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Australia manufactures secondary mine ventilation for massive cost savings and compliance

A new technological solution engineered and manufactured in Australia offers power savings and control not yet seen in the underground mining industry. Minetek’s patented secondary mine ventilation system based on a high output Axial Fan system uses a patented Mine Air Control (MAC) system to maximise return from its Performance on Demand (POD) units which automatically sense how much air is needed in any one heading at any time. Each solution is engineered and manufactured in Australia specific for the end user. Whilst these secondary underground fans strategically optimise air flow, they eliminate much of the power traditionally wasted in such applications while performing across a very large operating range and meeting broad regulatory compliance parameters. Compared to the common standard twin stage axial fan ventilation systems found on the market, the Minetek High Output axial fan system is modular and provides: Vastly reduced energy costs. Adequate air at the face. High levels of control. Sensor tracking to automatically adjust to real-time demand. High volume compliance Blast dust removal rapidly. Reduced noise output. According to Minetek’s Engineering Manager, Mr Remy Bourcier, the company’s High Output Axial Fan has been designed and manufactured in Australia completely with the underground mining industry in mind and the MAC control system brings the mine’s fan system together with complete automation. “Until now, the market has to a certain limit used high maintenance Variable Speed Drives to provide some level of control to the air flow in secondary ventilation systems,” said Mr Bourcier. “But our patented system works on high pressure, steel fabricated impeller technology allowing operation at temperatures and conditions previously thought impractical for an axial fan – and we achieve this in seriously harsh environments. “It’s in the area of energy costs where the real savings are found, and this is very tangible […]

MainMan service enhances uptime, safety and maintenance efficiency

Without Konecranes’ efficient cranes and time-saving maintenance programmes, ARC’s business wouldn’t be able to function. Steel reinforcing specialist, Australian Reinforcing Company (ARC), is benefitting from comprehensive, time-saving maintenance programmes and enhanced safety provided by Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance technology. ARC uses three cranes in its Launceston facility, with lifting capacities from 3t to 6.3t, to move heavy steel products of varying shapes and sizes, including reinforcing bars, reinforcing mesh, pipe cages and a huge range of customised fabrications. ARC’s products are used in industries as diverse as building and construction, infrastructure, civil engineering, energy and water and waste. “Our cranes are essential to our business. Without Konecranes’ efficient and outstanding service, we wouldn’t be able to function,” says ARC Launceston Branch Manager, Ms Wendy Emanuel. “We’ve used Konecranes right from the beginning and it’s not just the maintenance they perform that sets them apart – it’s their staff. The technicians are well-equipped, knowledgeable and polite. Their managers and support staff are easy to talk to and provide valuable feedback after a project has been completed,” she said. With more than 600,000 pieces of lifting equipment under service contract worldwide, Konecranes is the world’s leading crane service organisation. It is constantly introducing new technologies and innovations to improve maintenance efficiency, enhance safety and minimise downtime. MainMan Planned Maintenance Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance service is designed to provide an in-depth picture of the condition of all cranes and related equipment, as well as routine maintenance work, such as adjusting and lubricating, with the intent of satisfying the manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations. This service includes a preventive maintenance inspection, visual checks, routine maintenance, and operational and functional testing of your lifting equipment. Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance technology is part of its Lifecycle Care Preventative Maintenance Program, which looks at the whole life of the […]

Konecranes adopts Internet of Things technology

Konecranes, specialising in the manufacture and service of cranes and lifting equipment, has implemented Siemens’ digital innovation platform to accelerate its product development process and connect product and performance data together. The company is using MindSphere, the open, cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) operating system, and the Teamcenter portfolio, the world’s most widely used digital lifecycle management software, to leverage the digital twin and reduce the number of physical prototypes, which helps to increase efficiency and decrease product validation time. The Konecranes proof of value is one of the first implementations of IoT to develop a framework that connects and synchronizes the virtual (engineering design, analysis and simulation) and physical (testing and operational reliability) worlds. The product design process is currently based more on an engineer’s experience and generally shared assumptions than measured facts from existing products. These assumptions often lead to non-optimised designs that are over engineered. With an integrated digital twin platform, there is major potential in speeding up the product development process, reducing prototypes, increasing traceability and thus improving quality and reduce development cost. Today design, simulation and prototype testing organisations operate in their own silos, often using out of date processes for their work. At Konecranes, a digital twin was utilised as the communication approach between all three organisations to review data and provide feedback around engineering, simulation and testing intent. Using the Siemens platform for digital innovation, Konecranes has been able to connect the data from all of these organisations to create one 360 degree view of how prototypes are running and performing, and correlating requirements to, real world performance data. A closed-loop digital twin framework using IoT and product lifecycle management (PLM) technologies can lead to faster design issue resolution and shorter prototyping phases by leveraging virtual sensor data in product simulations to provide […]

Construction and mining the next frontier of robotics adoption

In the past, for heavy industry-related locations like mines, robots were controlled by teleoperation or navigate autonomously across uneven terrain or within subterranean interiors with little to no human interaction. This was the same for construction sites, where robots must understand changing floor plans, keep track of inventory, and navigate stairs. Thanks to advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), wireless telecommunications, location-based technologies, and navigation systems, this is being realised. Modern robotics tend to be associated with either indoor environments like factories and warehouses, or in the home. But there is a multitude of other, less structured and more challenging environments where AMRs are only just beginning to proliferate. Advanced mobility enabling autonomous navigation will empower robotics vendors in construction, extraction and elsewhere. While in 2018, 28.7% of commercial robots’ shipments had some degree of autonomous navigation, in 2027, the percentage will be 79.3%. Construction robots may be involved in specific tasks, such as brick-laying, painting, loading, and bulldozing. We can expect hundreds of AMRs in the next 2 years, mainly doing haulage. These robots help to protect workers from a hazardous working environment, reduce workplace injuries, and address labour shortages. For the robots to operate in challenging, hostile, and unsafe environments without human assistance, the key beneficiaries will be OEMs who choose to adopt navigation-providing operation systems (OS) from third-party providers. Specialist robot companies have a greater opportunity to attract capital due to increased interest, and with the formulation of cloud services from AWS and Google, have more opportunity than ever to develop advanced capabilities like mobile manipulation and advanced analytics. However, they will struggle to get an in-house solution off the ground without partnering with third-party providers on localisation and navigation technologies. Given the complexity of localisation, mapping, and navigation alone, a delegation of responsibility to third-party providers is […]

Bankwest launches data science internship and graduate programs

WA financial institution Bankwest has taken new steps to actively foster talent and grow the data science community in WA, with the establishment of an intern program and a graduate development program, both in data science. The six-week internship program launched in January and the first four graduates on to the new data science graduate development program start this month (Feb 18). Bankwest Executive General Manager of Customer Solutions and Insights Pieter Vorster said the programs are part of Bankwest’s focus on leveraging data science and analytics to help deliver the digital products and services expected by customers. “As part of a growing focus on being an insight led business, we’re turning our attention to helping develop home-grown talent and increase the size of the data science community here in WA.” The internship The first two interns to join the program were Nazanin Sabooniha and Tim Howat, both of whom are studying Masters degrees in Perth. Both are spending six weeks working with Bankwest’s Data Science team within CS&I and have hit the ground running. Nazanin said: “I came to Bankwest hoping to use the knowledge and skills I’ve learned at university to put something into practice in the real-world environment. And just a couple of weeks in I’m already doing this. It’s great to be able to apply the theory to something real and see it work. Tim added: “I wanted to make the connection between what we’ve learned at university and how that’s applied in a real work scenario. Also, for Bankwest and this industry, I wanted to experience applying these skills to create value, enabling possibilities for customers.” The graduate development program Pieter said: “For too long highly skilled and capable STEM grads have picked up their degrees from university, packed their bags and jumped on a […]

CBA’s Flash Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index for February

Key insights: The Australian private sector has dipped into contraction territory for the first time in the CBA PMI survey’s history, indicating the Australian economy has lost momentum. Behind the reduction in output was a dip in services business activity amid reports of a soft market demand and drought conditions. The move lower in PMI readings is part of a global trend and highlights the increasing concerns central bankers hold about the global economic outlook. Key quotes from CBA Chief Economist Michael Blythe: “The dip in the PMI below the 50 line that separates expansion from contraction is a significant event. It is the first negative reading in the life of the Australian PMI survey.” “It indicates a loss of momentum in the Australian economy at the start of 2019. It also underlines the shift in forward guidance by the RBA to a more neutral setting.” “The divergence between contracting service sector activity and expanding manufacturing activity should be noted. It shows the slowdown is not broadly based and the more forward looking components like jobs and business sentiment point to a recovery later in 2019.”

No cabling misconfiguration with connect chain configurator

The new Ölflex Connect Chain configurator from LAPP Australia will introduce visitors to AUSPACK 19 in March to a simple way to digitally engineer a power chain online with just a few clicks of the mouse. The new tool from one the world’s leading providers of branded cable and connector systems, LAPP, ensures configuring power chains for automation, electrical and process solutions is no longer a complicated task, even for less experienced users. The Ölflex Connect Chain configurator automatically switches off all error sources and always finds the best solution, says LAPP Australia General Manager Simon Pullinger. The online configurator, available nationally, acts as a step-by-step guide through the choice of cable chain, cables and relevant accessories. Ölflex technology will feature in the debut of the new LAPP Australia operation at AUSPACK 2019 In Melbourne from March 26-29 (Stand G130). This first appearance of the fully-fledged LAPP subsidiary in Australia – opened in February 2018 – will provide key markets with a unique overview and personal introduction to Lapp’s globally respected product families, used in Australia for more than 30 years and produced at 18 manufacturing locations on four continents. Ölflex Connect Chain configurator Ölflex Connect Chain configurator ensures components are compatible every step of the way, especially when it comes to the cables’ minimum bend radius. The cable chain must not have a smaller bend radius than the cable. If this is the case, the configurator will display a warning message and suggest other types of cable chain. Other criteria include the travel length, acceleration, temperature behaviour and shielding. The configurator automatically excludes cables that are not suitable for the application. “When the configuration is complete, users receive a personalised quotation and are then able to choose whether you want to purchase the power chain fully assembled by LAPP or […]

Vital Signs: why more expensive milk won’t help farmers much

The supermarket giant Woolworths this week broke ranks and announced it was going to stop selling A$1 per litre milk. It will now charge A$1.10, or A$2.20 for two litres. Chief executive Brad Banducci made it clear that there was more to the decision than straightforward economics: We’ve heard the outlook will continue to be extremely tough for dairy farmers… This is affecting milk production and farm viability, which is devastating for farmers and the regional communities in which they live. The Labor Party has been threatening to impose a minimum farm-gate price. Will what Woolworths is doing help farmers? Only a bit. Milk prices are internationally set The so-called “milk wars” began on Australia Day 2011 when Coles announced it was cutting milk prices to A$1 a litre. Woolworths and Aldi followed suit. The milk market does not just consist of dairy farmers, supermarkets and customers. There are also the processors – companies such as the ASX-listed Murray Goulburn, Parmalat, Lion and Fonterra – that stand between farmers and supermarkets. Then there is the international market for dairy products like butter, cheese and milk powder. The biggest determinant of farm gate prices in Australia is not what the major supermarkets do, but world dairy prices. The Department of Agriculture says 37% of Australian milk production is exported. Add to that the roughly 35% that goes into locally consumed butter, cheese and milk powder that is subject to competition from imports. You can quickly see the prices of nearly three-quarters of the milk produced in Australia are set globally. Dairy Australia has a higher estimate. Because even fresh milk is subject to foreign competition, it believes 90% of the annual movement in farm-gate prices comes from changes in international prices. Those changes are beyond the effective control of Australian farmers and regulators. Many of them are the result […]

Australia Facing a Brick Wall of Blackouts

by Jerry Ellis and Sir Rod Carnegie The Chairman of the Saltbush Club, Mr Jerry Ellis, today warned that Australia needs more reliable baseload power. With the population and the economy growing, but with electricity availability and reliability in decline, we are racing headlong into a brick wall of blackouts. Recession and disruption will probably follow, bringing to mind those memorable 1990 words of Paul Keating: ‘This is the recession we had to have’. Except in this case the recession will be self-inflicted. Much of my working life was in the steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s. It operated 24×7, with large numbers of electric motors requiring a continuous supply of low-cost electrical power. Un-planned interruptions were rare, but when they occurred they were very costly. Now we face the prospect of planned and unplanned loss of power due to the rundown of base-load power capacity. It must be a nightmare for today’s steelmakers and aluminium refineries facing this growing crisis. It is essential that Australia rebalances economic imperatives against populist ideas regarding the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. A strong Australian economy is crucial to Australia’s welfare and will also make a valuable contribution to world prosperity. Australia produces a tiny proportion of the world’s carbon dioxide. Even total closure of our industry would have no detectable impact on carbon dioxide emissions or global climate. We urgently need new supplies of reliable energy from coal, gas, hydro or nuclear.” Jerry Ellis was supported by Sir Rod Carnegie, former Managing Director, CEO and Chairman of CRA (Rio Tinto) who said: “It is essential that Australia regains its reputation for cheap reliable electricity or we will lose our manufacturing and refining industries, returning only to our backbone industries of agriculture and mining”. Jerry Ellis once managed Australia’s biggest […]

Pipe bevelling machine for hard alloys

A portable pipe bevelling tool is ideally suited for machining hard alloys typical of subsea applications and pulls a thick chip without cutting oils. The Millhog Commander I.D. Clamping Pipe Bevelling Tool features large clamp pads with six contact points to evenly spread their holding forces and mount rigidly. Ideal for making precision joint preps on Super Duplex, P-91, and other high alloy pipes, this vibration-free pipe machining tool pulls a thick chip without cutting oils and transfers heat away from the pipe surface which prolongs blade life. Only requiring one mandrel and seven sets of clamps for the entire range of the tool, the Millhog Commander I.D. Clamping Pipe bevelling Tool can prep all schedules of pipe from 95.25 mm I.D. to 355.6 mm O.D. This tool can perform 37-1/2 bevels, compound, counterbore, and J-preps. A 3HP pneumatic motor is standard; an 1800W electric and hydraulic motors are optional.

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