Industry News

Just a person and a dog? The old story about the factory of the future being populated by one human and a dog—the human’s role is limited to feeding the dog, while the dog is charged with keeping the person away from the machinery—will be close to reality for tool grinding. At a minimum, said Boland, the entire production process will be linked digitally, “from the intake of the raw material to palletising, laser etching, and blank preparation…to the tool and cutter grinding, edge prep, coating, and right through to shipping the finished goods.” For example, when a particular job transitions from OD prep to the 5-axis grinders, the machines will automatically call up the correct program to finish grinding the tools. Everything will also be linked to a company’s ERP and MES system, providing “very good data analytics to help make the right decisions and improve your processes.” Individual processes, such as OD grinding or stream finishing, are often highly automated once they’re set up.…

MathWorks has announced an integration that makes MATLAB® available in the NVIDIA Holoscan platform. Medical device engineers can now accelerate the development and deployment of streaming data analysis and visualisation applications by wrapping existing MATLAB algorithms and functions into GPU-accelerated NVIDIA Holoscan operators for real-time data processing and inference. Medical device engineers must navigate complex, ever-evolving global regulations while keeping pace with rapid technological innovation using cutting-edge materials and electronics. These conflicting forces caused many devices to be near-obsolete shortly after reaching the market and fueled the emergence of Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). The International Medical Device Regulators Forum defines SaMD as “software intended to be used for one or more medical purposes that perform those purposes without being part of a hardware medical device.” To stay competitive in the market after deployment, the SaMD products require the capability to integrate additional software feature functionality over time, necessitating engineers to develop a software-defined workflow for their development. “The medical technology industry is being transformed by artificial intelligence,” said David Niewolny, Director of Business Development for MedTech at…

Mobile robotic systems are being used in more and more work areas, from e-commerce warehouses to modern restaurants. However, due to the high prices, widespread use is often unaffordable for small and medium-sized companies. igus wants to change this with new low-cost robotics offerings and presents a series of low-cost mobile plastic robots. The market for automated guided vehicles (AGV) and autonomous mobile robots (AMR) is booming: the global market for mobile robotics, including service robotics, currently totals around $20.3bn, and experts expect this figure to almost double by 2028.  Mobile robots are ubiquitous in material handling and industrial applications. And these smart helpers are even increasingly making their rounds in catering and hospitals. The plastics experts at motion plastics specialist igus have also been successfully testing AGVs in-house for four years - driverless shelves that deliver mail and shipments to offices and mobile robots in production that move transports and rotary stacking containers. The experience gained flows directly into developing a new Low-Cost Automation product line, the "ReBeL on Wheels". The goal is to pave the…

Group GSA, a renowned design firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Beijing, Shanghai, and Ho Chi Minh City, has successfully integrated Raise3D 3D printers from Bilby3D into its operations. Known for its innovative designs, such as the award-winning North Fitzroy Library and Community Hub, Group GSA offers multidisciplinary services in Architectural Design, Interior Design, urban design, Landscape Architecture, and Graphics. Challenges faced Prior to adopting in-house 3D printing technology, Group GSA relied on CGI fly-throughs and occasionally outsourced 3D prints for final display pieces. This process was time-consuming and costly, with each outsourced model taking one to two weeks to produce. The lack of rapid prototyping capability hindered their ability to develop and visualise design concepts efficiently and iteratively. To overcome these challenges, Group GSA adopted the Raise3D Pro2 Plus, provided by Bilby3D. This decision was driven by the need to enhance their design process, allowing for quick and cost-effective production of 3D models. The Raise3D Pro2 Plus has significantly reduced the time required to produce models, from weeks to mere hours, enabling more frequent…

Additive Industries and Additive Assurance partner to provide in situ process monitoring with Additive Industries’ MetalFab portfolio of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) machines. This collaboration will leverage both companies' complementary strengths to improve the process monitoring of additively manufactured parts in high-performance applications. Additive Industries is one of the significant manufacturers of metal L-PBF machines globally and has been serving production-oriented customers for over a decade. Additive Industries’ MetalFab printers offer class-leading automation, scalability, and capability. Their product portfolio has recently been updated with their newest machine, the MetalFab 300 Flex. It is the only metal printer on the market that offers a unique on-demand platform size, providing flexibility for manufacturers and making metal AM more accessible than ever. As AM printers increase build rates and productivity, the requirement for in-process monitoring and quality assurance is becoming essential in many industries to ensure repeatability and generate high production yields. Additive Industries has identified the market gap and is leading the charge with offering this extended capability to its customers. Australian start-up Additive Assurance was spun out of Monash University…

In the October/November issue of AMT last year, AXT described Projection Micro Stereolithography (PµSL), allowing 3D printing resolution to go beyond the limits of ~300µm of FDM techniques, using resin-based printing technology. Using PµSL, it is possible to achieve resolutions of just 2µm. But what if you want to print features in the nanometer range? The solution here lies in two-photon polymerisation (2PP), another resin-based printing technology that uses light curing or polymerisation. In microfabrication, systems like the NanoOne from UpNano set the standard, and printing features down to 170nm. The NanoOne is ideal for fabricating parts with complex geometries for academic research and industrial applications as engineers continue to push the bounds of miniaturisation. Contrary to popular belief, 2PP is a fast printing process, and producing parts using 2PP can also be done at a reasonable price. How 2PP printing works 2PP printing technology takes advantage of the spatial selectivity of 2-photon absorption (2PA), i.e. inducing polymerisation at the point where the two photons converge, enabling 3D structures to be directly created in…

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is announcing the call for applications to the Quad AI-ENGAGE Initiative on behalf of the Australian Government and science partner agencies in India, Japan and the United States. The Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) Initiative calls for cutting-edge research proposals in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), sensors and robotics to help transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers in the Indo-Pacific to increase yield and resilience. By 2050, the world's population is estimated to increase to 9.7 billion people, with a corresponding rise in food demand and pressure on land and water resources. Many of the impacts of these trends will be strongly felt in the Indo-Pacific region, but so will the hope for meaningful solutions. The goal of AI-ENGAGE is to strengthen research collaboration among Quad countries and the broader Indo-Pacific region, improve the impact of critical technology research, and grow our respective agricultural sectors. CSIRO will work with the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Japan's Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to implement…

Chain Systems Australia stocks a wide range of energy chains and cables to meet the diverse needs of various industries. Often overlooked until urgently needed, energy chains play a critical role in all moving equipment applications, making them indispensable across multiple sectors. With their head office in Perth, Chain Systems Australia is the exclusive distributor of Italian-made Brevetti Stendalto energy chain and cables in Australia and New Zealand. The company recently expanded its reach by opening a new branch in New South Wales to serve the East Coast market better. Regional Manager Amy Saunders highlights the company’s commitment to substantial stockholdings: “We invest heavily in maintaining a large inventory. If you don’t have the stock, you can’t meet demand,” she explains. “For our ongoing customers who use products consistently, we always have enough stock to prevent any shortages.” The new Sydney branch in Cranebrook opened its doors in April this year. Strategically positioned to serve the East Coast market, this facility boasts ample warehouse space to maintain extensive stock levels. Sydney's central location between Queensland and…

There’s a lot of heart and soul in the Tasty Fresh Food Company. There’s the staff, the food and the trucks, and the interface can be the entire community. Since opening in 1979, this little food truck company has expanded from Melbourne into NSW, QLD, and Perth. The logistics are astounding. A proud people person, CEO Colin Lear leaps around the headquarters, from accounts to the boardroom, from the kitchens to the vast hangar where vans shoot in and out, and from the large workshop and garage where eastern Victoria’s Tasty vans are fitted out and gassed up. Colin knows practically everyone in the Ferntree Gully HQ by name. Highly organised chaos greets us as the vans return from a busy day out. Then there’s the setup for tonight’s production. Tasty Trucks has a fully-fitted bakery in the headquarters here as well. “We make all our fresh products here ready to stock our vans tomorrow morning, and we do that in four…

A 130% price increase for a cast steel blank is a challenge for the Albstadt-based security engineers of Assa Abloy. The solution? Do it yourself—with a new machining strategy and tools from Gühring. The result? A 50% cost saving per component is not the only benefit for the company. Whether it’s a cucumber in the supermarket or a steel component in an industrial company, war and a pandemic have made shopping expensive. Assa Abloy, a security technology manufacturer in Albstadt, also felt this. The company usually purchases the housing for its electric strikes from a steel precision casting manufacturer. But about three years ago, it increased its prices by 130%. “Suddenly, it was no longer economical for us to offer these products,” recalled Patrick Matysiak, Deputy Product Cell Manager at Assa Abloy. An alternative needed to be found. Can we reduce prices with cheaper injection moulding from China? Patrick Matysiak had a better idea: “I had a thought: Why don't we switch to free-cutting steel and machine the entire component in-house?" The plan is clear: A new machining centre will…

Together, the two teams will design and develop the world’s most energy-efficient BEL, delivering an innovative zero-emissions solution for heavy haul rail. This will mark a significant step forward to commercialising zero-emissions power system technologies in heavy industry applications. This collaboration draws on Downer’s rollingstock and engineering experience, combined with Fortescue Zero’s decades-long experience as a heavy haul rail operator and expertise in green technologies and zero-emission power systems. “As Australia’s leading provider of rail and transit systems, I couldn’t be prouder that Downer will now be a world leader in helping rail eliminate emissions,” said Peter Tompkins, Downer CEO. “With 150 years of rail experience, including the ability to design, manufacture and maintain rolling stock, as well as through-life-support, Downer is excited about our role in a zero emissions future,” he continued. The collaboration was announced at InnoTrans 2024, the world’s largest rail transport exhibition attended by over 140,000 people from the global rail industry. Members of both teams signed the collaboration agreement, showing on a world stage Australia’s commitment and capability to…

The SICK Ident Gate System automatically identifies inbound goods directly at the loading dock based on shipping labels. The track-and-trace system detects the shipping labels when the worker drives through the gate—without stopping—with a loaded pallet. Thanks to the direct ERP connection, the acquired data are compared with the available order details. A visual loading and status check indicates to the personnel whether the data matches. The Ident Gate System has a modular structure and can be individually adapted. To round off the concept, selected identification technologies such as RFID, 1D and 2D, or even hybrid approaches can be combined with functions for measuring or classifying the containers. In the rapidly evolving world of logistics, where “over $400bn worth of goods are sold based on a measurement,” in Australia alone, efficiency is crucial. As the industry propels towards heightened efficiency, SICK presents technologies that meet these crucial needs, thereby revolutionising the logistics landscape. The Ident Gate System automatically identifies delivered goods based on shipping labels during loading and unloading directly at the loading gate. The data is transmitted to a…

Small businesses in remote and isolated areas in Australia encounter unique challenges when sourcing specialised materials and components for their manufacturing operations. One obstacle is the difficulty in accurately cutting steel plates that exceed a certain thickness. These robust metal plates are crucial for various industrial applications, such as mining equipment, construction projects, and heavy machinery repairs. BEZ Engineering connected with Headland Technology at AMTIL’s Australian Manufacturing Week, and their experts understood the challenges and presented the OMAX Maxiem 1530 water jet machine as a technology solution. Andrew Smith, Managing Director of BEZ Engineering, oversees all business operations and financial aspects. Bez Engineering is a family-owned and operated business in the Pilbara since 2000. The company was initially opened to service the Oil & Gas, Mining and Marine industries in the Pilbara region. The business has undergone many transitions, with a change of directors in 2023. The vision of the business follows Henry Ford’s saying, “Quality means doing the right thing when no one is looking”. This mindset allowed Bez Engineering to be a leader in manufacturing quality products for…