Industry Update Apr/Mar 2023 - Issue 131

MANUFACTURING GROWTH

infrastructure projects – particularly in New Wales, and when you view this against a of robust global economic growth, opportunities are there for manufacturing to

Bizarrely, the threat of a global trade war have worked in favour of Australian the short term at least – by softening the Aussie dollar.

“More Australian manufacturers are exporting under the Coalition Government. For every $1 of revenue the sector generates, 28 cents comes from abroad. That’s up from 23 cents a decade ago,” says Senator Cash.

PRODUCTIVITY PLUS FOR SAFE MOBILE PLATFORM

How Espresso Displays beat supply chain issues to get their ‘crazy’ thin monitor to the world

By Margie Smithurst

Nonetheless, the nation’s reliance on export increased in recent years. According for Jobs and Innovation Senator Cash: “Australia’s access to global markets will be fundamental to continued health and success of our local manufacturing industry.

export more than $20 billion a year than we did a decade ago. Australian have, in fact, sold $2.7 trillion to the economy over the last decade.

Besa Deda from St.George also sees positives in the manufacturing employment statistics. “Although manufacturing employment as a proportion of the economy as a whole is in a long-term decline, the recent gains are encouraging,” she says, pointing to nearly 10,000 new manufacturing jobs and increasing capital expenditure plans in the sector.

One word of warning, though, comes from financial analyst illion, which noted in its most recent Australian Business Expectations Survey that one in three manufacturers had reported customers or suppliers become insolvent or unable to pay them in the preceding 12 months, highlighting cashflow as the second-biggest barrier to growth in the year ahead, after utilities and operating costs

t’s been lauded by the AFR as ‘the solution to working from home’, and earned praise from The Washington Post and Forbes magazine, as well as tech industry

Now available at a one-off price of $400 and with significant discount for quantity orders, the DarDeck safe step platform can pay for itself in efficiency gains. And the improved safety it brings to any warehousing, retail or maintenance environment could save a fortune in workers compensation and public liability payouts.

students Will Scuderi and Scott McKeon came up with an idea to make lightweight portable monitors that would sync with their devices and act as second displays.

For the young Sydney engineering graduates behind Espresso Displays, which makes the world’s thinnest portable monitor, the journey to success wasn’t smooth – but it was smart, and very ambitious. It was also a rare move by an Australian company into the consumer hardware innovation space.

In 2018, out of frustration with the limited screen space available on their laptops at uni, two UTS

Designed as a simple and more productive alternative to unstable stepladders and unguarded low work platforms, the Australian designed and manufactured DarDeck combines a solid working platform with safety rails to prevent the user from overbalancing and falling. There is also an integrated shelf to ensure both hands are free when mounting and dismounting.

They then added a hitherto untried element: they wanted the aluminium monitor to be just 5mm thick, 2mm thinner than an iPad.

The pair, joined by a third UTS engineering student Fabian Martitato, put together a prototype using Will’s own 3D printer at home. From there, Will and Fabian worked with vendors overseas to develop the prototype further. This led to them launching a Kickstarter campaign in

Continued page 52

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Commonwealth Government.

But he says when St.George came on board to offer finance, their Western Sydney manufacturing team not only brought expertise but also in-person introductions to the world of state government grants – in this case, NSW ones.

“They organised a meeting with about four different government entities all at once on our premises, and they went above and beyond to get them all in one spot,” Meyer told Industry Update

capability and more of an offering to our clients.

“We need to show that we have hired new staff over that period, and that we’re buying these new machines …and then the government basically funds dollar for dollar on the new capability purchases.”

“In rough numbers it’s over $2 million worth of equipment, which we’ve paid a million dollars for, and the government will contribute over a million dollars over the four year period as the staff are employed.”

With the new factory consolidation to be finalised by the end of the financial year, Meyer says the company will double volume in the foreseeable future, and expects to double that again in time with new plant and enhanced capability.

Value-adding

Meyer says St.George’s team, led by Matt Kelly, who they dub ‘Mr Manufacturing’, is very proactive with their manufacturing clients.

“He’s a go-getter. There’s a constant stream of different opportunities like networking, or industry experts and grants information coming from their office.

Networking helps sous-vide company bag significant grant

Navigating the world of grants isn’t a particularly dynamic one for companies, which usually interact with computer interfaces rather than people during the process.

But thanks to some prudent networking opportunities, Meyer Food Co, the sous-vide specialists once known as Bryopin, won a $1million NSW Jobs Plus grant, enabling them to roll out plans to significantly increase their capability and get the most out of their recent new factory build.

The Meyer family pioneered traditional sous-vide cooking in Australia. In 1988, brothers Nicholas and Michael

By Margie Smithurst

Meyer heard about the French cooking method (vacuum-sealing food in a bag and cooking it to a precise temperature in a water bath) and decided to establish their own business here, which included designing and fabricating the cooking and cooling equipment.

The brothers’ children now run the company, which is arguably the largest one in Australia dedicated to traditional sous-vide cooking.

No stranger to grants, Meyer Food Co Managing Director Anthony Meyer says the company had applied for a couple of Modern Manufacturing Initiative grants and understood the process with the

“It certainly helped us to understand the New South Wales grant opportunities. We were able to adapt our submission to ensure it was suitable and met the criteria for Jobs Plus.

“After a long time, probably at least 12 months, we had the grant approved. It was all off the back of St.George putting all those different people in a room with us, and showing us not only what we already knew, but a few different things that we didn’t know, which ended up being the key link to helping us get a Jobs Plus grant.”

More staff and capital investment

The Jobs Plus grant (now closed) was a NSW government initiative offering companies contributions towards training, infrastructure and payroll tax if they hire more staff full time.

Meyer says they’ll use the money to hire 30 people over four years and build extra capability in their new factory, a consolidation of 13 other sites.

“The grant enabled us to buy more machinery in order to have more

All Meyer Food’s banking business has now gone to St.George.

“Banking is the easy part,” says Matt Kelly. “What makes us different is that we partner with other providers to help our customers find ways to reduce costs, find money or enhance operations.”

“One of the best things you can do in banking is help clients succeed in a tangible way outside banking.”

The Meyer Family at new factory construction, excluding Anthony. (L-R) Fiona Jordan (Human Resources, Credit Director), Michael Meyer (Co-Founder), Nicholas Meyer (Co-founder), Alex Meyer (Sales Director)

Matt Kelly (L) and Anthony Meyer with new cooling tanks

“What makes us different is that we partner with other providers to help our customers find ways to reduce costs, find money or enhance operations.”

Anthony Meyer, Meyer Food Co Managing Director, Matt Kelly (R), St. George Bank at new factory

CONTENTS

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Printer SPOTPRESS

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including BAE Systems and Thales.

sions of interest from potential purchasers, as its owners prepare to retire.

Operating for more than 25 years, the company caters to a broad base of industries with its unique blend of capabilities in making thin metal parts, ID plates, signage and shim products to adjust machines levels and heights. It also customises shapes for clients’ applications.

Markets include original equipment manufacturers, defence, mining, oil, gas and electronics assemblers in Australia and New Zealand. Accredited with ISO-9001:2015, the company has been a long-standing supplier to Defence Department primes contractors

The company has expanded to service local councils with highly durable signage and nameplates. This broad customer base provides excellent resilience in changing markets.

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Offers are expected to close 16 May 2023. In the first instance, interested parties should contact Scott Filby, Publisher of Industry Update by email scott@industryupdate.com.au

Publisher Scott Filby

While Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned of the grim international economic outlook and its impact on Australia, the government’s plan to invest in local manufacturing capability and technology comes as a welcome bolster.

The passing of the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, as noted in Minister Husic’s column on page 8, should help Australia improve our low ranking in manufacturing self-sufficiency, to which Covid drew startling attention. It also aims to advance manufacturers’ use of technologies in automation - something still lagging, as the latest Rockwell Smart Manufacturing Report points out (see page 37).

Australian Manufacturing Week in May in Melbourne (starts page 38) is a must-attend for manufacturers on the path to smarter production or thinking about it. It showcases the latest in production technology, including the newest 3D metal and carbon fibre printers.

Additive technology printers can bypass supply chain issues with their ability to locally produce parts of various shapes and sizes on demand, to high resolution and in large or small batches. On page 10, we tell the story of how Australian inkjet ingenuity combined with Swedish metal binder jet technology to make the latest in a high quality batch 3D printer, soon to be available here from Markforged.

Alongside AMW in Melbourne is

Australia’s largest electronics event, Electronex (page 66). Australian ingenuity in the electronics sphere is also on show in the magazine, with Sydney engineering graduates winning over fans around the world with their ultra-thin second display, made possible with manufacturing feats and supply chain determination.

Topping off the push for Australians to produce and buy locally, Australian Made Week is in May, and who better to represent the cause than tennis champion Ash Barty.

Meanwhile, with constant interest rate hikes biting both households and businesses, the Easter reprieve was most welcome. Manufacturers continue to face economic pressures, with new orders contracting, elevated prices, supply chain and labour challenges, as well as uncertain gas prices for east coast businesses.

But in my conversations with the sector, I hear the positive stories too. One measuring instruments specialist who supplies to Australia’s manufacturers, including the aerospace and defence sector, told me his sales have gone up since Covid, indicating that companies are increasingly making their products here.

This increase in onshoring is driven by a pragmatic need not to be caught short again, and is hopefully an enduring legacy of Covid.

Editor Christine Powis

Achievements by manufacturers more than justify the Federal Government’s focus and financial support for the sector via its National Reconstruction Fund — as this issue tells.

It’s fantastic to see local manufacturers solving problems, saving time and reducing risks in critical areas, and making inroads in the world’s core industries such as construction, and growth industries such as aerospace and defence.

One is Hypersonix Launch systems, an aerospace engineering and manufacturing firm since 2019 yet already successful in defence — and US ‘defense’ no less (story page 14).

This young hypersonic vehicle and scramjet engine specialist beat 60 contenders in a contract for testing hypersonic platforms, sensors, and comms, navigation, guidance and control systems.

Meanwhile, Western Australian robot maker FBR Limited is poised to set a fast building pace in the US (see page 29). FBR makes its stabilised Hadrian X robots here but offers them ‘on demand’ to developers to build walls faster and more safely than manual builders.

On the home front, Sydney steel fabricator All Metal Products has collaborated with a hospital and UNSW to create a life-support trolley which reduces risks, and saves time and

probably lives when patients get moved around a hospital. As the trolley fits many different bed designs, the market could be wide open for all hospitals and many clinics here and perhaps beyond (see page 32).

And there’s two business-minded series. One tells how getting familiar with tariff concession orders, run by Australian Border Force aka ‘customs’, can boost manufacturers’ bottom lines (see page 19). The third in a series from William Buck advises on revitalising your business in the wake of disruption (see page 42).

As government ramps up its fighting stance on cyber crime, we’re running the second part of our cyber crime story. It’s a guide on how to secure your operational tech – tailored to manufacturers’ OT — from Ashwin Pal, Partner, Cyber Security and Privacy Risk with RSM Australia.

The good news is that not all measures he advises incur downtime and, because businesses fail in basic ways, small things done properly can make a huge difference.

Unfortunately this is my last issue as editor and I want to thank Publisher Scott Filby and colleagues for the opportunity to work on Industry Update and get to know more of this vital and varied industry.

Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic

NRF through the lens of technology

The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation Bill passed the Parliament in March, bringing one of the largest peacetime investments in Australia’s industry and manufacturing capability one step closer.

Australians should be proud of our manufacturing history. We’ve made a wide range of sophisticated goods – and to very high standards.

But by 2015 we had slumped to last place in an OECD survey of manufacturing self-sufficiency.

Harvard University’s Atlas of Economic Complexity had Australia in 91st place in 2020, down from a modest 55 in 1995.

It’s clear that growing reliance on global suppliers has resulted in unwelcome impacts. For example, when the COVID pandemic happened, we couldn’t get the things we needed most at the most crucial time.

Becoming the last link in the global supply chain left Australia vulnerable.

Because we are now a price-taker rather than a price maker in manufacturing, we’re also more susceptible to global inflationary pressures.

That’s something no pragmatic Australian government can or should tolerate.

We’re confident the soon-to-be-established NRF –will empower our manufacturers to better withstand global shocks and diversify our industrial base.

Robotics Strategy for Australia.

We are a global leader in field robotics – robots that operate in large, unstructured outdoor domains carrying out aerial, land or underwater missions.

As technologies advance and mature, more and more Australian manufacturers will adopt robotic systems to improve their productivity and efficiency.

The NRF’s focus will help nurture and grow the industries and jobs of tomorrow, particularly in areas where we have natural and competitive strengths.

The NRF will dedicate $5.5 billion in funding for renewables and low-emissions technologies, medical science and advanced manufacturing for example.

There will be a targeted $1.5 billion for manufacturers to value-add to our resources and agricultural commodities.

I have also announced the development of a National

There is also immense potential for robotics and automation systems to make our workplaces safer and to help free up workers for more fulfilling and creative tasks.

Complementary to the strategy, the NRF will improve Australia’s critical technology capability, in areas such as quantum, robotics, and artificial intelligence; and there’s $1 billion for advanced manufacturing.

In terms of the research needed to underpin growth in these areas, Australia punches well above its weight.

From 2016-20, Australia ranked in the global top 10 in research across 36 technologies ranging from nanobiotechnology and additive manufacturing through to small satellites.

Our scientists will also be critical to addressing the challenges of putting our manufacturing sector on more sustainable footing.

We’re all aware that Australian scientists at the University of NSW invented the technology used in almost all the world’s photovoltaic arrays. It pains me to this day that we didn’t move quickly enough to manufacture it.

If we invent it here, then we should also make it here.

With our strong culture of innovation – and the NRF’s backing – more of our breakthroughs will be commercialised and scaled up here instead of overseas.

I’m especially excited by additive manufacturing and its potential to progress the Australian Government’s broader advanced manufacturing agenda.

The ability to build an object one layer at a time using 3D object printers is already revolutionising traditional fabrication methods.

Additive manufacturing technologies will allow our medical technologies, defence, and aerospace sectors to become even more competitive, particularly in global export markets.

These and other technologies will help create an advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

With our R&D expertise, our extensive raw materials and more cheap renewable energy coming on stream, the NRF is a historic opportunity to take manufacturing to a new level – one where the label ‘Made in Australia’ is synonymous with quality, reliability, and innovation.

“If we invent it here, then we should also make it here.”

“I’m especially excited by additive manufacturing and its potential.”

Swedish and Australian technology combine in ‘game-changing’

3D metal printer

by Margie Smithurst

Australian manufacturers will soon be able to locally produce batches of high quality, complex parts with Metal Binder Jetting 3D printer technology, thanks to a collaboration between Swedish and Australian printing technology.

The PX100 Binder Jetting system, launched here in March by Swedish company Digital Metal, can produce large quantities of high-resolution parts at a time and on demand.

For Australian companies stalling on

supply chain issues, the ability to make their own metal parts locally is a win for sovereignty.

“Markforged Metal Binder Jetting 3D printing brings manufacturing home, offering supply chain resilience and capabilities to manufacture small to large scale serial production of metal parts at the point of need,” said Christian Lönne, CEO of Digital Metal, recently acquired by US 3D metals printer company Markforged.

Digital Metal has been developing metal powder printing technology for over 20 years.

Unlike laser-based technology, which is useful for prototypes and large parts, metal binder jetting uses liquid binder to join metal powder particles layer by layer, and is suitable for small to medium sized complicated parts where repetitive quality is required.

To build the PX100, the most advanced in its range, Digital Metal turned to Australian digital printing

company Memjet, which develops its own inkjet printing technology.

“The core of our technology is really inkjet printing. That’s how metal binder jetting works,” said Lönne, speaking to Industry Update after the launch at UTS’s Tech Lab in Sydney.

“You print on metal powder, where you inkjet a binder that binds the metal powder together to form a component. So the inkjet system is really the heart of our system, and the more advanced that is, the more advanced we can build the parts.

“The Memjet printhead that we have adapted for our Metal Binder Jetting printer is cutting edge technology and has around 70,000 inkjet nozzles. This is a huge increase of capacity and it makes our printer platform extremely capable and future proof.

“So you can imagine the scale up, the sort of possibilities that we get with this kind of technology. And that’s why we came to Memjet.”

Convincing Memjet to move into the 3D realm, however, took some work. Memjet’s core R&D is based in Sydney, but its headquarters are in San Diego, which is where Digital Metal’s team flew to in order to meet them.

“They were a bit sceptical in the beginning because they do 2D printing traditionally. We flew into their San Diego office and met with management and explained why this is going to be fantastic for 3D printing and I have to say, Memjet showed great openness and support from there onwards. I think it’s been a fantastic partnership journey together,” said Lönne.

Memjet’s Osama Abdul-Nabi worked on the project as the consultant engineer between the two countries’ teams.

“There was a lot of work to do on their side, I suppose to understand how they needed to use our technology to suit their needs. And of course, on our side, we needed to make sure we were doing things right for them.”

“I’m an applications engineer, so I work

on many different applications of our technology. And this 3D metal venture was just so unique. For me, it opens that door to showcase what Memjet is capable of.”

Abdul-Nabi says despite anticipating stability as a potential problem, it wasn’t one. And critically, say the collaborators, the printer’s stability makes it suitable for serial quality production.

“Variation kills manufacturing,” says Lonne, “you need to avoid variations to get a better yield.”

Game-changer

Markforged’s Richard Elving, Senior Director Australia, describes the PX100 technology as a game-changer “that will revolutionise high-volume metal production in Australian manufacturing.”

“With this innovative solution, our customers can eliminate third-party supplier risks and costs, insource critical production runs, and build large quantities of discrete or customised parts with precision and reliability,“ said Elving.

“We are confident that this technology will empower our customers to become industry leaders in Australian manufacturing.”

submarine, the USS New Hampshire, and has been performing well for more than six months, according to Markforged.

In Australia, Markforged says Sydney’s Garden Island Naval base has both composite and metal Markforged printers.

In terms of supplying to Australia’s aerospace industry, Markforged is working towards getting CASA quality-standard approval of its parts-printing process.

University collaborations

Australia has no metal binder jetting printing systems yet, and Digital Metal’s Christian Lönne hopes that once the technology does arrive, it is also installed at universities such as UTS Tech Lab or advanced manufacturing institutes where businesses can trial the technology.

“In Europe, we have several installations at leading universities and technical

For defence and aerospace industries, the ability to print quality parts locally, repeatedly and reliably is an obvious advantage.

3D composite and metal printers are already in use on US forces vessels to create spare parts on demand, as part of US Navy Command’s NAVSEA plan to transform digital capacity.

In late 2022, the first 3D metal printer was permanently installed on the US Navy warship, the USS Essex: an aluminium-printing Xerox ElemX.

In July 2022, a Markforged X7 3D carbon-fibre printer was installed on a Virginia class nuclear powered

institutes. This is important to us as it enables both engineering students/ researchers and industry to become a hub where the technology can be tested and tried out to understand what opportunities this technology represents for them.

“And then when companies see how they can leverage the technology they buy their own systems.

The PX100 printer will be commercially available in the second half of 2023 and it’s hoped the first printer will be in use in Australia soon after that.

“Variation kills manufacturing,” says Lonne, “you need to avoid variations to get a better yield.”

“We are confident that this technology will empower our customers to become industry leaders in Australian manufacturing.”

Markforged PX100 - Metal Parts

Digital Metal CEO Christian Lönne with Memjet’s Osama Abdul-Nabi at the UTS Tech Lab PX100 launch

the design process”) and its robust functionality means it’s being used in OPSMs and Sunglass Huts as point-of-saledisplays, and within the optometrists’ rooms for eye exams on patients, which can be marked up on the displays during the consultation.

How Espresso Displays beat supply chain issues to get their ‘crazy’ thin monitor to the world

Continued from front page

2019, raising $600,000 to make 1500 units.

“We were probably defying physics, and any sane manufacturing person would say you guys are crazy to do it. But I think that’s what sets us apart - we’re ready to do the crazy,” Chief Operating Officer and fourth co-founder Gary Caldarola told Industry Update

The small screen challenge Caldarola, an experienced engineer, was working at ResMed when he met Scuderi, who he’d encouraged to join the medical equipment company.

The concept of an ultra thin portable monitor was “amazing” says Caldarola, who was immediately interested. With his experience in product development and manufacturing, he offered his help as a mentor just as the Kickstarter campaign kicked off in 2019.

Manufacturing such a thin screen out of aluminium was a huge challenge, says Caldarola, and the team had to accept they’d be rejecting a lot of attempts.

“It needed to be treated so carefully because… it’s essentially like an aluminium can and can get damaged along the production line. It goes from machining, to sandblasting, to anodising, to laser marking, and at each phase, there was a yield loss. And we had to optimise at each of the process steps to reduce that yield loss… That was a hell of a lot of work, a lot of pain.”

But by constantly optimising and iterating, Caldarola says they came very close to their 5mm goal, reaching 5.5mm for the V1. They’ve since beaten that: their latest V2 display is 5.3mm.

“We’ve still got 0.3mm to go before we’ve achieved Will’s original vision of being a five millimetre display,” says Caldarola.

Multiple site solution

Starting out during Covid threw a huge curveball, and Caldarola realised they needed some creative problem-solving for their manufacturing plans.

“Supply chains came to a grinding halt.

“The way we worked around that was to have manufacturing facilities and suppliers in multiple geographical locations within China, as well as having another

site in Malaysia that kept working and did the final assembly, building all the units for us while China was shut down. We also have suppliers in Japan.

“We were able to keep running, because we had multiple sites and dual sources. This meant that if one supplier was shut down, we could activate another supplier in a different geographical region. And that helped us a hell of a lot during the real peak of the lock downs.

With shipping costs and lead times skyrocketing, the team also built up their reserves internationally.

“We made sure that in each of the four major regions we sell in - Australia, USA, UK and the EU - we’d always have safety stock.”

“We could have died about 100 times,” says Caldarola.

“I think what’s enabled us to be still alive and going is that we would literally not take no for an answer, there was always another way to get something done.”

popular in the age of changing working habits, including office spaces, working from home and working from anywhere.

Their in-house software, espressoFlow, enables the touchscreen to sync with a Mac (“we are the first or one of the first to make a MacBook touch, essentially,” says Caldarola) as well as Microsoft and Linux systems. With Linux favoured by engineers, and Mac

The monitors are also being trialled in operating theatres by surgeons as a way of communicating with other surgeons around the world to get instant feedback while they’re operating, while marking up the touchscreen display at the same time.

Future iterations

With strong growth hopes, the team’s working on higher resolutions, higher colour specs and more sizes – “we’re always looking to optimise the experience for the user,” says Caldarola.

“We’re continuously updating the software to make drawing better, or

Since the V1 model, Espresso Displays has sold many tens of thousands of units, and 60% of their market is in the US.

Now supported by lead investor Richard White, CEO of WiseTech, the team’s grown to more than 30 people, mostly based in Sydney, but also in Asia and the US time zone.

System agnostic

Which brings us to the other remarkable feature of the product, which is that it’s “software and hardware agnostic” – it can work with any operating system and virtually any computing device. That compatibility includes Windows, Mac and Linux.

Espresso devices are also becoming

a favourite with artists and illustrators, both are large target markets along with corporate professionals and gamers.

The display is now much more than just a second monitor, says Caldarola.

“For example, [it] is now also a drawing tablet. It means the artists can also draw to the same standard on the 15.6 inch portable displays at home or remotely as in the office on their 27 inch drawing tablets.”

“Artists and designers have been coming to us saying they have been looking for a way to get creative from anywhere, and we are proud to support their needs with our display which acts as a fully featured drawing tablet when connected to Mac and Windows. It also supports apps like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.”

The display’s aesthetic qualities (“which we really focused on throughout

touch better, or the response time better, and to work with more devices. There’s just so many devices out there.

“For example, the Mac Mini M2 just came out and we needed to be compatible with that.

“We’re listening to the customers, we’re testing and we’re iterating all the time so that we can make the best possible product.”

The dream, says Caldarola, is to open production here in Australia, bringing the manufacturing home.

With an application in for the NSW government’s Future Industries Fund, if they’re successful, that may become a reality – and a win for Australian innovation and sovereignty.

(L-R)

Espresso Displays co-founders: Gary Caldarola, Scott McKeon, Will Scuderi, Fabian Maritato

“We were able to keep running, because we had multiple sites and dual sources”

“We would literally not take no for an answer, there was always another way to get something done.”

Sweetener for Allen’s factory

Tonnes more lollies will be made each year at Nestlé’s manufacturing site at Broadford now that the factory’s $12 million expansion has the backing of the Victorian government’s Regional Jobs Fund.

More of Allen’s famous chewy lollies such as Minties and Sherbies will now be made in the Nestlé factory at Broadford which will add more than 2,000 tonnes each year to production.

“We’re proud to make Australia’s

favourite lollies right here in Broadford, thanks to our hard-working team,” said Factory Manager Emily Bradbury. “Our expanded facilities will allow us to scale up production – which is good news for lolly lovers, and for Broadford.”

The factory, which operates 24 hours a day, five days a week, is the biggest private employer in Mitchell Shire and the project is set to provide long-term job security for more than 200 existing employees.

Minister for Regional Development Harriet Shing, said workers at the Nestlé factory in Broadford have built a delicious and iconic legacy over the past 40 years and government support is helping the Allen’s brand continue to grow.

“Goulburn Valley is a food manufacturing powerhouse, and this investment is another example of what we’re delivering in the region – a strong economy, powered by secure jobs.”

Food manufacturing is one of the biggest industries in the Goulburn Valley, growing 15% faster than the Victorian average for industry growth.

The Labor Government reports that it has supported around 13,000 jobs since 2015 by contributing more than $48 million towards projects in the Goulburn Valley through the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund and more than $700 million across the state.

Australian hypersonics company wins US defence testing contract

Australian aerospace firm

Hypersonix Launch Systems is to provide its DART additive engineering hypersonic vehicles to the United States’ Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for testing.

More than 60 aerospace companies were vying for the contract under the DIU’s Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT1) program. The first DART AE test flight is scheduled for 2024.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) favours innovators but Hypersonix believes it’s unusual for DIU to award contracts to such a young organisation and that the deal shows the greater willingness from the US to source commercial, strategic technologies from allied countries.

Hypersonix was founded late 2019 to commercialise technology developed in previous decades by its co-founder Michael Smart in projects at NASA, in collaboration with the Centre for Hypersonics at the University of Queensland (UQ) and the HiFiRE program.

DIU’s late 2022 HyCAT solicitation sought vehicles for high-cadence, long-endurance testing of:

• hypersonic platforms and components

• sensors for detecting and tracking

• systems for communications, navigation, guidance and control.

DIU requested a vehicle to operate in a ‘representative environment’ that can maintain speeds above Mach 5 with a manoeuvrable/non-ballistic flight profile and at least a three-minute flight duration with near-constant flight conditions — and for these flights to be repeated at short intervals.

“Our vehicles are capable of non-ballistic flight patterns to at least Mach 7, which exceeds the HyCAT1 specification,” said David Waterhouse, Managing Director, Hypersonix Launch Systems.

“Our longer-term focus is to capture a slice of the emerging multi-billion-dollar commercial market for deployment of small satellites, but clearly Australia’s strategic defence allies see immediate potential in our technology.”

“This is our first major contract and a key step in our commercialisation process – we couldn’t be happier. This puts Australia one step closer to being a major player in the international space race,” David Waterhouse added.

Hypersonix’ DART Additive Engineering (AE) makes significant use of 3D-printing and is powered by a hydrogen-fuelled SPARTAN scramjet engine, capable of flying non-ballistic flight patterns at speeds of Mach 5 to Mach 7 and up to 1000 kms in range (400 seconds flight time). The DART AE has a modular payload bay of up to 20lbs and Hypersonix plans to fly it in early 2024.

The Australian government’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources has supported Hypersonix with several grants, recognising their

leadership in scramjet technology and adoption of modern manufacturing techniques.

DIU’s contract with Hypersonix permits DIU to ‘transition’ successful prototype projects into follow-on ‘production contracts’ under simplified rules and without need to again compete for a successful project.

Hypersonix Launch Systems is an Australian Aerospace engineering, design and build company specialising in scramjet engines and hypersonic technology.

Hypersonix

Brands worth €130 billion want EU to ban PFAS chemicals

AMS have been suppliers of instrumentation and calibration equipment to all industries since 1973 representing some of the world’s

The EU is proposing a ban on PFAS chemicals used in thousands of consumer products and brands worth more than €130 billion are supporting it.

Environmental NGO ChemSec says the chemicals look set to be one of the biggest environmental and health threats of our time and investors with assets in PFASproducing companies are calling for an end to production.

ChemSec and more than 100 corporate members of the PFAS Movement, are calling for comprehensive regulation of PFAS in the EU, which has invited the public to give its opinions on the proposed ban on these harmful chemicals. The chemicals are commonly used in fashion, furniture and homewares, cosmetics, electronics, and personal care.

The movement’s more than 100 members include well-known brands, such as Inditex, Urbanears and the Cookware Company, representing various industries.

“A European ban on PFAS chemicals will have huge repercussions for all manufacturing industries and require much work for companies in the global supply chain,” says Anne-Sofie Bäckar, Executive Director at ChemSec.

“However, some parts of the industry oppose this ban, claiming that the change is too big to be justified. That’s why the support for a ban from such influential consumer brands as those in the PFAS Movement is so important. It’s a strong sign that businesses want to eliminate PFAS chemicals in products and processes.”

Irreparable damage

PFAS chemicals have been used for decades in various consumer products such as cookware, clothes and electronics and are still used although researchers have linked them to a range of adverse health effects, including cancer, fertility problems and developmental problems. Also damaging is the fact that PFAS chemicals do not break down in nature — levels build up in humans and wildlife. Today people all over the world have measurable levels of PFAS in their bloodstreams and European media have reported the continent has over 17,000 PFAS-contaminated areas.

Alternatives

One of the most well-known products using PFAS are kitchen utensils and items such as PFAS non-stick pans are common despite the alternatives.

”At The Cookware Company, we eliminated PFAS from our products in 2007. We believe it is wrong to enjoy the fruits of doing business while leaving the toxic side effects to the next generations,” says Wim De Veirman, CEO at The Cookware Company.

“That’s why we fully support the ban on PFAS, which are known to be toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative, and they pose a significant risk to human health and the environment. By taking a leadership position against PFAS, we are sending a clear message to our customers, stakeholders, and the broader community that we are serious about our commitment to sustainability and health”.

US lawsuits

ChemSec’s PFAS Movement is not only supported by the brands but also by Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo who became a PFAS activist after his involvement in the film Dark Waters. The film depicts the real-life events following the massive uncovering of PFAS contamination in the USA. As a result, several PFAS producers in the USA are now involved in multimillion-dollar lawsuits.

The health and environmental threats of PFAS, along with all the lawsuits, have also created attention among another influential group: institutional investors. Last year, 47 institutional investors with US$8 trillion in assets sent letters to 54 chemical companies named by ChemSec, calling for them to halt the production of persistent “forever chemicals”.

EU ban on PFAS

The proposed EU ban, the first in the world was initiated by Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway, which have spent almost three years mapping the implications of a ban on PFAS chemicals in a dossier of nearly 2000 pages. The proposal shows, among other things, that the emissions of PFAS were 75,000 tonnes in 2020. If this continues, the emissions are expected to sit at 4.4 million tonnes in 30 years. The emissions originate from both production and use of the many products that contain PFAS.

Scene from Dark Waters, the 2005 film depicting actual events after PFAS contamination was discovered in the US, where companies producing and using PFAS chemicals now face multimillion-dollar lawsuits.

Australian AI in driver safety assistance systems

Long-haul driving and congested traffic are two scenarios where driver fatigue and distraction often occur and frequently cause accidents, resulting in injury or worse.

New and sophisticated advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are rapidly evolving to support safety across increasing, varied levels of autonomous capability.

Australian-based Seeing Machines is a world-leader in driver monitoring system technology, designing AI-powered operator monitoring systems to improve transport safety. It has collaborated with global semiconductor leader Analog Devices (ADI), in support of high-performance driver and occupant monitoring system (DMS/OMS) technology.

The collaboration pairs ADI’s advanced infrared driver and high-speed Gigabit Multimedia Serial Link™ (GMSL) camera connectivity solutions with Seeing Machines’ artificial intelligence (AI) DMS and OMS software to support powerful eye gaze, eyelid, head, and body-pose tracking system technology that more accurately monitors driver fatigue and distraction.

The solution meets European safety regulations and new car standards, which the rest of the world, including Australia, typically follows.

It is also conducive to enabling future occupant monitoring features and a range of in-cabin camera placement options, previously unworkable due to challenges related to power efficiency, functional safety, hardware footprint, and image quality.

“Cabin monitoring is complex and requires careful integration of infrared illumination, image capture, data processing, and algorithm layers to achieve a realtime response,” said Yin Wu, Director of Automotive Product Line Management at Analog Devices.

“Together with Seeing Machines, we are supporting the automotive industry with pragmatic solutions to help reduce collisions and save lives.”

ADI’s MAX25614 IR LED driver and GMSL serializer and deserializer (SerDes) connectivity solutions are supporting Seeing Machines’ FOVIO DMS and OMS solutions.

ADI’s Automotive Electrification and Cabin Experience Solutions

ADI’s innovations are making a positive planetary scale impact in automotive electrification and experience.

By leveraging technology synergies across Automotive and Sustainable Energy, ADI aims to accelerate the transformation of mobility and the grid towards Net Zero emissions.

PBE Roboplas increase efficiencies and reduce operating costs by supplying new machinery, equipment, service and repairs from a strong background of technical experience including robotics, engineering and integration to the plastic industry.

Our Partners

Semi-autonomous driving systems rely on in-cabin DMS and OMS to recognize and address driver fatigue and distraction. These systems must operate in all lighting conditions and require proper infrared lighting to ensure image quality on a frame-by-frame basis necessary for eye tracking in real time. The combined solution from ADI and Seeing Machines leverages ADI’s industry-first infrared driver for DMS and OMS, capable of delivering up to 100W of peak power in a compact and functionally safe solution. This allows for a non-intrusive, smaller camera module in a vehicle’s cabin.

Seeing Machines’ AI software interprets signals from the optical hardware, monitors and diagnoses the problem, and combines with ADAS features to enable output signals to warn drivers and vehicle occupants when necessary.

“Seeing Machines exists to get people home safely, and our work with ADI aims to support semi-autonomous driving with increased safety levels to deliver what we call ‘supervised automation’,” said Nick DiFiore, SVP and GM of Automotive at Seeing Machines.

“ADI’s proven automotive-grade, near-infrared drivers and GMSL devices enable a sophisticated optical path to provide critical illumination and high-speed video bandwidth for real-world and real-time processing of interior cabin environments.”

ADI is also enabling the Digital Cabin and Safe Mobility revolution through its technology leadership in Audio Processing, Data, and Video Connectivity platforms which are advancing consumer applications and safety-critical ADAS in the vehicle.

ADI leadership in battery, power, and energy management solutions enables high performance, reliable, and safe operations across the entire electrification ecosystem—including EVs, energy storage systems, the clean energy grid, and more.

With a focus on measuring and advancing sustainability at every step, ADI innovations in software and wireless technologies allow for localized real-time mission-critical decisions to enable intelligence at the edge.

VersaReel Blue is the first phone-operated, temporary power system from Conductix-Wampfler

Convenient and safe power on demand

Whether it’s needed on the factory floor or a museum, the new VersaReel Blue’s retractable, 240v power system offers convenient, safe and reliable power on demand, and it’s likely to be needed in a range of settings.

It’s the first mobile phone-operated power system from ConductixWampfler, the specialist in mobile energy supply and data transmission, which usually supplies products and services to the mining, bulk handling and industrial sectors. The VersaReel Blue is also the first Conductix-Wampfler product for multiple settings including soft applications such as retail, education, and office — even entertainment and aesthetic venues such as museums, galleries and theatres.

performance with Bluetooth, ConductixWampfler has created a motorised electric cable reel which sits neatly at the ceiling and is operated by a phone app. This power source is ideal for warehouse, retail, service facility, factory, or just about anywhere that needs temporary, retractable power and also prioritises safety and convenience.

“We’re excited to offer a solution that our traditional cable reels have provided but, rather than our springreel which has to be manually retracted and released, the VersaReel Blue can be remotely operated by mobile phone,” said Kibbis.

easily, the reels are a permanent fixture that can be easily installed by an electrician to sit neatly mounted at the ceiling or within a ceiling space.

appearance, on which many organisations and public spaces pride themselves.”

“It’s the first product we’re aware of that’s a retractable, 240v power cable operated by a phone,” said Wayne Kibbis, Managing Director with Conductix-Wampfler.

Combining reliable cable reel

“An example might be an educational setting where a trainer wants to bring extra power into a space — by simply using a phone app to operate the reeler to lower a power outlet — say, the middle of the classroom or library where most power points are around the perimeter. Now they can lower the outlet from the ceiling safely and conveniently and then remove it the same way once it’s no longer needed. This can work for almost any setting.”

While the cables move up and down

The VersaReel Blue’s quick and quiet operation to lower or raise the power outlet to any safe height can be operated via secure controls on an IOS or Android phone app. It removes any need for traditional spring cable reels and ladders or messy cabling as well as wear and tear on cables. Like Conductix-Wampfler products for heavy industry, the VersaReel Blue is engineered for long-term, reliable operation.

“At the end of the day you can run power cords around, but you know that’s not as safe as it could be. And if you’re an organisation that prioritises safety and efficiency or convenience, this product ticks all the vital boxes,” said Kibbis.

“The VersaReel Blue also improves

Safety, minimal training requirements and ease of use make it ideal for all types of organisations. It looks equally professional in an office or industrial setting and VersaReel Blue’s discreet aesthetics and quiet operation also suit gallery, museum or other aesthetically designed leisure environments. In a nutshell (or its discreet ceiling mount), VersaReel Blue provides power whenever and wherever it’s needed and is out of harm’s way when it’s not.

Conductix

“At the end of the day you can run power cords around but you know that’s not as safe as it could be.”

AUKUS’ greatest challenge: skilled workforce

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas believes the workforce to deliver AUKUS submarines is the greatest challenge for Australia and his own state.

Yet he is confident about taking on the challenge and believes it will give Australia a sovereign submarine-building capacity.

“While I appreciate that many South Australians think the timelines seem long, the simple reality is there’s young people in schools today whose standard of living will be materially improved because of the step change in economic complexity that this task brings to our state and indeed our nation,” the Premier told ABC radio.

Following the Australian, UK and US governments’ announcement on March 14 of each country’s manufacturing and design responsibilities and which submarines they get to use and when, Malinauskas today set off for Barrow-in-Furness in north-west England where BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce are making the first of the joint UK-Australian submarines. Later submarines will be built in Osborne, SA, based on British design called ‘SSN-AUKUS’ and US technology, with the first vessels to be in the water in the 2040s.

Of the 20,000 direct jobs needed for the program, the government estimates up to 8500 will be in building and maintaining the submarines - from nuclear scientists and engineers to electricians, welders and metal-fitters.

AUKUS is estimated to bring more than 9,000 jobs of the expected total 20,000 Australian jobs, to Osborne,

South Australia, which Premier Peter Malinauskas says is the heart of naval shipbuilding in Australia. But, he says, creating the workforce with the right skills is “the single biggest challenge” of AUKUS for Australia. South Australia has full employment now and an ongoing agenda to create infrastructure.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do as a country to build up the skills base required to build what will be the most complex machines ever built in the history of our nation.”

“In Barrow-in-Furness, there’s a skills academy performing just that function for many years … I want to see that first hand and take learnings back to SA and apply them as quickly as possible.”

He believes Australia has the capability and just needed ongoing demand created by AUKUS.

“What we’ve always needed in Australia was continuity of work, a continuous demand for naval shipbuilding expertise that gives industry but also workers the confidence to build their lives around. We’ve now got that in South Australia and believe we can undertake this task.”

Asked if he thinks South Australia’s timeline for work and delivery of operational submarines in the 2040s is too far away, Malinauskas said many people think the government’s timeline is ambitious and it will take that time to get the workforce skilled up to be productively working on the submarines during the 2030s.

“It’s important to understand the level of complexity of building a nuclear submarine over and above conventionally powered submarines. Everything about it

is more technical, more complex and more demanding on our skills base. Reasonable people understand it will take time to build up [those skills ] up to the end of this decade.”

Malinauskas said South Australia’s ship-building experience is that production on a first type of nuclear submarine will take a long time. But once that first one is in the water, he believes we will see them built every three years.

The first workers needed are an estimated 4,000 people to design and build submarine construction yards at Osborne, with another 5,500 direct employees to build the submarines and MAlinauskas confirmed most would have to be South Australian and Australian.

“The security requirements for the infrastructure build — let alone submarine build — will be so substantial that in many instances they will necessarily have to be Australian citizens.

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South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas (left), and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, sign agreement of co-operation for South Australia to deliver the AUKUS submarines

Tariff Concession Orders: objecting to or revoking an order

The Customs Division within the Australian Border Force (ABF) is keen to draw local manufacturers’ attention to ways its Tariff Concession system can help local manufacturers maintain tariff protection.

In this second article of the series, ABF focuses on manufacturers’ ability to object to an otherwise imminent new Tariff Concession Order — or have an existing order revoked — to benefit their business.

The Tariff Concession System is a long-standing Commonwealth program designed to maintain or reinstate manufacturers’ tariff protection when an Australian-made product is a ‘substitutable good’ for a current import. This system aims to support local substitutable goods so it gives manufacturers the opportunity to object to or revoke an importer’s concessional rate of customs duty.

‘objection’ i.e. an importer has applied for a TCO but it is not finalised. In the case of an established TCO, when a local manufacturer applies for the order to be removed that is a ‘revocation’.

Identifying relevant TCOs

If a local manufacturer wishes to object to a recently applied for TCO, they must do so within 50 days of the date on which the relevant Commonwealth of Australia Tariff Concessions Gazette (the Gazette) announces the application. The Gazette is published weekly on the ABF website with all new applications for and successful submissions of TCOs included.

To revoke an established TCO, a local manufacturer can make an application at any time after the TCO is established. Should a manufacturer be unsure if a TCO is affecting their business, ABF’s tariff concession officers are available for consultation. The manufacturer must be confident it makes or has the capacity to make substitutable goods before contacting the tariff concession team.

Further, when the team administering the Tariff Concession System identifies a local manufacturer that could be affected by a TCO, they notify them of their right to review the TCO. This recently happened in the case of an Australian spectacle frames maker.

Corresponding use

Two key terms are involved when challenging a Tariff Concession Order (TCO): objection and revocation. When a local manufacturer challenges an application for a Tariff TCO, that is an

Where an Australian manufacturer objects to a TCO being made or seeks to revoke an established TCO, they need to demonstrate their goods have a corresponding use to the imported goods, and those goods are made here

or a substantial process of manufacture occurs in Australia.

Tribunal considered both heaters can heat a room.

• Goods are deemed to have been manufactured in Australia if at least one substantial process in their manufacture was carried out in Australia, i.e. a new and different product is made from various components.

It is irrelevant if the TCO goods are of a different quality, price and/or superior performance when considering whether substitutable goods can be put to a use subject to the TCO application. Furthermore, the goods do not have to even compete in the same market.

As long as the local manufacturer believes it can meet the above conditions, one of ABF’s tariff concessions officers can assist with the process to object or revoke the relevant TCO.

Meeting these conditions is not as difficult as it might appear. To clarify:

• Substitutable goods do not have to be identical to the imported goods. Substitutable goods means there is a corresponding use. Corresponding use can be considered as the overlap of uses of the two groups of goods. Simply put, consider all the uses of the substitutable goods and all the uses of the imported good; including their design use – wherever use overlaps, corresponding use exists.

• The wording of the TCO applies to the imported goods and it is largely irrelevant for the locally manufactured substitutable goods. For example, portable gas heater and electric wall heater. The Administrative Appeals

Successful TCO objections or revocations cover virtually every industry and a vast range of goods from complex machinery like transformers or trains to wooden barrels or tool boxes. It doesn’t matter if a manufacturer is big or small, nor does it matter where it is based. As long as they produce substitutable goods in Australia, it has a right to seek a revocation or object to a new TCO being made.

Successful objection or revocation of a TCO is published in the weekly Gazette. Visit www.abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/tariff-concessions-system for information on Tariff Concession Orders or to view the Gazette online.

“Meeting manufacturer objection conditions is not as difficult as it might sound.”

“It doesn’t matter if a manufacturer is big or small… as long as they produce substitutable goods.”

Concession Orders Information

CSIRO to help SMEs with digital innovation and cyber security

Australian businesses will learn to innovate with AI and digital technology while understanding cyber risks via a free CSIRO program

The CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has announced that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) will be able to enhance their research and development (R&D) knowledge with a free 10-week online program focused on cyber security and digital technologies.

The Innovate to Grow program, connects businesses working on solutions in cyber and digital tech with knowledge, resources and mentors to advance their project or ideas.

After completing the program, eligible participants may be able to access continued support through CSIRO, being connected to national research expertise and/or dollar-matched R&D funding to keep moving their ideas forward.

CSIRO’s Data61 Research Director for Software and Computational Systems Dr

Liming Zhu said an Innovate to Grow program focused on cyber security and digital technology could not be more timely.

“The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models like ChatGPT are rapidly transforming the digital and cyber innovation landscape,” Dr Zhu said.

“Whether they’re creating knowledge-intensive products or seeking to add innovative features to interact with customers, companies can tap into new growth opportunities thanks to the increasing power of generative AI,” he said.

However, Dr Zhu warned that the rapid development and escalation of these applications comes with increased cyber risks and risks in digital trust, and that preparation is the key to mitigating these risks.

“This is a new territory, which is still evolving,” Dr Zhu said.

“Our aim with programs like this is to assist companies who are building solutions to these problems,” he said.

CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow Program Coordinator, Michelle Armistead, has

urged Australian SMEs to consider taking the opportunity to connect with like-minded mentors and companies to learn and grow.

“We know the critical importance Australia’s SMEs have in the growth and resilience of our economy, and likewise the large role they will play in growing these emerging industries of cyber and digital tech,” Ms Armistead said.

“One of the most valuable pieces of feedback we’ve had from participants in our previous cohorts is the deep value they have gained in working through the self-paced deliverables while connecting with our expert advisors,” she said.

Eligible companies can be working

directly in cyber security, digital technologies or adjacent industries and want to improve the cyber security and digital technologies aspect of their offering.

CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow: Cyber Security and Digital Technologies program commences 8 June and is available for 20-25 SMEs.

Expressions of interest to participate close 15 May.

Powerful diode lasers solve welding challenges

High power diode lasers from the German company Laserline GmbH are widely used in Australia across a variety of sectors including copper welding, ship building, tape laying of fiber-reinforced plastics, joining pipes and machine parts.

Welding with these high-power diode lasers offers the highest energy efficiency of any industrial laser.

Good for wide gaps

Bridging wide gaps with metal welding is a significant challenge in machine

building, pipeline construction and ship building.

The main solution has long been gas shielded metal arc welding (GMAW) – a classic joining technology that uses an electric arc to melt the workpieces.

While this process is reliable, welding speeds are comparatively slow, with users often struggling to manage piece distortion due to the high heat input, as well as being time-consuming and costly because the straightening or reworking to repair unclean seams.

Laserline’s diode laser-based cold wire welding with multi-spot optics — which can be robot-driven — offers new processing options for joining symmetrical and asymmetrical seams.

Robotic control of lasers is an established practice in Australia - mostly for welding large items, and demonstrates their ability to weld in places that would otherwise not be accessible under normal welding conditions.

Electronic welding

With the need to extend battery life in cars, and improvements in semiconductor production, the demand from the electronics industry is increasing, and so the efficient welding of copper, gold and other non-ferrous materials is essential.

Copper is one of the most important raw materials for electrical signal transmission and a key component of

modern technologies found in battery cells of mobile devices, induction coils and accumulators in electric cars.

Often the parts are exposed to a high current, operate under high temperatures and strong vibrations, and where they comprise several parts, the joins must ensure efficient functionality.

This is where weld seams created by lasers are the best option. Laserline GmbH have developed a blue high power diode laser specifically for this task providing for high-quality, spatter free welding.

Using this new LDM platform, copper powder and thin copper foils can easily be joined to other materials such as steel and aluminium.

Recognising that not every piece of copper is the same, Laserline’s LDM blue lasers provide options for welders to adjust their processes, ensuring the most effective welding tool is available in whatever circumstance.

Raymax will be at stand MS 260 at Australian Manufacturing Week.

Equipment and technology investment top priority for food businesses

More than 60 per cent of Australian food industry businesses are looking to make capital expenditure investments in areas such as equipment and technology over the following 12 months, according to a recent survey.

The poll, run by leading food manufacturing event foodpro, also indicated that over a third are looking to invest in processing and packaging in the same period (37 per cent of respondents).

This was by far the greatest priority followed by investment in ingredients and food additives (15 per cent) and food science and technology (13 per cent).

“Globally, the FMCG industry was one that experienced growth from 20202023,” said Felicity Parker, foodpro Event and Product Manager. “Whilst many businesses and industries feared for survival, the biggest challenge for food and beverage manufacturing was capacity and supply.

“Here in Australia, we saw empty market shelves as a result of sea freight disruption coupled with panic and bulk buying behaviour.

“Now that the shipping lines around the world are resuming to pre-COVID frequency, and supply is beginning to catch up with demand, this survey indicates that manufacturers are getting the chance to take a breath and can now look to invest once more.”

However, almost half of foodpro buyers said they were still at the information gathering stage as far as investment goes, with 84 per cent saying they would be attending foodpro this year, with the objective of sourcing new products and services.

Returning this year from 23-26

July at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, foodpro is Australia’s largest, longest running and most trusted food manufacturing industry event, having run for the last 50 years.

Machinery and equipment innovations, which have been released and refined over the past couple of years, will be showcased for the first time in Australia at foodpro 2023.

Last held in Sydney in 2017, foodpro will be the first major event in six years where food manufacturing industry professionals in procurement and purchasing, can meet with innovators behind the products and technologies they are looking to invest in.

“With a focus on efficiency and sustainability at this year’s event, there are a host of new educational and experiential features alongside an extensive mix of exhibiting suppliers,” said Ms Parker.

“Food and beverage processing is Australia’s largest manufacturing industry and is vitally important for our manufacturing future. Face-to-face interaction is the foundation of building strong relationships, and in-person events create the necessary push for business to happen and have significant ROI implications. We are looking forward to yet another hugely successful event.”

foodpro runs from 23-26 July 2023, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

foodpro foodproexh.com

The Alternative Solution

Any business needing to move more product out the door does have options. As frequency of parcel movement increases, any level of automation can only assist. Handling freight and moving customer orders in greater numbers has certainly accelerated in recent times, and finding quicker, smarter ways has always been key to success. Certainly the rapid growth in e-commerce has exponentially multiplied the rate at which parcels need to get out the door and at ever-faster turnaround times. Often we get a request to assist in sometimes quite simple, “low-target” solutions to lift performance to get the customer through a perceived temporary situation. However most customers are very receptive to receiving an alternative and longer term solution that will give them broader and more sustained scope for growth. By providing “the alternative solution”, Adept Conveyor Technologies shows the customer much greater potential by looking in broader terms rather than just the temporary or initial request.

This year’s ambassador for Australian Made Week needs little introduction.

Former Young Australian of the Year, winner of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, and no slouch at golf and cricket, Ash Barty is also a proud Ngarigo woman.

Tennis legend to champion Australian Made Week

buying habits.

Barty said buying locally made goods and produce also comes with a feel-good factor.

“There are so many benefits to buying Australian Made, including creating and supporting local jobs and boosting the economies of cities and towns where the goods are produced,” she said.

CEO of Australian Made Campaign Ben Lazzaro says the week is about reminding people of the good things that Australian-made products deliver.

businesses that were confronted by the lack of sovereign supply or local manufacturing.

Consumers, who might not have given it much thought, were also forced to face how reliant the country is on imports, Lazzaro told Industry Update

they’ve seen a huge uptick in companies licensed to carry the Australian Made logo, while at one point during Covid there was a 400% increase in companies applying to go through the certification process.

Youth want sustainability

And she’s proud to be part of the campaign to buy Australian.

“I grew up on some iconic Aussie brands, so I’m incredibly excited to have this opportunity to be part of the Australian Made campaign and spread the word about homegrown favourites and newcomers. Having travelled the world, I feel so much pride in our country and the high-quality goods it produces.

“Nothing would make me happier than knowing my involvement in Australian Made Week had encouraged people to support our wonderful country.”

Australian Made Week runs from 15 - 21st May and will highlight all the positive aspects of buying Australian, and encourage more shifts in consumers’

“Ash is the perfect ambassador to highlight the best this country has to offer. She is an inspiration and loved by Australians. Ash also has a long-standing history of supporting Australian Made brands including Vegemite and Esmi Skin Minerals, so working with Australian Made is a natural extension of this,” said CEO of Australian Made Campaign, Ben Lazzaro.

“There’s an Australian Made option in just about every product category you can think of, from high-end health and beauty products to industrial materials.

“By buying products made here you keep people in work, you are usually buying products that are made to some of the highest quality and safety standards in the world. So you’re getting that added value.”

Consumers more aware

During Covid, it wasn’t just Australian

“There seems to be an acknowledgement from consumers that we’ve got to shift the needle back towards a more balanced position from imports to Australian Made products, which is very positive.”

“The big thing we’re seeing is that businesses and companies that make stuff here really want to tell Australians and those overseas that their products are Australian.

“This pro-Australia sentiment has been driving consumer shopping habits and preferences.”

In the last few years, Lazzaro says

With recent Roy Morgan research showing the green and gold kangaroo Australian Made logo is recognised by 99% of Australians over 18, Lazzaro says the younger generation tends to view the logo in a specific way.

He says to them it implies things they also consider important such as sustainability, environmental concerns and ethical production.

“The research says that our brand actually conveys those attributes as well… which is really interesting and pleasing from our point of view.

“So if you’re a licensee and you’re putting the logo on a product, you’re actually saying more than just “it’s Australian made”, you’re saying, for some of the community, that it’s ethically produced, it’s got some environmental aspects to it… So it becomes a real marketing asset and sales tool for those businesses.”

Former Australian of the Year, tennis great Ash Barty is the Australian Made Campaign ambassador

“I feel so much pride in our country and the high-quality goods it produces.”

“There’s an Australian Made option in just about every product category you can think of”

From hidden disaster to efficient hub

Why is tool storage in the workshop always an afterthought? Workshops have hundreds, if not thousands, of specialist tools stored in a central location – well, at least that is how it starts out.

Each day, service technicians have to search through the multitudes to find the 20 or 30 tools they need for the day, but wading through large tubs with hundreds of tools in each is not any foreman’s idea of a good use of time.

BAC Systems is regularly called out to workshops to offer solutions that make special tool storage practical and efficient.

Their solutions aim to give unique locations to each tool, minimise the storage footprint, and keep the space functional.

The primary building block for centralised special tool storage has to be a robust storage drawer with internal partitioning.

There are many who will argue that a tool rack, such as the BAC Tool Board, is an effective system for large flat tools.

This can be true, but the majority of special tools in a workshop are not suited to being placed on a tool board, where their centre of gravity may stick out too far, making it easy for them to be knocked off the board.

Within drawers, an individual location is created for the tool, this location is labelled, and the tool can’t fall from its storage location.

With a tool storage solution from BAC Systems, you don’t have to stop at a drawer layout. There are many different ways to configure the drawer cabinets so that additional purposes can be considered.

For example, drawers can be configured in tall cabinets to create a “storage wall” which can be used to divide a tool room.

This can be useful when you want to create a segregated section for the storage of diagnostic trolleys, jacks, and other such large items that can only be stored on a floor space.

Another approach may be to store your loose special tools in drawers that sit beneath a workbench.

Many workshops could benefit from a strip-down workbench for slow moving projects and rebuilds. Alternatively, the workbench could be set-up as a charging station for workshop power tools and diagnostic units.

Of course, tool stores will require shelving, but this is to cater for tool cases and bulky tools. It is amazing how little shelving is actually required when you keep it solely for these items, and put all of your small-medium loose tools in drawers.

BAC shelves can be divided up with adjustable separators, and that way, your bulk tools can have unique locations just as the tools within the drawers do.

With some careful planning, which is part of the complimentary design service offered by BAC, you can set up a Centralised Tool Storage Room in your workshop that can be a hub of productivity and efficiency, allowing easy access to tools, quick tool identification, as well as safe and clean storage for your tools, and the possibility of additional functionalities.

MFB have taken their industrial range of IP66 rated 19” rack mount enclosures to the next level by introducing new options for external heat protection on the S280 range.

Customers can now option their enclosures with Thermobreak© Thermal insulation which is an all-in-one closed-cell physically cross-linked polyolefin foam that is manufactured in compliance to ASTM C1427 Standard.

doors, sides and the top of an enclosure. These shields reduce the amount

direct sunlight on an enclosure while allowing air to move between the enclosure skin and shield.

to 45RU,

either freestanding or wall-mounted. Also mild steel, Stainless steel and aluminium variants. The

strong and robust in any situation. All cabinets are continuously welded and finished to the highest standard.

Language of wine

put McLaren Vale on the back,” says Smith. “The Aboriginal name was used for tens of thousands of years before the region was called McLaren Vale, so this is another way we use the wine to start a conversation and make people think about the country it came from.”

Several high-profile organisations, including Negociants Australia, Wine Australia and other corporates are interested in Munda wines as corporate gifts. The University of Adelaide has also worked with the company to create scholarships for future Indigenous wine industry leaders.

It’s important to the Munda Wines ethos that all ingredients are sourced locally and everyone involved in the manufacturing process not only makes a quality product but also has a deep respect for munda.

“Working with Australian wineries and manufacturing our product here is super-important to our business. All those involved in Munda Wines respect and acknowledge the Aboriginal connections behind the brand.

Munda Wines owner Paul Vandenbergh speaks Wirangu and Kokotha language, in which the word “munda” translates to “land” or “country”. He and Co-Owner Damien Smith, chose the name Munda Wines to highlight what the brand stands for: respect for country and the history of the Aboriginal people who have cared for munda for over 80,000 years.

Vandenbergh and Smith met while working at the Port Adelaide Football Club in 2018. Using Paul’s connections to Indigenous cultural organisations and Smith’s experience working in the wine industry for over 20 years, they developed the idea of a genuinely Aboriginal wine brand.

“Paul and I wanted to address the lack of Aboriginal representation in the wine industry with a product that pays respect to munda,” says Smith.

“Whilst a number of wine brands use Aboriginal words in branding, there isn’t enough appreciation and understanding of what the words mean and where they come from. The word munda comes directly from Wirangu and Kokotha Country, where Paul is from. Our partnership is vital to the business because we use his authentic voice to share stories of his people and his country.”

“The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo is very important to us because it is seen as a badge of authenticity. It’s a trusted logo that people

easily recognise and verifies a product is actually made in Australia. When people in the overseas market see that green and gold logo, they see that Munda Wines is an authentically Australian brand, and that puts us in a position to start conversations and share our story,” Smith says.

A licensed Australian Made wine, Munda uses local fruits from the country that each bottle represents. In November 2022, the Kaurna Country Syrah was launched, which uses fruit from the region known as McLaren Vale and has notes of blueberries and dark cherry fruits.

“We made the conscious choice to put the Aboriginal name, Kaurna Country, on the bottle’s front label, and

Bugs can’t bear Oz fly traps

EnviroSafe makes fly traps that are not only effective without harsh chemicals but have been designed for the Australian climate — and all the annoying flies that come with it!

EnviroSafe was founded in Western Australia more than 20 years ago with its original fly trap design and bait for flies and European wasps which can sting multiple times and even cause life-threatening allergic reactions.

A patented mix of non-toxic, foodgrade ingredients makes the baits irresistible to the insects yet safe around people and pets.

The trap’s structure prevents the flies from escaping once caught. Unlike similar products on the market, the traps can be used repeatedly: simply bury the caught flies and non-toxic bait in soil and re-bait the trap.

“Our bait and trap are mixed and manufactured right here in Australia to the highest standard, using quality

ingredients,” says Matt Carey, EnviroSafe Chief Customer Experience Officer.

“Australians have high expectations of quality and safety, and manufacturing our products here gives consumers confidence they are purchasing a quality product. Our ability to visit suppliers and manufacturers in person enables us to closely monitor the manufacturing process.”

“As a business that values quality, sustainability, and our community, EnviroSafe is incredibly proud for its products to be certified ‘Australian Made’ and to be investing in local manufacturing.”

Another benefit to EnviroSafe’s local manufacturing is its partnership with social enterprises, Endeavour Foundation and WorkPower, which provide meaningful and continued employment for people with an intellectual disability.

“We enjoy a wonderful relationship

with our partners who create our traps,” Matt says. “These dedicated staff take great pride in carefully assembling the parts and then packaging them into boxes ready for distribution, and they do a great job.”

EnviroSafe proudly displays the Australian Made logo on its products to link it with consumer trust and expectations of high standards.

“The Australian Made logo is the gold standard,” Matt says. “It gives EnviroSafe customers confidence in knowing their products are locally made, that their production supports local industries and are made to Australia’s high safety and quality standards.”

“Buying Australian Made products supports Australian local producers and businesses at many different levels. It’s important that people continue to buy locally made products to support the Australian economy and build Australia’s future.”

“Even our printer is an Aboriginal company, which is great because it means they understand the significance behind our artwork and packaging – yet another example of how our wine can spark conversations.”

The South Australian wine industry alone produces more than half of all Australian wine due to the diversity in geography and climate. Munda Wines uses its position as a genuine Aboriginal wine brand to stand out in this competitive market.

Munda Wines mundawines.com.au EnviroSafe envirosafeaustralia.com.au

Paul Vandenbergh, Co-owner of Munda Wines

Down to earth stabilisers

Located in the City of Joondalup, Perth, Betta Roads is a family business that has supplied soil stabilising products across Western Australia for 17 years. With its PolyCom Stabilising Aid and Dustchek products so frequently used in government and private projects — often mining — Betta Roads is renown for earthworks solutions.

After working in the civil construction industry for 22 years, Director Paul Bright was first introduced to PolyCom Stabilising Aid at a Mining Expo. Intrigued by the properties of the soil stabilisation product, Bright then visited an earthworks project in the West MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, where he saw the product in action.

Proudly manufactured in South Australia, Betta Roads’ products are Polyacrylamide PAM based and designed to preserve the dry strength of road materials found in earthworks.

The products are easy to apply, can treat more material than traditional binders can, and are more sustainable

than other binders. Traditional binders produce 2,000kg of CO2 emissions during manufacturing whereas Betta Roads’ PolyCom products produce only 3.14kg CO2 per 2kg of product.

Bright is proud to carry the Australian Made logo on Betta Roads products to connect them with the quality, reliability and sustainability conveyed by the green-and-gold logo.

“It’s important to us that our clients know our products are designed and manufactured here. We know for a fact our products are of high quality because we can see the entire manufacturing process for ourselves.

“This keeps us accountable and means we can offer a higher level of service, since the supply is right here. We don’t believe there is any other product that can offer the same level of performance,” he says.

“Having the Australian Made logo communicates to our customers that we are environmentally focussed and sustainability minded. Manufacturing locally not only means that we can avoid

supply shortages, it also lowers emissions, which our clients do appreciate.”

Results from government projects have won Betta Roads Local Government Supplier status in WA, membership to the Local Government Works Association, and approval from the Department of Health for use in water catchment areas.

As the first WA local government to become an Australian Made campaign supporter, The City of Joondalup encourages local businesses to recognise the benefits of using the Australian Made logo on products.

With a future-focused, global outlook and thriving local economy, the City of Joondalup has a diverse population of more than 160,000 residents.

More information at Betta Roads see bettaroads.com.au and joondalup. wa.gov.au/kb/business/campaignsupporterofaustralianmade

Betta Roads bettaroads.com.au

15—21 May

Australian Made Week

A time to celebrate and support Australia’s local makers and growers

Running from Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May 2023, Australian Made Campaign’s Australian Made Week will encourage consumers to actively focus their buying activities on genuine Aussie products while celebrating and supporting local makers and growers right around the country.

How to get involved

Register your Australian Made products with the iconic Australian Made logo, Australia’s only registered certification trademark for country of origin branding.

Promote your Aussie products

Run an Australian Made sales event and/or promotion to promote your locally made range.

Share Aussie Made Week assets

Licensed Australian Made businesses can share Australian Made Week marketing assets across their communications channels and social networks with the hashtags #AustralianMade #AustralianMadeWeek.

Tell your Aussie story

Aussie shoppers love hearing unique Australian Made stories. Make a video, social media or blog post about the history and origins of your Aussie brand and products.

Spread the word

Spread the word about Australian Made Week to your customers! Encourage them to get involved and buy Aussie products during 15–21 May and into the future.

Certify your products as Australian Made australianmade.com.au/apply

Four in five say buying Australian-made is important AUSTRALIAN MADE WEEK

New research shows Australians’ preference for Australian-made goods hasn’t wavered. Data collected by Australian market research company, Roy Morgan, has found that more than four in five (86%) Australians say buying Australian-made products is important to them.

Very few people, only 2%, said buying Australian-made was not important to them.

buying Australian-made, particularly for those aged under 35.”.

Almost all (99%) Australians aged 18 and over are aware of the Australian Made logo, with the logo having the highest recognition of any certification mark in Australia.

Trust in the Australian Made logo is also high: 93% of Australians are confident products displaying the mark are made or grown in Australia.

Levine believes Australian consumers trust the Australian Made logo because they know products displaying it have been made in Australia and are perceived to be of a high quality, safe and reliable.

“Australians place their trust in the logo because it is well known and has a long history of representing Australia,” she said.

“They trust the products displaying it have been independently certified as authentically Australian made. The high level of trust in the Australian Made logo compares favourably to other certification marks and to the most trusted brands in Australia from Roy Morgan’s ongoing Risk Monitor, which tracks trust and distrust of around 1,000 brands each year.”

Most Australians (67%) told the survey that they ‘often’ or ‘always’ buy Australian-made products, citing supporting local jobs and the economy as their reason, followed by the quality or reliability of Australian-made products.

More than one third (35%) of Aussies also claimed to purchase more Australian-made products now than before the pandemic.

“A large majority of four in five Australians indicated feeling a positive emotion when they buy Australian-made products,” said Levine.

“Generally, people feel positive that they are able to support Australian jobs, with supporting ethical practices also a key reason Australians feel good about

The research found consumers associated the following attributes with the Australian Made logo — supporting local jobs and employment (97%), safe (94%), high quality (94%), reliable (93%), use of ethical labour (90%), good value (85%), sustainable (80%), expensive (80%) and environmentally friendly (80%).

Australian Made Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro said these latest results are pleasing but come as no surprise, with the Australian Made logo long regarded as Australia’s most recognised, trusted and loved country of origin symbol.

“The Australian Made logo has a proven 35-year track record in making the ‘Australian connection’, with more and more brands choosing it to promote their Australian credentials,” said Lazzaro.

“Over 4400 companies are licensed to use the logo on thousands of products sold here and worldwide.”

“When you buy Australian Made and

grown products, you know what you are getting — products grown in our clean, green environment and made to the highest of manufacturing standards.

“At the same time, you are pumping money back into the economy, which helps to keep Aussie jobs, strengthen local industries and supports local communities.

“So, whether you’re doing the weekly grocery shopping, buying gifts online, or sourcing supplies for a major project, look for the trusted Australian Made logo and make sure it’s authentically Australian.” Australia’s biggest online directory of genuine Aussie products can be found at australianmade.com.au

Australian Made australianmade.com.au

“More than one third (35%) of Aussies also claimed to purchase more Australian-made products now than before the pandemic.”

“Almost all (99%) Australians aged 18 and over are aware of the Australian Made logo, with the logo having the highest recognition of any certification mark in Australia.“

Oz robots to build faster in US market

Following International Code Council certification for the US market and a strategic funding agreement, WA robot manufacturer FBR Limited will make another three Hadrian X® machines for the US construction industry.

FBR Limited designs, develops and builds dynamically stabilised robots for ‘Wall as a Service’ — FBR’s commercial on-demand offering to builders. The three new Hadrian X® robots will be built on US truck bases and then deployed to offer Wall as a Service® via US entity, Fastbrick Americas.

Hadrian X is a bricklaying robot which builds structural walls faster,

more accurately and safely and with less waste than manual builds. Using blocks which are the size of a dozen standard bricks (SBEs) and industrial adhesive rather than mortar, the Hadrian X can lay more than 1,000 SBEs each hour.

FBR Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mike Pivac said US builders had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Hadrian X and the agreement with UK shareholder M&G Investment Management provides the funding to build and take the next generation of Hadrian X machines to the US.

The share-subscription and share-purchase agreement will see

M&G acquire 277,000,000 fully paid ordinary shares in FBR, for an aggregate sum of A$9.14 million, to fund the manufacture and commercial deployment of the next-generation Hadrian X® robots designed for use in the US.

“With one Australian-spec next generation Hadrian X® unit already assembled and laying its first blocks, another in assembly, and these three additional USA-spec Hadrian X® units, we are building a fleet of Hadrian X® robots that will transition the construction industry toward a more sustainable footing, by providing a faster, safer, less wasteful, more accurate and, ultimately, cheaper solution. “

Protect air with a desiccant dryer

losses in downtime and damaged equipment.

Dynamic Mechanical Engineering creates prototypes of auto and industrial parts for a wide variety of manufacturers and recently installed a desiccant dryer from Air 4 U.

With the company’s use of pneumatic tools, cylinders and other precision equipment, it is vital that its compressed air system delivery contains zero moisture at all times, otherwise critical problems occur in machinery and processes.

“FBR sees a compelling revenue opportunity in the US as the developer, producer and operator of the world’s most advanced and capable construction robots. The support of M&G enables us to enter a major market [that’s] poised to transition its reliance on human labour in the construction industry to robotic construction solutions.”

FBR

fbr.com.au

AIR4U’s

Moisture generation by industrial compressors is inevitable so including a refrigerated dryer in the system will eliminate the problem — provided it is switched on and in perfect running order.

For total insurance against water contamination in air lines where zero moisture contamination is critical, simple installation of an AIR 4 U desiccant dryer in the air line before point of use, ensures your laser, CNC, Blade stops, air cylinders etc are fully protected at the last line of defence.

A small investment of $450 for the inline desiccant dryer will protect you from potentially millions of

“Since we installed the 10.1 DD13 desiccant dryer in our workshop, we’ve enjoyed the benefits of fully dry air for the first time,” said Darren Kohne, Managing Director DME.

“And we are having problem-free operation of all our air tools, spray gun and the machinery we are creating for clients”

DME also provides innovative mechanical and engineering 2 and 3D auto CAD & design drafting services.

AIR4U

air4u.net.au

Agreement accelerates FBR’s Wall as a Service® expansion into the US market.

range of 10.1 in-line desiccant dryers offer total protection for air-operated equipment

AUSTRALIAN MADE WEEK

Good vibrations a win for farmers

Based at the top of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, Daniel Seed specialises in seed cleaning and grading for a variety of crops – primarily lentils, but also wheat, barley, vetch, oats, peas and beans.

Seed cleaning and grading has become one of the most important farming practices. It removes unwanted weeds, chaff, dirt and poor-quality seed from each load ensuring the heavier, better quality seed remains, maximising seeding productivity.

Farmers use vibratory feeders for cleaning and grading, and Victorian-based manufacturer Enmin has been supplying materials handling and vibratory equipment for over 40 years, and has particular expertise in food and allied industries.

Owner Peter Daniel was facing an issue with his imported vibratory feeders that were not performing to the level required both in terms of throughput per hour and flow control – both crucial factors to ensure the productivity and smooth running of the lines.

His line was operating two gravity cleaning tables fed by two individual surge hoppers.

“We were hoping to get 7TPH (tonnes per hour) out of the imported feeders and they were barely managing 4TPH – they didn’t even perform to the factory specs,” Peter said.

It was a simple Google search that led Peter to Enmin. “As soon as I spoke to the people at Enmin I could tell they were very professional and specialised in this area. That gave me the confidence to deal with them and ultimately purchase two vibratory feeders,” Peter said.

The feeders came with Enmin’s LD4 electromagnetic drive (the only drives manufactured in Australia) and a CV6 controller.

“Easy fine tuning to regulate grain flow is critical and this is where Enmin’s controller, with its pinpoint accuracy, comes into its own,” he said.

“Enmin’s product knowledge was excellent; they listened carefully to our needs to ensure we received the right solution. The quality of the product was also excellent and we found their equipment had a very good reputation in the marketplace.

Local support critical

“Being an Australian manufacturer was also an important factor for us in our purchase decision as we knew that back-up and support was just a quick phone call away,” said Peter.

Quality testing for quality finishes

DECO Australia has been an industry leader in protective coatings and surface finishes for over 19 years. With expert in-house testing services to ensure a quality finish every time, DECO has now achieved NATA accreditation for its testing lab, opening up its services for third-party testing.

Protective coatings can add exceptional durability and longevity to metal and machined parts. This increased lifespan can drastically reduce machine maintenance and downtime, as parts can last longer, require less frequent replacement, and be refinished rather than remade every time.

However, to provide optimal protection, coatings must adhere properly to the surface of the metal, and be able to withstand attacks from chemicals, impact, bending and contaminants such as salt spray and

moisture. Performing testing on finishes once applied can ensure maximised performance.

A leading accreditation

The National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) is Australia’s leading accreditation body, recognised by government to assess organisations against a number of international standards for laboratories, inspection bodies, proficiency testing scheme providers and reference material producers.

Achieving a NATA accreditation presents a testing facility to the market as respected, trustworthy and with guaranteed dedication to high performance.

DECO Australia has been granted ISO 17025 accreditation by NATA, giving the lab the scope to offer material performance and corrosion tests, as well as offering these globally-recognised testing services to the wider industry, complete with NATA-accredited test certificates on completion.

DECO testing

DECO Australia has been performing expert in-house testing on its coatings and finishes for many years, assessing finish performance including corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, colour and gloss retention and protection against chemicals and harsh weather conditions. With the ability to perform a range of tests on its own finishes, DECO opened its

“The units were installed in late January and we’re very happy with the performance so far – they’re operating 12-14 hours per day and their output seems well suited to our requirements, having tested them with lentils, wheat and beans to date.

“The Enmin units will ensure we achieve an 8TPH per feeder throughput, which is higher than we were originally looking for,” he said.

“Enmin’s customer service across both sales, design and manufacturing was outstanding. They delivered on time and did everything they said they would – we’ve been very impressed,” Peter added.

“Whilst lower cost equipment from overseas may initially seem an attractive proposition, it is ultimately a false economy. In the long-term product quality and performance, quick delivery turnaround and the ability to work closely with us during every phase of the project far outweighs any price difference.

“In terms of return on investment, there is simply no comparison,” Enmin’s Sales Manager, Paul Leahy summed up.

In addition to its vibratory and materials handling products, Enmin also has an extensive range of Industrial vibrators to suit any industry that handles bulk material.

The ‘Flow-Easy’ range is specifically designed to suit Australia’s environment and covers a multitude of applications such as mining, quarrying and agriculture.

doors to providing third-party services, starting its own independent testing body: DECO Testing. DECO’s NATA Accreditation means DECO Testing has scope to offer five material performance and corrosion tests:

• Cross Hatch Adhesion to ISO 2409

• Wet Adhesion to Qualicoat 2.4.2

• Machu Test to Qualicoat 2.11

• Neutral Salt Spray to ISO 9227

• Acetic Salt Spray to ISO 9227

This range of tests reflects the need for surface finishes to provide protection against the harsh conditions components may encounter in application, including harsh weather and salt spray, as well as impact and abrasion that may affect the finish’s adhesion to the base metal. With an extensive and exclusive range of equipment, DECO Testing can offer other performance tests as well, including Taber Abrasion testing.

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Product Videos / Case Study Videos / How To Videos

Manufacturing Current A airs Videos

Video Production Highlights

• Hosted by national news presenter Tim Webster

• Filmed in a 6pm nightly news broadcast style

• Creating a high level of integrity for client’s products and services

• Average video length of 1 - 2 minutes

• Individual client playlists, all videos in one place

• Videos on website or any social platform

• All magazine advertising includes a QR code that links back to website

Product Video Packs

Companies now need good video content, buyers expect it and will just go elsewhere if they don’t have something interesting and informative to watch.

More importantly it increases sales by 81%

With over 1.5million impressions and 600,000 views in less than 12 months, our videos are getting high rates of engagement. Each video has an accompanying story published online, in e-news and in the magazine (with a QR code) to integrate all media options.

Some of our Industry Update Video clients

Important Online Video Statistics

In 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traf c — 15 times higher than it was in 2017 (Cisco).

43% said video was made necessary by new challenges, including the coronavirus pandemic.

Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in the text (Insivia)

22% said they had become clearer on the ROI of video and this had given them con dence to invest.

Source : wyzowl.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com

2,502,095 impressions 1.1 million views

Since its launch in 2017, Industry Update Video has been a remarkable success, with content spanning the whole of the manufacturing industry.

Tim Webster Australian news presenter (Channel Ten, Foxtel, Sports Tonight, 2UE And 2CH)

Trolleys roll out, reducing risks for ICU patients

by Christine Powis

“Manufacturing is most competitive where it’s making complex items in small batches and achieves quick response times for customers.”

Sydney-based custom fabricator All Metal Products has a new winner among its many specialisations, which it aims to sell to intensive care units around Australia — and perhaps beyond. The intensive care trolley or ‘tower’ is designed so that a patient can stay connected to critical life support, medicines and monitoring equipment when they are moved around a hospital. This trolley not only removes risk of errors in

disconnection and reconnection, it saves nurses about 40 minutes on each move, each way.

Risk management was the project’s first priority but the time factor weighs also heavily on increasingly busy hospitals.

“The time-saving benefit is vital, too, because of availability of staff. If it takes 40 minutes each time a patient is disconnected and again when reconnected and the hospital moves even just 10 patients each day, then that is a lot of staff time.”

This clever ICU tower or trolley hooks onto an attachment on the patient’s bed and then staff only have to move the bed around the hospital. It’s not the first bespoke trolley but it is so much more compact and far lighter than previous attempts that it’s much more manoeuverable.

“The design challenges included connections to the many different designs of hospital beds, and also steady movement along ramps because the gradient might cause a trolley to topple,” said Grant Forsdick, CEO of All Metal Products.

“This trolley is wider at the bottom which helps balance things safely.”

“In the prototyping stages, we worked out exact spacings to maximise equipment that can be attached so there is a location on the trolley for an internal power board. But all fit-outs and equipment are done by hospital engineering

departments,” says Forsdick.

The ICU trolley was developed over the past two years in collaboration with UNSW industrial designers and Prince of Wales (POW) intensive care unit managers and clinical engineers. Now 27 of All Metal’s trolleys have been rolled out to POW in Randwick, Sydney, which has put in an order for another 18 for its new acute services building.

There are another 2,200 ICU beds around Australia and All Metal Products aims to sell a tower for each bed.

“It’s a huge market opportunity and it’s our responsibility to market to all those different hospitals, which we are starting now,” says Forsdick.

As well as ancillary medical equipment, this 61-year-old firm designs and makes materials handling, lighting and electrical equipment, dust filtration cages, catering items, POS and shop-fitting equipment.

All Metal has had an ongoing relationship with NSW Health for decades and over the years has made many products for hospitals including linen trolleys, transport chairs, waste trolleys, blood bag units and many more products. UNSW and POW teams worked out what needed to be fitted in the unit and how it needed to be accommodated.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the firm had a surge in orders from the medical and health industries in products such as sneeze screens, trolleys, hand sanitiser stands and even temporary hospital beds. Demand generated by Covid and possibility of needs across 2,200 ICU beds also sparked the collaboration on this product.

The trolleys are being made in All Metal Products’ 9,000 square-metre

factory in St Mary’s where the company also produces powder-coated, chromeplated display, shelving and POS equipment, computerised ticketing kiosks, food industry items such as oven racks, roof-racks and other 4WD accessories, sheet metal and wire products, filter cages for industrial exhaust systems, and CPU racks.

If orders rush in again, All Metal is happy to scale up.

“We would love the challenge of scaling up,” says Forsdick, “We’ll get this in front of everyone [managing] ICUs. But I don’t think it’s the kind of product that’s going to sell 1,000 per month because hospitals can only replace within their budget.”

“We are making smaller batches at the moment for orders of a dozen at a time — which is easy to make — but I relish the challenge of making more,” says Forsdick.

“Australian manufacturing is most competitive where it’s making complex items in small batches and achieves quick response times for customers. That’s certainly in catering and medical where we do a lot of business.”

“This was our first project with UNSW but hopefully not our last,” says Forsdick.

All Metal Products manufactures ‘just about anything made from metal’ and works in partnership with customers, from requirements to design, prototype, value-adding and making engineering improvements to reduce manufacturing costs through to finished product.

All Metal Products allmetalproducts.com.au

Packserv and UTS support 4.0 connectivity

Packserv’s development of 4.0 connectivity for its suite of packaging machinery took another significant step forward this month with the secondment of Solomon Ould, PhD candidate from the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Centre of Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) to Packserv’s development team in Sydney.

Through its ongoing partnership with UTS, Packserv has been turning theory into practice as it builds its sustainable digital transformation strategy.

“The addition of Solomon to the team here has boosted our efforts to make ground-breaking technology available to our customers in the FMCG manufacturing space,” said Nathan Wardell, Packserv’s MD.

“Our focus on sustainability has led us to invest heavily in machinery in our factory, and also to rely on Australianmade and supported machinery.

“We have recently replaced two existing CNC machines with a single energy-efficient machine that complements our recent acquisition of a new compressed air system that uses one fifth of the energy required by our previous arrangements. “

“All Packserv machinery is made

entirely in our Sydney factory with value, affordability, quality, and reliability as our driving force which is synonymous with the ‘made in Australia’ mantra” said Wardell whose company is an Australian made campaign licencee.

Wardell believes that, with Australia’s annual packaging machinery imports valued at about $500 million, offering quality products at competitive prices will help redress industry’s lean towards imports which began in the 1960s.

Packserv has been working with the engineering faculty at UTS for a number of years now, recently to develop machines that embrace digital transformation and drive increased self-sufficiency that will ultimately assist the on-shoring of manufacturing in the post-Covid 19 world.

Being an entirely onshore engineering design house means Packserv has the capacity and facilities to fabricate and support bespoke, high-quality machines, premium parts and accessories for customers.

“Our passion for all things Australian has driven most of our activities over the last few years. Solomon’s arrival means we will soon have a range of machinery

available to the Australian market that incorporates technology that will drive efficiencies across the whole FMCG space entirely manufactured and supported from their own offices around Australia.”

Established in 2007, Packserv is a leading packaging machinery and technical services provider. Its range includes machines for volumetric filling, capping and container handling functions including conveyors in-feed and

out-feed tables.

Operating nationally, Packserv also specialises in providing rentals for on-demand packaging equipment for filling, capping, labelling, printing, coding and induction sealing.

Packserv

Left: Solomon Ould with Andre James, Head of Operations at Packserv Australia

How to secure your OT system

—Part 2 of our cyber security feature

by Christine Powis

The relative immaturity of cyber security for operational technology (OT) environments represents a challenge but also an opportunity, says Ashwin Pal, Partner, Cyber Security and Privacy Risk Services with RSM Australia. He is optimistic because, as he says, “people are failing in the basics” so there are small things companies can do that’ll have a big impact.

“is the foundation of everything” he recommends below. All staff need general security training, and factory floor managers need OT-specific training too. They must understand basic security concepts and controls that have to be implemented within the OT environment that they will be managing.

In its 2023 Cybersecurity Outlook, the World Economic Forum agrees: “A security culture starts with awareness and includes everyone. An organisation’s cyber capabilities grow with its employees’ understanding of risks and their personal role and responsibility in helping manage them.”

other and prevent any cyber-attacks traversing zones. It is also important to cloak each zone from each other to prevent discovery of devices from other zones and stop attackers or malware/ ransomware from crossing zones.

“Before anything else, a hacker will scan your system to find holes or vulnerabilities to exploit. CloakIng works exactly like Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility – it stops scans showing your assets. If hackers can’t see it, they can’t hack it.”

“Networks are large and the contents

are not all of the same value,” says Pal. “In a house you’ll put the most precious things in the most secure rooms — when micro-segmenting and cloaking your OT, you create secure sections and put the most precious assets in micro-sections.”

“Not only are you making assets disappear but you are creating a maze within the cloaked area — you can imagine how much more difficult that is for a hacker.”

Only the initial deployment of cloaking incurs downtime. Cloaking does not mean downtime.

“It’s the 80-20 rule. Apply 20% of the basic controls and that will literally reduce your attack surface by 80%,” says Pal, whose advice below applies to ethernet-based networks, not to elements connected by serial-based interfaces.

Some controls such as patching will mean downtime for OT systems which run 24/7, notes Pal, so OT security work should be done at the same time as physical maintenance to minimise interruptions.

To secure your OT in manufacturing environments, Pal recommends the following:

People and process: Pal says training and maintaining awareness

Visibility: Document your OT environment, including devices, connections, architecture, network configuration, security configuration, etc. Update this monthly as OT devices tend to proliferate. Documentation does not require downtime.

“This is the most important control,” says Pal. “Without knowing what you have and documenting it, you cannot secure it.”

Segregate and ‘cloak’ OT networks: Ensure your OT networks are separated from other networks. Macrosegmentation from IT systems and networks is not enough, you also need to micro-segment and cloak systems.

Micro-segment the OT network into functional zones based on criticality, in order to protect the zones from each

Ashwin Pal, Partner, Cyber Security and Privacy Risk Services with RSM Australia

Remote access security: The often 24/7 operation of OT systems means secure remote access and management is a priority. Follow the concept of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). This means remote access users must authenticate (multi-factor), authorise, and account with adequate logging and alerting controls.

This means point-to-point secure access over an encrypted channel that is restricted to a set of source and destination devices only. As well, access must be continually monitored – to see what device is being used, where the device is located, what is being done. If it’s a breach, behaviour will be different. No downtime incurred.

“If any unusual behaviour, location or device is seen, access must be terminated,” says Pal.

Device hardening: Ensure you understand all the security features for the OT devices and configure them appropriately to strengthen them against attacks. For legacy devices that can’t be secured adequately, cloaking is an even more critical mitigating control that will ‘hide’ devices from an attacker or malware.

Hardening means shrinking the attack surface by changing all passwords and account names, disabling or deleting functions, services, protocols or ports not required on OT devices. No downtime.

The micro-segmentation technology should support standard Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate-based authentication to enhance the integrity of the authentication process. PKI certification gives a machine an ID; if a machine’s ID is known then you can micro-segment by ID to protect the most important data. If one segment is affected by ransomware, then segmenting by ID makes clear which ones are affected and protects those in other segments. Only initial deployment incurs downtime.

Patching: Without up-to-date patching, OT devices will be vulnerable. Some patches specifically address security holes. Again, for legacy devices that cannot be patched easily, cloaking is a valid mitigating control. Patches do mean downtime.

Security monitoring: Similar to IT networks, OT networks should also be monitored for security events. Monitoring unusual behaviour or unusual network traffic can be a good indicator of compromise that should be acted on in a timely manner. Where pos sible, use an automated response system to isolate the affected OT device and take it offline – which would mean downtime. Depending on the device’s function, this may not be desirable.

micro-segmented from wired networks. Wireless networks should have adequate intrusion detection and rogue device detection controls. The latter should include an automated response that isolates unauthorised wireless devices upon detection. No downtime.

Protect integrity of data transmissions: where feasible, all data transmitted within an OT network should be

encrypted so instructions sent from computer to factory machine can’t be hacked. This will not only protect the integrity of the transmitted data, it will also be an adequate control against ‘man-in-themiddle’ attacks. No downtime.

Backups: it is important to back up all critical data and configurations so you can perform a timely recovery from a disaster. Ensure backup systems are segregated from production systems to prevent cyber attacks traversing production systems and into back-up systems. No downtime.

Security policies for OT environments: must be developed to outline controls to be implemented within OT environments. Typically, policies would emphasise the above areas. Without these, OT security will likely be ad hoc and exposed to many vulnerabilities.

Standards: Pal’s points above summarise controls in the IEC 62443 standard set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (Geneva), and are backed by his experience working with factory floors. He recommends OT teams familiarise with IEC 62443.

RSM Australia

rsm.com.au/

authentication, authorisation, account and lockouts controls:

Basic

As with IT systems, OT systems should have authentication, authorisation, user account, password and lockout controls.

These should be configured appropriately and in line with policy to harden devices and reduce risk of a successful attack. These controls apply to applications, devices and users in line with a Zero Trust approach. This should be extended to include identity-based micro-segmentation that ensures access is strictly based on roles defined for applications, devices and users.

Implement controls - including intrusion detection, malware detection, vulnerability management, hybrid threat detection (IDS, YARA malware detection, Threat Intelligence Feed) and dashboard/reporting: A subset of security monitoring above, this entire set of controls can be deployed by a specific tool and these controls will go a long way to helping detect threats and will enable you to quickly respond to potential intrusions. No downtime.

Wireless network access controls: wireless devices and users should be authenticated and controlled to protect the wired network from wireless attacks. Wireless networks should be

The latest in supply chain and logistics

by Dan Ulmamei*,

The industrial supply chain is changing, as companies deal with longer lead times, labour shortages, low industrial vacancy rates, and increasing customer demand.

It’s clear the processes that once worked are not always going to be good enough to meet future challenges. Companies focused on convenience, efficiency and adaptability will come out on top.

Supply chain trends are shaping the way the logistics and warehousing work and deliver these benefits to businesses and their customers.

From just in time now just in case

Companies are looking to bring more inventory into the country to futureproof themselves against shortages of

disrupted and stretched supply chains.

Instead of an efficient, just-in-time aproach of replenishing as needed, companies are now bringing in additional stock, just in case it won’t come quickly later.

Industrial parts are held for longer, as equipment ages and maintenance and spare parts agreements still need to be honoured.

Transforming parts storage

With more parts to be stored in-country, and very low industrial vacancy rates (as low as 0.4% in Sydney and 0.8% Australia-wide in 2022, according to The Property Tribune and a similar story in New Zealand, according to JLL), it’s natural for companies to look at economies of scale to save.

Many are moving away from a

point-of-sale approach, and rationalising a move to distribution centres – either regional distribution centres or national distribution centres to take advantage of larger scale storage and the associated cost savings of having fewer storage facilities.

Consumer convenience

While convenience will always be important, there has been a distinct shift away from ultra-fast deliveries eg. within three hour windows.

What’s more important to consumers now is that companies deliver when they say they will, even if that’s a bit longer.

Same-day delivery will continue to be important for many industries, but faster times are less in demand than

pre-Covid times. To help companies continue to fulfil same-day orders, many are opting to bring storage and fulfilment closer to population centres, and using micro-fulfilment centres (MFCs).

Evolving warehouses

With labour shortages still an issue in manufacturing and distribution, automated warehouses are one way companies can keep up with demand.

And, with industrial land becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, many companies are looking into multi-level automated warehouses to optimise their existing industrial space.

For industrial customers, convenient, click-and-collect parcel lockers are likely to form part of the solution after their success with consumer applications.

Challenges to the industrial supply chain demand companies to be more flexible and innovative. By embracing trends like multi-level warehouses, rationalisation of distribution facilities, bringing inventory in-country, and using MFCs, companies can meet the needs of customers, overcome labour shortages, and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

Swisslog

*Dan Ulmamei has more than 26 years of experience in logistics automation.

Managing Director, Swisslog Australia and New Zealand

Smart manufacturing meets latest challenges

With the Federal Budget due in May, there is intense discussion around how the country will navigate challenging times amid high interest rates and rising inflation.

Manufacturing in particular offers significant opportunities in the period ahead.

Having passed the Senate, the federal government’s National Reconstruction Fund will set up a $15 billion fund to support local manufacturing and R&D, setting aside $1 billion to invest in critical and innovative Australian technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and software development.

The 2023 Rockwell Automation’s State of Smart Manufacturing Report offers valuable insights into one of the ways forward.

This global report includes responses from 75 of Australia’s manufacturing industry leaders (half were women) from the total of 1,350 global businesses surveyed, and highlights areas to be addressed.

Embracing AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being

Insights into Australian manufacturing

• 48% of companies have invested in robotic process automation (RPA) while 46% have expressed an intention to invest. In the US 49% have already invested in RPA.

• Only 25% of companies surveyed said they were extremely familiar with smart manufacturing technologies ie there’ room for growth. In the US and France, nearly 50% of responders were ‘extremely familiar’ with such tech.

• Only 39% of companies surveyed had used software to track ESG/sustainability metrics/goals. This was the lowest-use case out of the seven options given.

• Balancing quality, growth and worker retention topped the list as the biggest internal obstacles for growth in 2022.

• In c-suites, the main barrier to growth was paralysis, an inability to make a decision due to an excess of technology options at 71%

• 86% surveyed say up to half of their data goes unused

• 89% of manufacturers expect to maintain or hire more staff because of increased technology

• Cybersecurity is a significant concern

Technology’s impact on the Workforce

embraced by local manufacturers — the survey reveals 35% have already invested in AI.

“It bodes well for Australia with 40% of the local respondents planning to invest in AI in 2022-23,” says Anthony Wong, Director, South Pacific for Rockwell Automation.

In some ways the local industry is playing catch-up. Of the US manufacturers surveyed, 64% have already invested in AI whereas in the UK and Germany, 52% have made this investment.

“In general, Australian manufacturers are keen to adopt new technologies,” said Wong.

“Robotic process automation (RPA) is an example where 48% of Australian companies have already invested in the technology while 46% have expressed an intention to invest. This is comparable to manufacturers in the US where 49% have already invested in RPA.”

Staff challenges

Despite Australian manufacturers expressing a high level of interest in implementing technology, over a third of the respondents highlighted the challenge of retaining workers and knowledge as the biggest obstacle to growth in 2023.

In fact, 43% cited onboarding new employees second only to the difficulty of balancing quality and growth.

A cause of this is the lack of adequate skilled resources – retaining workers and knowledge was cited by 39% of the survey respondents as the biggest internal obstacle to growth.

Peak industry body Ai Group reports that 47% of businesses have increased their investment in staff training in 2022, the highest reported business investment in the ten-year history of their survey.

With businesses facing the tightest labour market since the 1970s, companies are willing to employ people with similar skill sets and further train them to fit their role.

Invest in tech

An obvious solution to overcoming the skills shortage is to invest in technology solutions, however, this throws up another conundrum.

Although smart manufacturing is key to Australia’s progress, only 25% of the country’s manufacturing industry

leaders said they were extremely familiar with these technologies.

This compares poorly with survey respondents from the US and France where familiarity with smart manufacturing technologies is vastly higher with numbers close to double that of Australia’s. This is despite 73% of local respondents stating that smart manufacturing is very important.

This may explain why 71% of Australia’s C-suite leaders identify technology paralysis as one of the largest barriers to growth. “An excess of technology options is making selection and adoption much more challenging, especially when familiarity with the

solutions is relatively low,” said Wong.

Cybersecurity an issue

The country’s scarce technology resources also affect the ability of businesses to adequately deal with cybersecurity risks.

In fact, 47% of the survey respondents from Australia ranked cybersecurity as their biggest external obstacle to their growth in 2023.

Federal Cybersecurity Minister Clare O’Neil recently stated her intention for Australia to be the world’s most cyber secure nation by 2030. This is a laudable goal and businesses will be watching developments closely, especially with the creation of a new national office for cybersecurity within the Department of Home Affairs.

The 2023 Rockwell Automation State of Smart Manufacturing Report offers other unique insights into the trends shaping Australia’s manufacturing industry including dealing with ESG goals; the lingering effects of Covid-19 and technologies that have over-promised and under-delivered.

The path to manufacturingintelligent

Australian Manufacturing Week is back home in Melbourne in a big way. Staged at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9–12 May 2023, AMW 2023 is Australia’s premier manufacturing solutions event.

Owned and organised by AMTIL, Australian Manufacturing Week is more than just an exhibition. AMW is a week-long celebration of manufacturing in Australia.

AMW had a massive show in Sydney last year, with 6,000 trade visitors and 170-plus exhibitors in 4,500 square metres of exhibition space spread over four days.

This Australian manufacturing show needs a week to run its course, and it is coming home to fill the biggest venue in Melbourne.

At 10,764 square metres, with 330plus exhibitors, it’s spread across a week at the Melbourne Convention Centre, just across the Yarra River from the CBD.

Since the country opened up from lockdowns last year, there has been a

resurgence of market activity within Australia and manufacturers have answered the call to find new business.

They are all enthusiastic to show off their best, newest and brightest skills, machinery and expertise.

Because there is such a variety of manufacturing happening in Australia, AMTIL has grouped the major sectors of manufacturing in their own areas, while

still keeping everything under one roof, open to all.

To demonstrate the advancements within each particular segment of the manufacturing industry, there are seven areas to explore. These zones are:

• Austech Machine Tool Zone, sponsored by Iscar

• Additive Manufacturing Zone

• Australian Manufacturers Pavilion, sponsored by Sutton Tools

• Manufacturing Solutions Zone, sponsored by Adobe

• Robotics & Automation Zone

• Weld & Air Solutions Zone, sponsored by Atlas Copco

• And the Plastic Technology Zone.

“When AMTIL started representing the Australian manufacturing industry some 23 years ago, I never suspected we would also be organising the annual industry show, now the biggest manufacturing exhibition in the southern hemisphere,” said AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti.

There is help at hand to find your way through the sea of stands as well.

AMW’s organisers have teamed up with the event management software specialists Map Your Show to create a set of online tools and help during your visit, and in advance.

There is also a completely rebuilt AMW App available so all you need is your phone to organise your days. It’s like having a personal guide for AMW2023. Australian

Hear speakers on future solutions at AMW2023

Registrations are now open for Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2023), held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9-12 May 2023.

Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will occupy more than 10,764 square metres of exhibition space at the MCEC, with over 330 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services.

Don’t miss out! Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek. com.au

The AMW Future Solutions Speaker Program rolls out through the week, a free Conference within AMW2023, covering major topics within the industry.

On Tuesday 9th May, the special focus is Digital and Additive Manufacturing . Richard Elving from Markforged reveals how Australian businesses are using 3D printing to bring manufacturing back home.

Later in the day, Cherry Chen from CSIRO speaks about the research into functional materials for space, biomedical and hydrogen storage applications.

The second day at Australian

Manufacturing Week has a special focus on our crucial assets. Wednesday 10th May features Women in Manufacturing

As part of the Future Solutions Speaker Program, Wednesday’s roll call of experts will expand on career pathways and opportunities open for women to advance in the industry right now.

The team from William Buck will talk about unleashing the full potential of your workplace. Then a panel from SEMMA will show how women are fuelling Australian manufacturing today.

Thursday 11th May sees the AMW Future Solutions Speaker Program change tack to a celebration of Australian Manufacturing with a focus on New Technology

Our speakers come from Autodesk, Bosch, ANCA, Adobe and the Victorian government.

The last day of AMW2023, Friday 12th May, celebrates Innovation and Research in manufacturing. Jennifer Conley from the Geelong Manufacturing Council reveals some innovative case studies from regional Victoria. We also get a look inside the Australian National Fabrication Facility and the work being done on advanced materials, with Oded VanHamm.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to register online to visit Australian Manufacturing Week in Melbourne. It’s going to be the biggest manufacturing show in the Southern Hemisphere.

The real price of sitting on the fence

By Colin Wells, Director of Robotic Automation

Achange in Australian industry decision-making is apparent.

In the ‘post covid’ era, the lack of assertiveness and confident decision-making in small and large companies is a pandemic itself in its postponement.

Rather than trying to regain the lost time the pandemic caused, it’s become ‘if we are not 100% sure then don’t make a decision’. This could be the wrong decision for businesses.

As usual, the cause is not one thing but many that have been convoluted and bottled up by the pandemic, resulting in a confusing and indecisive weight on the minds of the very people who acted decisively two or three years ago.

It’s sad to see companies being so hesitant when there has never been a more compelling time to automate their factories for a long list of very sound reasons: labour and skill shortages, supply chain delays, extended lead times, foreign and local competition, inbuilt immunity from the next pandemic, among them.

The right time to buy

One of the reasons not mentioned above is the ‘let’s wait for the next new model before we buy’ syndrome.

Think that way and you could be waiting a long time, as there is always a new model coming out and there’s a very good chance it will make no difference to your application whatsoever, apart from

losing another year of potential gains.

The ‘cobot effect’

A good case in point is the current noise surrounding cobots. Apparently, they are going to fix everything. Well, this is not the case and those that think so are possibly believing too much in the marketing hype, not the facts.

suits their limitations – as any robot should be. Robotic Automation is committed to employ cobots wherever possible if it’s justified, technically sound and most importantly, safe. What we don’t see as a benefit — in fact it’s more a risk — is clients being asked to assess safety themselves.

Today’s non-cobot robots can act like a cobot with the addition of safety scanners etc.

This solution has been employed hundreds of times for several years now with great success.

Longer lead times

Systems integration prior to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine was hard enough. The world we now face is more difficult, with the certainty of critical components in a state of flux. However, because we know this we are finding ways around these considerable issues.

had record year sales. This fact alone is a solid indicator that many companies have chosen to use this time to automate.

So the bottom line is, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be pocketing the significant benefits from an automation project.

The benefits of partnership

The bespoke nature of a systems integrator has its moments, as often we are both the adviser and supplier of such systems large and small and should always act in the client’s benefit as we have lots of skin in the game.

Cobots are just another model of robot. Cobots have a place in the automation chain as do autonomous guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots but the hype around cobots does not match the actual performance — some clients are finding out the hard way.

Staff safety is a great responsibility for companies, which is one of the primary driving forces to install cobots over standard robots.

Cobots are great if applied to work that

Guaranteed delivery times are now much longer whichever way you look at it. It’s worth mentioning it may not be the most obvious elements that are hard to get delivered.

One example is the safety scanners mentioned above that work with the robot or autonomous guided vehicle safety system. These have been in short supply for a long time, so we have learned to adapt.

Motoman Robotics had stock of several hundred robots through the pandemic so they were not affected and

This has manifested itself multiple times in the past few years where older systems come due to be changed out for more modern systems. Robotic Automation has been fortunate to have been selected to replace ageing systems we provided over 20 years ago.

This is very beneficial for many reasons, especially when updates are required, however, this valuable partnership is often not considered in some decision-making processes.

Surely the pandemic has highlighted the need for experienced local tech support, because as we all know, on-line support has its limitations.

Flexible automation

As an example, if a system is manufacturing a particular product today, it most certainly won’t be doing the same in the years to come.

The original system integrator is the ideal partner to advise on how to upgrade / change to suit new requirements.

Client satisfaction is achieved if the original system achieves all agreed requirements.

However, the original partner can also look for opportunities to achieve up to an additional 10-20% gain in output — a huge gain for the relatively small cost involved.

Focus is far too often placed on initial system purchase price when it should more importantly be on continuous improvement.

Australia is losing ground to our competitors: we need to modernise our manufacturing base with flexible automation ASAP. Otherwise our costs will be too high, leaving production to go offshore — not a result we need.

Robotic Automation ragroup.com.au

“The hype around cobots does not match actual performance — some clients are finding out the hard way”

“Motoman Robotics had stock of several hundred robots through the pandemic so they were not affected and had record year sales”

ECOPET-flex compressors are oil free

Kaishan Compressors can now supply Australian industry with absolutely oil-free compression from 25 to 40 bar for PET bottle-blowing applications.

These advanced modular ECOPETflex units utilise LMF advanced compressor technology to deliver low energy consumption rates in a highly engineered reciprocating package requiring

High pressure air and gas compressors

As a member of the global Kaishan Group, the LMF brand is renowned throughout the world for the design and manufacture of HP compressed air and gas, reciprocating and rotary screw compressors for industrial, oil and gas industry applications.

With over 166 years of expertise and supply capabilities in major applications around the world, leading LMF high pressure compressor technology is now available in Australia through Kaishan Australia. Kaishan customers now have access to the LMF range to suit a wide range of industrial applications including:

• Oil, gas and mining

• Ecopet-flex for PET bottle production

• Major industrial applications

and discharge pressure up to 700 Bar PSI for air, natural gas and process gases.

Kaishan compressed air and gas systems provide greatly increased efficiency, productively and profitability.

no special foundations.

The water-cooled compressors have been continuously rated with proven reliability under the most rigid demands. Advanced system development and use of highest quality materials ensures high efficiency and durability for large scale bottle moulding operations. Ideal for industries wanting a complete container mounted, sound protected ‘Plug & Play’ solution. Dryer, switch cabinet and air dryer can be integrated into the packaged system allowing flexibility in application and space requirements.

• Custom engineered solutions

• Mobile containerised solutions

All LMF products are developed and made to internationally recognised standards.

Kaishan/LMF products are supported by a highly skilled and trained workforce in Australia and around the world providing complete services to industry including design, manufacturing, testing, commissioning and responsive support services.

The broad product range provides power from 4kW to 6000kW/8000HP

Australian industry can now have the confidence to acquire and install systems that are designed and commissioned to fit their exacting application needs through a leading, fully qualified and globally supported local compressed air specialist company.

Kaishan Compressors Australia also supply and service a comprehensive range of advanced technology air compressors and system components for a variety of industrial, specialised and workshop applications.

Kaishan will be at Australian Manufacturing Week in the Austech Machine Tools & Ancillary Equipment Zone.

High speed compressors

Development of oil-free compound design for seismic application.

ECOPET flex compressor for PET bottle production

Refocus, rise to the challenge of success in the wake of disruption

By John Spender, Director, William Buck

In this four-part ‘Review, revive, refocus and thrive’ series for Industry Update, William Buck Accountants and Advisors share expert insights and practical strategies that manufacturing leaders can employ to position their businesses for success in the coming months and beyond.

Manufacturing industry leaders are assessing the significant market upheavals that have rocked the sector in recent years, such as the pandemic and the recent spike in interest rates.

In this dynamic environment, it’s key for manufacturers to stay ahead of the game by continually evolving their strategies to remain competitive.

After reviewing what’s working and what’s not, now is the time to strategise and plan for the future.

Assess your position

First and foremost, it’s crucial to assess your market position. The recent interest rate changes have undoubtedly shifted the landscape for many businesses, and it’s important to understand where you stand relative to competitors and customer demand.

Have new opportunities arisen as a result of the current environment? Can you regain ground that was lost? These are all important questions to consider as

you map out your future strategy.

One way to analyse your current business environment is to use a framework like Porter’s Five Forces. This model can help you identify key drivers of competition and customer behaviour, allowing you to make more informed decisions about your future direction.

Harness innovative practices

Another important aspect of refocusing your strategy is to harness innovative new practices that have emerged during the last few years of disruption.

It’s likely that you’ve had to adapt your

keeping and which should be left behind. Have you developed new products or services? Have you found ways to minimise logistics costs? These are all examples of innovations that could be worth retaining as part of your long-term strategy.

Strategic view on staffing

As you refocus your strategy, it’s also important to take a strategic view on staffing. Do you have the right talent in place to help you achieve your goals? What capabilities will you need in the future? Are there any skills gaps that need to be filled? Now may also be the time to consider consolidating departments and identifying underperforming employees.

Contingency planning

Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that the pandemic has affected different industries in different ways.

While some sectors have been hit hard, others have yet to experience the full impact of a potential recession. As such, it’s essential that your strategy and operations are flexible enough to adapt to unpredictable variables in the future.

Stay tuned for the final instalment in the next edition of Industry Update, where we’ll discuss growth and opportunities for manufacturers.

In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to William Buck Accountants and Advisors for guidance and support as you navigate the rapidly changing business environment.

For a complimentary consultation on your business strategy contact the experts at William Buck at 02 8263 4000

William Buck

williambuck.com

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• Spectrum, 3DXtech, ProtoPasta, Kimya, BASF and Zetamix by Nanoe Industrial Filaments

Raise3D is leading Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing with high reliability and output quality. Raise3D’s printers are easy-to-use, durable, ready to improve precision standards, scale production, and add a powerful new additive manufacturing resource. Raise3D also has a well-earned reputation for premium materials, providing impressive tensile strength and surface quality. Stronger materials within their range are being made available with the new industrial machines.

Photocentric - the inventors of LCD 3D printing. Photocentric is an award-winning specialist resin and LCD printer manufacturer based in the UK and Arizona. They are patent holders in visible light curing technologies and specialise in photopolymerisation. They manufacture an innovative range of

photopolymer resins compatible with any printer operating from 355nm to 460nm, and a range of innovative 3D printers using LCD screens. Materials. Having a great, reliable machine is only part of the process.

Bilby 3D machines are open materials – not locked into proprietary suppliers, and adaptive to innovative materials as they become available. Bilby 3D scours the world to bring customers the latest materials with real-world applications.

For FFF, Bilby 3D provides not only nylons embedded with carbon fibre, but a wide range of matrix and reinforcing materials, including ABS with kevlar.

BASF have been working with Raise3D to bring to market a solution for printing filament with metal powders within a binder, which can then be sintered to give a full-metal part with low porosity.

Nanoe, French manufacturing pioneers, even has ceramic filaments. Not to mention Bilby 3D’s wide range of flexible materials with differing shore hardness, from very soft to high durability.

Bilby3D are proud of the solutions they have helped establish with Australia’s medical, military and manufacturing industries; drawing on engineering and material sciences knowledge to develop world first applications in Additive Manufacturing across Australia and New Zealand.

Bilby3D b3d.com.au

Gain a competitive edge by implementing the latest digital tools for rapid prototyping and small batch production.

FX20 to accelerate manufacturing innovation

US metal and carbon fibre 3D printing company Markforged will showcase its newest production printer, the FX20, at Australian Manufacturing Week in May in Melbourne.

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a rapidly growing technology that has revolutionised the way products are designed and manufactured.

In recent years, Australian manufacturing factories have been embracing this technology and integrating it into their existing manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Since launching the FX20 in Australia, Markforged has seen Australian manufacturers adopt its technology into their existing workflows on shop floors. Six months after launching the FX20, Markforged has shipped and established a two-digit network of FX20s in Australia and New Zealand.

The FX20 utilised Markforged’s Digital Forge, which utilises the Eiger and Simulation software to develop parts quickly and easily.

Additive advantages

One of the main advantages of additive manufacturing is its ability to produce highly customised parts and components.

With traditional manufacturing methods, producing custom parts can be time-consuming and costly, requiring expensive tooling and specialised equipment. With 3D printing, however, the process is much simpler and more efficient. Manufacturers can simply design the part using computer-aided design (CAD) software and then print it on a 3D printer.

Many manufacturers around Australia have already recognised the contribution of Markforged 3D printers in the improvement of their production processes.

An award-winning WA company Avicena prints over 100 components of the Sentinel Biosecurity Platform (molecular diagnostic instrument)

in-house, speeding the time to market and enjoying freedom of design.

“In the early iterations of Sentinel, most small components were made of aluminium, and many were sourced as ready-made items. As we progressed, we redesigned many of the parts to improve functionality, and in many cases upgraded the materials we used to increase component strength,”said Avicena CEO, Tony Fitzgerald.

Over the last 5 years, the Formero has invested in additive technologies that print production grade materials for end

large format.”

3D printing tools and fixtures

In addition to producing customised parts and components, additive manufacturing is also being used to produce tooling and fixtures for existing manufacturing processes. Traditionally, producing tooling and fixtures can be a lengthy and costly process, requiring specialised skills and equipment.

With 3D printing, however, manufacturers can produce these items quickly and easily using CAD software and a

selecting the FX20 to continue being an early adopter for Industry 4.0.”

Another advantage of additive manufacturing is its ability to produce parts and components with complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible to produce using traditional manufacturing methods. This has led to the development of new products and technologies that would not have been possible otherwise.

Additive manufacturing is being implemented into existing manufacturing processes in Australian manufacturing factories with increasing frequency.

As the technology continues to improve and costs come down, it is likely that 3D printing will become even more prevalent in the manufacturing industry in the coming years.

Markforged, together with partners and customers, will be showcasing the FX20 at the Australian Manufacturing Week show. Partners and customers include SFDesign (AM280), Emona Instruments (AM450), Konica Minolta (RA300), Alfex (MT580).

Australian Manufacturing Week

To make the best of the AMW Expo, visitors are encouraged to book an exclusive meeting with the Markforged expert by going to this link AMW Expert Tour (or) scanning the below QR code) and choosing the suitable day and time for an exclusive tour where our Expert will review your current traditional manufacturing process or presently used applications, then advise you how to improve these by leveraging additive manufacturing, including the possibility of replacing metal components with continuous-fibre reinforced printed parts.

This means you’ll get a full picture of your manufacturing process and new insights into how you can optimise your manufacturing processes and reduce costs, print parts at the point of need.

About Markforged

use parts. For them, the FX20 allows them to build faster and more precisely with its large build platform and speed, along with its number of choices for materials to print in.

As demand for local production capacity continues to grow due to supply chain issues, more customers are looking to Formero to develop high value, complex and lightweight parts.

ANZ GM, James Sanders observes that “many of our Australian customers have been rapidly transitioning to high value, complex and light weight products that we struggled to provide a solution for. The FX20 meets a market need with high strength, lightweight materials in a

3D printer. This has led to improved efficiency and reduced costs in many manufacturing processes.

SQP is another adopter of the FX20. David Miller, SQP’s owner, said “the FX20 will complement SQP’s state of the art workshop and increase our capabilities to take products from the R&D prototype stage through to mass production.”

The FX20 will be the epicentre of SQP’s additive manufacturing workflow, accompanying the Metal X printer.

“Being an early adopter and selecting the best machines to produce the best products is what sets SQP apart” Miller added. “I applied the same logic when

Markforged is making manufacturing more resilient and flexible by bringing on-demand industrial production to the point of need. The Markforged Digital Forge – the reliable, intelligent and easy-to-use additive manufacturing platform – empowers any manufacturer to create strong and accurate end-use parts repeatedly in both metal and composites anywhere and anytime. Over 10,000 customers across 70+ countries use The Digital Forge to overcome limitations of traditional manufacturing while strengthening their supply chains. Markforged is headquartered in Watertown, Mass., where it designs the hardware, software and materials that powers its platform. To learn more, visit www.markforged.com

Markforged will be at stand AM 280 at Australian Manufacturing Week

AMW Expert Tour

Streamlined deburring and finishing

The Metalmaster Deburr1380 is equipped with multiple stations and allows for the integrated execution of different processes.

The machine, which streamlines both processes and costs, will be featured at the Australian Manufacturing Week.

With the right tools, the processes of slag removal, pre-grinding, deburring, edge-rounding, oxide removal up to finish grinding can all be achieved.

For removing the molten slag residue in plasma or oxy-fuel cut sheet metal, Hare & Forbes’ deslagging brush can be used.

The deburring machine’s many features include:

• Faster and efficient solution to manual deburring

• 1300 x 800mm working area with vacuum area to secure small parts in place.

• Table trim can be lowered to accommodate workpieces larger than the worktable.

• Easy-to-use swinging arm and weight compensation allows the operator

to adjust the pressure exerted on the material as required.

• Grinding head with multiple stations and allows for the integrated execution of different processes.

• Variable speed allows for easy speed adjustment to suit the tool and process.

• Grinding head rotates 180° allowing for fast and easy switch to a different consumable is possible.

• Grinding head rotates 180° ensuring a quick and easy switch between processing steps.

• Storage cupboard with shelf to store accessories.

Hare & Forbes Machinery House will be at Australian Manufacturing Week at stands MT 610 and MT 620

Hare & Forbes machineryhouse.com.au

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AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WEEK

Australian Manufacturing Week’s seven zones

1

AUSTECH

As the oldest zone within the exhibition, the AUSTECH Machine Tools zone is central to the exhibition. It features top firms in metalworking, machine tools and ancillary equipment.

AUSTECH covers advanced manufacturing products and processes including CNC Machinery, Lathes, Mills; Contract Manufacturing/Precision Machining; Cutting Tools, Tooling and Tool Holding; Forming and Fabricating Machines; Plasma, Laser, Waterjet and Ultrasonic Machines; ancillary equipment suppliers.

Sponsored by

2

Additive Manufacturing zone

The various techniques within Additive Manufacturing include Stereolithography, Selective Laser Sintering, Material Extrusion, Sheet lamination, Binder jetting, Cold Spray processing, Material jetting, Directed energy deposition, powder-bed fusion, VAT photopolymerisation and wire arc manufacturing (WAAM).

Previously viewed as a prototyping technology, Additive Manufacturing is now becoming more prominent in design and evaluation, modelling, rapid manufacturing, repair, tooling, fixturing and most importantly, production.

The innovations brought about by this technology have been ground-breaking and the precision, repeatability, and material range of 3D printing now extends to boat and building construction, and to nanotech.

Sponsored by

3

Australian Manufacturers Pavilion

Here AMW celebrates the best of Australian manufacturing, including some of this country’s most accomplished component manufacturers, advanced manufacturers, precision engineering firms, general engineering companies and toolmakers.

5

Robotics & Automation Zone

This zone features the latest state-of-the-art equipment and processes to optimise manufacturing operations. Robots are practical technologies, with artificially intelligent software brains, created and designed by engineers to refine, manufacture, and move Australian manufacturing ahead.

While countless works of science fiction have depicted robots as sources of wonder or menace, the reality today is much more common, with modern robots liberating human workers from an increasing number of repetitive and dangerous tasks.

Primary among the technologies and capabilities on display will be Industrial robotics, Robots, Automated Solutions, Instrumentation Control Systems, Measurement, Pneumatics, IOT Solutions, Industry 4.0 and Digitalisation.

6Weld and Air Solutions Zone

Advanced welding processes and high-quality interactive experiences in this zone will demonstrate developments and applications in welding. The earliest examples of welding stem from the Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe and the Middle East. Researchers continue to develop new welding methods and gain greater understanding of weld quality.

Welding is critical in metal fabrication and manufacturing today. In fact, it is used in creating more than half of all of the products manufactured in Australia. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers use hand-held or remotely controlled equipment to join or cut metal parts.

The zone will include Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW/MIG), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW/TIG), Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW). Many of these will be represented within the Welding & Air Solutions Zone.

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

Manufacturing Solutions Zone

The capabilities within Manufacturers Pavilion include tooling, cutting technologies, metal casting and prototyping, aluminium extrusion, machining, cutting, and milling solutions, sheet metal fabrication, powder coating, laser cutting, panel folding, and digitisation. 4

This is where to find optimised solutions for common challenges experienced by manufacturers — from materials handling and warehousing to integrated manufacturing and safety solutions.

The manufacturing industry would not be able to function effectively without a diverse array of ancillary technologies and support services. This zone includes exhibitors from equipment for materials handling and logistics, and safety products, through to the latest software for streamlining manufacturing operations, as well as specialist service providers in areas such as law, finance, and skills, training, and recruitment.

Sponsored by

7

Plastics Technology Zone

This is a hands-on opportunity to see and feel the latest in plastics machinery, mould-making technologies, recycling materials, and the many plastics manufacturing processes.

This area will cover injection and blow moulding, extrusion, thermoforming, and compounding, mould making and toolmaking, and plastic technology processes such as polymer manufacturing, raw materials, compounding and recycling technologies.

Sponsored by

Australian Manufacturing Week 2023 will be at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9-12 May 2023.

AMW 2023 is running concurrently with Electronex, the Electronics Design and Assembly Expo, which will also be at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 10-11 May 2023.

Specialised coatings protect your machinery

Protective coatings are a crucial part of the manufacturing and fabrication process, adding lifespan and durability to components and contributing to the overall lifecycle of machinery.

Machinery is only as effective as its parts – and those parts are only as effective as the coating protecting them. Protective coatings are a crucial element of the manufacturing process, adding not only a finishing touch to a machined component, but adding the durability and longevity that contributes to the part’s lifespan – and to the lifespan of the machine overall.

Reduce downtime, increase productivity

Machined components will inevitably wear down over time from use, as well as buildup of residue, corrosion and exposure to a variety of weather conditions and environments.

Machinery downtime can have significant costs to a business – and with supply chain shortages across the world, sourcing replacement parts can be a difficult and time-consuming process.

Protective coatings not only keep the components beneath from degrading too quickly, but can also be reapplied within a relatively short time frame.

Recoating components locally rather than waiting to order replacement parts from overseas can drastically reduce downtime, allowing machinery to remain up and running for longer and dramatically increasing productivity.

Protection for all applications

Manufactured components require specialised protection that will meet the needs of the design specifications and their application. Machinery in outdoor settings, or in plants with high levels of moisture, require coatings that will protect against corrosion of the metal beneath.

With an effective pre-treatment, coatings such as powder coating and

thermoplastic coating add a layer of protection to the surface of aluminium or steel that can withstand high levels of moisture and salt spray.

Parts in fast-moving machinery, defence applications and heavy-duty applications are particularly susceptible to wear and abrasion.

As parts wear down over time, the effectiveness of the machinery overall can be compromised. Anodising and its tougher counterpart hard anodising are effective finishes for reducing abrasion and wear and expanding the lifespan of a component.

A hard, dense aluminium oxide layer grown from the surface of the aluminium, anodising adds protection against wear and external damage, preventing parts from wearing down quickly and adding significant longevity.

Specialty finishes such as ceramic coatings can also add hardness and durability suitable for moving parts with tight tolerances.

For components at risk of accumulation of residue, glue, chemicals or food substances, PTFE or PFA coatings – more commonly known as Teflon – are effective at reducing friction and allowing materials to pass over the part without building up.

DECO Australia

An expert in surface protection, DECO Australia provides a wide range of protective coatings to suit different industry needs. With specialised Zero Degree hard anodising, globally-accredited powder coating, a range of specialty finishes and custom finish capabilities, DECO can work with manufacturers to provide the ultimate protective solution for almost any application.

AMW MELBOURNE 2023

IT’S ALMOST HERE – DON’T MISS OUT! REGISTER NOW

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT THE SHOW

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WEEK

FES gives industry the DAVI difference

Fabrication Equipment Supplies

(FES) has been a market leader in the competitive Australian plate rolling industry since 2002 when it became an Australian agent for DAVI machine systems.

The DAVI brand is synonymous with exceptionally high precision and productivity, efficiency, longevity and value and DAVI boasts a client base which includes NASA and AIRBUS and much of the world’s wind tower market.

FES specialises in steel fabrication from cutting and bonding to forming and rolling. It supplies press brakes, guillotines, laser and plasma profile cutters plus rolling machines, bandsaws, punches and shears.

“We aim to increase control, efficiency and productivity — resulting in better profits,” says FES Managing Director, Mike Dye.

“FES is directly linked with the most sophisticated products right down to the most basic machines, and covers all price-points.”

DAVI is at Australian Manufacturing Week expo at stand MT240 and Mike Dye from FES will be there to answer all queries.

Designed in Australia for Australia

In business since 1973, Accurpress has sold more than 30,000 machines globally and is the largest supplier of press brakes in North America.

Accurpress Australia was formed in 2015, giving Accurpress the ability to deliver world class machinery to the Australian and New Zealand markets. Since then, Accurpress Australia has been working with partners to design, manufacture and install tailored, automatic press brake solutions to address challenges with production, efficiency and costs.

Accurpress Australia specialises in larger capacity press brakes (up to 3000 tonnes) with safety and intelligence designed by Australians for Australians.

The company is led by a highly motivated and experienced team with more than 80 years’ combined experience in press brake sales, design, manufacture, installation, maintenance, training and operation.

Consisting of Technical Director Michael Stratos, Sales Director Mike Dye and Operations Manager Wayne Strother, the team is committed to delivering for businesses.

The team believes in strong service and strives to deliver the highest quality, reliability and value to customers.

Accurpress Australia specialises in

• large tonnage capacity press brakes up to 3000 tonnes

• world-class press brake safety systems

• fully integrated automation systems

• customised press brake tooling

• fully automatic vee blocks

• energy efficiency systems

• world leading Delem control systems –DA-58T, DA-66T, DA-69T

• fully programmable 2D and 3D offline software

• automatic hydraulic tool clapping

• ancillary equipment, sheet followers, materials handling,

• guillotines, turret punches

Power savings

With green energy technology, Accurpress machines’ electrical and hydraulic systems only consume power when the back gauge or upper beam are in motion, offering up to an 85% energy reduction on larger machines.

Downtime reduction is a feature of all Accurpress Australia press brakes, and the machines’ electrical and hydraulic systems are designed by Australians with that feature as a priority.

All electrical and hydraulic components are available in Australia, so in the unfortunate event of a machine breakdown, there are no lengthy waits for components from overseas to get a machine back online.

Accurpress Australia works closely with technical service technicians Australia-wide for fast service and backup if and when required.

With market leading control systems, fast approach and return speeds, stateof-the-art back gauges and an array of optional automation, Accurpress Australia press brakes ensure high productivity and reduced downtime.

Accurpress Australia offers threeyear parts and labour warranty on all press brakes.

Accurpress is exhibiting at stand MT 120 at Australian Manufacturing Week

accurpress.com.au

Fabrication Equipment Supplies fes.net.au

DAVI MCP 20 CNC Section rolling machine

DAVI davi.com

DAVI MCA 2020 with New iRoll Performance CNC

Applications for DAVI products include:

Energy industry

Davi 3 and 4 rolls are the industry leader to roll the heavy duty, thick plates to build nuclear reactor and turbine housings.

Earth moving machines

DAVI plate rolls are the ideal choice to roll thick plates with high resistance and special anti-abrasive steel.

Truck containers

Davi CNC controlled 4 rolls machines are the right choice to produce truck tanks, to 12 meters (40 feet) long and more.

Aerospace/aircraft

DAVI supplies the turn-key solutions to produce aircraft and aerospace components such as wing and fuselage sections, and components for aerospace vehicles and capsules.

Shipyard

DAVI rolls are used to produce all the different rolled shapes in the shipyard industry.

Structures

DAVI angle rolls and section bending machines are widely purchased for building heavy and large dimensioned structures.

Off-Shore platforms

DAVI 3 and 4 rolls are the plate rolls of choice to build monopiles and tripods, in thick plate and high resistance steel.

Boilers, pressure vessels, heat exchangers

The high accuracy required to form these components, Davi 3 and 4 rolls have the technology to be the leading choice among top manufacturers to produce these large components.

DAVI MCB E30 CNC HDC

DAVI MCB N30 CNC rolling heavy duty bridge pylons

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WEEK

NZ food science facility gets ‘Class 0’ compressed air from ELGi

A complete oil-free ‘Class 0’ turnkey compressed air system is being used by a new food science facility jointly operated by a trio of leading New Zealand research providers.

Air compressor manufacturer

ELGi Equipments and its authorised partner Compressed Air Controls, supplied dedicated completely oil-free compressed air which was required by the new facility Te Ohu Rangahau Kai, which is shared by Massey University, AgResearch and the Riddet Institute, on the university’s Palmerston North campus. The new facility includes over 1,800 square metres of research laboratory housing hi-tech food science analytical equipment including mass spectrometers. Mass spectrometers require high purity nitrogen to analyse chemical molecules in food. Delivered by a nitrogen generator, the compressed air supply for the nitrogen generator needed to be 100% oil-free and certified ‘Class 0’ in

compliance with ISO 8573-1.

To meet these stringent requirements, Massey University contacted long-standing compressed air partner Compressed Air Controls, one of ELGi’s authorised partners.

environmental impact, which also aligned well with our environmental sustainability goals.

“In addition, we required a highly reliable compressed air system and the assurance of local service backup. The

life and performance of the compressor due to fewer moving parts at low operating speeds.

• High reliability: engineered to deliver maximum uptime and availability, backed up with ongoing service support provided by ELGi’s authorised partner CAC.

• Low carbon footprint: minimal environmental impact due to superior efficiency and zero mineral oil residue.

Ramesh Ponnuswami, Executive Director, ELGi OSEA, believes ELGi’s AB series represents a real disruption in oil-free compressed air technology for sensitive industrial applications

“The AB series not only provides 100% oil-free compressed air in compliance with ISO 8573-1, but offers high reliability and high efficiency with low ownership cost and minimal environmental impact.

“We are delighted to have supplied an AB series oil-free screw air compressor and to be a small part of the new Te Ohu Rangahai Kai building, one of the largest agricultural food research centres in New Zealand.”

ELGi Equipments Australia is a subsidiary of ELGi Equipments Limited, one of the world’s leading air compressor manufacturers, committed for over 62 years to delivering world-class sustainable compressed air solutions. ELGi

Steve Carran, Territory Manager at Compressed Air Controls, described the system as “a complete skid-mounted turnkey solution”.

“It included an ELGi AB37 oil-free screw air compressor and an Airmate EGRD200 refrigerated air dryer complete with downstream filtration, and full stainless steel air lines to meet needs,” said Carran.

Keith Harvey, Project Manager at Massey University, said it was essential for the compressed air supply for the nitrogen system used in the mass spectrometers to be certified Class 0, to eliminate risk of oil contamination.

“The AB series from ELGi promised to meet these requirements with minimal

ELGi turnkey compressed air solution and Compressed Air Control’s expert service and support is meeting our expectations.”

Installed in September 2022, the ELGi AB series was ideal for AgResearch’s requirements because it offered:

• Zero process contamination: a 100% oil-free compressed air solution, certified ‘Class 0’ in compliance with ISO 8573-1 and ISO 8573-7 and manufactured in an ISO 22000 factory, producing high-quality air, free of microbiological contaminants.

• Low lifecycle cost: efficient air-end with best-in-class performance and optimal system configuration in single-stage operation.

• Low maintenance costs: enhanced

Equipments Australia - together with its nationwide distribution networkoffers an extensive range of compressed air products and services including oil-lubricated and oil-free rotary screw compressors, oil-lubricated and oil-free reciprocating compressors, dryers, filters and downstream accessories.

ELGi Equipments Australia

elgi.com/au

The ELGi AB series oil-free screw air compressor installed at the new food-science facility in Palmerston North, New Zealand

The turnkey solution includes an ELGi Airmate EGRD200 refrigerated air dryer

The compressed air supply for the nitrogen generator needed to be 100% oil-free

The new facility includes over 1,800 m2 of research laboratory space that houses a range of hi-tech food science analytical equipment

MANUFACTURING WEEK

Precision linear bearings for higher loads and lower noise

Linear Technik is the Australian representative for CSB-LIN’s precision linear bearings.

These bearings can be supplied in the same dimensional range as metal ball linear bearings but have a higher load-carrying capacity, and very low operating noise.

They can replace European metric and imperial sizes and also be put into aluminium housings.

The liners are made of TEFPLAS compounds and developed to be maintenance-free and low friction.

The bearings come in closed, open and flanged styles and can be used at temperatures up to 200 degrees celsius, without damaging the linear shaft rail.

In addition, surface dirt is removed as they operate and they are suitable for wash down environments, which is imperative for industries where high contamination is an issue, such as the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The bearings are also suitable for packaging and labelling industry equipment.

Features include:

• self-lubricating

• maintenance-free

• high precision

• smooth operation

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• vibration reduction

• no noise

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Linear Technik is exhibiting at Australian Manufacturing Week at stand RA 550

The great Australian move to onshore manufacturing

There are many unknowns as Australia slowly emerges from what many hope is the worst of the Coronavirus pandemic. As well as Covid, we’ve seen an unwelcome increase in the number of ‘once in a generation’ events such as catastrophic bushfires, flooding and other natural disasters worldwide due to climate change.

Part of the human and social toll of these disasters is the impact on Australia’s businesses. While Covid has already played havoc with global supply chains, war in the Ukraine has led to shortages, spiking inflation in economies and greater uncertainty about the Australian economy in future.

Events over the last decade have forced Australian manufacturers to reconsider outsourcing manufacturing overseas. Supply chain breakdowns and a greater consumer focus on sustainability is prompting a re-think about the so-called benefits of offshore manufacturing.

Erika Hughes, Commercial Director of Melbourne-based manufacturer Integra Systems, believes the time is right for a re-think and re-investment in Australian manufacturing. And she’s seeing an increasing number of local manufacturers not just talking about changes but investing in them.

Hughes sees the events of the past decade as a “perfect onshoring storm”.

“Covid showed people what it’s like to have to bite the bullet,” she says. “And, as the war between Russia and Ukraine increases, and the difficulty in getting overseas-manufactured products onto our wharves continues, it’s given an already resilient manufacturing sector the confidence to double down.”

“The sentiment now is, let’s continue to bite the bullet and take away our reliance on these countries that don’t think as we do, just because it might have been lucrative to manufacture offshore at the time.”

Going offshore was broadly considered a cost-effective alternative for a few decades but rising standards of living in developing nations and ripple-effects across world economies means that

going overseas now doesn’t necessarily equate to low cost. Additionally, the uncertainty around availability has fulfilment implications that can outweigh cost-savings.

“I think, with the advent of Covid, many people are now trying to find local manufacturers in Australia, or they’re trying to bring their manufacturing back here,” says Hughes.

actual fact, Australia is such a big country that we have enough of everything we need here to survive and to prosper,” she says. “We’re seeing a shift in people’s thinking. There’s an understanding now that finding, and developing, and strengthening supply chains in our local market is not only the right thing to do but is sustainable from a business viewpoint — and also from environmental, economic and future-focused perspectives.

“We can cut down carbon emissions and create innovative ways of manufacturing that are more sustainable. At Integra, we have this digital licensing arrangement with a manufacturer in The Netherlands, so we manufacture their product here to remove the need for international shipping. We also flat-pack wherever possible so we can move more around Australia with less negative impact.”

acknowledges. “But, in many ways, it’s the long-term solution we need to save costs in future.

“Hopefully, the government’s in a position to help support this new movement. If you think about it, those already embedded in domestic manufacturing are going to prosper even further, and that’s going to help everybody because it’ll help with jobs, with re-skilling and upskilling.”

In navigating these transitional hurdles, positives emerge. Hughes passionately argues that, with labour costs rising across the world, Australia’s focus on quality and on digitising manufacturing workspaces is a powerful offset.

“People need the certainty that they’re going to get product when they need it. The alternative leads to fragile supply chains that can result in loss of customers. You don’t want to be sweating it out, hoping your supply chain delivers and having to make excuses to your customers.”

As Hughes explains, offshore manufacturing has traditionally supported government policy and facilitated our participation in important free-trade agreements. Offshoring also presented local manufacturers with some important short-term gains.

“Offshoring became easy because China was easy to do business with,” says Hughes.

“But that ease has declined with supply chain vulnerability. It’s stimulated growth here because we now understand the weaknesses – the instability – that going offshore can inflict. Australian manufacturing provides a stronger base on which people can depend.”

Hughes is seeing first-hand an increasing number of manufacturers looking to outsource components or ingredients they need, not to mention the necessary expertise, here in our own backyard.

“In global terms, we’re small but, in

“Unlike European and other manufacturers in smaller countries, the beauty about Australian manufacturing is we have land. We have the land and natural resources to scale up, and we have agriculture to support food supply.

“A lot of the major countries that we outsource to don’t have the kind of governance we have here in Australia, and eventually they’ll have to comply, which increases overheads, making their own costs go up.”

“We’ve seen that in China, and it’ll happen wherever you end up going offshore –you’re going to see labour cost increase.”

Hughes strongly believes that, if Australia can continue to foster a manufacturing base with strong governance and compliance, and can channel our labour towards higher value processing while digitising more processes and moving to a circular economy, then we will start seeing long-term gains.

“It’s not a quick fix,” she emphasises. “But, in terms of longevity and sustainability, Australians will only benefit from bringing manufacturing onshore down the track. It’s a win-win situation.”

“Around Melbourne, we’ve had the heavy fabrication belt out there in the east and in the southeast, but the north is building up a strong food manufacturing presence. A lot of that’s got to do with the drive for people wanting local produce.”

While this all sounds sensational on paper, Hughes readily admits the reality of fully realising such a change requires drive and vision.

“It’s not going to happen quickly because the barriers to entry to bringing manufacturing back to Australia means a pivot in capital expenditure,” she

Inductees into the 2022 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame, Integra Systems is among a new breed of nimble Australian manufacturers offering low-volume, high-variability excellence in product design and i4.0 advanced manufacturing centred around sheet metal products. Integra Systems

“Hopefully, the government’s in a position to help support this new movement.”

“Offshoring became easy because China was easy to do business with — but that ease has declined.”

Integra Systems inducted into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame 2022

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WEEK

On the piping frontline

With proven experience and reputation in efficient solutions to a wide range of Australian industries, Dynamic Systems is always looking to innovate and stay on the frontline of the piping industry.

The ever-evolving manufacturing and industry sector requires agile performance to continuously meet the changing needs.

Metric and imperial

When developing the Tigercrimp product, Dynamic Systems quickly identified the potential for not only a reliable Metric Pressfit range but also the availability of an Imperial range of fittings in the industry.

Having a pipe fitting that worked with commonly used piping sizes was critical to the design process — ie. 304 and 316 Stainless for Metric and Schedule 5 and 10 Stainless Pipe for Imperial. The criteria were to produce a fitting that was both an economical and adaptable solution and suited to Stainless Steel Schedule Pipe being generally available no matter where the user is located.

Versatility was also a critical consideration to the team, as not only did the fitting need to function and provide lasting quality, it also needed to perform well in a wide variety of applications.

The criteria involved the ability to operate in varying pressures, with both air and liquids and to cover a vast temperature range. The Tigercrimp fitting can be supplied to suit the desired application.

When fitted with the EPDM O-Ring, the fitting is suited for use with potable water. Supplied with the FKM O-Ring it increases the range of applications to

include compressed air, oil, diesel and more.

Both the Metric and the Imperial Tigercrimp ranges can be supplied with either an EPDM internal O-Ring or the FKM O-Ring.

Through the comprehensive design and testing process, Dynamic Systems achieved a truly unique result. Tigercrimp Press Fit fitting has set a benchmark for quality and reliability, making it the popular choice in the industry.

Key benefits

The success of the Tigercrimp product is due to four key benefits – the StainlessSteel Grip Ring increasing joint strength, the press indicators providing increased safety, the Profiled Flat Seal O Ring sealing over a large surface area and dust caps improving protection from dust and grit.

Dynamic Systems needed to ensure both the Metric and Imperial range offered the same.

The Internal Stainless Steel Grip Ring ensures the crimp is secure without deforming the external of the fitting. This increases the strength of each crimp ensuring longevity of the system.

The press indicators are a simple yet visual way of checking if the pipe is crimped. Again, this saves a lot of time and ensures less need of rework.

Profiled Flat Seal O Ring Seals improve the protection of the pipe and fitting joint, by increasing the seal area on the pipe.

The dust caps help protect the fittings from dust and grit entering the fitting prior to installation.

These Tigercrimp benefits have a proven record of saving time and improving efficiency.

Incorporating all these key

benefits into the Tigercrimp fittings, the Tigercrimp Imperial range sits at the forefront of the piping industry.

The TigerCrimp Imperial fittings range in size from ½” (DN15) 21.7mm to 4” (DN100) 114.3mm.

Applications

Having a wide range of applications, the Tigercrimp Imperial Fitting has proved to be well suited to the heavy industrial and mining industry especially as it is recommended for use with Schedule 5 and Schedule 10 Pipe.

A signature policy for Dynamic Systems is backing all their products and ranges with supply continuance and availability.

Working with a popular pressing tool brand, they have developed a compact and lightweight battery-operated

pressing tool with a rotatable head. Dynamic Systems also offer collars that are adaptable to existing equipment.

Suppliers

Currently with this focus on accessibility, Dynamic Systems is working to establish a network of trusted suppliers across Australia.

Dynamic Systems is excited to offer the Australian market an excellent Imperial Pipe solution and have the confidence that Tigercrimp Imperial will continue to prove to be a trusted and versatile product.

Make connections at Australia’s biggest electronics expo

Electronex, the Electronics Design and Assembly Expo returns to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre 10-11 May 2023.

First held in 2010 and alternating between Melbourne and Sydney, Electronex is Australia’s most comprehensive exhibition for companies using electronics in design, assembly, manufacture and service in Australia.

The SMCBA Electronics Design and Manufacture Conference will also be held featuring technical workshops from international and local experts.

In an exciting new development, Electronex will also be alongside Australian Manufacturing Week so trade visitors will be able to visit both events on the Wednesday and Thursday.

“We welcome the opportunity to stage Electronex alongside Australia’s premier manufacturing event as there is significant overlap with Electronex being focused on the hi-tech end of manufacturing,” said Noel Gray Managing Director of Electronex organiser AEE said.

“Visitors from the manufacturing sector will be able to see the spectrum of the latest products, technology and

turnkey solutions for the electronics and manufacturing sectors at the one venue.” Visitors will need to register separately for each event either prior to the show online or at the entrance to the expos.

Sold out

Exhibition space at Electronex is sold out and in addition to featuring a wide of range of electronic components, surface mount and inspection equipment, test and measurement and other ancillary products and services, companies can also discuss their specific requirements with contract manufacturers that can design and produce turnkey solutions.

Many companies will be launching and demonstrating new products and technology at the event and more than 100 local and international companies will be represented at this year’s expo.

The show attracts designers, engineers, managers, and other decision makers who are involved in designing or manufacturing products that utilise electronics and is the only specialised event for the electronics industry in Australia.

In a post-show survey at the last expo in Melbourne 2019, 98% of attendees

SMCBA Conference

Since 1988 the Surface Mount & Circuit Board Association (SMCBA) has conducted Australia’s only conference dedicated to electronics design and manufacture. Conference speakers are:

KEYNOTE : Cheryl Tulkoff Design for Excellence SME - Fleet Space Technologies “ Securing the Electronics Future: Technological Sovereignty Through Innovation & Collaboration explores the challenges and opportunities for the electronics industry to achieve technological sovereignty through innovation and collaboration. Cheryl will also present “The ABCs of DfX in Electronics Manufacturing”.

Phil Zarrow – ITM Consulting

In over 30 years of consulting, Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall of ITM Consulting have just about seen it all! Join the “Assembly Brothers” for “SMT Assembly Troubleshooting and Process Optimization” a journey through troubleshooting the most common defects in SMT with an emphasis on identifying the fundamental root causes, and an entertaining overview of SMT assembly process optimization techniques.

Jasbir Bath – Bath Consultancy

Jasbir has over 25 years of experience in research, design, development and implementation in the areas of soldering, surface mount and packaging technologies. He will present “SMT Process Setup” Jasbir will also speak on “SMT Process Development” including optimization of printing of solder paste for different components on the board and development of the reflow profile to reduce soldering defects.

Audra McCarthy CEO Defence Teaming Centre Inc

Audra is the Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Teaming Centre Inc, Australia’s peak defence industry body connecting, developing and advocating for Australia’s defence industry and will presenting “The role of the Australian electronics sector in establishing a sovereign defence industry capability”

said that a dedicated exhibition such as Electronex was beneficial for their industry. With many Australian manufacturers now focussing on niche products and hi-tech applications the event provides an important focal point for the industry in Australia.

Free seminars

A series of free seminars will also be held on the show floor with visitors able to attend on the day with no pre-booking required. These sessions will provide an overview of some of the hot topics and key issues for the industry. Topics include:

• From Idea to Electronics Product which will cover potential pitfalls and case studies

• Innovations from Touch User Interface to Artificial Intelligence

• Additively Manufactured Electronics for 3D Meta-Device Designs with Dynamic Beam-Shaping and mm-Wave On-Chip Radar Applications

• Onshoring Manufacturing in Australia

• The Importance of Customer Experience in Electronic Manufacturing and Port Protection

• First Line Suppression Against Overvoltage Threat.

Visit the show website for times and session details. Trade and industry visitors to the Expo can register for free.

Electronex electronex.com.au

Matt Wild – Managing Director Future Electronics

Matt’s presentation “Supply Chain Strategies” will cover the latest updates on the market for sourcing electronic components

Chris Turner Senior Test Engineer at ResMed

Chris will share his key insights into Design for Test (DfT), gained from decades in the industry.

Anthony Tremellen - SMCBA

This presentation “SMT Component Identification” seeks to supply attendees with an extensive study of the surface mount components that are used in electronic assembly.

Visit www.smcba.asn.au/conference for the full program.

Partnership for drone industry’s sovereign capability

Local drone manufacturer Carbonix and contract electronics manufacturer GPC Electronics Group have entered into a manufacturing contract which the two companies believe is a step forward for the sovereign capability of the Australian drone industry. Under the partnership GPC will contribute valuable design input to avionics as well as testing to guarantee Australian and international quality assurance standards, and Carbonix will scale up production.

Carbonix develops high-performance, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for a range of industries, including agriculture, mining, and defence. The company’s drones are designed for high endurance, long-range, reliable aerial surveying and surveillance operations in challenging environments.

Carbonix CEO Philip van der Burg said the partnership gives Carbonix a supply of high-quality, consistent, tested avionics on tap and the support to react to supply chain disruptions.

“The partnership is testament to the strength of the Australian drone industry and the value of sovereign capability. Together, we can create a vertically integrated solution that delivers worldclass UAVs to customers across a range of industries.”

at Electronex (stand B32) where it will show Carbonix drones.

GPC’s Business Development Manager RJ Stensland said the agreement allows the company to expand its capabilities in drone avionics manufacturing and integration.

“We are excited to work with Carbonix, a company that is pushing the boundaries of drone technology,” he said.

“Our collaboration will enable us to leverage our expertise in electronics manufacturing and integration to produce high-quality drones that meet the needs of customers in the aerospace, defence, and other industries. We are proud to be part of an Australian industry that is at the forefront of drone innovation.”

Sydney-based GPC Electronics is a manufacturing service provider specialising in complex electronics assemblies and designing, manufacturing, and integrating electronic systems for industries including aerospace, defence and medical devices. It will be exhibiting

High-voltage, programmable, USB type-C microcontrollers

Mouser Electronics is now stocking microcontrollers from Infineon Technologies which give engineers an integrated, one-chip solution for high-voltage USB-C applications that need a flexible and secure MCU and a reduced bill-of-materials like power tools, small appliances, E-bikes and more.

Infineon’s EZ-PD PMG1-B1 USB Type-C microcontrollers are highly integrated, single-port USB-C power delivery systems which are high-voltage and programmable

These power delivery systems feature an integrated Arm Cortex (-M0/M0+) processor, 128-KB flash, 16-KB RAM and 32-KB ROM, plus analog and digital peripherals.

The EZ-PD PMG1-B1 also features

integrated buck-boost controllers. These controllers offer integrated gate drivers for VBUS NFET on the consumer path for sink applications and hardware-controlled protection features on the VBUS.

The EZ-PD PMG1-B1 supports a wide input voltage range (4 V to 24 V with 40 V tolerance) with programmable switching frequencies (150 kHz to 600 kHz) in an integrated USB power device. The EZ-PD PMG1-B1 also features an integrated hardware crypto engine with vector unit, and a wide ambient temperature range of -40°C to +105°C with a +125°C operating junction temperature.

To learn more about the EZ-PD PMG1-B1 USB Type-C microcontrollers, visit www.mouser.com/new/infineon/ infineon-ez-pd-pmg1-b1-mcus/

As a global authorised distributor,

Carbonix recently became one of just a handful of drone companies to receive Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS) approval in Greater Sydney, paving the way for it to complete BVLOS testing and missions with sophisticated payloads including surveying LiDar scanners and photogrammetry cameras.

The company had scaled up production in 2022 after inking a deal with aerospace manufacturer Quickstep. It also partnered with several organisations, such as SA Power Networks, The ACT Rural Fire Service and Geo-data specialist Fugro, to support their aerial surveying programs. Carbonix was founded in 2012 by America’s Cup veteran Dario Valenza and initially specialised in advanced composite structures for world-beating racing sailboats. The technology then pivoted to sensor platforms. In the past five years, Carbonix has developed long-range vertical take-off and lift-off drones. It was awarded the inaugural Physical Sciences Fund Grant from the NSW Government and has collaborated with engaged in various collaborations with leading universities.

Carbonix carbonix.com.au

Mouser offers the world’s widest selection of the newest semiconductors and electronic components — in stock and ready to ship. Mouser’s customers get certified, genuine products that are fully traceable from each of its manufacturer partners. To speed customers’ designs, Mouser’s website hosts an extensive library of technical resources, including a Technical Resource Center, along with

product data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, engineering tools and other helpful information.

The Volanti is Carbonix’ most advanced, all-electric, fixed-wing UAV which covers a lot of ground with sophisticated sensors in two hours’ flight with a 1Kg payload.

“The partnership is testament to the strength of the Australian drone industry and value of sovereign capability.”

Unlock manufacturing’s maximum potential with 5G

By Bheema

There’s huge potential for 5G networks to help create truly smart factories when used in automation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality, robotics, cloud, mobile broadband, edge, quantum computing and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Uses for 5G include mobile robots in production, autonomous vehicles in transport and logistics, and augmented reality applications for service and maintenance technicians.

To enhance manufacturing efficiencies, critical parameters such as vibration, temperature, throughput, and other device-specific properties must be measured constantly. 5G can improve operational efficiency and data insights on production floors and across supply chains. Benefits include high-precision assembly lines whereby all machines and robots are completely in sync in real-time.

Increased productivity, digital transformation through wireless technology, and private networks are driving 5G NR (new radio) in Industrial IoT networks.

The IIoT network will be scalable in connectivity and device count, and it will be built for optimal performance for all industrial applications by leveraging key LTE and 5G NR features such as UltraReliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), Massive Machine-type Communication (mMTC), 5G positioning, time-sensitive communications (TSC), and to a lesser extent Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB).

5G network features manufacturing can take advantage of include:

• URRLC, mMTC and eMBB are different slice types that are used to

address the different needs of different machines and devices, the interfaces between devices and antennas (the air interface) will have several different tailored behaviours.

• mMTC allows vast numbers of battery-operated, low-power devices to be connected, and handles a density of one million devices per square kilometre. For industrial production, this type of service will enable low-power devices (that may need to last in the field or factory for years on a single battery charge) such as wireless sensor networks and other intelligent devices used for location and asset tracking.

• URLLC allows latency below 1ms on the radio interface as well as availability exceeding 99.999%, making it ideal for industrial use where uptime is always crucial, it is supported by 5G NR. In industrial production, this type of service will enable motion control, mobile robots, human remote control, and mobile control panels with safety function.

• eMBB primarily targets residential internet access with speed and latency on par with fibre optical networks. In industrial production, this type of service is suitable for AGVs, augmented reality, remote access, inbound and outbound logistics. It ensures fast access to data from devices such as smartphones, laptops or vehicles for applications such as streaming video.

• The network infrastructure that supports 5G will employ sharing techniques (virtualisation and cloud), which allow multiple slice types to co-exist without having too many multiples of the resources.

• Predictive maintenance is critical to manufacturing success. The ability to monitor equipment performance in real time through 5G helps eliminate unexpected downtime and disruptions.

• Sensors can send performance data to an artificial intelligence interface, which can monitor and respond to signals such as temperature, vibrations, and audio output.

• Fibre optic cables will be the backbone of next-gen 5G networks and fixed-line wireless routers in industrial plants and command centres will bring super-fast wireless connections to manufacturers.

• Cloud and packet-based statistical multiplexing techniques are employed to allow the slices to use each other’s resources when they are free.

• Augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) applications may require latency of less than 10ms to offer a seamless experience, for example in a graphics-intensive application.

• AI-capable analytics software is used to crunch real-time data on every machine and piece of equipment. Even the most demanding applications, such as motion control and high throughput vision systems, will soon be able to replace wired connections with 5G networks.

• 5G is primarily intended for public networks in licensed bands, but it is also possible to use as a private network (unlicensed band and licensed band by owning a radio licence or be sub-licensed from a cellular operator), or semi-private network using network slicing of public network. 5G technology is poised to

revolutionise the manufacturing sector by making smart factories effective, adaptable, and responsive.

The demands of industrial production can be met with 5G’s low latency, high bandwidth, and extensive connectivity capabilities. Real-time monitoring of crucial parameters, proactive maintenance, and the seamless fusion of AI, AR/VR, and IoT will all be possible.

Manufacturers can benefit from greater output, better quality, and less downtime. The manufacturing sector can expect to advance even further as the 5G infrastructure is built out, and 5G’s seemingly limitless potential is realised.

Find element14’s latest eTechJournal at au.element14.com/e-techjournal for more indepth technical insights and analysis from supplier partners, industry experts, and Farnell Global* engineers on key trends shaping today’s electronics industry.

Visit element14 at stand A19 at Electronex Expo for information and fun, and to hear suppliers’ product presentations and answer visitors’ questions.

Farnell Global operates as element14 across Asia Pacific. element14 is a high-service distributor of technology products, services, and solutions for electronic system design, maintenance, and repair.

Element14

farnell.com/element14

Rao, Application Engineer — Global Technical Marketing, element14

Factory automation trends give an edge

by Eric Wendt,

Digital twins allow for detailed hardware simulations that influence everything from manufacturing processes to entire layouts of factory floors.

By building a machine, production line or warehouse virtually, a company isn’t spending any money on parts or equipment, and the digital twin can validate that it’s going to work prior to making those investments. The digital twin can confirm how to build it, and once the factory is physically built, the digital twin can be used to work on efficiencies and predictive maintenance.

Biggest advance

The biggest technological advancement that has made digital twins a reality is ‘edge’ computing, which allows for everything to be computed at rapid speed. As computing power increases across the board, these practices will become more common.

can do multiple tasks to the moment when artificial intelligence and robotics merge, I truly believe this will be bigger than the invention of the wheel.

The demand for systems integrators won’t cease, and there will continue to be a bigger push for localised manufacturing.

In Australia, like the rest of the world,

Manufacturing and production is in a transformative period which is being referred to as the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0. This moniker recognises a trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and practices which includes artificial intelligence (AI), edge computing and connectivity.

The trends covered in this article are forward-looking and many companies are simply not there yet.

Australian organisations are at a variety of different stages along this transformative journey. However, just as everyone got on board with the original industrial revolution (steam-powered machinery), the second ‘technological’ revolution (railroad and telegraph), and the third digital revolution, we expect that over time, many of these emerging Industry 4.0 trends will become commonplace.

Seeing double

To meet rising global demand and navigate supply chain challenges, manufacturers must think ahead.

A new, cost-effective way to do this is by creating a digital twin, which is a realtime virtual representation of a physical system or process that serves as a digital counterpart for simulation, integration, testing and maintenance.

In Digi-Key’s warehouse, we use our digital twin to see how many pack stations should be running when pick stations are running, and depending on orders, determine if those stations need to be staffed up or down.

The digital twin also helps us identify how many orders can be managed based on varying staffing levels to determine what is optimal.

Another benefit is predictive maintenance and process improvement. With a virtual simulation of the exact manufacturing facility, organisations can tweak things digitally and see how they will fix or identify issues and pain points.

Every component within a factory has a shelf life, and after a certain amount of time, motors and parts inevitably begin to wobble and become electrically unreliable.

With a digital twin running predictive maintenance platforms, the system can provide alerts to say, “Hey, this motor’s been running for X number of hours. We’re starting to see it vibrate this much. And we know once it vibrates this much; three weeks, one day and two hours from now, that motor’s going to fail.”

Then, downtime can be proactively scheduled to replace the motor instead of having an unexpected failure that crashes the whole system.

Running a digital twin allows organisations to see the future in the virtual world before putting it into the real world. The digital twin can also speed up and run, for example, a week’s worth of tests in an hour, so it has a tremendous amount of potential.

Right now, the cost of systems to run edge computing are quite expensive, and therefore unattainable for many organisations. But the trade-off of being able to forecast staffing needs and the awareness of when systems need to be replaced is extremely valuable to factory operators. It saves time, and instead of having to schedule maintenance, they actually know when the system is going to fail and can prevent it, shortening line down timeframes.

The usage of edge computing and digital twins is also creating more high-paying and technology-focused jobs like information technology (IT) roles, data analysts and more. With the addition of collaborative robots on factory floors, they can take on more of the tedious and monotonous roles and free up staff who previously did those jobs to take on more valuable positions within the organisation.

Outside the box

Pioneers in the world of manufacturing are always thinking ahead and prototyping future technologies across the factory floor. Looking ahead, there will be many short-term trends that will make Industry 4.0 a reality. From collaborative robots that

people want manufacturing to happen closer to where the product is going. And with more localised manufacturing, organisations can more easily provide customised products, one-off designs and smaller lot sizes.

As we head towards a more automated future, Digi-Key is committed to having what you need for the next revolution of your business.

With more than 70,000 automation-specific parts in stock, and 150,000 automation & control products available in the Australian market, Digi-Key carries just about everything needed for automation.

*Eric Wendt is the Director of Automation at Digi-Key Electronics. Digi-Key is a continuous innovator in the distribution of electronic components and automation products worldwide, providing more than 14.9 million components from over 2,300 quality brand manufacturers.

director of automation at Digi-Key Electronics*

Digi-Key’s new Product Distribution Centre with more than 43 km of automated conveyor and an average order travelling more than 975m inside the building.

Eric Wendt, director of automation at Digi-Key Electronics

Digi-Key’s new Product Distribution Centre expansion (PDCe) opened in August 2022.

Off the back of element14’s Global Women in Engineering survey of 2022, we spoke to Madeleine Alvarado, the company’s Regional Sales Manager for Australia and New Zealand.

Born and educated in the Philippines, Alvarado moved to Australia in 1994. She spoke to Industry Update about her career, how to get school children, particularly girls, more interested in engineering, and her advice to young women starting out in the sector.

More industry visits to schools could inspire engineering curiosity in girls

Q&A with Madeleine Alvarado, element14

By Margie Smithurst

Industry Update: How did you get into electronics design and engineering?

Madeleine Alvarado: It probably started in my high school in the Philippines - a selective school geared to science and maths. My favourite subjects were maths and chemistry, and I got into a university that offered an honours program, meaning I could work on two degrees in chemistry and computer engineering simultaneously.

Before graduation, I was recruited to work for NEC in Japan as an ASIC design engineer (Application Specific Integrated

Circuits), which was amazing. The first project I got involved in was developing a notebook computer, which folded over to become a tablet with a stylus - this was back in 1992, decades before the iPad. Very exciting! I was working in Japan, and we were developing models that were three to four versions ahead of what was currently in the market. So that was how I started my career. Then I immigrated to Australia and got into test engineering and designing printed circuit boards for manufacturability, worked as a field applications engineer, and then moved into business

development and eventually sales, which is where I find myself now.

IU: Tell me about your role with element14.

Madeleine Alvarado: It’s primarily about guiding the sales team to deliver on the company’s strategic goals. We deal with customers across different industry segments - from defence to medical applications, telecommunications, industrial automation, infrastructure, and education, so it’s always varied. Continues on next page

ELECTRONICS

There’s so much choice these days, we are authorised distributors for over 3500 brands - from semiconductors to test equipment and manufacturing supplies, and I like that level of variety. It’s not possible to be an expert on anything, but we’re exposed to a wide range of products and technologies, so we can be almost a one-stop shop for our customers.

And then, because of my experience working in design, manufacturing and testing, I’m in a unique position in the organisation because I can offer insights and provide training to colleagues not just in the sales department so that they can better understand our customers’ needs.

IU: Do you miss the design engineering work?

Madeleine Alvarado: Not really. I like technology, so I still talk to many design engineers, assisting them in product selection and helping work out their constraints. I like my role right now, it’s quite a multifaceted one - not hands on with design, but still in touch with it.

IU: Are there many women in design engineering and electronics?

Madeleine Alvarado: I’ve been working for nearly 30 years, and I can honestly say I don’t come across many women electronics design engineers. The vast majority are men. There are women in other technical functions though. There are a few more female students in electronics/electrical undergraduate and postgraduate degrees compared to when I was studying, but the ratio is still skewed towards men. Something definitely needs to be done to entice more women into the industry in general.

Pique curiosity early

IU: What would your advice be on that front?

Madeleine Alvarado: I have a nineyear old daughter, and I try to talk to her about different technologies to get her more curious about how things work. Because that’s really important, it’s that curious mind - how does this work, what can be done to improve things?

I buy her electronics kits, and there are a lot of Lego-type things where you’re putting stuff together to understand how gears work, for example.

IU: Is she interested in that?

Madeleine Alvarado: Well, she’s certainly engaged when I initiate it. That’s the thing though, I initiate these things, and I am not sure how much they do in schools when it comes to making science, maths and engineering concrete for children. Because if it’s too cerebral, young kids won’t engage as they need to see something tangible: it really makes a difference. There are more initiatives now to drive interest in STEM subjects but definitely a lot more needs to be done.

One of the things that enticed me in high school to go into engineering was my school had career talks from people who were already at university describing what they were studying and people in the industry showcasing what they do. I think it gives students a broader understanding of the different careers in engineering because when you’re a kid in school, you think, oh, that’s it, I’m just going to be soldering stuff to a circuit board when of course it’s way more varied than that.

Also, there are plenty of technology companies that do design and manufacturing in Australia. They could open their doors to schools so kids can talk to the engineers in various departments. A formalised program along these lines would definitely help promote interest in

engineering careers. Girls can see female engineers in action!

I think another challenge is that there still aren’t a lot of women in senior leadership positions in technology companies. That’s a task for boards or CEOs so that when they’re promoting or hiring people, they ensure there is succession planning that allows for greater gender diversity in the workplace.

Madeleine Alvarado: Yes, last year, an element14 Global Women in Engineering survey was conducted company wide. The aim was to get more in-depth insights into what the barriers of entry are for women in engineering. How do we promote the role of women in engineering and what’s driving women to work in the industry? How can we improve female engagement in the workplace? We want to help women have long term careers because it seems the attrition rate is quite high for women in engineering.

Find a mentor

Madeleine Alvarado: I think it’s significant for women entering engineering to find good mentors, to be acutely aware of who they could talk to, who they could model their career path on, because if people can see that there is a long career path in engineering, women would invest more time and effort.

IU: What’s element14 doing in that regard?

Madeleine Alvarado: We’re good. I can only speak for what I see in Australia but we have a good number of female team leaders, supervisors, and managers. The manager I report to is a man who actively encourages diversity. At the end of the day, for us, there’s no gender bias when we’re hiring. It’s really about the best person for the job. We also offer flexibility to our staff; they can work from home according to their situation. This is particularly beneficial to women as we are usually the main caregivers in the home.

IU: I know at element14 you’ve got a number of initiatives to support women in the workplace.

There are so many roles in a technology company for women, not just in R&D but all the peripheral functions that support the design engineers, and they are equally important.

I informally mentor a few people in the company and I tell them that I believe in their abilities, and their capability to learn so they can step up to that next level. With any new job, we get in based on educational background and experience, but we learn to do the actual job well only once we’re in it. So trusting in your capability to learn is very important, as is having that sense of belief in oneself in general.

Element14

farnell.com/element14

“I try to talk to [my daughter] about different technologies to get her more curious about how things work.”

“Technology companies … could open their doors to schools so kids can talk to the engineers”

“...if people can see that there is a long career path in engineering, women would invest more time and effort”

Set Sail into the Future

Decentralized automation solutions are shifting the coordinates of modern industrial production. We‘ll set you on course to success.

LEARN MORE

Expanded line-up of expert speakers at WH&S Show

The Workplace Health & Safety Show 2023 will bring together Australia’s WH&S industry leaders and innovators in Brisbane for the first time to present a series of live, interactive seminars covering the latest regulatory

amendments, technology and safety trends.

Taking place from 31 May to 1 June 2023 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, this year’s comprehensive seminar program covers topics

including hazards, wellbeing and mental health, safety innovations, technology, and injury prevention.

As Australia’s leading workplace health and safety event, the show promises to leave visitors with practical tips

they can implement in their organisations, as well as the know-how needed to manage health and safety compliance. It’s also a great opportunity to connect with safety colleagues and leading brands from across the country.

A free, two-day education program, concurrent with the Show, is divided into two areas: the Knowledge Centre and the Spotlight Stage.

Register FREE today to attend two days of interactive seminars

Workplace Health & Safety Show Brisbane 2023

Wed 31 May - Thu 1 Jun 2023

Where: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Entry: Free, registration required whsshow.com.au/brisbane

2023 WH&S Show education program

Day 1 31 May 2023

Knowledge Centre

Emerging Safety Technologies in Transport

Speaker: Simon Kirkpatrick, General Manager, Brisbane Motorway Services, Office of Industrial Relations Queensland

Nine Pitfalls That Coul Cause Your WHS Software Implementation to Fail — and How to Succeed

Speaker: Manuel Seidel, CEO, ecoPortal

Fork Truck Safety

– Innovations and Practice

Speakers: Stan Palmer, Product Safety Standards and Engineering Manager, Toyota Material Handling; Craig Williams, Engineering and Technical Manager, Clark Equipment; Todd Brennan, Managing Director, Forkpro Australia

A Positive Psychology Coaching Approach to Sustainable Workplace Wellbeing

Speaker: Michelle Falzon, Founder, Positive Wellbeing Education

WHS Expands — Psychosocial Hazards, Risks and Solutions

Speakers: Harold Downes, Alex Millman, Workplace Relations, Employment & Safety, Mills Oakley

Entertaining the World Safely

Speaker: Megan Langtip, Manager, Production, Health and Safety, Netflix

Spotlight Stage

Modelling Positive Behaviour

Speaker: Darron Shields, Business Support Manager, Paraplegic Benefit Fund (PBF)

Panel: Cloud-Based Safety Technology

– Where Would You Be Without It?

Speakers: Mary Nizamis, Chief Relations and Governance Officer, Skytrust, Zoe Ackerman, People & Performance Manager, Ausecology, Gianna Ryder, Quality Audit & Safety

Professional

New Regulations on Psychosocial Hazards in Queensland – How to Translate Legislation into a Sustainable Practice

Speaker: Dr Georgi Toma, Director, Heart and Brain Works

A Sustainable Future in Hand Protection Solutions

Speaker: Tony Lynch, Director of Sales EMEA, Showa Group

Managing Remote/Hybrid Teams - The Building Blocks for Psychological Safety & Wellness

Speaker: Deb Smyth, Compliance Manager, Cm3 Contractor Management

Injury Risk Management During a Labour Shortage With an Ageing Workforce

Speaker: Dr Jenny Legge, CEO & Founder, Staunch Technology

Collaboration to Affect Change

Speaker: Scott Barber, CEO, WAHA

People V Process. Is Injury Due to Poor People Performance or Poor Workplaces?

Speaker: Garry Gosling, CEO, Joint Action Group Pty Ltd

Day 2 1 June 2023

Knowledge Centre

Wellbeing From the Ground Up

Speaker: Carli Phillips, Wellbeing Keynote Speaker, Corporate Wellbeing Hub

Safety Technology in Manufacturing

– Emerging Issues and Challenges

Speaker: Vince Kelly, Dr Jinggi Zhang, Jessica Thompson & Chi-Ho Ng from The University of Queensland – representing the Office of Industrial Relations Queensland

How the Courts Manage Height Safety

Speaker: Alan Girle, Special Counsel, Macpherson Kelley

Staying Across IR Changes: What Businesses Need to Know to Foster Safe and Healthy Workplaces

Speaker: Joanna Minchinton, Workplace Relations, People & Culture General Manager, Business Chamber Queensland

Safety in Construction – Current and Emerging Risks and Challenges

Speaker: Craig Dearling, General Manager – Workforce Services, Master Builders Queensland

Spotlight Stage

Operating Fork Trucks Safely

Speaker: Craig Williams, Engineering and Technical Manager, Clark Equipmen

ISO Certification is More Than Just an Audit When it Comes to Managing Your Safety Compliance with Technology

Speaker: Stuart Batchelor, Compliance Manager, Skytrust and Gianna Ryder, Quality Audit & Safety Professional

Building a Future-Proof Safety Program with Leadership Buy-in

Speaker: Adam O’Neill, General Manager –Sales, JESI

6 Pillars of Duress: Personal and Workplace Safety

Speaker: Adam Jaffe, Head of Marketing, Ascom

Circadian Rhythms and Fatigue

Speaker: Dr Andrew Lingwood, Director Occupational & Environmental Physician, Occphyz Consulting

View full program whsshow.com.au/ brisbane/program

Business Chamber Qld: it’s critical to grasp new WH&S laws

“It’s absolutely critical that all businesses are compliant with workplace health and safety obligations relevant to their business, workforce and industry–to ensure that not only can their team operate in a safe workplace, but also that the business is protected against any legal risk,” said Joanna Minchinton, the Business Chamber Queensland Workplace Relations, People and Culture General Manager, who will be presenting on the topic at the WH&S show in Brisbane from 31 May to 1 June 2023.

New obligations and codes

The new Code of Practice for managing psychosocial hazards, comes into effect in April this year, is among the new obligations employers need to grasp. New obligations about the Fair Work Commission’s management of sexual harassment disputes also need to be understood.

understand the impact of these obligations. It is important to support business so they can plan for the future of their business and workforce,” Minchinton said.

In-house or outsourced expertise

While workplace health and safety is critical to businesses of all sizes and in all industry sectors, not every business needs to employ a dedicated WH&S expert and many can outsource this service.

“Business Chamber Queensland’s expert workplace advisory services team is well placed to support Queensland businesses to comply with workplace regulations and laws specific to their individual circumstances.”

part of the Knowledge Centre line-up on 1 June 2023. .

“The nature of workforces and workplaces continues to adapt as communities and markets evolve, workplace health and safety needs will continue to change,” said Minchinton.

“We know businesses are resilient and adaptable and will continue to operate in line with developing workplace health and safety needs, to protect their business and most of all their workforce. A safe, protected and happy workforce is only beneficial to the business,” Joanna said.

Getting a grip on — and meeting

— the latest obligations WH&S rules is vital to protect the welfare of businesses of all sizes and their workers, according to the Business Chamber Queensland. That’s why the chamber will be at the WH&S show to help educate visitors.

The Fair Work Commission’s new dispute resolution powers, already effective in March 2023, created a new avenue for pursuing disputes relating to sexual harassment at work. The amendments to the Paid Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) Leave Act, already effective from February 2023 for businesses with 14 or more employees, are also significant.

“Our role is to help businesses

“Our role is to ensure businesses have easy access to the information and resources to remain compliant and create a safe and healthy workplace. For example, we provide details on the impact of recent Industrial Relations (IR) legislation amendments, so employers can plan for the future”.

Seminar on new rules

Minchinton will be presenting on this topic at the Workplace Health and Safety Show Her talk, ‘Staying across IR changes: What businesses need to know to foster safe and healthy workplaces’ is

The Workplace Health & Safety Show is a live, interactive, two-way learning experience spanning two days and showcasing the cutting-edge technology, ideas and practices of the safety world.

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 31 May - 1 June 2023

Sydney Showground 20 - 21 September 2023

More information and to register (free) at whsshow.com.au

Joanna Minchinton, Business Chamber Queensland’s Workplace Relations, People & Culture General Manager

by Marie Kinsella CEO of International Exhibition & Conference Group

New Cleaning and Hygiene Zone at WH&S show

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that workplace hygiene isn’t just about wiping down the workstations and sanitising the office now and then — it has a much bigger impact on the Australian economy.

Consider the findings of the University of Arizona’s Dr. Charles Gerba, that the typical office desk is home to an estimated 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Simple desk work such as sending emails, puts workers at risk of contracting and spreading illness, impacting their productivity and resulting in their absenteeism.

This absenteeism is more costly than we might think. A 2022 study estimated that workplace absenteeism due to sick leave cost the national economy $24 billion last year. Workplace cleaning and hygiene is not only critical to employee wellbeing and reducing the risk of illness – which the employer is legally obligated to ensure; it’s also about maintaining productivity.

In addition, organisations cannot ignore the role that hygiene and cleanliness play in the maintenance of a positive public image. Employees and

customers will avoid workplaces (and associated products and services) they deem to be unhygienic or unclean.

Noting these far-reaching implications, the Workplace Health & Safety Show (WHSS) has announced the launch of the Cleaning & Hygiene Zone – a dedicated precinct within the Show, focused entirely on workplace hygiene and cleaning products. Here, Australia’s Occupational Health and Safety managers will learn more about the products, innovations and equipment that facilitate compliance, and ensure our workplaces are clean, safe and sustainable.

The Workplace Health & Safety Show, featuring the new Cleaning & Hygiene Zone, is taking place at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 31 May to 1 June 2023, and later at the Sydney Showground from 20 to 21 September 2023.

KAMU’s safety boots range is the company’s first product launch into the Australian footwear market and its lofty mission includes bouncing energy back to the wearer which enables less fatigue therefore better focus – which could reduce risk too.

BASF Infinergy is expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU), bead-like particles in the midsole which springs back to its original shape immediately after impact. BASF, as well as shoe brands using its E-TPU — such as Kamu and Adidas — believe the material ‘returns’ energy to the wearer and enables workers and athletes to use less energy.

“Infinergy is incredible and really delivers on movement, with up to 57% energy return with every step,” says KAMU brand Co-founder, Lusy

Hartanu. “That’s a game-changer …. Because of this high energy rebound, workers won’t feel fatigue quickly and can stay focused for longer.”

Sydney construction worker Rohan Elliott has been wearing KAMU Stanley, a zip-sided, lace-up, ankle boot while working in 38 deg C days this summer.

“These definitely have a much more forgiving sole than most work boots,” says Elliott. “It’s hard to quantify but I find I do feel less tired at the end of day –mainly my joints feel better.”

As well as ‘energy return’, KAMU’s combination of sole materials aims for long-term comfort, lightweight cushioning, and superior slip resistance for workers. The BASF Infinergy midsole is a fourth sole layer but, Elliott says, the boots are light compared to similar products.

“The interior is comfortable and that goes all way to the toes – there’s a fair bit of padding under the cap in toes which makes a lot of difference there. The collar is comfortable – and, around ankles, heavy-duty boots are usually a problem for me.

“ They’re quite cushioned all around inside but they also open up really well so it’s easy to get your foot into them.”

The new range is engineered with a four-layer, triple-density sole which is packed with several premium materials such as washable OrthoLite® comfort footbeds; breathable waterproof Sympatex® or COOLMAX® lining with antimicrobial properties; abrasion-resistant Cordura® collars; as well as a laceless closure system on several models.

“They are cooler than other shoes

yet definitely waterproof,” says Elliott, who was also impressed by the secure closure.

“The laces at front are very secure and the side zip is solid, the two hooks above the lace eyelets are sturdy and lock in well so that the laces don’t budge all day.”

In an often male-dominated industry, the KAMU range was created by three sisters, the third generation of family-owned safety footwear and personal protective equipment business, Berkat Safety, which will distribute its new range through Futureproof Safety.

Hartanu says the new range comprised 18 models designed for the different anatomies of women’s and men’s feet to optimise safety and performance.

“This range is backed by two years’ research and development to promote better health and safety for workers with a comprehensive concept of allround wellbeing from the feet up,” says Hartanu.

With its motto ‘Reclaim your energy’, KAMU is keen to boost workers’ comfort and energy levels.

Kamu boots will be at the WH&S Show later this year at the Sydney Showground from 20 to 21 September, 2023.

The safest of safety knives

These days safety knives come in lots of different shapes and sizes and offer varying levels of safety for the user. With so many options, it can be hard to know which one is right for you and your cutting requirements. With safety in mind, it is always best to start at the top, with the knives that offer the maximum level of safety – concealed blade cutters.

Knives (or cutters) where the cutting blade is concealed and accessed by an opening no greater than 8mm provide a safe cutting option by limiting access to the cutting blade itself, thereby reducing not only the risk of injury to the user, but also the potential for damage to packaged products.

Cut injuries and product damage can be costly to a business, resulting in medical expenses, product loss, damaged product disposal, loss of income and employee time off. These direct and indirect expenses as a result of an avoidable circumstance would far outweigh the initial outlay of purchasing quality, safe and suitable cutting tools.

Concealed blade cutters come in a variety of styles and can be used on a comprehensive list of materials including cardboard, plastic wrapping, stretch and shrink film, foil, paper, plastic strapping, tape as well as bagged goods and textiles.

MACHINE BUILDING

They are available in fully disposable options as well as heavy duty styles with replaceable cutting blades (including optional ceramic blades). There are even concealed blade cutters made from metal detectable plastic and fitted with stainless steel cutting blades, making them ideal for use in sensitive industries such as food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.

So, whether you work in retail, warehousing, logistics, restaurants or any kind of manufacturing, a concealed blade cutter will allow you to open boxes, remove strapping, cut film easily, effectively, and most importantly, safely.

MARTOR is very proud of its comprehensive and award-winning range of Concealed Blade Cutters, and we are excited about the upcoming launch of our 1st disposable safety knife, made of recycled plastic. This will increase the options available in our SECUMAX range of concealed blade cutters, making them safe, effective and now GREEN!

Check out the complete MARTOR range at the Workplace Health and Safety Show in Brisbane on May 31stJune 1st 2023

Martor martoraustralia.com.au

Lubricate to maintain bearings

To improve maintenance and productivity, most modern companies have reliability engineers and reliability programs in place.

Typically, these programs will involve laser alignment during equipment installation and conditioning monitoring to optimise equipment availability.

Both are time consuming and costly but they deliver quantifiable results and an increase in productivity and ROI.

However, without a well-managed lubrication program supporting these programs, the full advantages are not being gained. Bearing issues related to lubrication will be identified but unless an efficient lubrication program is implemented the problem will remain.

There are four primary components to grease lubrication for bearings:

• lubricant selection

• application method

• re-lubrication volume

• re-lubrication frequency

Lubricant selection

Selecting the correct lubricant is critical but let us assume that this has been done as the technicalities of this are not the main subject of this topic.

Systems that rely on hand greasing, or the lubricant replenishment of mechanical lubrication systems, introduce the possibility of the wrong grease being applied.

The grease may not be suitable for the task or it may not be compatible with the grease already in the bearing, in both cases creating serious maintenance issues.

Application method

Grease can be applied through centralised application systems, by hand-greasing with a grease gun and with single point automatic lubricators.

Centralised systems are costly to install and maintain; they need to be refilled and require their own maintenance program. They are appropriate for some equipment types particularly where high grease volumes are needed but are not practical for many applications.

For most types of equipment, the practical alternatives are usually hand lubrication or single point automatic lubricators.

For equipment such as pumps, conveyors, electric motors, fans, screens, and most mining and processing

equipment, a single point lubricator will provide the most cost effective and efficient result.

Manual greasing introduces the human element of uncertainty with respect to application of the correct grease, correct quantity, correct re-lubrication interval and possibly contamination issues from failing to ensure that equipment and fittings are free of contaminants before grease is applied.

Hand greasing does not deliver the lubrication benefits of continuous lubrication: the bearings typically will have excess lubricant at the time of greasing and then reach a point where they are under-greased

before the re-lubrication cycle catches up.

If vibration-monitoring equipment with “spike energy” or other high-frequency detection technology is being used, the grease input quantity can be optimised with the monitoring equipment.

When the overall level of the signal drops noticeably as grease is being added, grease has reached the bearing.

Re-lubrication volume

With manual greasing, lubricant is generally applied until excess grease is seen coming out of the seals or the quantity is simply guessed at. Neither is a precise method providing a suitable outcome that optimises the benefits of the condition monitoring program.

Some bearing companies provide formulas for re-lubrication however these are theoretical with respect to the amount of grease that is actually needed and usable in the rolling elements, and don’t take all factors into account.

The type and age of existing grease, housing types, operating conditions, factors such as speed, load and vibration may all mean that this theoretical approach is unsuitable.

A continuous lubrication method established on a condition-based approach will provide a better outcome.

If condition monitoring is already used then the results of what will probably be a lower, but correctly applied grease input, compared to manual lubrication, and with a superior outcome, can be easily and accurately verified.

Re-lubrication frequency

Factors such as bearing type, seal type, bearing and seal condition, temperature, water contamination, load, vibration, particle contamination and grease

CONVEYOR ROLLERS AND COMPONENTS

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quality will all influence the re-lubrication frequency. In practice it will be difficult with hand greasing to put in place a program that accounts for all of these factors and also is practical in terms of human resources, the necessary hand greasing cycle and equipment operation.

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GreaseMax lubricators provide a cost effective and efficient solution to these lubrication issues and optimise the benefits of a Condition Monitoring program. For further information about GreaseMax application please contact Delta.

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Collaboration yields flexibility and high volumes

Igus bearings are used in machinery building, high-tech medical technology, automation, robotics, the automotive industry, aerospace, and in the energy industry and niche mechanical engineering, from underwater applications to the food industry, for resistance to extreme temperatures and chemicals. They are widely used in the food processing and packaging industries.

Igus bearings are used to reduce friction and wear, to absorb shock and vibration, reduce noise, and improve system efficiency. The igus® plain bearings range includes sleeve bearings, flange bearings, thrust washers, piston rings, clip-on plain bearings and many other designs. Iglidur plain bearings always offer a solution – either from the catalogue range or as a custom-made, plain-bearing niche solution.

Igus produces the iglidur® brand of bearings; iglidur bearings are made from high-performance polymers and suit many applications, including

those involving high speeds, very high temperatures, and aggressive media. They are self-lubricating, resistant to corrosion and temperature extremes, and can offer low friction and wear.

Iglidur bearings are also lightweight and low-maintenance, making them an attractive option for many industries.

Flexibility and higher volume

Plastic clamps made from iglidur high-performance polymers eliminate the necessity of converting filling systems, increase production volume and ensure greater production flexibility.

Krones AG produces systems and machines for manufacturing, filling, and packaging beverages and liquid foods. The company worked with igus to develop MultiGuide Base, a cam-controlled bottle-gripping system that gives bottlers higher production quantities and a completely new level of flexibility. Changeover times are eliminated since bottles of different sizes and shapes can

be transferred with one single system and best of all, the MultiGuide Base is easy to retrofit. Until now, Krones AG has used pocket stars to move bottles through its system.

However, to fill different bottle sizes and shapes, the machine must be converted. If 330ml bottles are filled, followed by 0.5l bottles, the pocket stars must be changed. This takes about two hours and is usually necessary about once a day. Various sets of pocket stars

are stored for use, and an employee inserts them into the system.

Unfortunately, system susceptibility to errors increases with every conversion. If the pocket stars are not inserted correctly, the bottles can be damaged when production resumes.

And there is another problem besides the long conversion times and the risk of conversion errors. There is a very clear trend in filling technology: individual bottle sizes and shapes are being used more and more frequently. That is why flexibility and individuality are becoming increasingly important for bottlers. Krones AG counters these three problems with the MultiGuide Base, also known as the clamping star wheel: an active, cam-controlled gripping system that replaces pocket stars.

During the process of developing the clamping star wheel, it quickly became clear to Krones that the clamps should be made of plastic since the clamping material’s tendency to damage glass

Several pocket stars transport bottles in the machine. If production is switched to a different bottle size or shape, the right pocket star must be used. (Source: igus GmbH)

“Krones AG counters these three problems with the MultiGuide Base, aka the clamping star wheel.”

bottles must be minimised. So igus, the expert in plastics and tribology (the effects of friction, lubrication, and wear in bearings, guides and other machine elements), was called in.

The Cologne-based company develops plastic components for moving applications, such as plain bearings. The two companies have been working together for many years and on numerous projects.

“The demands the components had to meet were extremely high,” says Marco Leidel, Development Engineer at Krones AG and developer of the clamping star wheel.

“The materials needed to be durable in contact with glass. Hygienic design and the effects of chemical cleaning agents also played an important role in making the clamping star wheel easy to clean and minimising the germ load,” says Leidel.

wear tests into this project,” says Lars Braun, Head of Industry Management Packaging at igus. Igus has been developing materials of its own, called iglidur, since 1983.

They consist of high-performance polymers with special specifications: their composition makes them extremely wear-resistant, robust and self-lubricating. Their service life can be determined precisely.

Furthermore, each iglidur material has individual specifications and strengths that make it suitable for special applications. This is also true of the material igus developed specifically for the Krones clamping star wheel.

“I have the feeling that this project broadened the horizons on both sides, and we learned a lot from each other,” says Leidel.

quick, minimising downtimes.

A clamping star wheel increases production volume and provides greater flexibility. MultiGuide Base clamps can grip bottles with different contours from 0.2 to 11. This translates to bottle diameters between 47-92mm.

Even unusually shaped bottles are gripped securely since each clamp unit consists of two grippers. These are decoupled from each other, so they can also transport bottles with different diameters at the top and bottom, for instance.

the device was tested in practice with a Krones customer.

“Our practical test showed that the clamping star wheel can achieve up to six million cycles. We can already see that it reduces repairs,” says Christian Gebauer, Filling Technology Developer at Krones.

“The market response has been fantastic,” says Schoen. Krones and igus are planning a joint recycling program for the clamping units in the future. If a clamp needs to be replaced, it is sent back to igus, where regranulate is made

E7UM liners and individually manufactured clamps, rollers and plain bearings made of iglidur X are now used in the MultiGuide Base. Sharing knowledge broadens horizons. Together, the companies used the specifications to develop a functioning series solution that can be used in all beverage-filling performance classes to bottle water, soft drinks, beer, wine or other beverages.

Krones created the clamp, and igus contributed its material and engineering expertise. To meet all of Krones’ material requirements, igus developed a new material for the MultiGuide Base clamps. It was especially important to minimise material abrasion in the clips when they come into contact with glass.

“Wear against glass was new to us. However, we accepted the challenge and put a lot of development work and

Less conversion and maintenance effort

A huge advantage of the clamping star wheel for Krones customers is the reduced conversion time — now just a few minutes. There is no need to change sets, since the clamping star wheel can transport different bottle sizes and shapes. Pocket stars have been eliminated, so they no longer need to be stored, maintained, or serviced.

“The clamping star wheel greatly reduces material and resource use. A whopping 2.5t of material can be saved,” says Leidel. If a clamp is defective, it can also be easily replaced, since the MultiGuide Base has a modular structure. Customers can exchange an entire clamp unit and insert a new one. This makes the changeover easy and very

The time that was previously needed to exchange the pocket stars can now be used for filling. Assuming one changeover per day, this has enormous potential for higher production volumes.

Fantastic response

“Even before the clamping star wheel was fully developed, we had so many customer inquiries that we had to put them off,” says Philipp Schoen, Product Manager Filling Technology.

Before the clamping star wheel was first used functional tests were performed. After they were passed,

from the plastic components.

“This project hit a nerve with our customers. Demand for sustainable solutions is increasing,” says Gebauer.

Treotham Automation is the Australian supplier of igus products, including the iglidur range of standard and custom bearings, and the company provides technical support and customer service.

The Krones MultiGuide Base, also known as clamping star wheel, eliminates the need to change sets.

The MultiGuide Base clamps can grip bottles with different shapes and sizes.

The clamps made of iglidur material and rollers made of iglidur X can be seen clearly here. Also in use, but not visible, are E7UM liners and plain bearings made of iglidur X.

“Pocket stars have been eliminated, so they no longer need to be stored, maintained, or serviced”

“This project hit a nerve with our customers. Demand for sustainable solutions is increasing.”

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Energy Chain

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Secure supply of energy and data to moving industrial equipment.

• Large size range

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Flexible Cables

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Connectors

Safety

Sensors

• Readychain

• Robotic, 3D

• Circular movement

HUGE range of high quality flexible cables

• Control cables

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• VSD/EMC cables

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• Crane cables

• Profibus cables

• Bus/DeviceNet

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• Instrumentation

• Flat cables

• Curly cords

Largest range of flexible conduits for cable protection

• Conduits

• Conduit fittings

• Divisible systems

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• Conduit Accessories

• Braided cable protection

• Fire barrier solutions

• Food and beverage

• EMC systems

• Ex, ATEX, IEC EX

Industrial connectors for many industries

• Rectangular multipole connectors from ILME

• Single pole Powerline connectors from TEN47

• EPIC connectors from Lapp Group

• M23 circular connectors from Hummel

• Circular connectors specifically for the entertainment/stage lighting industry from Socapex

Safety engineering solutions from EUCHNER

• Multifunctional Gate Box MGB

• Transponder-coded safety switches

• Electromechanical safety switches

• Magnetically coded safety switches

Sensor technologies for automation

• High-Precision Laser Distance Sensors

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Bonfiglioli to serve regional Victoria

Anew regional Victorian office for Bonfiglioli Australia will help the company decentralise its local assembly facilities as it continues to grow.

Bonfiglioli recently celebrated the opening of the expansive 1,800 m 2 premises in Cranbourne West, of which warehousing and production makes up 1,400 m 2

The special event saw key customers, local staff and company leaders from Bonfiglioli’s head office in Italy all in attendance.

The new premises will facilitate the local assembly of all light and medium-duty products, freeing the Sydney factory up to concentrate on heavy-duty products.

“This allows us to expand our stock holding locally and to better serve our customers across the local regions,” comments Martin Broglia, Managing Director for Bonfiglioli Australia.

Closer to customers

Martin explains that this strategic move brings the company closer to its customers and is largely underpinned by

the need to continue decentralising its assembly facilities, following significant growth over the Covid pandemic.

“We continue our upward trajectory and are hyper-focused on offering local assembly and support around the country. Our investment in product innovation and customer relations is what truly sets us apart.”

In production

The new facility will produce:

• Bonfiglioli’s helical and bevel-helical series of CAFS motors (up to size 60)

• The full range of VF/W universal worm gears

• Bonfiglioli’s 300 planetary gearbox series (up to size 310)

Martin continues: “There are further plans to expand our capabilities and to enable the production of larger motors. The expansion of an after sales and repair facility is also in the pipeline, as well as a pilot assembly plant for the recently launched CP helical in-line gearbox series.”

“Looking ahead, we anticipate sustained

growth — particularly as customers seek out power transmission solutions that meet global energy efficiency standards, while delivering reliable performance. The growth of the renewable energy industry is also set to be a significant driver of expansion, and we are excited about the contributions Bonfiglioli will make to this

For

sector – and many others – over the next decade,” he concludes.

Bonfiglioli bonfiglioli.com/ australia/en

over 60 years, Bonfiglioli has been developing tailored transmission and drive solutions for industrial automation and wind energy.

With a network of 21 branches and 14 production plants in 80 countries around the globe, we bring you tried and tested world class solutions. Let’s build the next 60 years, together.

Martin Broglia, Managing Director Bonfiglioli Australia and Manfredi Ucelli de Nemi, General Manager Bonfiglioli Riduttori SpA

Bega’s wastewater tank issues solved

Bega Cheese needed to upgrade the aeration system at its Strathmerton wastewater plant.

The existing system consisted of a dissolved air floatation (DAF) unit, which flowed into an aerated lagoon. The resulting effluent was stored in two non-aerated lagoons during winter, with irrigation occurring in summer.

Over several years the ageing surface aerators had progressively failed.

Repairs involved the deployment of cranes and/or boats to gain access — an expensive process that had resulted in damage to the dam liner. Eventually it became uneconomical to keep repairing the aerators.

The solution

Hydro Innovations recommended the installation of a bank-mounted GormanRupp ‘EchoStorm’ aerator for the lagoon, replacing the surface aerators, and an EDUR DAF pump to replace their existing pump/compressor/pressure tank system on their DAF plant.

The aerator and DAF pump were delivered around a month into the project and installed.

DAF pump

The new 1kw EDUR PBU 201 DAF pump eliminates the need for the 7Kw recycle pump and the 3-phase air compressor, also saving energy costs.

This also greatly decreases maintenance and labour costs on equipment on the DAF. By installing this small pump, the water was aerated much more efficiently and effectively before being transferred to the lagoon.

The results

Since installation, operators have observed a continued increase in the dissolved oxygen level in the lagoon and have seen COD fall by 50%.

Because of the higher level of mixing, re-suspending settled solids became more bioavailable to colony-forming units.

And it was evident that after only 15 minutes of running the EDUR DAF pump, there was a significant improvement in the DAF tank conditions.

Retrofitting EDUR DAF pumps to older DAF systems to improve their efficiency and reduce maintenance costs is not a new concept.

Operators in Germany and the USA have been benefiting from this style of upgrade for decades.

Systems from 1kW to 22kW are available, and with a range of materials including cast iron, stainless steel and super duplex.

The 1kw EDUR PBU 201 DAF pump

Permanent lifting magnets are not all the same

Manufacturers use permanent lifting magnets for two main reasons: safety and convenience.

So it stands to reason that the best buy, even when not the cheapest, will be the one that offers maximum safety, efficiency and easy, secure operation.

This is why MaxX Permanent Magnets from Mag-Autoblok-Tecnomagnete have found so much favour with end-users and OEMs around the world.

MaxX Permanent Magnetic Lifters use a patented feature — called neutral-crown technology — that concentrates the magnetic flux at the lifting face where it is needed.

Most other styles employ a compromised magnetic circuit that permits magnetic field leakage from the rear of the magnet into the hook and chain apparatus to which it may be connected – or in the case of use within other equipment, the steel to which it is secured,

thus reducing efficiency.

Only the highest quality NdFeB rare earth magnet material is employed and all steel surfaces are machined to high precision and nickel-plated for long life and reliability.

MaxX Lifters are available in a range of rated lifting capacities (which include the AS4991-2004 three-to-one safety margin) from 125 to 2000 kg with several special models for lifting thinner steel.

In addition, in MaxX Lifters from Serpent & Dove - Applied Magnetics, the central shaft is mounted in roller bearings for a longer life.

Operation is easy and safety is ensured with the required two-function release.

Serpent & Dove serpent-dove.com.au

PMA develops digital fabrication methods

For the first time, a large-scale architecture project has used ABB robots and PMA cable protection products from research stage through to practical architectural application.

As part of the DFAB HOUSE construction project, researchers at ETH Zurich are working together with experts and planning specialists from the building industry to research and test how digital fabrication can alter the design and construction process.

ABB Robotics and ABB PMA® cable protection are both playing an important

role in this new digital fabrication technology. This new construction method has now left the research laboratory and has been realised in an architectural project in the form of the three-storey DFAB HOUSE assembled in Switzerland at Empa’s and Eawag’s NEST research building in Dübendorf.

It’s also the first time that the world’s only Robotic Fabrication Laboratory at ETH Zurich and the NCCR Digital Fabrication facility has used these robots and cable protection products in big architecture project.

Treotham Automation is the Australian distributor of PMA Flexible Conduits and other high-quality electrical components and products to a wide range of industrial markets.

Noise damage at work affects all ages

Hearing loss from workplace noise can sneak up on workers whether the younger generation who are the future of industry or the most experienced, middle-aged workers who have had longer exposure.

Industry needs to protect and retain these valuable people because they have the vital skills and experience that are now in short supply amidst post-covid global skills shortages in Australia and worldwide.

Analysis of labour shortages by the US Chamber of Commerce has found manufacturing is among the sectors most affected by the ongoing dearth of talent: 55% of manufacturing jobs are unfilled; retail and hospitality, at 70 and 45%, are the other two most-affected sectors.

Continued exposure to sound above 70dBA causes hearing loss over time. Yet 70dBA is not much more than conversation or background in a busy office, and much less than vacuum cleaning equipment used in workplaces [A dBA is a weighted scale for judging loudness that corresponds to the hearing threshold of the human ear, which does not hear all frequencies equally.]

Sound levels above 85 dBA – still much less than many industrial machines’ 100 dBA – are considered hazardous for human hearing, depending on duration of exposure — according to international authorities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and the provisions of Australia’s Work, Health, and Safety Act.

Statutory obligations

“At this level of continued exposure for periods of eight hours or more, OH and S measures can become a statutory obligation, affecting business owners and plant, designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers,” says James Maslin, Technical Product Manager for noise, Air Springs Supply which provides vibration and harness (NVH) prevention technology.

“It is important to realise that above 85dBA, every increase of 3dB represents a doubling of sound intensity or acoustic power. So even what might appear to be slight increases are in fact substantial increases, because doubling of sound intensity can sneak up on a workplace very easily where heavy equipment is involved. The maximum exposure recommended for 100 dBA, for example, is just 15 minutes,” says Maslin.

As workplace noise OH and S regulations increase across national and state jurisdictions, industrial operations and engineering staff are challenged to find effective, cost-efficient, reliable solutions to the issue of vibrating and intrusive machinery, he says.

The challenge exists across industry, from heavy industry – including mining, energy, bulk handling and metals manufacturing – through to processing industries, including food, beverage and primary processing. Typical NVH hot spots include:

• Compressors and generators

• Pumps and drives

• Sorters, sizers and vibrating bins

• Vibrating screens, conveyors and elevators

• Crushers and blenders

• Bulk handling and minerals processing equipment

• HVAC and refrigeration equipment

• Garbage compactors and waste-to-energy equipment

• And automation and computer equipment nearby, that may need to be isolated from environmental disturbances

The choice often lies between less expensive and less complex passive vibration isolation – which uses materials and mechanical linkages that absorb and dampen mechanical waves – or active vibration isolation, which often involves sensors and actuators that disrupt and cancel out incoming vibration.

Active vibration can be expensive but passive vibration can produce cost-effective results. Firestone Airmount® air springs are a proven, cost-effective passive solution achieving outstanding isolation efficiencies upwards of 90%. These air springs are the only passive isolator that operates on the principle of compressing a gas rather than deflecting a solid.

Air springs such as the Firestone Airmounts, for which Air Springs Supply is Australian distributor, are also the only passive isolator that can achieve a reduction in the natural frequency, which is the frequency at which a system tends to oscillate in the absence of any driving or damping force.

Pneumatic airmount isolators

These internationally proven air springs are heavy-duty balloons that contain no internal moving parts to break or wear. Because of their differences (compared with isolators such as coil springs and solid rubber pads) air springs are the passive isolator with the lowest natural frequency – and the lower an isolator’s natural frequency, the more effective. Typically inflated at 3-6 bar, air springs deliver isolation efficiencies exceeding 90%.

With the use of an auxiliary reservoir, air springs can lower the natural frequency to further improve isolation effectiveness to even finer degrees (which can exceed 99.9% vibration isolation in demanding applications).

An even simpler passive isolation option is presented by solid no-maintenance Marsh Mellow rubber and fabric-reinforced bias ply isolators, which offer high load capacity with constant vibration isolation through changing loads. Marsh Mellows will not bottom out like coil springs and offer low natural frequencies to provide excellent isolation (including forced frequencies in the range of 800-1200 cycles a minute, 13-20Hz).

“The basic construction of the Marsh Mellow spring includes a solid rubber core with a hollow centre, and fabric-reinforced body,” says Maslin.

“The controllable variables of this construction are key to Marsh Mellows’ extreme design flexibility. The same springs can eliminate problems of broken coil springs causing fragment damage to vibrating, stamping and metal forming equipment”.

Marsh Mellow Die Springs can be compressed by up to 40% of their free height at a cycling rate of 50 cycles per minute (cpm) or less. Cycling rates of up to 300 cpm can be attained. Marsh Mellow Springs’ high load capability means fewer springs may be needed in an application, resulting in less overall cost. A spring with a smaller overall size than an all-rubber spring of identical load capacity can be chosen where space is restricted.

“Both Airmount air springs and Marsh Mellow springs have built-in advantages, being compact, easy to install, maintenance-free and proven effectiveness. Plus, they cannot break or fail catastrophically as some metal springs might,” says Maslin.

“Their effectiveness as isolators is due to simplicity. Safety officers and engineers understand no single technology can solve all workplace NVH issues, because issues varies immensely with each workplace. Having a simple solution for many issues is a good place to start.” Air

Springs airsprings.com.au

“Above 85dBA, every increase of 3dB represents a doubling of sound intensity or acoustic power.”

Powerful motors driving vibrating equipment, fans and pumps can be isolator mounted to protect workers from hearing loss

Even slight Increases in decibel readings can be deceptive, because A 3dB change yields a 100% increase in sound energy and just over a 23% increase in loudness.

Interface’s load button load cells

Among the smallest load cells that Interface offers, in both diameter and height, are load button load cells – sometimes referred to as load buttons for short.

These specialised “miniature” stainless-steel load cells are small in design size, but big in their range of measuring capacities, from 5 lbf to 50,000 lbf.

The spherical radius design of the Interface compression load button load cells is frequently used in confined spaces, providing excellent precision force measurement solutions.

Innovative industries are increasing the demand for accurate sensor

technologies for use in OEM applications like medical devices, drones, industrial automation, packaging, and robotics.

The engineered product designs of these smaller applications require high performing load cells, like the LowProfile™ pancake style load cells, in a much smaller construction.

Load button load cells are also commonly used in test and measurement projects.

The two most popular load button load cells from Interface are their LBM and LBS models.

Here is a quick overview of Interface Load Button Load Cell products that

Chewing up springs?

have diameters ranging from 25mm to 96mm, and heights from 10mm to 38mm.

• LBM compression load button load cell with capacities from 25 to 50k lbf, environmentally sealed and temperature compensated.

• LBS miniature compression load button load cell is a small load cell with capacities ranging from 5 lbf to 1k lbf. It can be as small as 3mm in height.

• LBMP overload protected compression load button load cell is overload protected, temperature compensated and has a small diameter. Its capacities range from 0.01 kN to 100 kN.

• LBMU ultra precision compression load button load cell is superior in accuracy to any other load button with enhanced eccentric load rejection. Capacities are from 100 to 1k lbf.

• MSC miniature column compression load button load cell uses Interface’s proprietary temperature compensated strain gages. It has a small compact design with low deflect.

AMS Instrumentation and Calibration ams-ic.com.au

Noise, corrosion, cracking, breakage, vibration, shock, abrasion, bottoming out… springs too stiff or mushy under changing loads… high maintenance and lost production...

Do these vibration isolation problems sound familiar? Then meet the cleaner, quiet and hygienic problem solver Marsh Mellow Air Springs Supply.

These unique solid rubber fabric-reinforced isolators quality manufactured by Firestone are used world-wide for quiet isolation of machinery vibration and for shock absorption in applications including food and beverage, metal manufacturing and mining and energy.

Our Vibration Isolation Design Manual for Marsh Mellow springs details how and where to use compact, cylindrical Marsh Mellow springs for machinery such as compressors, vibrating screens, bin hoppers, blowers and motors, cranes, hammers, bumpers and conveyor stops.

PRODUCTS The right castors for busy hospitals short on space

When Tony Coman, the operations manager at medical and hospitality equipment maker Emery Industries, needs specific castors for specific purposes, he looks up Tente’s catalogue.

“They offer a quality and certain functional aspects that we need that we can’t find elsewhere,” he tells Industry Update

Based at Arundel on the Gold Coast, Emery’s range includes stainless steel products for hospitals, such as medical trolleys, IV poles, height adjustable sinks and height adjustable packing tables.

The trolleys aren’t for patients, they’re for surgical instruments, charts and monitors for sterilising, surgical departments and other areas within hospitals.

“Some of the products that we make go through sterilising trolley washers in hospitals, which means they’re washed and dried with chemicals at over 100 degrees,” Coman says.

In that working environment, it’s important to choose the right castor.

“The castors have to be rated for high temperatures. Basically, they need to be able to regularly get wet, perform at high temperatures and not fall apart.”

Tente’s Levina range consists of thermoplastic castors with stainless steel moving parts inside, that are perfect for the job, says Coman.

“It’s a myth to say that stainless steel doesn’t rust. It’s not going to rust and fall apart, but it will start to discolour or tea stain over time. [The Levina castor] will go through a trolley washer and look the same 100 times. The stainless steel ones will go through a trolley washer, and after 10, 20 or 100 times you’ll start

being housed and then transferred to instruments, syringes or whatever they are using in that space.”

Coman says Emery also turned to Tente’s range of products to help solve an issue with a large transport trolley order

A sample trolley was sent to the client with four stainless steel Tente castors –two central locking and two fixed. The client found that the two fixed castors didn’t allow them to manoeuvre the trolley as they needed to.

and the flexibility to fit the trolleys into smaller storage spaces.”

Problem solved, says Coman. And with the company making similar sterilisation transport trolleys for the Australian market, he says they’ve also

to have spotting or tea stains.”

The thermoplastic casing also helps in hospital environments, where they have strict infection control requirements.

“With the thermoplastic castors, you don’t get the degradation, rust, or pitting. So there’s a reduced chance of bacteria

for a New Zealand hospital client.

Such trolleys are used to transport surgical instruments from the place they’re sterilised, into hospitals for use, and then back again to be re-sterilised, and sometimes means they’re taken outside the hospital environment.

“At every hospital real estate is at a premium, you don’t have a lot of space to store goods,” says Coman.

Emery then replaced the fixed castors with Tente directional lock castors, which meant the wheel could be locked in various positions.

“It gave them a smaller turning circle

learned something that they’ll apply to future builds. Tente tente.com.au

Transport trolley with Tente stainless steel central locking and directional castors

Emery trolley with Tente Levina thermoplastic castors

Magnets that prevent disasters

The evening of May 2, 1878 at the Washburn ‘A’ mill – the largest flour mill in the world at that time –began as any other, as the day shift crews left the Minneapolis mill and the smaller night crew clocked in.

But at around 7pm, an accumulation of flour dust in the mill ignited and the building exploded. The blast blew the roof off the A mill, levelled five other mills and engulfed several city blocks in flames.

The massive explosion killed 18 workers. A spark ignited the air-borne flour dust causing the massive explosion. While findings at the time suggested that the spark may have been a result of millstones (as used in those days) rubbing together, it may just as easily have been caused by what is known as ‘tramp iron’—staples, nuts, bolts or wire finding its way into milling and other high-speed machinery.

The same danger exists with any fine airborne dust – tea, sugar, flavourings, etc. A stray welding rod end or a nail from a crate can potentially cause disaster!

Of course, while that danger is diminished today with engineered dust extraction systems, breakdowns and spills can still result in airborne dust.

Explosion is but one danger.

Food and other products must be kept clean of stray iron. Dangerous ferrous metal can contaminate everything from baby food, to juices, to grains, chocolate and meats. A single recall can cost a manufacturer more than $10 million, according to Food Safety Tech.

As well, capital equipment must be protected from the ravages of unwanted metal items.

For this reason, magnetic grates, traps and devices of various kinds are installed at critical points in food and chemical processing plants, in both dry and liquid product lines.

Operators are constantly amazed at what turns up on such magnets.

Serpent & Dove - Applied Magnetics, with years of know-how, has been supplying high quality, 10,000 Gauss (1 Tesla) Grate Magnets, Plate Magnets and

IoT control with wireless transmitters

The Internet of Things consists of layers of technology that enable ordinary things to share data and ultimately provide intelligence,

autonomous action, and value — which largely depend on the quality of the data itself.

Sensors and transmitters are

Magnetic Traps for liquid lines to food and other industries since 1984.

Not only magnets, but also the vital equipment for regular do-it-yourself testing and validating of these magnets.

fundamental to the operation of IoT systems which relies on the accuracy measurement from these instruments.

Wireless pressure transmitters were developed with wireless sensing technology and are a perfect solution for monitoring and control in the field. They’re especially convenient when power is limited because they are battery-powered and have low power needs. The transmitter’s wireless communication is based on IoT/4G/5G technologies depending on availability on site.

This instrument can provide real-time data for all pressure testing points in a wider range than traditional transmitters. Collected data will be transferred to a collection platform for monitoring purposes. Based on functions from control software, all instruments connected by this system can then be remotely monitored and controlled.

The system can be designed to meet

Serpent & Dove

serpent-dove.com.au

customer requirements. ZHYQ has recently designed its own IoT system with software to be used with its wireless pressure transmitters. The control panel can be viewed from both PC software and mobile app.

ZHYQ’s wireless pressure transmitters are designed under protection grade IP6, and are simple to install. Transmitters can also connect to any IoT system for measurement outdoors and extreme weather conditions. They are widely used for pressure measurement for fire detection, pipeline laying, air-conditioning system instalments, industrial manufacturing process and other projects.

ZHYQ zhyqsensor.com.au

Connected, automated & digital transformation to be the focus of 2023 Modern Manufacturing Expo

The Modern Manufacturing Expo is set to once again bring the industry together to explore and highlight the latest advancements and innovations in manufacturing during the highly anticipated 2023 Expo in Sydney this September.

“The 2022 Modern Manufacturing Expo was an overwhelming success, with visitors over the course of two days and highlighted the need for the industry to come together again for in-person events in a post-COVID environment,” said Marie Kinsella, CEO of the International Exhibition & Conference (IEC) Group.

“We expect this year’s edition to be even bigger and better than before with a focus on our 2023 theme: ‘Connected, Automated & Digital Transformation’.”

“Automation has been in the spotlight with the recent worldwide popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and our 2023 theme is intended to explore how these tools and technologies can be better harnessed by manufacturers and the industry at large,” she added.

The 2023 Modern Manufacturing Expo will take place from 20-21 September at the Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park and like last year, is free to attend.

“Free registration to the Modern Manufacturing Expo ensures that as many manufacturers and industry professionals as possible are able to benefit from the resources and expert knowledge on offer,” explained Kinsella.

Expert Arena and Smart Manufacturing Conference

In addition to the Modern Manufacturing Expo, attendees can take advantage of the two co-located events on offer: the Expert Arena and Smart Manufacturing Conference.

Access to the Expert Arena is included with Modern Manufacturing Expo registration and offers visitors the opportunity to listen to short and sharp information sessions by key manufacturing industry professionals.

“These expert presentations are

Upcoming Events

ELECTRONEX

10-11 May

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

In 2023 this electronics expo and conference returns to Melbourne to be staged alongside Australian Manufacturing Week with visitors now able to see the entire spectrum of manufacturing solutions at the one venue.

electronex.com.au

Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW)

9 - 12 May

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

AMW showcases the latest in advanced manufacturing. Explore new opportunities, meet and network with industry leaders and technology experts, all under one roof.

australianmanufacturingweek.com.au

Workplace Health & Safety Show

31 May - 1 June

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

Discover interactive, innovative and collaborative solutions at free, two-day events in Brisbane (2023), Sydney (2023). Exhibitors show the latest health and safety products and resources and there are also Knowledge Centre seminars.

whsshow.com.au

Energy Next

18-19 July

International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney

Energy Next is a free industry exhibition on the latest renewable energy and energy management technologies. It includes technical sessions plus the Clean Energy Council’s Solar Masterclass.

energynext.com.au

Foodpro

23 - 26 July

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Foodpro’s 12 zones focus on steps in the food manufacturing process: ingredients, food science and technology, processing and plant equipment, packaging and the latest in tracing and provenance.

foodproexh.com

CeMAT Australia 2023

25-27 July

The Dome Sydney

CeMAT is the opportunity to experience a range of solutions and technology setting the standards and future direction of logistics and warehousing in the Asia Pacific cemat.com.au

hugely valuable as they provide insight, wisdom and best practice,” said Kinsella, who encouraged those who want to dive deeper into what lies ahead for Australian manufacturing to sign up for the Smart Manufacturing Conference.

“You’ll hear from some of the greatest innovators from Australia and around the world as they share best practices

Workplace Health and Safety Show

20 - 21 September

Sydney Showground

Sydney Olympic Park

Discover interactive, innovative and collaborative solutions at free, two-day events in Brisbane (2023), Sydney (2023). Exhibitors show the latest health and safety products and resources and there are also Knowledge Centre seminars. Registration is free.

whsshow.com.au

Modern Manufacturing Expo

20 - 21 September

Sydney Showground

Sydney Olympic Park

The Modern Manufacturing Expo showcases leading-edge products, equipment, technologies and software to help Australian manufacturers. This year’s theme is ‘Connected, automated and digital transformation’.

modernmanufacturingexpo.com

for harnessing smart technologies to reduce operating and capital costs whilst increasing profitability.”

Modern Manufacturing Expo modernmanufacturingexpo.com

Thinkfood LIVE

25-26 October

Carriageworks Sydney

Thinkfood LIVE focuses on the pre-manufacturing stage of food and beverage production and the new product development cycle.

thinkfood.com.au

Shaping Change at the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work

27 - 30 November

International Convention Centre Darling Harbour, Sydney

The triennial World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is an opportunity to connect with global leaders in safety and harm prevention from more than 120 countries. Hosted by SafeWork NSW, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the The International Social Security Association.

safety2023sydney.com