Industry News

Recent months have seen increased discussion on the growth of Australian research and development (R&D), with research agencies, universities and the government agreeing there is a need for greater investment in the sector. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the biggest contributors to research and development in the country and is currently a burgeoning market. This puts it in a prime position to build Australia's R&D capacity. According to the latest government figures, R&D expenditure in Australia is 1.8% of GDP, which is below the OECD average of 2.67%. Government spending specifically has been declining over the years, with an average of 0.61% of GDP since 2010-11, and only 0.17% in 2020-21. It is worth noting that Australia is currently ranked 91st on the global Economic Complexity Index, while countries in the top 10, such as Japan, Germany and the United States, all spend more than 3% of their GDP on R&D, and are considered world leaders in research. Ahead of the 2022 election, Labor pledged to work towards spending “closer to…

Coherent Corporation, a global leader in ceramics and metal matrix composites, has announced that it has developed an additive manufacturing process capable of producing advanced ceramic components for high-performance thermal management applications, including for next-generation semiconductor capital equipment. Severe shortages of integrated circuits based on leading-edge nodes have spurred massive investments worldwide in the buildout of semiconductor manufacturing facilities equipped with the most advanced semiconductor capital equipment. Coherent has successfully developed proprietary materials and technologies that enable ceramic components produced with its additive manufacturing process to match those produced with its existing molding process in their mechanical and thermal properties. Ceramic components manufactured with the new additive manufacturing process can now be precision-machined using the most advanced laser-based techniques, including those available at Coherent. These are critical for next-generation semiconductor capital equipment. Additive manufacturing is superior to molding in process capability, yield, and throughput. It requires no retooling time between components, which minimizes lead times and waste. As such, additive manufacturing is ideal for Industry 4.0 factories that are designed for resilient and flexible scaling. “Ceramic additive manufacturing enables…

The newest round of the Innovate to Grow program, coordinated by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, will equip small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the cyber security and digital technology sectors with critical research and development (R&D) know-how to grow their businesses. CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow program links businesses to expert knowledge, resources, and mentors to help businesses validate, and develop their R&D ideas that could lead to commercial outcomes. On completing the program, eligible participants can apply to work with CSIRO’s expert researchers and access dollar-matched R&D funding through the Kickstart program. Dr Marthie Grobler, Principal Research Scientist in human-centred cyber security at CSIRO’s Data61 strongly urged eligible businesses to consider applying to stay at the forefront of research impact in these critical sectors. “SMEs are the lifeblood of Australia, and many have innovative business ideas and solutions that could help mitigate cyber security threats and deliver a positive impact to other Australian businesses and the economy,” Dr Grobler said. “These businesses tend to face a myriad of challenges in bringing their ideas to life, namely investment of money, time and resources.…

Clinical-stage biotechnology company Vaxxas, in partnership with the Queensland Government, opened its global headquarters and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility this June in Brisbane. The custom-built 5,500m² Vaxxas Biomedical Facility is a first-of-its-kind manufacturing site, designed to support the scale-up of Vaxxas’ needle-free vaccine technology platform, the high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP), for late-stage clinical trials and first commercial products. AMT spoke to Vaxxas’ Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Angus Forster, the day after the new facility opened. “It’s been an exciting couple of weeks and it was an excellent day yesterday. Queensland’s Deputy Premier, Dr Steven Miles opened the facility and we had around 80 invited guests from industry in attendance.” Vaxxas’ new facility is located in Brisbane’s Northshore and the company was previously based at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Campus in Brisbane’s inner suburbs. “We are still keeping a presence at the TRI for its pre-clinical infrastructure, while our new facility is focused on manufacturing our vaccine patches for late-stage clinical trials and commercial product. It's great to still be connected with the vibrant TRI research community, as there…

Leading photo-chemical etching (PCE) innovator, micrometal, has demonstrated the power of its next-generation precision metal processing technology following some recent work with a manufacturer of ophthalmic devices incorporating surgical blades. PCE offers several specific advantages when it comes to manufacturing intricate blades for eye surgery. Firstly, it allows for the creation of extremely precise and intricate blade designs with sharp edges and tight tolerances, ensuring the highest level of accuracy and consistency during surgery. This is particularly important for eye surgery, where even small variations in blade design can have a significant impact on patient outcomes. Secondly, PCE can produce very thin blades, down to a few microns in thickness, which are required for many types of eye surgeries. These blades can be manufactured with no burrs or rough edges, ensuring smooth and precise cutting. In addition, the PCE process is a chemical, non-contact process, which means that there is no physical force applied to the metal during manufacturing, reducing the risk of deformation or damage to the blade. This is particularly important when working with thin, delicate blades that require extreme precision. “For…

New purpose-built equipment added to Melbourne and San Diego facilities will help with clinical scale and global capacity shortages PCI Pharma Services (PCI), a leading global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has announced the operational launch of three new state-of-the-art automated sterile fill-finish machines at its Melbourne and San Diego facilities. “As the capacity for CDMOs worldwide to take on new projects shrinks, we’re excited to be able to offer integrated sterile fill-finish capabilities, alongside our clinical packaging facilities, to new and existing clients in Melbourne and San Diego,” said Brad Payne, Chief Operating Officer, PCI Pharma Services. “Our increased capacity, a stockpile of standardised components, including glass, and technical expertise means we can start running batches as soon as needed. This will cut down on the wait times many local biotech and pharmaceutical companies are facing and begin to help alleviate the global capacity shortage for sterile drug product and downstream packaging.” The new innovative machinery from Cytiva can be used to fill various sterile medications into vials and syringes for small-to-mid-scale client needs. The equipment, paired with PCI’s end-to-end services,…

Pacific Automation has announced a new Australian partnership with German manufacturer BERNSTEIN. This new national distribution deal makes BERNSTEIN switching safety and innovation available to all Australian industrial operators, along with technical support provided by Pacific Automation. “We’ve been supplying BERNSTEIN products since 2006, so our team is well familiarised with the quality of their products,” says Stephen Armstrong, CEO at Pacific Automation. “Our goal is to represent BERNSTEIN in Australia how they would represent themselves. That means ensuring that our customers receive high-quality customer service and technical support, just like they would from an OEM.” Key product ranges now accessible through this new partnership include: Limit switches • Door interlock switches • Safety rope pull switches. • Foot switches BERNSTEIN switches are utilised in factory automation and for machine and operator safety across the Australian industry. Their products are highly modular and can often be customised to suit the requirements of an individual customer or unique application. “We intend to keep growing and distribute our products around the globe. Therefore, we are pleased to have found a partner like Pacific…

As part of its successful transformation from a photographic film manufacturer to a company contributing to resolving social challenges with advanced technologies in a wide range of business fields, Fujifilm Australia has now further expanded its range of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions into the healthcare industry – one of its core businesses. Fujifilm’s latest foray into the AI sphere is in partnership with Australian-based medical imaging specialists annalise.ai and their CXR Edge solution, one of the world’s leading and comprehensive chest X-ray AI decision-support solutions for mobile and fixed X-ray devices. “Fujifilm has been supplying X-ray film to the healthcare industry since 1936, shortly after the foundation of Fujifilm in Japan,” explains Ryuichi Matoba, CEO of Fujifilm Australia. “Since then, Fujifilm has expanded its Medical Systems business with some significant milestones along the way, such as developing Fuji Computed Radiography, applying the world’s first digital method for digitising X-ray images. In short, Fujifilm wants to create a society where people can live healthily for longer and Fujifilm’s AI technology and our new partnership with annalise.ai both play a…

The Award winners were announced at the Gala Dinner at Palladium at Crown on Thursday 10 August. Now in its 21st year, the annual Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards recognises outstanding achievements in Victoria’s manufacturing industry. After pre-dinner foyer drinks, the room filled to the brim with an estimated 920 people, right on time, even after the many infamous barriers in traffic on the way in for many. These evenings are run with military precision. The field of nominations was full of great people as well. Clearly, they all love their work, their companies and their profession. The food was tremendous too, and Tracy Spicer was light and professional as MC. Thank you to the sponsors and organisers of this fantastic event.   Here they are in order of appearance: Leader in Defence, Aerospace and Space SPEE3D, in Dandenong South, and Byron Kennedy came up on stage to collect.  He said, "It's all in the name. We make 3D, really fast!" Leader in Digital and Advanced Technologies Modra Technology, from Warrigul – Tony Modra came up to collect, saying, “R&D is what…

Australia has an opportunity to develop a sovereign sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, with domestic demand for jet fuel expected to increase by 75% by 2050, according to a new roadmap released recently by Australia's national science agency, CSIRO and Boeing Australia. Unlike conventional jet fuel, SAF is produced from renewable sources – like agricultural waste, animal fats and vegetable oils – and significantly reduces carbon emissions over the fuel’s life-cycle making it a more sustainable alternative for powering aircraft. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap builds consensus on developing an Australian sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, identifying opportunities to produce and scale production using Australian feedstocks. CSIRO Senior Manager and lead Roadmap author, Max Temminghoff, said Australia was in a prime position to develop a domestic industry. “By actively working to liberate feedstocks, the roadmap estimates that Australia is currently sitting on enough resources to produce almost five billion litres of SAF by 2025. This could supply nearly 60% of jet fuel demand projected for that year,” Mr Temminghoff…

The Hon Tim Ayres, the Assistant Minister for Industry and Science appeared at Weld Australia’s National Manufacturing Summit, on an unnervingly mild mid-winter morning in Canberra. He spoke of the challenges ahead for Australia. “We must move fast in this changing environment. And everything needs to work together,” he said. After a decade of inaction by the LNP governments, Minister Ayres said his government was ready to sign on to actionable plans. There are some positive moves in the Powering the Regions Fund, the National Reconstruction Fund, Rewiring the Nation, and the Capacity Investment Scheme which was the start of the transformation of industry policy in Australia. What’s needed though, as stipulated by other speakers at the event was the biggest piece of economic policy since the post-WW2 Marshall Plan. The EU, Canada, and the US have all brought their programs into action, pushing manufacturing and construction in the States with their IRA and CHIPS Act. According to the CEO of…

RMIT University’s exciting Discovery to Device (D2D) advanced manufacturing facility will open this September at its city campus in Melbourne. The $16.7m Victorian Medical Device Prototyping and Scale–Up facility will enable entrepreneur start-up manufacturers and researchers to work together to develop new medical technologies for healthcare and diagnostics. Earlier this year, Victorian Minister for Higher Education, Gayle Tierney announced $12.7m in funding from the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund (VHESIF) for RMIT’s new facility. D2D Director, Professor Sharath Sriram says that this complex will be the first ISO-accredited prototyping facility in the Asia-Pacific to support rapid translation of partnered and industry-led research projects in wearable, nearable and flexible medical technologies. It will also follow the ISO 13485 standard used in the design and production of medical devices. The facility will be available for universities and industry across Victoria for collaborations on wearables (wireless electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing or implanted in the body), nearables (smart devices that can sense and send data but don’t need to be attached to a person) and point-of-care…

The Royal Adelaide Hospital’s (RAH) fleet of 25 Automated Guidance Vehicles (AGVs) are responsible for distributing food, linen, waste, pharmaceuticals and stores, 24/7 365 days. The AGV system controls 14 dedicated lifts and services 31 lobbies over 9 floors, including 44 CSSD operating suites. The hospital aisles are shared with staff and other traffic therefore the on-board safety sensors allow the vehicles to avoid personal injury and damage to the payload, surrounding items and infrastructure. The new flexible AGV control system offers many benefits, such as lower operating costs, reduced transport damage and consistent delivery times. Customer requirements A hardware life cycle upgrade was required for the client’s existing fleet of 25 AGVs, located at the RAH. The existing AGV Control System also had limited support from the previous supplier. Technology had taken a significant step forward to a more modern, Window based, smart and easy-to-edit control software system. RA Health provided project consultancy from initial concept, through to design, implementation, and closure stages. MAXAGV confirmed the existing…