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Next-generation manufacturing needs next-generation data

Matt Maw Head of Technology Strategy at Nutanix A/NZ Australia’s manufacturing sector has never been more important to the nation’s future than it is right now. Scenes of empty grocery store shelves and shortages of items we’d taken for granted – building supplies, cars, and bicycles – underscored the need for a sovereign supply chain and strong manufacturing industry. In addition, the increased demand for health services across the country has made the local manufacturing of vaccines, personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical oxygen more important than ever before. This newfound appreciation of the criticality of a local manufacturing capability led the Federal Government to launch a modern manufacturing strategy allocating $52.8 million to fast track digital investments, and $1.3 billion to modernising domestic infrastructure to make supply chains more resilient. As the local manufacturing sector transforms in response to the nation’s latest challenges, it is clear adopting a ‘smart’, digital-centric approach will be the driving force for enabling sovereign capability that meets the demands of the domestic market while also potentially setting up the sector as a major manufacturing player on the world’s stage. While the idea of ‘digital technology’ might conjure images of robotic assembly line workers and self-driving forklifts, the truth is that any innovation is pillared by applications and data. From the cloud to the edge, the data generated powers the delivery of technology solutions across the entire operation. Information enables innovation Access to accurate, real-time data from across the business is fundamental to any innovation. Simply collecting this information isn’t enough. It must also be easily accessible whenever its needed. Unlike other industries, the drive for IT modernisation is not being fuelled by the manufacturing workforce needing to adapt to remote or hybrid working environments. Cutting costs isn’t the major motivator, either. Rather, the industry […]

Port,Hedland,-,Oct,10,2019:large,Truck,Carry,Oversize,Haul

Keep road-friendly air suspension safer with this checklist

Road-friendly air suspension systems increase the ability of trucks, trailers and coaches to transport loads by levelling the suspension, enhancing stability, control and safety over Australia’s diverse and demanding network of more than 870,000 km of public roads. Use of these tough but comfortable systems – which also reduce noise and vibration – has grown exponentially over a generation in Australia, to the point where they have gone from being a comparative rarity to becoming an industry standard as drivers seek top performance on both sealed and tough unsealed roads, which still comprise more than half the total. Air suspension systems now abound in the Federal Government’s lists of Certified Road-Friendly Suspensions prepared by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Suspensions on the list encompass the major OEM and specialist brands of worldwide manufacturers including in Australia. Today, demand for air springs utilised in air suspensions for all types of heavy vehicles (including a vigorously growing market for 4wds and recreational vehicles) has grown in line with a world market that is now estimated by market researchers to exceed $A6 billion. Preventative Maintenance Checklist from Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd Inspect the Outside Diameter (O.D.) of the air spring. Check for signs of irregular wear or heat cracking. Inspect air lines to make sure contact doesn’t exist between the air line and the O.D. of the air spring. Air lines can rub a hole in an air spring very quickly. Check to see that there is sufficient clearance around the complete circumference of the air spring while at its maximum diameter. Inspect the O.D. of the piston for build-up of foreign materials. (On a reversible sleeve style air spring, the piston is the bottom component of the air spring). Correct ride height should be maintained. All vehicles […]

Chef shortage creating hunger for automation

Across the country hospitality operators are reporting shortages in the kitchen and the problem doesn’t seem to be going away, this has led to some innovative and modern solutions to the problem. According to CrunchBase, US-based venture capitalists have invested nearly $600 million in restaurant automation startups in the past 3 years alone, as they see staffing issues as a growing problem. View Post “This is more than just a temporary issue, commercial kitchens have been struggling to fill their available positions for years, there just aren’t enough chefs in the labour pool to meet the demand, and it’s not just in Australia, the US and Europe are experiencing it too,” said Bradley Backhouse, Chef and CEO of Kitchintel, A restaurant automation startup. Kitchintel, an Australian based startup, has designed a fully automated grill that can cook hundreds of steaks, chicken, pork, lamb, fish or any protein the chef chooses. “Automations are coming” says Bradley “It’s not a matter of if but when. Currently, there are many robotics that the entire kitchen needs to be designed around and only perform very simple tasks like flipping a burger. When we designed our fully automated grill, we made sure it could fit in any kitchen and work alongside the chefs helping them day to day. The result is a machine that allows one chef to have the output of 2-3 chefs”. The understaffing of commercial kitchens is a bigger problem than ever, according to ChefHire General Manager, Dwain Watkins “ We have seen a greater demand for agency chefs even from smaller venues who wouldn’t traditionally go down the agency route. A lot of clients are reporting placing ads with no one applying or scheduling interviews and the chef not showing up.” With an increase in food venues and a decrease in […]

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 […]

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 […]

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