Industry News

Being stuck in the past has a cost. Manufacturers utilising legacy systems are hurting themselves with a lack of connectivity that inhibits production and response time. Manufacturers who have yet to modernise are those with the most to gain by upgrading their data management and automation processes. The Harvard Business Review points out that $1Tn is left on the table when companies fail to digitise. Various elements can exacerbate existing manufacturing and supply chain challenges: global unrest, COVID-19, war, climate change, and economic uncertainty. In 2022, the war in Ukraine impacted the global wheat supply, which trickled down to cause issues with food manufacturers around the world. When the disruption eventually reached consumers, there were product shortages and steep prices for the inventory that was available. COVID-19 also caused large supply chain disruptions by causing port closures and worker shortages. Inventory tracking became nearly impossible, as there was either no inventory to track or no one on-site to do so. This impact hasn’t disappeared but rather continues downstream in the form…

The RMIT University-led project – supported by the Australian Research Council, Austroads and 10 Victorian councils – will incorporate recycled plastic from consumer and industrial waste, including notoriously stubborn soft plastics, into asphalt as a performance enhancer. With Australians generating 2.6 million tonnes of plastic waste each year and landfill space expected to reach capacity by 2025, this project is helping to address an urgent challenge. Project lead, RMIT Associate Professor Filippo Giustozzi, said the team will also produce best-practice guidelines on the use of recycled plastics in asphalt roads. “These guidelines will enable local governments, which control 80% of the nation’s roads, to begin widescale adoption of this innovative recycling solution,” said Giustozzi from RMIT’s School of Engineering. The City of Melbourne and nine suburban and regional councils will lead the way, each having sections of recycled road up to 900 metres long paved over the coming months. The 10 project sites will use an estimated 21,000kg of recycled plastic, but the potential scale of this solution is considerable given the…

The new SPMT can eliminate the carbon footprint of site transport. This allows our customers to reduce the impact of large infrastructure projects on surrounding people, businesses, and infrastructure. It reduces noise…

The warehousing and manufacturing sector is undergoing significant transformation, largely driven by digitalisation and technological advancements. The process of moving materials within a warehouse or manufacturing site can drastically impact capital durability, inventory cost, worker safety, and overall operational efficiency. To remain competitive in an evolving market, organisations must make smarter, faster, and cheaper decisions, particularly when it comes to material handling. Traditionally, material handling has relied heavily on manual, time-consuming processes and rudimentary tools. However, digital transformation is reshaping industrial manufacturing, operations, and supply chain logistics like never before. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and vehicle mounts are driving material handling innovation. For example, digital twins can reduce the transition time between physical and digital worlds, speeding up reaction time and enabling quicker adjustments in operations. Similarly, vehicle mounts shorten the physical distance between the operator and technology, making it easier to execute tasks with increased efficiency. These tools not only capture and analyse data in real-time, but also decentralise the digital interface,…

This article aims to explore the challenges being faced by manufacturing organisations across industries. A societal and cultural shift away from manual, craftsmanship-based roles, coupled with the perception of health risks in manufacturing occupations has led to a significant skills shortage in the sector. Various other challenges include regulatory pressures, unstable supply chains, and unprecedented uncertainties — all of which are exacerbating the situation and threatening the competitiveness of manufacturing enterprises. However, this article posits that the solution to these escalating issues lies within the realm of digitalisation and automation technology. Our analysis is rooted in the evolution of job market trends, and the opportunities presented by innovations such as Rivelin NetShape, a frontrunner in the digital revolution of manufacturing. By harnessing machine learning, advanced sensors, and proprietary algorithms, this technology transforms skilled manual tasks for post-processing and finishing metal parts and components into repeatable, traceable digital procedures that significantly boost productivity and reduce costs. The article will go on to present a future where the burdens of manual labour can be alleviated by robotics and AI and show…

Have you ever been told to surround yourself with experts to help you grow professionally? Let the story of Peter Torreele and 3RT be a case study for you as he and his collaborators developed a technology and a complete manufacturing solution despite being told it couldn’t be done. The technology they developed enables the production of hardwood timber materials that appear and behave just like natural timber using sustainably sourced juvenile plantation raw materials and nanotechnology. As a result, they avoid the need to log old growth forests that often contain trees over 100 years old. 3RT’s timber is now squarely aimed at filling a market need with technology that can be adopted anywhere in the world. The 3RT journey started back in 2014 when Peter Torreele, now Managing Director of 3RT, identified a growing demand for timber building materials while native forest logging was increasingly being banned. This was also being driven by a need for an alternative to high energy-intensive materials such as metals and concrete to reduce carbon emissions. While hardwoods are very desirable, the…

Q-CTRL, a global leader in developing useful quantum technologies through quantum control infrastructure software, and Diraq, a leading innovator in Silicon-based quantum computing, today announced they will be partnering on three multi-million-dollar projects to expand the commercial adoption of quantum computing. It represents the first stage of an anticipated partnership delivering new, high-impact quantum computing capabilities to the global market, from Australia. The two Australian quantum technology companies will deliver three projects together: two from the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer’s Quantum Computing Commercialisation Fund (QCCF) and one from the US Army Research Office. Q-CTRL and Diraq are sharing responsibilities on the projects: Diraq will develop and provide access to its Silicon quantum computing hardware and Q-CTRL will build and integrate its quantum infrastructure software solutions to deliver maximum end-user value from the hardware. Q-CTRL and Diraq highlight Australia’s leading role in the global quantum technology industry. Diraq’s hardware is constructed using a novel technology known as spins in silicon, offering true scalability in the number of qubits…

Australia’s premier manufacturing technology trade show, AMW2024 is promising to be a dynamic and innovative event in Sydney that brings together professionals, companies and experts from many industries related to manufacturing, engineering and technology. It is AMTIL’s aim for Australian Manufacturing Week to be more than just an exhibition. This is the centrepiece of a week-long celebration of manufacturing in Australia today. “On the back of the overwhelming success of AMW2022 in Sydney, we have returned to the ICC at Darling Harbour for April 2024 and are excited to be delivering another strong show,” said Shane Infanti CEO of AMTIL, organisers of Australian Manufacturing Week. “We are very pleased to have the support of the NSW Government as the Major Sponsor for AMW. Government support is important in delivering the message to our industry that manufacturing is important and that the support mechanisms are there to assist.” Australian Manufacturing Week will take place at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney. The stats from our Melbourne show at the MCEC showed conclusively the appetite for large-scale manufacturing exhibitions is healthy for…

Australian Precision Technologies has announced through the Australian Defence Alliance it has received a contract from Kongsberg Defence Australia to manufacture precision-machined components for the KONGSBERG Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Launchers delivered under Project SEA 1300. The NSM will replace the Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile capability currently on the Royal Australian ANZAC Class Frigates and HOBART Class Destroyers. Australian Precision Technologies will manufacture highly complex precision-machined components utilising state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and lean management best practices. The components will be manufactured in the Australian Precision Technologies Berwick facility and will present new job opportunities in project management, quality assurance and advanced manufacturing applications. The contract will also enable Australian Precision Technologies to invest in more advanced CNC machining technologies and quality control equipment to ensure that high standards of quality are achieved. “APT has diversified into the Defence and Aerospace industry sectors over the past 15 years, and that has provided us with the opportunities to secure contracts such as this through the culture of the company employees and the strategic outlook required to support defence contracts,” said Richard Weinzieri, APT’s Managing Director. “The…

Recently the Australian engineering business has turned this skill inward, investing in not just one, but two Agile Flex 35D robotic loading systems for CNC machine tools. The two Agile Flex 35D systems at MASPRO are 4-drawer models with the top pallet option, both tending DMG NLX 2500/700 dual spindle turning centers. One of the systems was installed at MASPRO’s Condobolin manufacturing facility and the other at their Wetherill Park facility, in New South Wales, Australia. The Agile Flex 35D systems are being used in the manufacture of hydraulic cylinder pistons but will ultimately handle a wide variety of machined parts for the mining equipment sector. The Agile Flex 35D robotic loading systems have allowed MASPRO’s machinists to focus on more complex roles such as programming rather than the time-consuming and difficult manual loading and unloading of parts. Removing the need for manual handling has also eliminated the risk of repetitive stress injury. Established in Condobolin in 2006, MASPRO is a family-owned and operated mining technology business with a history spanning…

AMTIL had a stand in the International Association pavilion alongside 26 other national associations from around the world, forming an excellent network of global machine tool and manufacturing technology bodies. One of our activities each year is a half day ‘General Managers’ meeting where all countries discuss a particular topic given to us. This year the subject was – Impact of New and Enabling Technologies. Below is a summary of these discussions. The conversation went from traditional manufacturing to new and finally emerging technologies. We live in a world of acronyms so I will explain some of them for the uneducated! Traditional manufacturing covered off CNC machining, robotics and automation, controls, lean manufacturing, six sigma, lights out machining, etc, etc. The focus was on fast spindle speeds, quick changeover time, high productivity and sustainability. I won’t delve too deeply into this area as the majority of our readers are in this space and know it better…

Researchers at The University of Queensland are harnessing the latest sequencing technology developed by UK-based biotech Oxford Nanopore Technologies to analyse mRNA vaccines and therapies. This approach promises to simplify and better ensure the quality of manufactured mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics worldwide. The BASE team at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) is already recognised as the biggest supplier of research-use mRNA in Australia, having built more than 200 mRNA vaccines and therapies for academic, clinical and industry use. Building upon this work, under the new research partnership with Oxford Nanopore, BASE researchers will use the latest and improved nanopore-based sequencing technology to optimise performance and reduce the time needed to measure mRNA vaccine quality attributes. “Currently, mRNA vaccines and therapies are analysed using a range of different methods that are time-consuming, complicated, and costly, and often outdated,” said BASE mRNA technologies researcher Dr. Helen Gunter. BASE researchers showed how nanopore sequencing can analyse the quality of mRNA vaccines and therapies, in a study published today in Nature Communications. “By using Oxford…

The Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) is an industry-led collaborative research funding organisation focused on advancing Australia’s additive manufacturing sector. The centre brings together industry partners, developing the next generation of products and services, and research institutions to conduct cutting-edge research, develop new technologies, and drive innovation to foster a globally competitive innovation ecosystem for advanced manufacturing. The CRC matches dollar-for-dollar Industry Partner cash for collaborative manufacturing R&D and innovation projects with CRC Research Partners. This is a potential fit for Industry Partners (e.g. manufacturing and related businesses) where strategy includes: investing in an eligible transformative manufacturing R&D project with a CRC Research Partner of between two and five years in duration, that can commence from 2025 onwards; spending at least $250,000 cash per project to fund the cost of researcher salaries and operating costs at a CRC Research Partner (which, if eligible, the CRC can match dollar for dollar up to a maximum of five million dollars per business); with the Research Partner(s) conducting at least 50% of the overall project research effort; utilising and/or developing new…