Industry 4.0

AMW2025 will open on Tuesday 6th May and will roll for four days. All six Pavilions and Zones will be open and active, over 400 exhibitors enthused and ready to show their best manufacturing technology at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The first day of AMW2025 will be full throttle. REGISTER NOW! To help visitors to the show navigate such a diverse line-up of exhibits, AMW2025 will feature six dedicated Zones covering a range of specialised aspects of the modern manufacturing landscape: Additive Manufacturing Zone Australian Manufacturers Pavilion Machine Tools Manufacturing Solutions Robotics & Automation Weld & Air Solutions Now in its third year, the Future Solutions Speaker Program will also be held at the Australian Manufacturing Week, over three days. The very popular program has a great range of 35+ expert speakers discussing the current trends and issues affecting the manufacturing landscape. With a focus on innovation, join us to hear from industry leaders, explore new technologies and learn from real-world case studies. The Future Solutions Speaker Program at AMW2025 is free to attend and…

Alfex is proud to showcase the latest in Laser cutting, marking and engraving systems, CNC Machine Tools & Industrial 3D Printers at AMW2025. Visit us at Stand MT290 (Alfex) and Stand MT300 (Haas CNC) to see live demonstrations of cutting-edge manufacturing solutions. Whether you're looking to increase capabilities or improve production efficiencies, the team at Alfex is ready to help with over 300 years of combined experience in the manufacturing and engineering space. Alfex is set to make waves at this year’s Australian Manufacturing Week, showcasing the world’s leading laser brands, including Epilog Laser, Lotus Laser, Kern Lasers, ACSYS Lasers, VISION engraving and routing systems, and BOFA Filtered Extraction systems. As a trusted provider of high-quality equipment and exceptional service, Alfex continues to support businesses nationwide in adopting advanced manufacturing technologies. From precision engraving to high-performance laser cutting and marking, these industry-leading brands provide Australian businesses with state-of-the-art solutions that enhance productivity, accuracy, and efficiency. Whether for aerospace, defence, automotive, industrial, or creative applications, Alfex delivers the right tools to drive innovation and business growth. Experts will discuss how these solutions can streamline…

The Briscoe Group’s 25,000sqm distribution centre is set to open in early 2026. Investing at least NZ$100m in the facility will significantly enhance Briscoe Group’s supply chain capabilities and efficiency. Situated in Drury South, Auckland, this new centre will replace the current 8,000sqm facility, increasing storage capacity by more than four times and accommodating KNAPP’s state-of-the-art automated shuttle system. The automation contract significantly advances the Briscoe Group’s supply chain evolution. KNAPP’s advanced systems, including the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) Evo Shuttle and Pick-it-Easy Evo goods-to-person stations, will optimise storage and picking for smaller products like apparel and footwear, enhancing efficiency across the board. “This partnership with KNAPP enables us to enhance stock accuracy and expedite fulfilment, creating an improved customer experience while optimising in-store inventory,” said Briscoe Group Supply Chain General Manager Darren Porteous. The automation will bolster the on-shelf availability of products in Briscoe Group’s stores, allowing the Group to restock high-demand items as often as daily, thereby enhancing both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Various online orders will also be fulfilled from the DC using automation, minimising the…

Brad Jones Racing (BJR) is among the most respected teams in the Supercars Championship, Australia’s premier touring car racing series. Based in Albury, NSW, BJR was founded by brothers Brad and Kim Jones. They successfully competed in various racing series throughout the 1990s before entering the Supercars championship in 2000. Supercars is known for its high-intensity races and technical demands. In 2023, it introduced its current Generation 3 Chevrolet Camaros and Ford Mustangs. These purpose-built race cars require thousands of bespoke parts and retain very little of their production models. Running a four-car team in this elite series, as BJR does, is a monumental challenge and requires over 50 full-time staff. Managing four cars means preparing, maintaining, and sometimes wholly rebuilding them between race meetings, which requires extraordinary resources and precision. Running one car for the entire season will cost BJR around $2m if all goes well. The immense fabrication and engineering effort behind the scenes at BJR is critical to its…

In an era where safeguarding space has become paramount to preserving the rules-based global order and ensuring ongoing international prosperity, Space Machines Company (SMC)unveils a breakthrough in space security technology. The company unveiled Optimus Viper, a rapid-response spacecraft variant designed to provide immediate, high-fidelity intelligence and protection for critical space assets. Operating at distances less than 10 kilometres from target satellites, Optimus Viper delivers the kind of detailed, actionable intelligence about critical space infrastructure that, until now, has been impossible to achieve. This announcement signals a fundamental shift in space operations, introducing the world’s first distributed, hyperscale production approach to delivering rapid on-orbit response for both national security and commercial space assets. Based on lessons learned from the launch of SMC’s inaugural satellite Optimus aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket earlier this year, Optimus Viper represents a fundamental shift in space security architecture. This agile 200-kilogram class “space first responder” can deploy within 24 hours of launch and operate within 10kms of target satellites, combining enhanced autonomous capabilities with Solstice OS (Space Machines AI-driven orbital operating system)…

Quantum researchers from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, have demonstrated that quantum computing can significantly improve the way we solve complex problems involving large datasets. They have highlighted the potential of using quantum in areas such as real-time traffic management, agricultural monitoring, healthcare, and energy optimisation. By leveraging quantum computing's unique properties, like superposition and entanglement, researchers compressed and analysed a large dataset with speed, accuracy, and efficiency that traditional computers cannot match. Unlike regular binary computer bits that are either ‘on’ or ‘off,’ quantum bits (qubits) can exist in multiple states at once, allowing quantum computers to process many possibilities simultaneously. Dr Muhammad Usman, a CSIRO quantum scientist and the senior author of the study, said the research team demonstrated that quantum machine learning can simplify large sets of data without sacrificing important details. “With the global volume of data doubling every few years, quantum computing’s ability to handle this complexity will become increasingly valuable,” Dr Usman said. “Our work focused on groundwater monitoring as a case study, but quantum machine learning has broad applications in any field requiring fast, detailed…

TNO has developed an Adaptive Secondary Mirror for NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) in Hawaii. The IRTF is a 3m infrared telescope located at an altitude of around 4,200m at the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Designed for maximum performance in the infrared portion of the spectrum, it takes advantage of the excellent visibility, minimal water vapour and low thermal background that characterise the atmosphere above Mauna Kea. The University of Hawaii and the University of California Santa Cruz realised the secondary mirror upgrade project. During the integration phase, a manufacturing error required TNO to immediately find a fastener solution so that the integration could proceed. “We realised that some of the holes in the supporting structure of the secondary mirror assembly had been machined to the wrong dimension,” explains Arjo Bos, Systems and Mechanical Lead Engineer at TNO. “We tried standard A4 screws but had immediate issues with galling. We needed a fast solution to overcome our galling issue with an extremely tight schedule and some dependencies with other projects.” Delivery and…

ANCA, an Australian leader in advanced manufacturing, proudly announces that its co-founders, Patrick Boland and Patrick McCluskey, have been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2025 Australia Day Honours List. Known as ‘The Two Pats,’ their visionary leadership has propelled ANCA to the forefront of global technology. They have demonstrated that advanced manufacturing can thrive in Australia and contribute to high-value products, international competitiveness, meaningful careers, and sovereign industrial capabilities. A lifetime of innovation and dedication Boland and McCluskey's dynamic partnership, combining academic expertise and practical ingenuity, has driven ANCA’s success for over 50 years. Their passion for innovation and engineering excellence has led to the development of world-first technologies that have revolutionised the cutting-tool industry. Notable innovations include groundbreaking in-machine measurement, which disrupted and shaped the market and set new standards in precision manufacturing. Success didn’t come overnight. Long before the internet era, ANCA brought its ambitious vision to life by targeting a niche global market, adopting robotics, and applying innovative solutions to the machine world. Today, ANCA continues to…

Drones are increasingly becoming indispensable in the aerospace and defence sectors, driving mission-critical operations ranging from surveillance to search-and-rescue. As the demand for more agile, adaptable, and high-performance drones grows, so does the challenge of designing and manufacturing components that meet these exacting requirements. While effective for simpler geometries, traditional manufacturing methods often struggle to meet the complex demands of modern drone systems, especially when it comes to lightweight yet durable designs. Additive manufacturing (AM) is transforming the industry, unlocking new possibilities in speed, design, and functionality for the next generation of drones. At EVOK3D, we enable our clients to overcome these challenges by leveraging Additive Manufacturing (AM). AM's flexibility allows clients to create intricate designs, such as internal cavities and lattice structures, achieving significant weight reduction without compromising strength. Additionally, the capability to rapidly prototype and iterate designs accelerates the product development process, reducing timelines from months to weeks. The role of HP MJF and nTop in drone design Design and prototyping are crucial in developing high-performance drones, where factors such as weight, strength, and functionality are critical. Traditional manufacturing methods…

With Australia's high labour cost, most high-volume manufacturing has moved offshore. As a result, there has been a shift towards low-volume, high-value manufacturing, with Australian manufacturers adopting more advanced manufacturing methodologies such as additive manufacturing. This has necessitated a similar shift to advanced non-destructive testing for quality control, with computed tomography answering the call. Computed Tomography (CT) is a non-destructive 3D imaging technique analogous to CAT scans performed on humans. It is perfectly suited to inspecting manufactured components, especially those with complex geometries and internal structures. CT can be used to check dimensional accuracy (vs. CAD drawings), identify invisible defects beneath the surface to external inspection techniques, and investigate failures or process control and optimisation. Origins of CT Initially developed for medical applications in the 1970s, CT is now used more extensively in materials science, nondestructive testing (NDT), quality control, failure analysis, and geological materials investigation. In these applications, it is ideally suited to revealing subsurface defects and structures or checking manufacturing tolerances. Although CT has been used extensively in medical applications…

The Australian Aluminium Council has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement of a production credit for the aluminium smelting sector as part of its Future Made in Australia plan. This marks a globally significant step towards securing the future of Australia’s aluminium industry and strengthening Australia’s role as a leader in the energy transition. “Until now, we have seen many other countries take decisive action to support their domestic manufacturing industries while Australia has been less proactive in comparison,” the Council’s CEO, Marghanita Johnson, said. “Competitive energy is the critical foundation that enables Australian businesses to compete internationally. [This] announcement is an important step in support of the industry’s transition to the competitive, reliable, lower-carbon energy needed for the aluminium industry to secure a sustainable future.” The Climate Council, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Workers Union also endorsed the move. AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow said the announcement showed the government understood the magnitude of the industry’s potential. “Abundant renewable energy, access to raw materials, and skilled workers – Australia has every advantage necessary to…

Manufacturers in Australia and worldwide are facing mounting pressure to boost profitability amid high inflation, rising interest rates, and escalating energy costs. To stay ahead, they must improve operational efficiency, optimise resources and meet increasingly demanding customer expectations, all while maintaining high product quality and tight delivery timelines. The key to overcoming these challenges lies in harnessing the power of Industry 4.0 technologies. However, to truly unlock their potential, manufacturers need a connectivity solution that is fast, reliable, and secure. That’s where Private Mobile Networks (PMNs) come in. A Private Mobile Network (PMN) is a dedicated, standalone cellular network designed exclusively for an organisation’s use, providing secure, reliable, and high-performance connectivity tailored to specific operational needs. It offers ultra-low latency, high-speed data transfer, and interference-free communication, making it ideal for demanding environments like manufacturing. With full control over the network, organisations can prioritise critical applications, safeguard sensitive data, and ensure seamless integration with advanced technologies such as IoT, robotics, and AI—unlocking new levels…

Advanced Navigation, a world leader in navigation and autonomous systems, has announced the expansion of its versatile Certus range, with the new Mini series. Available in three variants, the Certus Mini series includes a GNSS-aided Certus Mini D and Certus Mini N inertial navigation system (INS), while Certus Mini A functions as an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). Weighing no more than 55 grams, the series delivers impressive performance and cost-efficiency, defying expectations for its weight and size. Advanced Navigation CEO Chris Shaw said, “Manufacturers and system integrators often face trade-offs between performance, size, cost, and weight. The Certus Mini series is a testament that these attributes do not need to conflict. This value-driven breakthrough lowers the entry barrier to precise and reliable navigation for customers deploying land-based vehicles. It also unlocks new possibilities for lightweight airborne platforms, such as drones, where every gram counts towards flight efficiency and power consumption. Designed with flexibility in mind, the series is easily integrated into existing and new system builds with simple plug-and-play…