August 2021

RMIT welcome RS Components as racing partners

RS Components are proud to announce their support of the RMIT Electric racing team in the legendary Formula SAE competition this year. Originally started by the Society of Automotive Engineers student branch at the University of Texas, Austin, in 1980, the Formula SAE competition now sees over 500 teams from universities worldwide, design, build and compete in their own Formula-style open-wheeled race car. The vehicles are judged on dynamics, design justifications, costing strategies and business presentation and apply rigorous STEM concepts to the build and design process. As the brightest young minds compete annually around the globe, the boundaries of innovation, technology and engineering are constantly redefined. The RMIT Electric Racing team took the competition to the next level in 2008, and entered the first-ever electric vehicle. They were confident they could produce a simple, electric counterpart for the combustion vehicle competition. Every year since, Formula SAE has seen a rapid growth in the number, competitiveness and performance of electric vehicles against their combustion rivals. A fact the RMIT Electric Racing team are infinitely proud of. Managing Director of RS Components ANZ Scott Philbrook said, “We are proud to support the next generation of innovators with the quality products RS Components has to offer. The team and I at RS wish these bright minds the best of luck in this year’s race.” Today the team counts over 50 passionate students across a dozen faculties who demonstrate innovative thinking, initiative and commitment to the real-life commercial project. And it’s little wonder the Formula SAE graduates are often headhunted for their unique combination of technical skills, strong communication abilities and project management skills. Christopher Carr, Business System Head for RMIT Electric Racing said, “Our project is dependent on the valuable investment by our sponsors who allow us to advance the research and […]

Dr Jim Rabeau appointed director of CSIRO’s Quantum Technologies Future Science Platform

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has announced the appointment of Dr Jim Rabeau as Director of the organisation’s new Quantum Technologies Future Science Platform. The former Professor and Deputy Director of Sydney Nano Institute for Industry, Innovation and Commercialisation, Dr Rabeau will commence at CSIRO on September 6. Dr Rabeau said he sees opportunities to leverage the breadth and depth of CSIRO’s multidisciplinary capability to grow Australia’s quantum technology expertise. “The Quantum Technologies Future Science Platform aims to build a quantum technology ecosystem across CSIRO and the broader quantum community,” Dr Rabeau said. “I’m excited about CSIRO’s entrepreneurial spirit and vision and see great opportunity to amplify quantum technology and continue to establish innovative opportunities for Australian industry”. Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, who last year as CSIRO’s Chief Scientist led the development of a Quantum Technology Roadmap for Australia, welcomed the news of Dr Rabeau’s appointment. “Jim is a global leader in quantum technology and knows how to link up research outputs and their application.” “I am confident that with Jim at the helm of the newly established Quantum Technologies Future Science Platform, CSIRO’s quantum research will be in good hands. I look forward to seeing what is delivered.” The new Future Science Platform will develop quantum technologies for a range of applications that are aligned with the Modern Manufacturing Priorities as well as in agricultural and environmental applications. Initial areas of focus for CSIRO are accelerated drug development, enhanced climate modelling, mineral exploration, materials discovery and sensing and measurement for defence and space. Dr Rabeau brings a wealth of commercialisation and collaboration experience and is excited about furthering his passion for quantum at CSIRO and driving Australia’s quantum technology sovereign capability. A past participant of CSIRO’s ON Accelerator program, Dr Rabeau was also a key collaborator on […]

Evaluating the impact of Covid-19 travel bans

Australian scientists have modelled a way to determine how many cases of Covid-19 could be travelling on any international flight, based on data from the first six months of the pandemic, which could help Australian authorities make decisions about incoming international travel. Developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Queensland University of Technology, the tool can forecast the number of potential infections on each flight using the number of incoming travellers and the rate of disease in the countries they’re arriving from. Researchers evaluated the travel bans implemented by the Australian government at the start of the pandemic showing they lowered the number of Covid-19 cases brought into the country by 88 per cent. CSIRO research scientist Dr Jess Liebig, said the model gives governments another tool to aid complex decisions on travel restrictions and the opening of borders. “The model is a flexible framework that can be used to quantify the effects of travel restrictions and to evaluate proposed relaxations,” Dr Liebig said. “It also enables us to pinpoint the groups of travellers most likely to be carrying the virus, so authorities can more efficiently direct healthcare and biosecurity control strategies.” The scientists applied the model to two scenarios; one with open borders and another which reflects the actual travel restrictions implemented by Australia between January and June 2020. During this period Australia introduced travel bans on China, Iran, South Korea and Italy due to their high rates of Covid-19 disease before a full travel ban on all foreign nationals commenced on 20 March 2020 to curb the spread of the virus. TABLE: Summary of the effect of individual travel bans Country Date of Ban Estimated % reduction in imported cases of COVID-19 China 1 February 2020 94.45% Iran 1 March 2020 32.81% South Korea 5 March 2020 […]

Australia on target to bring laser technology up to speed

The University of South Australia has been awarded a $1.8 million Federal Government contract to develop technology that underpins the next generation of high-powered lasers in Australia for the defence and manufacturing sectors. UniSA Professor of Laser Engineering, David Lancaster, will lead the three-year project, funded by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), in collaboration with the University of Adelaide. Professor Lancaster, who heads one of the country’s leading laser and photonics manufacturing research laboratories at UniSA, will use the funding to help build sovereign manufacturing capability, bringing Australia up to speed with other developed nations. “High-powered lasers are increasingly being used in defence and manufacturing, but despite a long history of developing lasers in Australia, our technology is still relatively immature compared to other countries,” he says. “There is a substantial gap between the research outputs and the needs of our defence industry, so Australia has had to buy this technology from other countries, which is quite restrictive because most nations severely limit their exports of lasers.” Over the next three years, Prof Lancaster aims to build a new type of high-powered laser that combines multiple smaller lasers, fine tuning the manufacturing process so it is cheaper and more efficient. “In the past, I have worked on lasers that take years to build and cost millions of dollars. I think it’s more important to put years of effort to develop the technology and manufacturing processes to build many miniature and safer lasers which cost hundreds of dollars each. That is our aim.” UniSA’s Laser Physics and Photonics Devices Lab will manufacture the lasers and the University of Adelaide’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensors will develop the specialist laser glass. Prof Lancaster says Australia’s universities and defence sector need to be more closely integrated to build sovereign independence […]

The secret of productivity growth is not technology

The idea that technology drives productivity growth is both a commonplace and a common frustration. Economies operating at or near the technological frontier have long seen sagging trend growth rates despite marvellous technology – from artificial intelligence to bioengineering to robotics – proliferating at breakneck speed. This matters because productivity, or output per input, pays for higher wages and is the foundation of long-run prosperity. In that sense, it matters most in rich economies where higher productivity growth would allow political debates to shift from (re-)distributing a relatively stagnant economic pie to sharing a growing one. Yet, there is an often-overlooked factor in the debate about technology and growth. Yes, technology undoubtedly plays a critical role, but we should think of it as the fuel of productivity growth. The spark is provided by tight labour markets, i.e. when firms are forced to better utilise technology because they cannot add labour easily. So how can cyclical tightness spur productivity growth? Which types of economies are set to benefit from this relationship? And why should policymakers see tight labour markets as both an opportunity and risk? Understanding the spark of productivity growth Availability is often not enough to prompt broad adoption and utilisation of technology – integration can be costly and there may be implementation risks. It is often easier for firms to continue to grow with the next incremental hire. When labour markets are tight and wage growth runs above long-run trends, however, firms will face downward pressure on margins even when revenue is growing. Such a pressure cooker economy can force executives, managers and workers to adopt and better utilise existing technology, instead of looking to an expensive labour market for extra capacity. The fuel of productivity growth is global, but the spark is local While the frontier of technology can diffuse […]

Treotham has lubrication-free igus spherical balls

Heavy dirt accumulation, dust and swarf are commonplace for pillow blocks and fixed flange bearings. Constant lubrication and maintenance is therefore necessary. With the injection-moulded igus spherical balls, customers can resort to a lubrication-free and maintenance-free solution for their metallic pillow blocks. igus has now developed new spherical balls made of the high-performance plastic iglidur J, specifically for cost-effective sheet metal housings. Metal and lubrication are found close together in mechanical engineering. igus proves that this does not always have to be the case. The motion plastics specialist has developed its igubal exchangeable spherical balls especially for pillow blocks and fixed flange bearings with metallic housings. These consist of the high-performance polymer iglidur J, which reduces costs since lubrication and maintenance are eliminated. The use of polymers prevents dirt and dust from settling in the bearing, which additionally reduces the sealing and prevents an unplanned machine downtime. The use of exchange bearings is also suitable in agriculture and farming, in the food industry or in plant and mechanical engineering. The igubal spherical balls come directly from injection moulding and are therefore cost-effective. Within a few seconds, they can be mounted in place of ball bearings in existing classic metallic pillow blocks and flange bearing housings and now also in low-cost sheet metal housings. The bearing system consisting of sheet metal housing and igubal spherical ball is available from Treotham. The plastic spherical ball has a high durability and its service life can be easily calculated online. Lubrication-free operation thanks to iglidur J The spherical balls made of iglidur J are not only cost-effective, but also have a very low coefficient of friction in dry operation. The material absorbs only a little moisture, so that the use of the spherical balls is also suitable for outdoors. Due to the chemical resistance […]

South Korean patent granted for Archer’s quantum computing chip

Growing Australian small cap, Archer Materials Limited, has announced the granting of a Republic of Korea patent associated with the company’s 12CQ quantum computing chip technology. The Korean Patent is a significant commercial milestone in the development of the 12CQ chip and in the Company’s efforts to access global markets. South Korea is a major global manufacturer and exporter of semiconductor chip devices, with its conglomerates, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, among the top producers of semiconductors in the world. The KR Patent application successfully underwent substantive examination procedures by the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which has over 1 million patents in force. South Korea has the highest number of patents per unit of GDP and the country files patents most heavily in electronic equipment (top ranked globally) and computing technology. Together with the US and China, South Korea is one of the most competitive jurisdictions for patent granting. Patent protection in South Korea is required for any future commercial operations in the country and provides Archer with access to a top 5 innovation economy to exploit IP rights related to the 12CQ chip with a duration of patent right up until Dec 2036. South Korea has named investment in its world-leading semiconductor industry, with the country committing to invest US$450 billion through to 2030, the bulk of which coming from companies, including US$150 billion by Samsung Electronics and US$200 billion by SK Hynix. Archer will need patent protection in South Korea if the Company is to participate in the country’s semiconductor industry. Commenting on the grant of the South Korean patent, Archer CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair said: “Archer’s quantum computing chip IP is now well protected in South Korea – home to some of the world’s largest chipmakers, and a critical part of the global semiconductor supply chain. “We […]

Student Challenge to Design the Future

RS Components are big supporters of the STEM student community and are excited to launch the People. Planet. Product. Student Design Challenge in partnership with The Washing Machine Project. 70% of the world’s population lacks access to an electric washing machine. That’s why The Washing Machine project was founded – to help alleviate the burden of handwashing clothes by providing displaced and low-income communities and households with an accessible, off grid washing solution. The Washing Machine Project have produced a manual, crank-handle washing machine called Divya that has been proven to save 75% of the time and 50% of the water taken to handwash clothes. They’ve devised the People. Planet. Product. Student Design Challenge to engage students with STEM backgrounds to help improve the uptake and functionality of the Divya. The prize? Besides making the world a better place? The top 3 finalists will win over $1000 in RS parts or cash equivalent to support their prototype development, access to a business mentor, and an exclusive session with The Washing Machine Project Founder, Navjot Sawhney. To enter, students must be 18 or over, follow the link and describe their idea before Friday 20th August, 10am (BST). https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/people-planet-product-student-design-challenge

Marr and Mirvac remove first section of iconic TV tower

Australian crane company, Marr Contracting (The Men From Marr’s), in partnership with Mirvac, has successfully removed the top section of one of Sydney’s highest and most recognisable structures, the former TCN-9 TX transmission tower at Willoughby. Built in 1965, the lattice ‘Eiffel Tower’ was Sydney’s first television tower and one of three towers known as ‘the Artarmon triangle’ that broadcast television on behalf of major media companies before being decommissioned in February 2021. With the departure of Nine Entertainment Co to North Sydney, Mirvac acquired approval to remove the tower and redevelop the site into a new residential community. At 233-metres, the tower, which was Sydney’s tallest structure until Sydney Tower was built, requires a specialised craneage solution to dismantle it. Now fully erected, the top of the tower crane stands over 200 metres above ground level. In early 2020, Mirvac assembled a team of leading Australian and international engineers and contractors including Marr, Robert Bird Group and critical infrastructure experts Kordia, to come up with a solution for designing and managing the process for dismantling the tower, which faced several challenges due to its size and location. “At 233-metres, this tower is equal in height to a 77-storey building which posed a number of challenges. So, Mirvac approached us to see if we could come up with a solution, using our tower cranes and bespoke equipment, as an alternative to more traditional methods of deconstruction.,” said Marr’s Managing Director, Simon Marr. “As the decommissioned tower was not structurally sound enough to attach lateral supports, the challenge from a craneage point-of-view was to find a way to get the crane hook height above 233 metres without the need to build expensive and complicated temporary structures to support the crane. “We spent 12 months working with multiple stakeholders including our lead […]

GLG to consider strategic options for market-leading Pierlite division

The Board of Gerard Lighting Group (GLG) has announced plans to explore strategic options for the company’s Pierlite business. Pierlite is the leading provider in Australia and New Zealand of indoor commercial and industrial lighting solutions. As a trusted brand for more than 70 years, the business has unrivalled relationships with a blue-chip and growing base of wholesalers, contractors and specifiers across the commercial, industrial, health and education segments. Pierlite has a strong track record of delivering large and complex lighting solutions projects. GLG is majority-owned by Bain Capital Credit and Investec. Through their strong support over a number of years, the Pierlite business has achieved meaningful growth including double-digit profitability based on revenues of approximately $150m. This has been driven in part by a comprehensive transformation program focused on a customer-led distribution model which has included significant investments in product innovation and R&D, new technology systems, and end-to-end process improvements. GLG Chairman Ben Sebel said the Pierlite division was well-placed to sustain strong growth following the successful transformation program, and with a clear focus on new market opportunities. “The business has a clear strategy to capitalise on the significant opportunities in important and rapidly emerging segments, including the global market for smart building lighting solutions which is forecast to become a $US100b industry by 2025”, he said. Pierlite’s innovative product solutions and market-leading offering has seen it secure numerous contracts across multiple segments in Australia and New Zealand including government, education, health and asset owners. Ankura Consulting has been appointed financial advisor to the proposed process.

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August 2021