – such as Snowy Mountains Hydro, for example – has already been harnessed, and in most cases large civil infrastructure is required to create dammed reservoirs. However, there is an opportunity for low-head hydro power generation to become more accessible and with lower barriers to entry, while being sustainable. Kinetic NRG’s modular turbine design will be able to generate power from existing streams, irrigation channels and discharge canals. “We have been helping Kinetic NRG with composite solutions for their hydroelectric turbine,” says Paul Falzon, General Manager at ACS-S. “They were very impressed with the quality and dimensional accuracy we could achieve with the highly complex part. As an added bonus, we were also able to take out 70% of the blade mass compared to the steel design! The key advantage of using composite materials in Kinetic NRG’s turbine is its mass savings,…

In the past 36 months, more than 50 Bodor laser systems have been installed within Australia by Industrial Laser, who will now be stepping back from system machinery sales and concentrating on assisting resellers and end users with high-level support for all brands of laser systems. Laser Machines recognised Industrial Laser as a premium laser service provider with several laser field engineers, combined with Australia’s largest stock holding in laser consumables. The two companies have signed an agreement with Laser Machines utilising Industrial Laser’s local resources for the installation and support of all Bodor laser systems going forward. Adam Kibel, Director of Laser Machines, said: “ This resource allows our customers to enjoy the very best service and after-sales support from a company that has been dedicated to this industry for over 20 years. I believe no company can look after laser users better than Industrial Laser, and we want the very best for our customers.We also have dedicated local Bodor factory engineers supporting our service partners.” Miles Wang, Sales Director of Bodor Laser Australasia…