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Is 5G ready for manufacturing?

High profile scandals aren’t typically good for the technology sector. Whether it’s diesel emissions, large data breaches or cyber-attacks on mission-critical infrastructure, scandal has the power to cripple a technology even before it’s gotten off the ground. Despite what recent headlines may have you thinking, 5G has the potential to be a hugely positive force in the world of manufacturing, heralding in a new era of technological innovation. While 3G and 4G offered incremental improvements in speed and bandwidth, 5G will be the first cellular, wireless platform to truly offer reliable integration with machine-to-machine and industrial IoT systems. It will do this in three ways. The first is enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB); 5G offers peak data rates of 10 Gbps and can handle 10,000 times more traffic than its predecessors. Secondly, it offers Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC). This means it has a radio latency of less than 1 ms and an availability of over 99.9 per cent, making it ideal for industrial use where uptime is critical. Thirdly, it offers Massive Machine-type Communication (eMTC), allowing it to handle a density of one million devices per square kilometre. It can also deliver ultra low-cost machine-to-machine communications and can last up to 10 years on battery, great for battery operated low power devices. So, what does this mean for industry? Well, not only will 5G open the door for real-time wireless sensor networks and location and asset tracking, it will also enable plant managers in smart factories to rely on seamless communication with a fleet of autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) without worrying about network dropouts. What’s more, manufacturers that may have been sceptical of adopting the likes of augmented and virtual reality technologies will be able to take full advantage of them for real-time simulation and predictive maintenance. In industrial […]

Piotrek and CSIRO to make lithium ion batteries for global market

A new partnership between Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and Japanese specialist chemical manufacturer, Piotrek, will see Australian-developed battery technologies commercialised globally within the next five years. The collaboration will enable the next generation of lithium battery technologies for portable electronic devices, drones and automotive vehicles, as well as address a critical safety need with lithium batteries by helping prevent battery fires. The two organisations have partnered to develop the next generation of Solid Polymer Electrolytes (SPEs) for lithium batteries using CSIRO’s proprietary RAFT (Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer) polymer technology and Piotrek’s Ion Conducting Polymers (ICP). General Manager at Piotrek, Mr Ihei Sada, said combining the CSIRO SPE with Piotrek ICP will give his company a big market advantage. “This partnership will help Piotrek make our batteries safer and more efficient, and with our industry reach, we will get our advanced batteries to the market faster,” Mr Sada said. “Together we will develop the world’s safest, longer life solid state high energy battery.” Solid state batteries are a class of lithium batteries that typically use a lithium metal anode, the highest specific energy of all battery anodes, enabling next generation batteries with twice as much energy than today’s lithium battery technologies. Additionally, there is no volatile or flammable liquids inside a solid state battery that can catch fire at low temperatures if the cell is damaged. CSIRO Battery Research Leader, Dr Adam Best, said that with several companies already active in this field, there are proposals to have solidstate battery enabled devices in the market by 2025, if not sooner. “Our RAFT technology allows us to tune our SPEs’ properties to expandtheir versatility for different types of batteries and fuel cells, and will also significantly reduce the cost of device assembly and manufacture” Dr Best said. CSIRO’s Dr John Chiefari […]

Australian space experts focus on small sat technology

Australia’s rebooted space industry is positioning itself as a world leader in the development of smart satellites and associated technologies that will streamline communication, drive the Internet of Things, enhance Earth Observation and shape the defence forces of the future. The Australian Government backed SmartSat CRC – or Cooperative Research Centre – is playing a leading role during “Space Week” in the South Australian capital, which includes the 8th Space Forum (formerly South Australia Space Forum) and the 19th Australian Space Research Conference. Supported by the Australian Space Agency and the SmartSat CRC, the week began on Thursday. The 8th Space Forum is on at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Monday September 30 and includes a panel session hosted by SmartSat CRC Industry Director Peter Nikoloff about the opportunities and challenges facing Australia’s newest major space organisation. The 19th Australian Space Research Conference will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday (October 1 & 2). The A$245 million SmartSat CRC was awarded in April and has established a headquarters in Adelaide to co-ordinate its 99 industry and research partners. Nikoloff, who is also a co-founder of Adelaide-based defence and space company Nova Systems, said the panel discussion would focus on highlighting the research and application of intelligent technologies to space systems and opportunity for Australia’s growing space industry. He said the panel will seek to identify niche areas of autonomous systems and how the participating universities, industry and defence members could potentially exploit those opportunities. “The intelligent systems from our perspective aren’t just what’s on a spacecraft, we’re looking at the whole chain that goes from the spacecraft down to the ground stations and the applications of how that information is being presented,” Nikoloff said. Nikoloff said developing applications to process data and streamlining data transfer before sending it to Earth […]

First hi-tech X-ray tube rolls off the line in Adelaide

Australian hi-tech company Micro-X has rolled out the first of its lightweight mobile X-ray carts fitted with its own in-house designed and manufactured X- ray tube. The X-ray tubes are the world’s first to be electronically controlled and contain a unique carbon nanotube emitter designed by Micro-X in collaboration with South Australian researchers at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University. The launch coincides with the opening of Micro-X’s expanded facilities at the Tonsley Innovation Precinct in Adelaide, South Australia. Micro-X has achieved strong growth since launching its first mobile X-ray product in 2017, the DRX Revolution Nano, which is marketed by US company Carestream Health. The digital medical X-ray system is aimed at the rapidly expanding market for bedside imaging in hospitals and mobile healthcare. It is a fraction of the size, weight and cost of its competitors and has already been sold into 10 countries around the world. This year Micro-X also signed an AU$10 million deal with defence company Thales Group to develop mobile X-ray products for security purposes. Thales and Micro-X will collaborate on the global sales and support of Micro-X’s counter-terrorism Mobile Backscatter Imager of Improvised Explosive Devices and an airport checkpoint security scanner. Micro-X is also developing a “Rover” mobile X-ray product for military field hospitals. “Many organisations around the world have been trying for years to create this new kind of X-ray source, smaller and lighter than anything seen before, but we are delighted to win that race and be the first company in the world to bring a FDA approved medical imager to market with this technology” said Peter Rowland, Micro-X’s founder and Managing Director. “This exciting innovation, the first in X-ray sources for 150 years, will revolutionise global X-ray imaging. “Our carbon nanotube source is like a ‘LED globe’ where everyone else is still using old-fashioned hot filaments. […]

Integrated tech company opens global headquarters in Adelaide

TT Fuel, a technology company manufacturing fuel supply systems, has consolidated its operations in Adelaide while launching a new fuel terminal. Opened by the Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, the new headquarters brings together the entire team of TT Fuel into a space that includes engineering, manufacturing, software development and a 24-hour global support desk. The Australian-owned company designs and manufactures fuel storage and handling systems for both industrial and retail customers. The company has grown into a global technology company since being bought by venture entrepreneurs in 1989 from a South Australian university spinoff. TT Fuel Group Director John Casey said they had contemplated moving the company out of South Australia but decided to stay because the state offered an excellent workforce and enviable lifestyle. “The exceptional lifestyle and ease of getting around Adelaide is conducive to creating a congenial workplace that makes it easier to keep the best people,” Casey said. He said that consolidating the company’s workforce at the new HQ in Torrensville, an inner suburb of Adelaide, would help the company fulfil its ambition to expand with new products and software such as its TT8800 Outdoor Payment Terminal, right, and T-POS retail point of sale terminal. Both products were officially launched at the new headquarters. The TT8800 is built to allow for secure automated management of unattended retail refuelling sites, especially in remote locations. It is connected to the 24-hour monitoring system at the new headquarters and is able to handle all types of payment cards so anyone can buy fuel at any time. The T-POS system allows fuel retailers to manage all sales on one screen while monitoring wet and dry stock levels in real time and control the operation of forecourt equipment. TT Fuel systems operate in some of the harshest environments in the world, […]

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Elastic Wearlon sheaves take stress out of wire rope applications

Wire ropes used in a broad range of equipment – including lifting, winching and conveying applications – can benefit from durable sheaves and rollers (bottom right) made from engineered plastics, which protect against metal-to-metal contact and harsh abrasion from metal alternatives. Wire rope is integral to lifting, shifting and power transmission across a host of industries, starting with mining in the 1830s and extending since across wide swathes of industry. Uses today encompass cranes and lifting, cargo handling, elevators, construction, primary and food product harvesting, power generation technology (such as tendons in windmills), winching and conveying in manufacturing, minerals processing and materials handling and fixed and mobile plant used in paper and timber processing. Wire rope’s big initial advantage over the chains it originally replaced was that it would not snap catastrophically where there were flaws in chain links or solid bars, but rather individual strands could fail while others around them would take up the load safely and flexibly without shock. However, even the best quality wire rope will ultimately wear and potentially fail if it is subjected to constant abrasion, such as that induced by uneven metal-to-metal contact across sheaves and where lubricants attract grime to gradually compromise strength while attracting impurities into industrial processes. To help protect against such issues, Cut To Size Plastics custom-engineers sheaves and rollers for wire ropes using some of the world’s hardest-wearing engineering plastics, formulated to reduce wear and maintenance and enhance safety in a wide range of machinery and materials handling equipment. Examples of such sheaves are fabricated from Cut To Size’s internationally proven Wearlon range of hard-wearing cast polyamide engineering plastics, such as the LiNNOTAM products of the globally respected Licharz organisation. These products are formulated both for OEM use and metal replacement in applications involving transmission of mechanical force […]

Australian rocket launch site given major project status

The South Australian government has granted major project status to a venture which aims to become Australia’s first commercial rocket launch site. Southern Launch is aiming for its Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex “to get off the ground in 2020”. The declaration takes the South Australian company to the next stage that will allow it to undertake a comprehensive assessment and submit a formal development application. Southern Launch announced in December it had found a site at Whalers Way on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula for its launch pad, just days before the new Australian Space Agency declared it would establish headquarters in the state’s capital Adelaide. The multi-user rocket launch facility will allow micro- and small-lift rocket manufacturers to launch satellites into polar orbits using cutting edge technology, further reinforcing South Australia’s contribution to the nation’s space sector. The 1190-hectare site sits at the bottom of Eyre Peninsula, about 35 minutes’ drive from the regional centre of Port Lincoln. The complex is 250km west of Adelaide and 500km south of Woomera, the historic rocket launch site that is restricted to military use. A taskforce, headed up by state government agency Defence SA has been established to help Southern Launch through the development process, which includes detailed plans of site operations, potential customers, economic benefit and environmental impact. Southern Launch founder and CEO Lloyd Damp said the major project declaration was a fantastic step forward and would allow more information to be released and public consultation to begin. He said major project status was usually reserved for huge infrastructure projects that ran into the billions of dollars. “Our project is a fraction of that size but the potential benefit to the South Australian economy is of great importance to the state,” Damp said. “The creation of something like a launch facility operates […]

Manufacturing finalists announced in Victorian Premier’s sustainability awards

A world’s first emissions report for the manufacturing sector and two very diverse manufacturers and have been announced as finalists in this year’s Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards. Beyond Zero Emissions’ Electrifying Industry, finalist in the new Environmental Volunteering category, is a report by expert volunteers that shows how to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing. Downer is a finalist in the Large Business category. In partnership with Close the Loop and RED Group, they have created an asphalt pavement material, known as Reconophalt, that incorporates non-traditional repurposed materials to reduce environmental impact without compromising product performance. The asphalt mix also remains perpetually recyclable. (See picture below.) Retub has been announced as a finalist in the Small and Medium Enterprises category for their program Premium Reusable Takeaway Containers. Retub™ is a modern reusable take-away food container that reduces waste in up to three different ways and uses a unique, built-in container exchange program, Reswap. The Premier’s Sustainability Awards is one of Victoria’s major sustainability programs, celebrating people working to reduce the impact of climate change and to create a better future for us all. The interim CEO of Sustainability Victoria, Carl Muller, congratulated finalists for their innovative work, building a more sustainable environment for current and future generations. “Delivering these Awards means we continue to discover and celebrate the talent and enthusiasm Victorians have for thinking creatively about new models of sustainability,” he said. “The Awards, now in their 17th year, acknowledge leadership, innovation and achievement. Each finalist is commended for improving sustainable outcomes across business, government, education, health and within the community.” Winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony on Thursday 10 October at Forum Melbourne. The Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, will personally select the winners of the Premier’s Regional Recognition Award and the Premier’s Recognition Award, which […]

Dicker Data receives Australia’s first shipment of FujiFilm LTO-8 data tapes

To meet the unprecedented demand for Fujim LTO Ultrium8 Data Cartridges (LTO-8), Dicker Data has received and begun shipping the first Australian delivery of tapes. Dicker Data National Business Development Manager Paul Tutton. Dicker Data National Business Development Manager Paul Tutton explained, “To say the market has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of FujimO-8 tapes is an understatement. As such we pre-ordered the large amount of stock you see here, most of which we have already sold to our customers. Fortunately Fujims the manufacturer, have plenty of available stock and that combined with our next day delivery means our customers are always taken care of.” FujiFilm tapes use its patented Barium Ferrite (BaFe) magnetic particle technology with its outstanding recording/retrieval performance and long-term durability to offer a storage capacity of 30TB (12TB for non-compressed data), twice the capacity of the previous generation LTO-7*1. They are also capable of transferring data at 750MB/sec (360MB/sec for non-compressed). Paul Tutton concluded, “LTO tape is more relevant than ever to the market as it offers low cost of ownership, easy scalability and excellent security and protection from threats such as ransomware. The fact that FujimO-8 tapes are also available in WORM or an ECO pack in purchases of 20 carts or more for the plain packaging that eliminates individual plastic cases, makes these tapes a very attractive proposition indeed.” FujiFilmtape main specifications Capacity (at 2.5x compression) – 12TB (30TB) Maximum transfer rate (at 2.5x compression) – 360MB/sec (750MB/sec.) Number of tracks – 6,656 (32 track heads in the serpentine format) Cartridge memory – 130,816Bits (16,352byte); internal EEPROM with electromagnetic induction antenna Tape width – 12.65mm Tape thickness – 5.6μm Tape length – 960m *1　FUJIFILM LTO Ultrium7 Data Cartridge that complies with the 7th-generation LTO Ultrium standards

Queensland waste-to-energy project receives international accolades

CST Wastewater Solutions’ major waste-to-energy project with NH Foods in Queensland has received international recognition this month through finalist nominations in both the energy and sustainability categories of the prestigious 2019 Institute of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Global Awards. The technology involved in the double IChemE finalist nomination is a far-sighted green energy initiative by leading meat processor NH Foods Australia at their Oakey Beef Exports facility, and is already paying handsome dividends in terms of cleaner wastewater effluent, as well as a reduced fossil fuel environmental footprint and lower energy costs. The Global Water & Energy (GWE) COHRAL(Covered High-Rate Anerobic Lagoon) plant extracts green energy (biogas) from Oakey Beef Export’s wastewater streams to replace millions of dollars’ worth of natural gas over its operating life, in Queensland’s Darling Downs region. The plant – which occupies half the space of comparable technologies and stores biogas extracted from wastewater in a robust 6000m3 polyester balloon – was installed at Oakey by Australian environmental engineering and green energy authority CST Wastewater Solutions, which recently inspected the plant as it reaches its landmark fifth year of service in southern Queensland. In addition to food and beverage processors, the technology can be applied to agribusiness operations including all forms of meat, livestock, poultry, fish and agribusiness, including fruit, sugar, vegetable, grains and other crops. “It’s outstanding to receive this kind of international recognition, and we credit NH Foods Australia for their forward-thinking and innovative attitude to sustainability. They are leading the way in environmental and sustainable outcomes in the meat industry in Australia,” said Mr Michael Bambridge, Managing Director, CST Wastewater Solutions. “By transforming a wastewater effluent treatment and disposal problem into an ongoing productive asset, the plant has achieved a rare business and environmental ideal of cleaner, greener performance with stable, predictable and profitable […]

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