Technology News

Australia’s construction and manufacturing industries face a turning point driven by a growing need to reduce import reliance and revive local production. Leading this charge is RJS Tech Group, founded by industry veteran Ron Smyth, who brings nearly 40 years of expertise in woodworking and machine tools. Ron’s vision is to restore manufacturing excellence and strengthen Australia’s industries. RJS Tech Group, through strategic acquisitions and a suite of companies, exemplifies entrepreneurial determination and national pride. RJS Tech Group’s mission supports the Australian construction and manufacturing sectors by providing businesses with world-class tools, machinery, and locally manufactured products. With a focus on creating Australian jobs, RJS Tech Group is reshaping industry landscapes by championing self-reliance, innovation, and local expertise. RJS Tech Group includes: Wood Tech: As a premier supplier in the woodworking and construction industries, Wood Tech provides exceptional machinery and service across Australia, empowering businesses to enhance productivity. Whitelaw Engineering Machinery/Metal Tech: This brand delivers high-quality metalworking machinery to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific, supporting vital sectors such as automotive and aerospace. Rogers Industries: Since 1953, Rogers Industries…

The Toyota Hydrogen Centre, Victoria’s first commercial-grade permanent hydrogen production, storage, and refuelling facility, is set to use green hydrogen production capabilities for automotive, transport, and even buildings. It is located at the Toyota Centre of Excellence (COE) at Toyota’s former car and engine manufacturing site in Melbourne's west. The COE also incorporates product development, design, testing training and other essential functions. Toyota’s global vision for a sustainable hydrogen society recognises the importance of hydrogen as a viable and plentiful source of carrying and storing energy. Toyota’s Hydrogen Centre opened five years ago and was Victoria's first commercial-grade permanent hydrogen production, storage and refuelling facility. It is housed at Toyota’s former manufacturing site at Altona in Melbourne's west. “Hydrogen is produced on-site by a 250kW electrolyser that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen components and can produce up to 80kg of hydrogen per day,” advises Toyota Australia’s Carbon Policy Lead, Andrew Willis. “Power for the electrolyser is drawn from the on-site 3.4MW solar array and the grid, depending on what is available. “An on-site refueller…

Scania and Australian services provider Regroup will launch the world’s first fleet of autonomous in-pit mining trucks in the Pilbara in 2025 with a rollout planned at Element 25’s Butcherbird Mine. The world-first fleet of 11 autonomous rigid G 560 8x4 tippers, transporting manganese ore for Element 25 at their Butcherbird site, is planned to start work in late 2025 in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Scania, Regroup, and Element 25 will collaborate to finalise the particulars regarding this solution and align with the expansion of the Butcherbird mine. “Scania in Australia has been working closely with several partners in the local mining industry over recent years to finesse our autonomous truck programme in advance of this announcement,” says Scania Australia Managing Director, Manfred Streit. “We are delighted that this historic event, the first global order for a fleet of Scania’s new autonomous trucks, has been made by a privately-owned Australian company, which will provide these trucks for use in an Australian mining environment.” “With this fleet order, we bring to commercial reality the concept of an autonomous fleet working…

The estimated 1.5 billion-plus global audience for this year’s Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup will witness not only spectacularly fast races from the AC75 competitors, including Emirates Team New Zealand, but also a showcase of the New Zealand engineering skills supporting the biggest-ever programme of Cup races, also including women’s and youth events. “What people see on the surface, with yachts such as Emirates Team New Zealand reaching speeds of more than 50 knots, is just part of a wonderful story for local skills,” says long-time Emirates Team New Zealand supporter Lee Short, Director of Hydraulink Fluid Connectors. “Inside the boats there is a wealth of technical and engineering input from a host of New Zealand companies that put us right up there with the world’s best. The quality of hydraulic systems engineering in these boats is right up to the standards of Formula One racing cars. The 350kg foil canting system that enables the boats to respond quickly to changes and inputs has to…

Extrusion is increasingly becoming one of the primary methods of producing various traditional and innovative food products, and the company’s extrusion tooling is designed to accommodate all of them. From pasta, hot dogs, and snack foods to chewing gum, licorice, and pet food, Guill’s balanced flow designs control dimensional tolerances to increase product quality while reducing waste. Custom-made extrusion tooling and dies make it easy to efficiently and consistently manufacture various food products. More precise tooling allows for considerably reduced wasted extrudate. Furthermore, Guill’s extrusion tooling enables accurate temperature control, manufacturing food at high and low temperatures. Typical end products include pelletising heads, profile dies, large-diameter rotary heads, flexible, simple, and standard crossheads, Spiderless, and the Bullet. The 100 Series offers single- or multi-strand extrusion tooling with or without multi-layer capabilities. Optional custom design is also available. The 200 Series ensures improved tolerance and accuracy at increased production speeds, greater product consistency, and reduced waste. The 2000 Series large-diameter inline heads feature a low-volume flow and heated core pin and can be expanded to…

The industrial landscape is undergoing a significant transformation with the rise of digital technologies. One of the key drivers of this shift is industrial mobility, a concept that is changing how factories and manufacturing processes operate. Industrial mobility involves using advanced technology to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and enable greater autonomy on the factory floor. Industrial mobility's impact is already felt in industries like manufacturing, logistics, and transportation. Autonomous vehicles and robots are used to manage inventory, map factory layouts, plan efficient routes, and even autonomously control entire production systems. As these technologies continue to develop, investment in private mobility companies has surged, with $6.8bn invested during the 2012-2017 period. This trend is expected to accelerate as the technology matures. What is Industrial mobility? Industrial mobility refers to using autonomous vehicles and robotic systems to automate the movement of materials and goods within industrial settings. Unlike traditional mobility, which focuses on transporting people, industrial mobility is tailored to meet the unique needs of the manufacturing, logistics, and process industries. For example,…

Incat specialises in high-speed, lightweight aluminium passenger vehicle ferries and has become synonymous with innovation and sustainability. Using aluminium to construct its vessels is integral to Incat's design philosophy and operational strategy, and the business has had a long-standing partnership with Capral Aluminium. Robert Clifford founded Incat as a family business with small ferries across Hobart's Derwent River. This modest beginning ignited a passion for innovation, leading to the development of some of the world's largest passenger catamarans. Today, Incat's vessels are common across many continents, including Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Stephen Casey, CEO of Incat explained. "From really small, humble beginnings as a family business, Incat vessels now are all around the world," highlighting the company's expansive reach. Based in Derwent Park, Hobart, Incat boasts the largest covered shipyard in the southern hemisphere. The facility, comprising five large production halls, is strategically located on the waterfront of Prince of Wales Bay, facilitating the seamless launch and sea trials of its vessels. Incat is a business committed to innovation and sustainability, which…

Sandvik Coromant has introduced the QS™ Micro — a new quick-change holding system explicitly developed for sliding head machines. It promises exceptional precision, security, and repeatability, as well as maximised machine utilisation. The QS™ Micro holding system is specifically designed for small-part machining and sliding head machines. It covers most industry segments, such as general engineering, automotive, aerospace and medical. With an extensive range of cutting heads and shank adaptors, the system offers a multitude of configurations and quick tool changes. The assortment includes rectangular shaft adaptors in sizes 10 × 10 mm up to 20 × 20mm and equivalent inch sizes. It also features cutting heads for general turning, parting and grooving, and threading in families CoroTurn® 107, CoroCut® 2, CoroCut® XS and CoroThread® 266. CoroTurn® 107 and CoroCut® XS provide cutting heads designed for Y-axis machining, offering higher stability and better chip evacuation. “One of the main benefits of the QS™ Micro holding system is that it is possible to quickly change cutting heads with high precision, which reduces the machine downtime,” said Hampus Jemt, Global…

Two Australian manufacturers are leveraging spaceborne particles and hyperspectral imaging to boost the safety and productivity of mining operations both locally and abroad. EQ Resources has commercialised a system to detect and extract tungsten from previously unviable mining waste, supported by a co-investment from the Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC). mDetect has commercialised a system to manage tailings dams in mining better. It sounds like something out of Star Wars, yet cosmic rays and hyperspectral imaging are a central feature in two mining technology projects backed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, with major implications for safety and access to strategically important materials. mDetect is a Swinburne University spinout specialising in astrophysics research into muons, a type of subatomic particle that results from the Earth’s atmosphere being hit by cosmic rays, which fall harmlessly and constantly down on us. They are sometimes described as the heavy cousin of electrons, with their mass helping them pass deep into objects; much further, for example, than ground penetrating radar. The company has commercialised telescopic devices and software in a system that uses…

A new $60m Biosustainability Hub at The University of Queensland will use synthetic biology to help the world’s biggest businesses transition to net zero. Funded by government, industry, and UQ, the Biosustainability Hub aims to be a one-stop shop for big companies to transform their production practices and create carbon-neutral, economically viable products and materials. Hub director Professor Esteban Marcellin from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology said the facility is the first in Australia and co-locates research groups and industries that share a vision to transition society to net zero. Professor Marcellin is a synthetic biologist who uses carbon monoxide, CO2 and methane to feed microbes in biomanufacturing to produce products. “The Hub brings together cutting-edge research projects and some of the world’s biggest companies to find solutions to challenges like climate change, biodiversity, mining sustainability and future food production,” Professor Marcellin said. “We will be using the process of synthetic biology, which develops new materials, fuels, foods, chemicals, or medicines from waste using biological processes. “By changing production practices from those dependent on fossil fuels to biomanufacturing, we are…

Manufacturing today depends on efficient software performance to keep production running smoothly and minimise costly interruptions. However, traditional monitoring systems often need more complete visibility manufacturers need, which leads to inefficiencies and delayed problem-solving. Unified observability addresses these issues by gathering data from software, hardware, and networks into a comprehensive view. This approach helps manufacturers pinpoint potential issues early to prevent them from growing into larger problems. Some of the greatest benefits of unified observability include: Gain full visibility across IT and operational systems to optimise production Traditional monitoring tools often operate in silos, providing visibility only within specific systems, which leads to slow problem resolution and production inefficiencies. Unified observability breaks down these silos, integrating IT and operational data into a single, cohesive view. This full visibility empowers manufacturers to detect issues early and identify the root causes of recurring inefficiencies, whether in software performance or operational workflows. For example, slow response times in machinery may be traced back to misaligned IT systems, which, with this level of observability, could be noticed. By…

Sevaan Group has announced that it has expanded its manufacturing services to include additive manufacturing (AM). The addition of 3D printing capability will provide greater choice for customers regarding parts manufacturing, and the opportunity to attain tangible benefits that can help improve their productivity and revenue. Sevaan already provides a unique integrated capability, an end-to-end workflow from design, prototyping and testing through to the production, assembly and finishing of precisely manufactured metal parts, for its customers. The inclusion of AM into its service mix brings further key customer deliverables. “They will now benefit from more choice when purchasing manufactured parts,” explained David Green, Chief Executive Officer, Sevaan Group. “Our customers can choose to have their required parts manufactured via either traditional processes or 3D industrial printing. “For certain components and production runs, 3D printing can offer specific benefits including rapid prototyping, a faster production turnaround, enhanced quality and cost savings, making it a desirable manufacturing option. “Thanks to AM, customers who only require a small number of parts or perhaps longer-lasting components now no longer need to wait for parts to come…

The urgent global focus on decarbonisation and clean energy is driving the unprecedented emergence of new technologies, creating a new era of demand and development for a wide range of minerals, including copper. Copper continues to have a foundational role in modern society and its diverse applications are integral to the transition to a clean energy future. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that the global capacity for renewable energy saw an unprecedented 50% increase in 2023, the fastest growth in two decades. With the acceleration of technological advancements and electrification, copper demand remains strong and resilient. Predictions are that 115% more copper must be mined in the next 30 years than has ever been mined historically. Exploration and discovery are crucial to expand or develop mines and provide the primary copper supply. Despite growing investment in copper exploration, the industry faces various challenges. The discovery rate for all economic deposits globally has halved in the last decade, and the average cost of discovery is…