Industry Update Nov 2022 Issue 129

AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST CIRCULATING MANUFACTURING MAGAZINE

Issue 129 Nov 2022 $12.00 inc. GST

Peace & goodwill to all!

Australian Made

36

Government trims industry, promises more funding

By David Sligar

T

Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivers Labor’s first budget speech (Credit - ABC News - Nick Haggarty)

A CNC plasma robot that’s portable

he Federal Budget of 25 October has reduced overall funding to the industry portfolio by $293 million over four years, including by $101 million in 2023-24. The government says more funding will be provided under its new National Reconstruction Fund.

In July this year, Industry Update called for the new government to guarantee no net cuts to the industry portfolio and we urge the government to re-establish and increase industry funding in the next budget update.

Budget savings include cancelling uncommitted funding under the former government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy and Entrepreneurs’ Program, cuts worth around $500 million. However, existing commitments to businesses have been honoured.

“There were no cuts to any project already funded or announced as part of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative,” said a spokesperson for Industry Minister Ed Husic.

Continues on page 26

Lighting Up Manufacturing

28

42

Treotham’s 30-year journey to ‘supermarket’ for automation

By Margie Smithurst

T

reotham’s new 3000-square-metre Macquarie Park warehouse is a far cry from the humble beginnings where Mikael Paltoft started his business 30 years ago.

Back then, Swedish-born Paltoft saw an opportunity in the relatively new industrial automation market in Australia, and began by selling energy chains and accessories from his home garage in Sydney.

LM Fasteners Celebrates 25 years

Continues on page 20

Women in manufacturing series continues

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Safety Product Update

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CONTENTS

8

From the Publisher

WHAT’S POOR LUBRICATION COSTING YOU?

10 Minister Husic’s Column 12 Industry News simply superior! single point lubrication

16 Business, Finance and Accounting 22 Employment

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42 Lighting 45 Supply Chain 47 Fasteners 48 Energy, Waste & Recycling 53 Women in Manufacturing 56 Products 62 Events

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Publisher

Editor

Scott Filby

R

emember our blessings this Christmas. In the Western tradition, Christmas has long been a time of joy and celebration. But this year should be particularly special.

After two long years we’ve finally seen the back of the pandemic.

Australian businesses and Australians across all walks of life worked together to defeat the spread of the disease while keeping the economy running. Average Australians showed their basic decency, taking sensible precautions and looking out for each other.

Governments across all states and territories also worked together – not always perfectly, but better than in many other countries.

Aussie manufacturing not only survived; it thrived. The fiscal years 202021 and 2021-2022 marked the first back-to-back years of annual growth in manufacturing by value in 14 years.

Manufacturing has turned a corner – not just in output but in the national consciousness. The pandemic made clear to everyone just how much is riding on the shoulders of manufacturers.

The onus is now on the Albanese Government to deliver manufacturing

Christine Powis policy settings that are as capable and resourceful as our manufacturers themselves.

At Industry Update, we believe the best of Australian industry is yet to come. The industry of the future will look very different to the industry of the past. It is increasingly high tech, and increasingly research-driven.

This year saw Industry Update launch a ‘Universities, research and collaboration’ section to reflect and promote that transformation.

The year also saw a change in federal government. We thank the Morrison government and wish the new one the best. More needs to be done for manufacturing, whoever is in power.

While the budget’s $293 million cuts to industry are disappointing, we sincerely hope the government delivers on its big promises, including the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund.

At Christmas, let’s also think of the less fortunate.

Most of the world isn’t as lucky as we are in Australia. This Christmas let’s be grateful for all that we have and pray for those in need. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

Luke 2:11

T

he importance of tech for manufacturing is becoming more and more apparent with every issue of Industry Update.

BOC gas and engineering has opened its second smart welding and gas tech hub, this time in south-west Sydney. And, backed by a Defence Department grant, SoftIron has opened a manufacturing hub to produce Information, Communications and Telecommunications components for its cloud-building technology. Making the ICT componentry in Australia will protect UK-based SoftIron’s customers from disruption to their supply chains and boost our manufacturing sovereignty (see story p 12).

While we’re on the cloud, RMIT in Melbourne is using Amazon Web Services’ Cloud Supercomputing and AARNet to host a supercomputing capability engineered for up to 400 Gbps. Called RACE, it’s already being used by industry and RMIT researchers to create new battery technologies, photonic microchips and medical devices among other things (see story page 14).

Robotics are at the fore, too.

Queensland’s Advanced Robotics for

Manufacturing Hub has partnered with a venture capital firm to find backers for emerging technologies and advanced manufacturers to help them enter the US marketplace.

Uni of NSW has been busy perfecting its R&D spin-offs: the latest from this leader in solar cells is successfully using copper rather than silver on cells and it’s now being commercialised by SunDrive (see story page 27).

East-coast steelmaker, recycler and services firm InfraBuild says it’s slow to come to the robotics party but, with much R&D from the Australian Cobotics Centre (ACC), their teams have created a cobot to remove ‘off-spec’ steel items from the production line and get its staff onto less monotonous, less risky work (see story page 24).

The moral of several stories is that employees should not fear tech. As ACC Director, Jonathan Roberts says, that old conversation about tech taking jobs has been “flipped around because many businesses can’t find enough people for jobs so we need to use new technologies to keep companies competitive and running.”

The Olympics are coming — and so is the WH&S show!

by Marie Kinsella, CEO, International Exhibition & Conference (IEC) Group

F

or the first time the Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) Show will be held in Brisbane from 31 May to 1 June 2023 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

There has never been a better time to take the show to Queensland.

Applications to exhibit at the Brisbane show are now open for everyone wanting to reach a new audience of industry professionals eager to learn about the latest in health and safety.

Prospective exhibitors at the twoday event will capitalise on regional opportunities that have opened up following news of the location for the Brisbane 2032 Summer Olympics (23 July-8 Aug). Research by KPMG estimates the 2032 Olympics will deliver $8.1 billion in economic benefits to Queensland’s economy and create 91,600 jobs in the next 20 years.

As Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says: “Hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games was never about a few weeks of competition, it’s about the next decade of investment and development for the games.”

Show organiser, IEC Group, anticipates a huge boost in construction and development in the region, with

many significant infrastructure projects already underway. These projects cast a spotlight on the increased need for workplace health and safety standards in these labour-intensive sectors and ensuring that the measures taken in preparation will reflect well on the global stage.

With a significant spike in new employment opportunities comes the need to boost skills and business readiness to ensure that the local workforce is able to meet this demand.

These skills include a crucial understanding of new safety techniques and technologies in the workplace which are the foundation of the WHS Show, and the huge appetite of companies in Queensland, which ain to ensure their readiness in these fields, is significant.

As Australia’s only dedicated trade WH&S show, the Brisbane WHS Show is the perfect platform to reach this market.

We are also hugely excited to bring the show to Queensland because of the region’s large mining industry, where adherence to health and safety procedures is paramount. Bringing the WHS Show to this location makes it easier for mining managers operating in rural

8 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

and outlying areas to attend, whereas previous shows in Melbourne and Sydney may have been inaccessible.

This means many of the attendees will be face to face with cutting-edge and targeted work and safety solutions in this type of exhibition for the first time. This gives exhibitors a rare and exciting marketing opportunity to introduce safety professionals to a range of offerings under one roof, where they can discover, buy and stay updated on the latest products, resources and policies.

Thousands of occupational health and safety managers are expected to attend. Exhibitors who wish to position themselves as thought leaders are invited to take advantage of the limited speaking opportunities available at well-attended seminars.

After successful 2022 events, this WH&S Show expects hundreds of exhibitors in 2023. It’s an opportunity to shape the future of workplace health and safety in Queensland – apply early or risk missing out!

Workplace, Health and Safety Show 2023, 31 May to 1 June 2023 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

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FROM THE MINISTER

Minister for Industry and Science

Ed Husic

T

he Albanese government has hit the ground running in its support for regional industry and started the longer-term work investing in advanced manufacturing.

We were elected with a mandate to rebuild Australian industry and we are focused on delivering on our election commitments.

I was pleased that the October budget included $111.4 million in support for regional manufacturing from Hobart and Adelaide to Ipswich and the NSW Central Coast.

The budget also provides $50

million over two years to establish the framework for our billion National Reconstruction Fund. This fund will include $1 billion in dedicated support for advanced manufacturing.

This is the first in a series of investments to roll out the National Reconstruction Fund, a co-investment vehicle that will revitalise industry, provide well-paid secure jobs and deliver for regional Australia.

The budget was delivered at a time of increased economic turbulence after a decade of missed opportunity.

It is right for the times and prepares

us for the future.

As well as measures for regional manufacturing, the budget is delivering 180,000 fee-free TAFE and vocational education places for 2023 – an essential step for our ambitious manufacturing plans.

“... $111.4 million in support for regional manufacturing ” The budget provided $10.1 million for the Factory of the Future project at Flinders University. This inspiring facility brings together innovation, industry 4.0 tech, research and training.

Regional manufacturing measures for Tasmania in the budget included $50 million for the Nyrstar Hobart zinc smelter; $11.1 million to support upgrades to Ingham’s poultry facility in Sorell; $6.1 million to upgrade Launceston’s Waverley Wool Mill.

The grant to Nyrstar will support a $400 million modernisation of the plant and is a good example of how the

“... 180,000 fee-free TAFE and vocational education places for 2023” Government is backing the value-adding of Australian resources.

About 90% of Nyrstar’s raw material zinc for processing comes from Australian sources.

Zinc is an essential input for critical supply chains, including renewable energy infrastructure, construction materials and anti-corrosion coatings on steel.

The company says the upgrade will help secure the long-term sustainability of 650 jobs in Hobart and a further 1000 jobs at the linked Nyrstar operations in Port Pirie, South Australia.

10 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

The budget also allocated $17.2 million to establish a pilot Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub on the Central Coast of New South Wales and $12.6 million to support Cytiva’s Springfield BioPark project in Ipswich, Queensland.

The support for manufacturing network Central Coast Industry Connect will create jobs in construction and food product manufacturing, and spur local economic growth.

This food processing and manufacturing project at Lisarow is of strategic importance to further developing our onshore manufacturing capabilities.

The support for Cytiva will help it

“... also allocated $17.2 million to establish a pilot Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub” buy new equipment so it can expand its biomanufacturing capabilities for high-value medicines.

These projects align well with the Albanese Labor government’s industrial priorities.

The budget also included $14.2 million to deliver on our election commitment to implement a National Rail Manufacturing Plan.

The plan will have oversight from the Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing, Senator Tim Ayres.

It will support the rail industry and skilled manufacturing jobs by ensuring more trains are built in Australia.

This includes establishing the Office of National Rail Industry Coordination to deliver a National Rail Procurement and Manufacturing Strategy, in consultation with state and territory governments and rail industry stakeholders.

Brick by brick we are laying the foundations for an industrial revival that will allow Australia to take its place among advanced manufacturing nations. industryupdate.com.au

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INDUSTRY NEWS

First IT infrastructure manufacturing facility opens

A

ustralia is one step closer towards developing its first sovereign capability in the area of critical technology, with the official November opening of the nation’s first component-level IT infrastructure manufacturing facility.

SoftIron’s Advanced Manufacturing Facility at Botany in Sydney positions Australia to take advantage of the AUKUS agreement, which will see an unprecedented level of information sharing between the US, the UK and Australia, and their industry partners.

SoftIron says manufacturing locally all but eliminates the risk of malicious state actors introducing firmware implants or so-called “back doors’’ into critical information systems.

Backed by a Defence Department innovation grant, the IT infrastructure provider’s facility is Australia’s first advanced manufacturing hub that produces ICT componentry for SoftIron’s ground-breaking HyperCloud Intelligent Cloud Fabric, the world’s first complete technology for building clouds.

(L-R) SoftIron COO Jason Van der Schyff and The Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP SoftIron is a venture-backed company founded in 2012 and specialises in managing IT security risks by manufacturing and assembling all of its own equipment; it offers its customers a unique security verification process. Headquartered in the UK, with offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific, SoftIron established a wholly owned subsidiary in Australia in 2020.

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12 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

“Manufacturing locally all but eliminates the risk of malicious state actors introducing …so-called ‘back doors’.”

SoftIron Chief Operating Officer, Jason Van der Schyff said recent events had made it clear that onshoring or “friend-shoring’’ ICT supply chains was the only sure way for Australian IT providers to manage their commercial and strategic risk.

“Recent geopolitical events and the deteriorating strategic environment have exposed major weaknesses in global supply chains, particularly in the area of critical technology,” Mr Van der Schyff said.

“Aside from exposing Australian companies to an unacceptable

business risk, our reliance on foreign-manufactured componentry has increased the risk of malicious state actors introducing covert hardware or firmware during the manufacturing process.

“We are seeing other Western nations like the United States move toward supply chain security in the area of critical technology with initiatives like the Chips Act,” Mr Van der Schyff said. “SoftIron is ahead of the curve here in Australia by identifying the looming challenge and putting in place capabilities to meet it.’’

“Unlike manufacturers who rely on opaque supply chains for their componentry, SoftIron offers total transparency of the design and manufacturing of hardware and software supply chains in its HyperCloud IT infrastructure,” added Mr Van der Schyff.

Through a verification process called Secure Provenance, select SoftIron customers can audit products from end-to-end to ensure they are delivered precisely as designed and specified.

The approach makes HyperCloud an ideal fit for enterprises, government and defence organisations that are especially concerned about protecting sensitive data.

SoftIron softiron.com

industryupdate.com.au

INDUSTRY NEWS

Industry can RACE to supercomputing

Dr Michael Breedon, PhD researcher Dale Osborne and Professor Michelle Spencer (left to right) with a computer-generated representation of their work. Credit: RMIT University

R

ACE is now open to industry partners following its public launch last month. It is Australia’s first university supercomputing facility on the cloud and will enable industry to move from initial concepts, and testing to proven concept and commercialisation up to 80 times faster.

The AWS Cloud Supercomputing facility, or RACE, is already being used by RMIT researchers to power advances into battery technologies, photonics and medical devices.

RACE provides fast, secure and private connections powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and AARNet which RMIT has found ideal for projects demanding more speed and less delays than the internet.

Director of RACE Dr Robert Shen said the service means discoveries will be made faster. ­­“RACE enables researchers to test ideas and solutions up to 80 times faster compared to the existing on-premises servers,” Shen said.

“Research typically involves many

industryupdate.com.au

failures before success: this facility lets researchers fail quickly so they can fine-tune their solutions and improve them.”

AARNet CEO Chris Hancock said high speed internet and communication services for RACE were designed to service both current and future demand.

“The network AARNet deployed for RACE is engineered to scale to 400Gbps to provide RMIT researchers with plenty of headroom for transferring massive amounts of data to AWS on demand, now and into the future,” Hancock said Current projects The new service is already making a difference for RMIT research groups who’ve already used RACE. Professor Michelle Spencer has used it to analyse data and communicate a new, ultra-fast way to screen hundreds of potential molecules that could make suitable electrolytes for lithium-metal batteries, which could potentially increase storage capacity 10-fold.

“We are using RACE to analyse

our data and produce high-resolution animations that help us to interpret data and communicate our research findings,” Spencer said.

Associate Professor Thach Nguyen and team at the Integrated Photonics and Applications Centre rely heavily on high performance computing to design fingernail-sized photonic chips that can plug into optic fibre networks to make our internet faster, or plug into medical diagnostic tools to analyse how cancer cells spread in real time. The team is now using RACE to conduct research that was almost impossible with standard computing power.

“Direct access to RACE means that when designing and simulating brain-like chips or creating a chip which could break the record for the world’s fastest internet, the team can run multiple processes at once with computing capability that expands and scales as needed,” said Nguyen.

“RACE has provided our team with on-demand computing power anywhere, any time to simulate our photonic chips 10 times faster than previously possible.”

This work opens the door to new opportunities including the design of chips that could make our internet faster, help drones more accurately inspect railway infrastructure, and build handheld devices to detect ovarian cancer more accurately.

Professor Matt Duckham’s team is using the computing power to design new ways to automatically pinpoint a person’s exact location using just a verbal description of the features around them. This approach could be especially important in emergencies if satellite positioning fails.

Duckham said his team now has the ability to process massive information streams including drone imagery,

Director of RACE, Dr Robert Shen satellite data, data from sensor networks and crowd-sourced data that could overwhelm conventional computing facilities.

“Enabling us to analyse these huge volumes of data from new sources can help better inform evidence-based policy decisions to improve public transport, traffic, infrastructure and many other aspects of quality of life,” he said.

AWS Chief Technologist for Australia and New Zealand, Simon Elisha, said high performance computing is key to solving the most complex problems across many industries.

“AWS’s portfolio of cloud services allows researchers at RMIT to focus on ground-breaking research across a broad range of sectors, and innovate faster,” he said.

“Using AWS, RMIT can securely deliver advanced computer performance, memory capacity, and scalability.”

RACE is supported by the Victorian Government under the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund and represents a step change in how universities and industries access high performance computing capabilities for advanced data processing.

RACE is now officially open for industry partners with an interest in driving digital innovation in research and education.

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 13

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BUSINESS, FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

Businesses eyeing US market can get venture capital

H

elping Australian businesses improve their access to the US market is the driver of a new partnership between the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Hub and Azcende Venture Capital.

Both Brisbane-based companies, the two will work together to accelerate new businesses and emerging and innovative technologies for national security and critical infrastructure.

“ARM Hub and Azcende will collaborate in the development of programs and networks and leverage funding for Defence, Defence Industry, advanced manufacturing, and related supply chains to help secure a pathway into US markets for local manufacturers,” ARM Hub CEO

Dr Cori Stewart said.

Azcende, a new Venture Capital (VC) fund established by former Deloitte Smart Cities and Cyber Risk Partner, Lani Refiti; entrepreneur and technology leader Alok Patel; software developer and start-up advisor Peter Laurie; and US-based engineer Matt Yeoh, is tapping high net worth investors for its $30 million fund.

Azcende CEO and Managing Partner Alok Patel said the fund will focus on investing in Australian critical and emerging technology businesses that can take advantage of the United States marketplace.

“Azcende has partnered with ARM Hub due its success in positioning itself with strong technological

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expertise, arising from its deep academic networks,” Mr Patel said.

we are excited to bring global commercialisation experience combined with venture investments to activate critical and emerging technologies together with ARM Hub’s technological expertise.”

He said Australian industry faces major problems, from supply chain security, staffing availability and skill levels.

“Emerging technology presents the most pragmatic manner to solving these issues – whether it be AI, reducing the complexity of skills required, or robotics and autonomous systems increasing the production capacity of smaller teams,” Mr Patel said.

“Manufacturing is core to industry.

“Azcende has partnered with ARM Hub due its success in positioning itself with strong technological expertise” “With Azcende’s focus on national security and critical Infrastructure,

Continues on page 19

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Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 15

BUSINESS, FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

Revive, review, refocus and thrive: your guide to accelerated growth This is the first of a four-part series by John Spender, Director of William Buck

W

hile for many, COVID-19 feels like a distant memory, its impact has created disruptions in the manufacturing industry that will likely be felt for several years. Labour shortages, a drop in demand for product, and supply chain dislocations remain key challenges for the industry. Yet, a few opportunities have also emerged, including accelerated adoption of cloud technologies and automation, and nimbler product design that solves for specific needs.

As we approach our first calendar year without restrictions since the pandemic began, industry leaders are asking themselves, “What’s the future of the manufacturing industry?

And what position does my business occupy” In this four-part series, William Buck Accountants and Advisors share strategies manufacturing leaders can employ to adopt new ways of thinking and accelerate growth.

These strategies fall into 4 key areas • Revive: Immediate actions for restarting • Review: What’s working and what’s not • Refocus: Strategy and planning • Thrive: Growth and opportunities

Look out for our second part in this four-part series “Review: What’s working and what’s not” in the next edition of Industry Update.

For a complimentary consultation on your business strategy contact the experts at William Buck at 02 8263 4000 or www.williambuck.com

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Revive: Immediate actions for restarting Get on top of your business’s financial situation.

Ensure that your accounting records are kept up to date.

Make managing your working capital easier by preparing forecasts and implementing real time cashflow tracking.

Consider adopting an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution with integrated accounting software.

Having all your financial information in one place will allow you to understand which product lines are profitable and make critical decisions faster.

Stay on top of loans and deferred expenses.

In the last few years, several relief measures (such as deferral of taxes and loan holidays) were put in place to assist businesses through the worst of the pandemic.

Ensure you stay on top of repayment dates and loan plans; they can easily sneak up on you. Now’s also the time to ensure these are accurately accounted for in your profit and loss statement to avoid any hidden tax liabilities.

a P rt 1

16 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Retain your best people.

Your people are critical to your ongoing success.

Make sure your key players are aware of their importance to the business’s future. With unemployment at an all-time low, competing for talent can be challenging. If you don’t have the cashflow to compete on salaries, you may be able to adopt other longer-term remuneration or incentive strategies such as employee share schemes.

Now’s also the time to revisit training and development and wellbeing programmes for the future. Are there any programmes that were put on hold over the last couple of years that should be revisited? Does your team need to reskill to meet changes in your business or industry?

Speed up your digital adoption.

We’ve seen accelerated spending in manufacturing on digital innovation in recent years. Businesses are embracing cloud technologies and automation in response to labour shortages.

Ongoing investment in technology will likely form part of your ongoing strategy. Now may be the time to take advantage of the Federal Government’s Temporary Full Expensing (TFE) Incentive (available until June 2023) to purchase new or second hand technologies.

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BUSINESS, FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

Budget news: how does it affect your business?

By Colin Cooper, Director of Australiawide Finance

Unsurprisingly, the first budget of this Labor government was austere and fiscally conservative, designed to rein in inflation and the bloated deficit created by years of pandemic economics.

The budget confirmed that temporary full expensing will end on June 30, 2023, along with temporary loss carryback. Both were intended to stimulate activity and profit through incentives to purchase new equipment by giving full write-off (instead of gradual depreciation), and writing off current year profits against previous year losses. After 30 June 2023, instant write-off will again be confined to purchases only up to $1,000.

There are seven months remaining to have new business equipment installed and ready for use and it is important to plan in advance, given supply and labour restraints. The incentive applies to new and used goods for any business-related activity, including motor vehicles, production equipment, machinery, office equipment, etc.

Energy-efficient vehicles Electric vehicles (EV) were singled out for removal of customs duty and the 5% import tariff. Novated leases for energy-efficient vehicles up to the ‘luxury’ limit ($84,916) have been exempted from fringe benefits tax. An additional 20% deduction for small business expenditure and purchases of depreciable assets that support adoption of digital technologies, up to $100,000.

While on the topic of passenger vehicles, the luxury car limit for

energy-efficient vehicles (those achieving 7.0 litres per 100k) is now at $84,916 and other cars $71,849. The luxury limit represents the maximum available for depreciation, GST input and the stage at which luxury car tax begins — at 33% for each dollar in excess of the limit.

The above represents most incentives for purchasing EVs offered by the federal government, but each state has its own program ranging across purchase rebates of $3,000, reduced registration and stamp duty.

Loan products Business finance comes in many forms and there is a vast range of products to accommodate specifics such as purchase of equipment, machinery and motor vehicles, non-specific funding for expansion, short-term lending to assist with stock purchase or import of

Colin Cooper, Director of Australiawide Finance

equipment, and larger loans for purchase of other businesses or real estate. Outstanding debtor ledgers may be leveraged to provide capital, owned assets can be used as security for a particular project or need for additional funds. Large annual insurance premiums (and even vehicle registrations for fleets) may be spread over 10-12 months at minimal cost to ease cashflow.

Today there is an ever-increasing array of fintech lenders offering unsecured lending, and equipment and motor vehicle finance, across a broad range of rates and lending criteria.

Finance is becoming increasingly

dependent on artificial intelligence and emphasis is on business longevity, experience, and evidence of income and outgoings, less upon historical financial reports analysed by credit officers. When seeking out finance for business needs, it is appropriate to have a clear plan of those needs then to consult an industry professional with experience and an overview of all available products and services.

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BUSINESS

Businesses eyeing US market can get venture capital Continued from page 15

It ensures that we can locally develop product and services to bolster key supply chains for critical industries, in particular Defence, whose supply chain is broad and strategic.

“However, industry struggles with adopting new technologies due to their disruptive nature which forces significant change to how a business operates.

“Helping to establish these emerging technologies as future businesses is essential to enabling adoption and achieving Australian sovereign capability.”

Mr Patel said Australia’s track record of ingenuity, such as the invention of WiFi, there is a real opportunity to establishing Australia as a net exporter of intellectual capital.

Dr Stewart said ARM Hub welcomed the partnership.

“...there is a real opportunity to establish Australia as a net exporter of intellectual capital” “ARM Hub and Azcende share a commitment to accelerating the manufacturing readiness level of technology and overcome brakes and barriers to commercialisation, working predominantly in technologies that are relevant to Defence and Defence industries, including medical, transport, energy, and space to achieve their vision,” Dr Stewart said.

“Azcende will further support the work we do with manufacturers by providing commercialisation advice and business networks with a view to supporting export to a North American market.”

About ARM Hub ARM Hub is an agile centre working in robotics, AI, and design-led manufacturing. The hub de-risks technology adoption, development, and commercialisation for Australian manufacturers by drawing together the best scientists, technical specialists, designers, and engineers to work side by side with industry to develop commercial solutions. ARM Hub has in-house expertise and is a trusted partner for universities and research organisations, providing industry with access to a world-leading network of research and development expertise.

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williambuck.com industryupdate.com.au

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 19

INDUSTRY NEWS

Treotham’s 30-year journey to ‘supermarket’ for automation

By Margie Smithurst Continued from front page

After contacting leading suppliers in Germany (Igus) and Switzerland (PMA), he was made the Australian distributor for their energy chains, chainflex cables, polymer bearings and flexible conduit systems.

still has a strong relationship with both companies.

In the first couple of years, Paltoft focused on Australia’s automotive manufacturing sector, with Mitsubishi, Toyota, Holden and Ford

“...four years ago, there was nothing manufactured in this country, everything went abroad. Now manufacturing is rebounding again...”

Both Igus and PMA, recalls Paltoft, gave him a year’s credit, and he expanded the business to a mate’s garage, stocking one product group from each supplier. Treotham

as clients, and then added two white goods manufacturers, Electrolux and Fisher & Paykel.

As those companies left the manufacturing landscape, he had to look

20 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

elsewhere.

A new warehouse in Perth began supplying the booming mining industry, and Treotham shifted towards mining too — it’s still one of its biggest customer bases.

Along with the food and beverage industry, mining and transport sectors, Treotham now also supplies railway construction, not only to mines but to the resurgent local train manufacturing sector.

This includes Queensland’s New Generation Rolling Stock (NGR) trains, and the new train manufacturing facility in Perth.

Covid has changed things, says Paltoft.

“It was a worry … four years ago, there was nothing manufactured in this country, everything went abroad.

Now manufacturing is rebounding

again … we even have a Chinese company assembling the trains in Victoria.”

“We can see an upswing … Even the New South Wales government says the next trains hopefully will be built in New South Wales.”

One-stop shop Covid also infamously brought supply chain issues, which led Paltoft to invest in $10 million worth of products that are currently stocked in its warehouses around the country — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, and also in New Zealand.

“It’s a lot of stock. But it reduces the lag time in supply, because it can all be sourced domestically, which is a bonus for our customers.”

At present, the wait time for international orders can be up to 20 weeks and even up to a year for some

industryupdate.com.au

INDUSTRY NEWS products.

As a result of its stock build-up, Treotham has become a ‘supermarket’ for industrial automation needs.

The new centralised Sydney warehouse is basically a one-stop shop, providing full automation system products: energy chains, cables, sensors, polymer bearings, gear boxes, safety products and more, all under one roof.

Assembly service The size of the new warehouse means Treotham can offer a dedicated assembly area for customers’ customised energy chain and cable needs — known as ‘Ready Chain’.

The sturdy plastic chains and copper wire-filled cables, both of which are manufactured in Germany, can be cut to length and configured on site. The cables are fed into the chain, and then delivered to or picked up by customers.

“We now have the capital capabilities and capacity to build bigger and longer chains,” says Paltoft, “which we can customise to clients specifications.

“Chains from as little as one metre up to 40 metres with multiple cable configurations can be assembled on site.”

“Previously we didn’t have the space or facilities. We were purely importing components and selling them on. Now we can provide more

Mikael Paltoft with configured energy chain and cables in the new Sydney warehouse

in-house builds.”

Treotham’s customers include the major ports, most of which use the Igus energy chain system in their cranes. Depending on demand, these cranes may need to operate up to 24 hours a day so a reliable system is a necessity.

“We now have the capital capabilities and capacity to build bigger and longer chains” Igus is a world leader in the production and supply of energy chains, says Paltoft, and the new technology is gradually replacing the festoon systems typically used on cranes which leave the cables subject to tangling as they hang free and open to damage.

This results in costly down-time and loss of productivity, whereas efficient setup of the energy chain systems removes the chance of damage, as they contain the cables and require minimal maintenance.

Treotham is also building up its service offerings. Specialists in the field already go out to customers in Australia to provide assistance with chain installations and maintenance where necessary. industryupdate.com.au

Next steps In the last few years, Treotham has grown significantly. In 2020/21, Paltoft says the company enjoyed double-digit growth, which has continued so far this year.

Having significant stock on site has been a vital factor, says Paltoft, but so has winning bigger projects amid the growth of local automated manufacturing, helped by the fact that a number of its key suppliers are world leaders.

The next step for the company is to provide the ‘harnessing’ process on site at its Sydney warehouse, where customers can order a complete project, the chain, cables and the connectors and have them delivered as a complete system.

While retaining staff and hiring new people is a challenge for many Australian companies at the moment, Treotham has managed to keep a number of its employees for 10 years, and even 20 years.

Now with 40 employees in Australia and New Zealand, the company remains 100% Australianowned and managed.

A success story so far but perhaps, says Paltoft in his unassuming style, still just the beginning.

Treotham treotham.com.au

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 21

EMPLOYMENT

Ramp up recruitment as production stagnates

by Fuse Recruitment

S

upply chain issues and labour shortages continue to impact Australian manufacturing.

According to Ai Group’s Australian Performance Manufacturing Index (PMI), production levels fell in July 2022, but have rallied to be relatively stable in September, despite four out of six sectors contracting.However, most businesses reported labour shortages as a key issue constraining output.

In August 2022, Australia’s recruitment difficulty rate was 22% higher than the same time last year. Meanwhile, the percentage of Australian employers expecting to increase their staff levels went up by 13% over the same period.

Fuse Recruitment, a specialist in manufacturing recruitment across Australia, has partnered with many manufacturers over the past 12 months who have struggled to secure talent.

Jaquline Farag, Senior Recruitment Consultant at Fuse Recruitment, says “Clients will often contact me when their requirement is already overdue, which means they’re left to squeeze as much as they can out of their current workforce until they hire new talent”.

In September, the Australian PMI capacity utilisation index rose above the long-run average of 74.6% to reach 80.4% of available capacity.

To increase production and prevent burnout in future, manufacturers will need to increase employment levels.

Demand is not slowing down.

Demand continues to rise According to Ai Group, sales and orders continued to grow in September. Additionally, the increasing number of Australian consumers post-pandemic now trying to source locally made products has highlighted the need for local manufacturing.

“Australian consumers have always had a preference for buying Australian products, this has been heightened in recent years,” says Ben Lazzaro, Australian Made’s Chief Executive.“During the pandemic, Australian Made experienced a fourfold increase in applications to use the logo, with consumers increasingly seeking authentic Aussie products produced in our clean, green environment and manufactured to our high standards.”

Competition is high Throughout 2022, the number of jobs

22 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

advertised on SEEK grew consistently as businesses in Australia expanded and fought for candidates amidst labour shortages.

There were 15.5% more job ads posted in September than the same time last year in 2021.According to Ai Group’s research, average wages in Australia’s manufacturing industry have also reached a new high and have continued to increase for most of 2022.

Farag warns that while offering high wages is an easy way to bring on new talent, it is not a sustainable approach. She encourages businesses to pay attention to what their employees really want out of their employment, incentivising them to stay.

Value is key Your employer value proposition (EVP) is the best tool for locking in talent when high salaries are not an option.

Your EVP is the benefits and work conditions you offer your employees, and influences how people feel and think about working for your company.Apart from a high salary, our consultants have found the biggest demands from job seekers are a better work culture, opportunity for career

growth and the need to feel valued.

“Some of our clients get creative with what they offer, to align with their business’s needs,” says Aya Inazato, Recruitment Consultant at Fuse Recruitment and former manufacturing scientist.

“Some will offer RDOs where employees work nine-days per fortnight and one of my clients who is trying to attract more women into their workforce is offering paid maternity leave to their employees.”

“Offering benefits to attract and retain employees doesn’t have to be expensive and, if thought about carefully, it is possible to make employees happy at the same time as achieving organisational goals.”

Fuse Recruitment is a specialist in manufacturing recruitment. Many of our consultants have a background working in the industry and hands on experience, meaning they understand the intricacies and technicalities of the roles for which they recruit.

Fuse Recruitment fuserecruitment.com

industryupdate.com.au

EMPLOYMENT

Employees shouldn’t fear technology

I

n order to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market, the Australian manufacturing sector is embracing new technology.

Companies are investing in automation technologies, including robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), to achieve greater efficiencies and meet the demand for higher production while keeping costs down.

The integration of new technologies does, at times, raise concerns from employees, who may fear they’ll be replaced by robots or automation.

They predict increased demand for jobs such as Data and Machine Learning Specialists, but also very ‘human-driven’ professions, including Digital Marketing Specialists and Business Development Professionals.

While these findings are encouraging, they will do little to assuage the concerns of manufacturing employees who may not yet be equipped with these skills.

The question for manufacturers is, how to embrace advanced manufacturing without leaving employees feeling vulnerable or alienated?

“The change to new technology actually brings a wide range of new employment opportunities” “This is a common misconception,” says Hazel Stewart, Director of Innovate Learn, a Melbourne-based distributor of solutions from Wilson Learning Worldwide.

“The Harvard Business Review puts it best: ‘technology does not purge the need for human labour but rather changes the type of labour required. Autonomous does not mean humanless.’”

“The change to new technology actually brings a wide range of new employment opportunities” , says Stewart She points to the findings of the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Future of Jobs Report, which estimate that by 2025, advanced technologies will lead to the creation of at least 12 million new jobs.

industryupdate.com.au

James McKew, Regional Director APAC for Universal Robots

Leading change For the transition to advanced manufacturing to be successful, it is essential that employees are educated about the new technology, as well as its benefits and goals.

“It’s not that employees are resistant to change – but rather that they need clarity on how the change stands to benefit them on both an organisational and an individual level. It’s

important that employees feel that their contributions are a valued part of the overall initiative,” says Stewart Not a competition A great point of departure in a change management initiative is to highlight the benefits afforded by automation and new technology.“Robots enhance the workplace for employees by taking on dull, dangerous and repetitive jobs,” says James McKew, Regional Director APAC for Universal Robots, the specialist developer of collaborative robots for industry (i.e. robots that can work safely alongside humans).

According to McKew, the argument that robots will take jobs from humans is an argument they regularly encounter.

Yet robotic automation, he explains, has many advantages for the workforce.

Collaborative robots are freeing up people to do more meaningful and fulfilling tasks, and Universal Robots has seen this repeatedly with their customers across the globe.

An unexpected but major benefit of automation is that it is reinvigorating the manufacturing sector by making

“Robots enhance the workplace for employees by taking on dull, dangerous and repetitive jobs” it more attractive to young candidates, presenting an exciting pathway into a sector that may otherwise have limited appeal.

Broad skills As well, more ‘abstract’ skills will be required by future-thinking manufacturing businesses that wish to thrive. Skills such as learning agility, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving.

“Change is inevitable, but once teams see new technologies for the opportunities and advantages they present, they can focus on strengthening their uniquely human capabilities.

“These capabilities will always be in demand in the fourth industrial revolution and beyond – no matter how many robots are working alongside us,” Stewart concludes.

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 23

UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH & COLLABORATION began the Centre’s first collaborative project, known as ‘The Shorts Project’.

Why use the ACC The ACC works to solve manufacturing problems with collaborative robots — or cobots — in a way that creates a safer, more efficient and competitive industry, and by taking ethical contexts into account.

“The Centre fills a gap for industry by acting as a testing ground for companies’ ideas, allowing firms .... to explore outcomes”

The ‘Shorts’ project: steel manufacturer collaborates on cobot design

P

artnering with the Australian Cobotics Centre, steel maker InfraBuild was able to design and test a cobot for production line work, rather than going straight to a robotics integrator.

When steel manufacturer InfraBuild approached the Australian Cobotics Centre (ACC) a year ago, they were looking for a collaborative robotic solution to a repetitive and potentially risky manual task.

InfraBuild’s production line churns out hot steel bars in a range of shapes and sizes. To remove short,‘off-spec’ bars, the company employs several

people sharing a 12-hour rotating shift to pick out any short items, or ‘shorts’, and throw them off the conveyor. It is intense work, requiring constant focus to reduce risk.

InfraBuild was clear about what it wanted: better working conditions for its employees, lower fixed costs, and better product quality and therefore customer satisfaction.

“We charge a premium for quality. Customers get upset if they’ve got a slightly short product in their bundle,” says Andrew Thomas, InfraBuild’s Industry 4.0 Program Lead.

Bringing together legal, accounting and banking expertise, THE MANUFACTURING LAB provides wrap around advice across the three critical areas that help manufacturing businesses to grow and thrive.

24 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

“Lights and ribbed debar moving on a conveyor can be disorienting, too.

There’s not been any major incidents but we are always looking at improving our safety to reduce the potential for an accident.”

“Using the cobot, we will save on labour and be even more cost-efficient against imports, and can maintain the premium price because we have the best quality.”

Impressed with the development work being done at the ACC’s industrial robot and testing space in Brisbane at ARM Hub (another ACC partner), InfraBuild and the ACC

The Centre fills a gap for industry by acting as a testing ground for companies’ ideas, allowing firms like InfraBuild to explore outcomes, rather than wasting potential time and money by going directly to a robotic integrator without a well-defined project.

“Our job at the Cobotics Centre is often to work out how a cobot can perform a task,” says Jonathan Roberts, the ACC’s Director. “If we’re successful or unsuccessful then a company such as Infrabuild can go to a robot integration company, armed with our results, to better inform that company on how a solution might be possible.

“Either way, [success or failure] would be a win-win because it lowers the risk of failure for everyone involved.”

Testing times InfraBuild’s problem was that off-theshelf solutions to automate the detection and removal of ‘shorts’ couldn’t deal with the variety of bars produced by the steel manufacturer.

ACC’s team of engineers and researchers from Queensland University of Technology and

PRESENTED BY

industryupdate.com.au

UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH & COLLABORATION University of Technology, Sydney, worked with InfraBuild’s team at the steel mill to design and test a handful of possible solutions over six months.

This involved building a life-sized, working version of InfraBuild’s conveyor system and using an industrial robot to pick up and move steel bars.

“We tested about five different iterations — there’s a blooper reel of all the versions tested!” said Thomas.

“The hook was the tricky thing, and it took a lot of innovation.”

The solution The ACC engineers eventually developed a flexible system using a large, industrial-sized cobot that had adjustable inbuilt and external sensors to manipulate more of the different steel bars that InfraBuild makes – even those it might make in the future – while working safely around workers.

Roberts says the cobot’s simple hook which picked up the shorts was the “genius” part of the concept.

“The hook was the tricky thing, and it took a lot of innovation. A typical engineering approach would have been to design a fancy gripping system or magnetic system that’d need maintenance, power, and be expensive — but we wanted something passive and low-maintenance that could be replaced within 10 minutes if something went wrong with it.”

Before the steel bars reach the cobot, cameras identify the short bar.

Identification is based on algorithms in the vision system which then sends that position’s coordinates down the line to the cobot.

The cobot then uses the hook to lift

and flick the bars off the conveyor, using the same movement and conveyor momentum as InfraBuild’s staff do manually.

Tests showed the cobot can handle as much variety as people do now — about half a dozen products of different lengths and weights. And there was another benefit: the cobot never missed.

“We expect the cobot to pick up all the shorts on the roller table. In tests, it didn’t matter how many bars were on the table, the cobot picked up all the shorts,” says Thomas.

Design thinking When solving industrial problems, the ACC uses a biomimicry lens: looking at how people are currently doing a job and designing a cobot to mimic it. It’s not the way a typical engineer would initially approach it — measuring and weighing steel rods up to 30kg each and concluding that what’s needed is a gripper or series of grippers which can lift 30kg.

“But if you use biomimics-coloured glasses you say ‘hang on, these people doing the job now could not easily lift 30kg with one arm’,” says Roberts.

“You can see they pick up one end of the bar and, with some of the weight still on the conveyor, they then flick it, using the momentum of the moving bar, too.”

Importantly, Infrabuild did not want to be locked into a cobot-only solution.

The company wanted the solution to fit into existing operations rather than requiring extensive changes to plant, equipment or processes.

A cobot meant a straight-forward implementation and the option to switch back to manual if, for some reason, the cobot failed.

“Another good reason for a biomimicry perspective is that if something happens and the robot needs to be fixed, we want a person to step in and do the job while it’s being fixed. We needed flexibility to switch back to

“...it didn’t matter how many bars were on the table, the cobot picked up all the shorts” Current set-up for staff manual if possible.”

Roberts says it’s likely that InfraBuild could wheel the cobot in to where a person now stands and when it’s not needed, it could be wheeled out.

“Cobots were also chosen,” says Thomas, “because they are designed to work around people so you don’t have to have interlocking guarding and exclusion areas.”

Thomas says they also wanted to avoid “exotic” parts, in order to simplify maintenance and repairs.

“We used locally available, bog-standard components so it’s easy to replace anything. The simplicity of the hook was important because steel will wear it out.”

Ethics, jobs and benefits For the ACC, ethics are always in mind.

“If you’re doing backbreaking work of any kind and we know that using a

collaborative robot is a better way … then it should be used. It’s like the old coal-mining practice of putting children down mines into tight spaces — the world knew that was bad option,” says Roberts.

“I think with some of these new technologies we’ll be ethically compelled to use them.”

As for jobs, InfraBuild has plenty of less monotonous and safer work for current employees. Generally, Roberts says cobots could save otherwise dwindling businesses, which will in turn save jobs.

“The whole conversation has been flipped around because, at the moment, many businesses can’t find enough people for jobs so we need to use these new technologies to keep companies competitive and running.”

Continues on page 55

GET INVOLVED IN OUR NEW REGULAR SECTION UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH & COLLABORATION It’s firing! .... And we’d like to hear from corporates, engineers, academics and students on your latest r&d news and views on industry collaborations with research-led organisations.

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Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 25

INDUSTRY NEWS

Government trims industry, promises more funding

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low-emissions tech, defence capability, transport and value-add for resources,” Minister Husic’s spokesperson said.

It’s still early days for the National Reconstruction Fund, not yet at the consultation phase. It can’t be satisfactorily evaluated until we know A more.

S 1 As the nation emerges from2the 6 pandemic, Australian industry is at a 2 crossroads.

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than 830,000 Australians, according to September ABS labour force statistics.

You’d never believe it from the mainstream media but that is around triple the mining industry and far greater than finance or agriculture.

The Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre counts manufacturing employment as even more – 1.3 million with the inclusion of indirect jobs.

Australian manufacturing was crucial to the country’s ability to weather the Covid crisis. As disruptive as Covid was for supply chains, geopolitical risks could lead to far greater strains. Australian governments must seize this moment to maintain and build their manufacturing sectors to protect national security.

Industry Update acknowledges the ambition of the proposed $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. It’s not surprising that a program of this scale is still under development. As such, we are giving the government the benefit of the doubt despite the initial cuts.

We will be watching closely.

6

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The budget also allocates $47 million over six years for developing talent in science and technology, including to support women in technology and to fund quantum $1000 technology PhDs. This follows investIA MED RINT INUE ments by the former government Pin T CON LOOM B O promoting collaboration between RIALHTER T UST

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board will make investment decisions and be guided by an investment mandate.

“Our commitment to a National Reconstruction Fund will see $15 billion injected into Australian manufacturing supporting a range of industries including critical technologies, medical science, renewables and

N

“Labor is framing the cuts as transitional”

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universities and industry. Industry Update applauds these programs.

Indeed, we’ve backed the agenda with our own recently established section covering ‘Universities, research and collaboration’.

But there’s no escaping the net funding cut to industry.

Labor is framing the cuts as transitional – sweeping away the former government’s agenda on the path to launching its own program, which it says will dwarf existing schemes.

The centrepiece of Labor’s industry agenda is the National Reconstruction Fund, ultimately to be worth $15 billion. The October budget includes $50 million to kick off the fund but the big dollars are to be allocated later.

Labor claims the fund will be a more rigorous, systematic and armslength approach to industry funding than some of the former government’s handouts, which were arguably conveniently timed forOelections.

NG O InsteadTOofBRhandouts, the newA fund E NG O A T T MACTURindustry A will support financing R T U MAN TO AU K loans, equity investments through BAC 6 and guarantees. An independent2

Upon election, the government froze payments under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, causing consternation among affected businesses.

Industry Update called on the government to honour existing commitments, and it’s a relief to see this delivered.

Budget spending measures, as outlined in detail in Minister Husic’s column in this edition, include $114 million to strengthen domestic manufacturing capability, and around $10 million to support an expansion of the BAE Systems-Flinders University Factory of the Future.

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UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH & COLLABORATION

Copper on solar cells, fly-ash in paint: UNSW start-ups on show

By Margie Smithurst

W

ith investors, governments and even risk-averse super funds funnelling millions into commercialising early stage Australian technology projects, it’s a lucrative time to be an innovative start-up.

University research collaborations are critical to the R&D ecosystem, and UNSW ranks as SCOPR’s* top institution in Australia for startups and commercial spin-offs, particularly in engineering and physical sciences.

“We can only do so much on our own. To get our products to market, we need to collaborate with industry and investors. It’s always been part of our remit but it’s accelerated in the last few years, one of the silver linings from Covid perhaps,” says Warwick Dawson, Director of Knowledge Exchange at UNSW. One hundred of the latest innovations and capabilities powered by UNSW were on show at the university’s Research Translation Expo in October, where the uni’s entrepreneurs and researchers mixed with businesses, investors and industry partners.

One area the university has always led the way is in solar cell technology.

UNSW’s Sydney Scientia Professor Martin Green invented the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology that’s now used in more than 90% of the world’s solar cells, and he and his team have been recognised for this with the prestigious and lucrative 2022 Millennial Technology Prize (see story page 48).

But when Prof. Green developed the PERC technology in the early 80s, his team was unable to manufacture it here at a competitive cost. So the technology was pushed offshore while Green and his team continued R&D on next-generation solutions. One of Green’s PhD students, Zhengrong Shi, set up Suntech Power in China and became the world’s first solar billionaire.

Now, finally, the situation seems to be changing for Australia’s solar industry. The massive Sun Cable project in the NT aims to be the world’s biggest solar and battery storage project, sending most of its renewable energy via undersea cable to Singapore. And there’s local movement in solar cell manufacturing.

Copper on solar cells One to watch is SunDrive Solar, started in 2015 by a UNSW PhD student who dropped out of his study to set up the company.

In 2021, it fabricated a world record-breaking solar cell that uses copper rather than silver in its electrodes.

In an expanding solar sector, “the industry’s use of silver is growing to a point where it’s unsustainable,” says Jack Colwell, Senior Photovoltaic Engineer for Sundrive Solar and former UNSW PhD student, speaking at the Expo.

The industry’s been looking at copper for a while, Colwell told Industry Update, but no one’s really been able to perfect the technology, in particular to get the copper to adhere to the cell.

“So the solution SunDrive developed actually gets copper to stick to the cell,” says Colwell.

Given the abundance of copper compared with silver, and the purity of the copper that they electroplate, Colwell says this makes the concept viable for large-scale, low-cost and high-performance solar PV cell manufacturing.

SunDrive has just received $21 million in private investment to help it scale up its manufacturing, which it plans to start in Australia in 18 months.

Seeing the potential for Australian solar cell industryupdate.com.au

innovation to be manufactured here is not lost on Daniel Chen, also a former UNSW PhD student and Senior Photovoltaic Engineer with SunDrive.

“For us, this opportunity of taking research and applying it to a company in Australia, that’s huge.”

Fly-ash in paint Continuing in the environmental vein and with the possibility of a market coup in the US, is UNSWaffiliated Vecor Technologies.

Fly-ash is an under-used by-product of burning coal to produce energy. Considered waste, some is used in cement and concrete while much is dumped in ponds or just stored underground.

Vecor is processing fly-ash to make advanced materials for a variety of sectors which will benefit from lower costs and greater sustainability.

One of those sectors is the paint industry, Vecor’s Alec Rowan told Industry Update at the Expo.

“The paint industry uses large quantities of titanium dioxide. It’s one of the whitest substances on the planet and requires heavy refinement.”

Recent supply chain disruption has made sourcing titanium dioxide harder, says Rowan, which is where Vecor’s fly-ash comes in.

“Currently we are developing a ceramic pigment using fly-ash as a partial replacement for titanium dioxide, and we expect to provide the replacement material at a significantly lower cost than titanium dioxide.

“We also expect to improve the customer’s environmental profile by replacing a mined material with a recycled waste product.”

Vecor is now working with potential customers in the US to establish demand for its product.

“At the moment we’re working on establishing industrial scale manufacturing processes and continuing product trials,” says Rowan.

“Vecor has been working with UNSW academics Professor Charles Sorrell and Associate Professor Pramod Koshy for more than a decade, and has established dedicated research laboratories at UNSW to support further technical innovation and

Dr. Daniel Chen (L) and Dr. Jack Colwell (R) of SunDrive Solar at the UNSW Expo

product development for fly-ash use and also other product areas.”

UNSW has had a vital role in the company’s development, giving Vecor access to UNSW specialists in materials science and engineering, as well as facilities. *The Survey of Commercialisation on Outcomes from Public Research, 2021

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Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 27

MACHINERY

A CNC plasma robot that’s portable

W

eighing just 16 kilograms and having a convenient cut envelope of 660 mm x 380 mm, the portable ArcDroid plasma robot is fully functional, easy to use and set up.

It is ideal for anyone who needs to cut custom shapes and plates or is doing onsite structural work, agricultural repairs or automotive restoration. Small fabricators with limited space or even home hobby workshops will benefit from this compact, versatile portable plasma robot.

It operates from a 10 amp 240v supply that’s also easy to transport

and store.

The ArcDroid’s touch screen interface is glove-friendly and s standard with quick-change holders allow changes from trace to cut mode quickly making it extremely user friendly.

No programming Thanks to its Simple Trace technology, no programming experience is needed to use the ArcDroid. This makes it a simple matter to produce fast, accurate, repeatable parts.

Simple Trace lets users trace a template point-to-point or freehand,

by moving the ArcDroid arm to follow the contours of a template. The high accuracy encoders and high-resolution drives will map every move.

When finished tracing, users can define the cutting order of the component features and instantly create a cut file which can then be saved to a USB stick for future use.

More control DXF drawing files can be downloaded directly to the ArcDroid for part processing. The ArcDroid is also compatible with CAD/CAM packages such as Fusion 360 and Sheetcam and detailed g-code files can be downloaded directly to the ArcDroid via the USB port.

28 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Plasma cutting Most air plasma cutters can be used with ArcDroid as long as a two-wire switch can be provided for turning on and off the torch. (High frequency start plasma is not suitable). Plasma cutters are available as an optional extra.

Further details and full specifications of the ArcDroid™ CNC Portable Plasma Robot are available at Hare & Forbes Machinery House. More stock arriving mid December.

Hare & Forbes machineryhouse.com.au

industryupdate.com.au

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MACHINERY

Laser shock ‘peening’ by Thales

R

esidual compressive stresses to improve reliability and lifetime of metal parts were with a ball-peen hammer! THEIA, a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser from Thales offers a method of lifting metal fatigue prevention to a higher plane.

Now laser shock peening offers a more accurate process that’s useful in critical industries such as nuclear, biomedical and aerospace.

A new way to improve the reliability and lifetime of metal parts, laser shock peening (LSP) offers significantly deeper, residual compressive stresses (RCS) than traditional shot peening methods.

Peening has been widely perceived as a simple, effective, and industrially reliable way to modify surfaces, applied to improve mechanical properties, such as hardness, corrosion resistance, fatigue life, tensile strength, residual stress, and wear resistance for metals and alloys.

The principle The process of laser peening is to creates compressive stresses, deformations or plasticisation on the surface of fabricated components causing the material to compress inwards leading to denser sections.

Laser peening creates high-pressure plasma, and on expansion, strong shockwaves penetrate through the treated metal, creating a residual compressive stress field that fights crack propagation and fatigue issues. The process works by using a high-energy pulsed laser to generate high-amplitude stress waves on the surface of the target part.

The laser is not used for heat effects but for the dynamic mechanical effects of the shockwave generated by the laser beam. A plasma is created where the laser beam strikes the metal surface.

Laser shock peening (LSP) is now used across different industries to strengthen turbine fan blades.

Tests have demonstrated fatigue strength three times as effective as traditional processes.

It’s now being applied to 3D printed parts for the same purpose. LSP has been shown to enhance cracking resistance up to 10 times deeper than shot peening for fatigue prevention and part performance.

Recent research has shown it can be successfully applied to thin wall welds of Ti6A14V, to strengthen components of aircraft engines. While residual stress profiles vary based on part thickness and material properties, laser shock peening consistently produces deep residual compressive stresses that reduce fatigue.

LSP is widely used in post-processing welds, for example in the nuclear sector where stress corrosion

LASER SHOCK PEENING Superior surface integrity Source: Diode pumped solid state laser

Laser Nozzle

Mechanical force of laser pulse – up to 200 Hz

Constrained plasma Transparent overlay of water: 1 – 2mm density

Scanning direction Impact on metal surface - specified area to be modified

High magnitude CRS induced on the substrate

Area permanently deformed by the shock wave - plasticization. The metal’s properties are improved, resulting in higher strength and greater lifetime.

cracking is a serious threat to nuclear reactors and canisters, laser shock peening is an effective solution.

Used in passenger and military aircraft to enhance the fatigue performance of compressor blades, landing gear, shafts, valves, discs, and the complex forming of wing surfaces.

More common industrial use includes connecting rods in heavy equipment (bulldozers, etc) metal forming dyes, aluminium ship decks, power plant components even racing car parts.

Specifications THEIA meets demand with its high-power and high-frequency laser system that delivers nanosecond pulses at different wavelengths in the near infrared (1064 nm), in the visible (532 nm), and in the near ultraviolet (355 nm).

The new configuration can be used for LSP without any thermal protective coating on the part to receive the peening treatment. THEIA boasts a very high laser frequency at 200Hz with a small laser spot size of 0.8-1.5mm and high overlap ratios (>1,000 per cent). This capability opens up new opportunities for enhanced peening.

Phone 02 9971 7577 Email sales@serpent-dove.com 2/6 Taronga Place, Mona Vale NSW 2103 www.serpent-dove.com.au

30 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Easy protection To confine the energy from the laser beam along with confining the plasma to the metal surface, and gain maximum mechanical force, a thin layer of water overlays the part. The water is transparent to the laser beam. It is only recently that water has been applied, previously parts had to be coated in aluminium, copper, zinc and black paint.

These were considered effective coatings to help prevent the thermal effects like laser ablation, melting, and generation of tensile stress, and enhance the peak pressure of the shock wave induced during direct laser interaction.

Providing a protective coating is generally a costly and time-consuming requirement, but recent developments in Thales’s new THEIA, a high-power, high-frequency laser system, the only ‘tamping material’ now required is a thin film of water.

Raymax Lasers raymax.com.au

industryupdate.com.au

INDUSTRY NEWS

On-the-spot fines for WHS breaches in NSW

A

n amendment to Work Health and Safety Regulations means SafeWork NSW can now issue on-the-spot fines for existing electrical work and asbestos offences.

“The change in the regulation gives SafeWork inspectors the power to issue immediate penalty notices for work near overhead wires, with fines of $3,600 for corporations and $720 for individuals,” said Head of SafeWork NSW, Natasha Mann.

“In the past two and half years, SafeWork NSW has responded to more than 1,000 workplace incidents involving workers coming into contact with electricity, two of which resulted in fatalities,” Ms Mann said.

“The most common risks associated with electrical work include contact with overhead power lines, underground services and unsafe wiring that includes temporary wiring, installations and electrical equipment.”

Electrical incidents can also result in power outages, fires, damage to infrastructure, businesses and even road closures.

“We’re urging businesses and workers undertaking electrical work to shut off mains power supply when working near electricity and under no circumstance should electrical work

be done without holding a licence to do so,” Ms Mann said.

Asbestos removal penalties “We’re also strengthening penalties to provide greater deterrents to existing offences relating to asbestos removal work in response to re-offenders within the asbestos and demolition industry.

“The new on-the-spot penalties will provide SafeWork NSW inspectors an additional compliance tool to take immediate action when they observe workers and businesses engaging in highly unsafe activities onsite.

“We will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to workers’ lives being placed at risk,” Ms Mann said.

The proposed penalty notice offences are existing offences under the WHS Regulation, meaning businesses in NSW should already be complying, and can already be prosecuted if they do not comply.

The new penalty notices come ahead of planned compliance campaigns on electrical safety in the construction industry this month and in February 2023 and will align with National Asbestos Awareness Week from 21 to 27 November.

The Surftest SJ-210 is a user-friendly surface roughness measurement instrument designed as a handheld tool that can be carried with you and used on-site

Easy to use • 2.4-inch colour graphic LCD with backlight • Simple key layout The Surftest SJ-210 can be operated easily using the keys on the front of the unit and under the sliding cover.

Highly functional • Advanced data storage capabilities • Optional memory card • Password protection • Multilingual support • Stylus alarm An alarm warns you when the cumulative measurement distance exceeds a preset limit.

Contact MTI Qualos today to learn more about the SJ-210 Series.

IndUpdate_MTIQualosHalfPage_Mar2019.indd 1 industryupdate.com.au

AMT_MTIQualosHalfPage_Feb2019.indd 1

Extensive analysis and display features • Complies with many industry standards The Surftest SJ-210 complies with the following standards: JIS (JISB0601- 2001, JIS-B0601-1994, JIS B0601-1982), VDA, ISO-1997, and ANSI. • Displays assessed profiles and graphical data In addition to calculation results, the Surftest SJ-210 can display sectional calculation results and assessed profiles, load curves, and amplitude distribution curves.

M.T.I. Qualos Pty. Ltd. 1300 135 539 or email sales@mtiqualos.com.au www.mtiqualos.com.au

29/10/2020 Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 3:43 31 PM

29/10/2020 3:42 PM

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MACHINERY

and Ancillary equipment suppliers.

Manufacturing Solutions Zone will showcase the ancillary technologies and support services for warehousing logistics and materials handling.

The Robotics & Automation Zone will be buzzing with the latest state-of-the-art artificially intelligent software brains. Not to be missed!

Be in Melbourne in May for Australian Manufacturing Week

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MTIL’s long-standing advanced manufacturing expo, AMW2023, will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 9 to 12 May, 2023.

Kim Banks, Head of Events said the expo will be a one-stop manufacturing solutions event.

“Attendees can see the latest technologies on display, connect with like-minded individuals, and participate in learning opportunities designed to help them grow their business.”

There will be several featured zones at the expo:

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02 9674 6511 pbe-roboplas.com.au 34 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Additive Manufacturing Zone This Zone will highlight the latest advances in 3D printing, additive manufacturing users, suppliers, and supporters. The process of 3D printing was first patented by Charles Hull in 1986, as stereolithography, and the additive manufacturing industry began as a ‘rapid prototyping process’.

The innovations brought about by this technology have been ground-breaking. Today the precision, repeatability, and material range of 3D printing has extended its use into boat and building construction, through to nanotech.

Australian Manufacturers Pavilion This pavilion, sponsored

by Sutton Tools, will showcase the capabilities of Australia’s precision engineering and the advanced manufacturing industry.

The Australian Manufacturers Pavilion is where AMW celebrates the best in Australian manufacturing, providing a showcase for some of this country’s most accomplished component manufacturers, precision engineering firms, toolmakers, advanced manufacturers, and general engineering companies.

Austech Machine Tool Zone This zone is targeted at the metalworking, machine tool and ancillary market in Australia. Sponsored by Iscar Australia, this Product Zone 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,

The Weld and Air Solutions Zone will highlight advanced welding processes and provide high-quality interactive experiences that demonstrate developments and applications in the welding sector.

The Plastics Technology Zone will bring the latest in plastics, related injection and blow moulding technology, recycling and toolmaking in one place.

AMW 2023 will also feature a comprehensive four day speaker program. Further details on this program will be released in the coming months The Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL) is a member-based organisation which represents the interests of manufacturing technology suppliers and users working in precision engineering and advanced manufacturing. Since its establishment in 1999, AMTIL has engaged in a range of initiatives aimed at support-

ing and promoting the industry in Australia. These include: Austech, Australia’s premier advanced manufacturing and machine tool exhibition; the industry-leading publication AMT Magazine; and an array of other services for its members.

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AUSTRALIAN MADE

Simons Boilers still bubbling at 90

A

fourth-generation family business celebrating 90 years of engineering and adaptation is the only manufacturer of electric steam boilers in Australia today.

Simons Boilers started in 1932 and is now run by Derek Simons and his father, Robert, who have been working together for 30 years.

The milestone was celebrated at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum in October with guests including one of the founders, Sol Simons, the brother of Derek’s grandfather.

Artisan carpenter Woolf Simons started the business making ice chests in the days before refrigeration. Then with sons Asher, Percy and Sol, founded Simons Boiler Company.

In the late 1930s, Asher, a mechanical engineer, invented a new way of pressing clothes using an electric iron with a small steam boiler.

“While he was delivering ice chests, he saw ladies ironing uniforms for the war effort and realised the way they were ironing was not productive,” said Derek, who joined the business in the 1990s.

“He went on to invent the first steam boiler and steam iron and patented it straight away.”

The invention of the Simons iron

was an instant success and later became part of Australia’s war effort.

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for over 70 years, Simons Boilers has grown into a leading supplier of steam and hot water boilers, steam humidifiers and garment pressing machinery

throughout Australia.

Mr Simons describes the steam boiler as an unsung hero of industry.

“Most people don’t know how

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36 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

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AUSTRALIAN MADE

A proud Australian manufacturer of diverse bespoke metal products for 68 years.

Derek Simons (right) and his father, Robert Simons OAM, PhD(hc), AMIEAust important this piece of equipment is,” he said.

“Steam boilers create steam, which is used in most industries, but they are rarely seen.

Powering industry “Boilers are tucked away in the corner of plant rooms, quietly powering the more glamorous machines that make many of the products used in our daily lives.

“Everything you eat, drink and wear and even the medicines you take have all been processed using steam or hot water.

“Without steam boilers, we cannot operate on hospital patients or make beer and whiskey.

“We can’t manufacture food items such as cornflakes, soups or ice cream. We can’t make concrete, press our clothes or heat buildings and pools. We can’t even make Covid vaccines.

“Each day, we field dozens of distress calls from our customers when these often-forgotten machines are out of action.”

The family’s willingness to pivot is one of the secrets to its success.

“When Asher was at the helm, clothing was predominantly made in Australia, so our steam boilers were in huge demand from clothing manufacturers,” Mr Simons said.

“However, that changed in the 1980s when clothing manufacturing started happening offshore. It meant we had to adapt our business model and begin selling overseas.”

Other challenges followed.

In later years, the export market for steam boilers into south-east Asia became under threat from cheaper boilers out of India and China, and the local market for electric steam boilers was challenged by cheaper fuel — natural gas. A defensive position

was needed.

Diversification “Leveraging on our strength and reputation in thermal engineering, the decision was taken in 2001 to grow our footprint in the domestic market through the introduction of a whole new range of products which included gas-fired steam and hot water boilers for the commercial and industrial markets,” Mr Simons said.

“This provided a solid base for the growth of Simons Boilers into a position today as market leaders in the manufacture of locally produced steam boilers.

“Along with the development of several distributorships, and with strategic partnerships with market leaders, we now have more than 30,000 machines switching on across the globe each day.”

The anniversary gave the Simons family a moment to reflect on the impressive achievement of staying in business for four generations as an Australian manufacturer in a global market.

“I remember attending a family business conference back in 1996 where a rather sobering statistic was shared,” Mr Simons said.

“One third of family businesses make it through the second generation, 10% through the third and only 3% through the fourth.

“Well, here we are with our fourth generation of engineers at the helm, still punching on.

“If any of my three kids decide to take on the next round, I hope they, too, will prove the pundits wrong.”

EXTENSION

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“Steam boilers create steam, which is used in most industries but they are rarely seen.”

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Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 37

AUSTRALIAN MADE

Fifty years and 70,000 trucks later

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APPLY TO USE THE LOGO

38 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

ore than 70,000 Volvo and Mack trucks have been built at Volvo’s manufacturing base in Wacol, Queensland in the 50 years since 1972—and Volvo Group Australia was celebrating its 50th production anniversary last month.

At the anniversary party, Volvo Group Australia President and CEO, Martin Merrick, told the crowd that Wacol is the only Volvo production facility producing Mack and Volvo trucks side by side.

“We do that because the operating conditions here in Australia are unique.

The long distances and hotter temperatures mean that Australian trucks work harder than just about anywhere else in the world,” said Merrick.

Volvo Group Australia employs more than 1500 people, does business with over 100 local suppliers and contributes over $400m a year to the local economy. About 750 manufacturing staff and 50 engineers work at its 50-acre Wacol plant.

“We’re proud of our production capabilities here in Australia and to be producing Australian Made trucks – just as we know our customers are proud to own them,” said Merrick.

Volvo is committed to building fully

“Volvo should be proud not just of quality trucks designed and built for Australian conditions but also of the many jobs they have created.” electric trucks at its Wacol facility by 2025.

Allyn Beard, Chairman of Australian Made, congratulated Volvo on its manufacturing success and praised its commitment to supporting local industries.

“Volvo Group Australia should be proud not just of their quality trucks designed and built for Australian conditions but also of the many jobs they have created.

“There has never been a more important time to buy Australian Made,” said Mr Beard.

industryupdate.com.au

AUSTRALIAN MADE

BOC opens smart welding and gas centre in Sydney

G

as and engineering company BOC this month opened a new Application Technology Centre in south-west Sydney to showcase welding processes and equipment that will boost customers’ productivity.

Officially opened by Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Trade and Manufacturing, the facility will focus industry 4.0 technologies as it showcases state-of-the-art welding to customers, industry and educators.

The facility in Minto also demonstrates the benefits of welding cobots to semi-automate welding processes to help solve skilled welder shortage challenges and improve welding productivity Smart welding equipment and BOC’s high-performance gases are expected helpAustralian manufacturers remain competitive by ramping up welding speeds, producing high-quality welds, reducing manual handling and improving safety.

With livestream capabilities, BOC gas and metal fabrication specialists will be able to give face-to-face or virtual demonstrations to any customer location in Australia.

Assistant Minister Ayres said the new facility shows BOC’s commitment to helping Australian manufacturing and supporting jobs in Western Sydney.

“It is great to see companies like BOC investing in new innovative facilities and developing cutting-edge technologies,” he said.

John Evans, Managing Director, BOC South Pacific, said the facility would allow BOC to demonstrate productivity improvements and share innovation from its R&D centres in Munich, Shanghai and New York.

“The Application Technology Centre provides an interactive, technology-ready space for customers

and industry to solve challenges and learn how smart welding processes and equipment can improve quality, productivity and safety. Education is vital to help businesses plan and invest for the future.

“Our gas and metal fabrication specialists can use the facility to replicate key challenges in Australian factories, and recommend solutions that can achieve productivity improvements.

In some cases, this can be a simple welding gas or wire change, or automating parts of a welding process to solve labour challenges or using data to make more informed business choices.”

Mr Evans said BOC has been proudly doing business in Western Sydney for more than 30 years and is committed to continuous investment in the region.

“We have invested more than $130 million in many facilities, including our Sydney Operations Centre, BOC’s busiest production site processing in excess of 1.3 million cylinders each year,” he said.

Guests at the opening were taken on a tour of the facility including live demonstrations of a welding co-bot, arc projectors and shielding gas performance line demonstration.

The facility is the second Application Technology Centre for BOC in Australia; the first is in Rocklea, Queensland.

Minister Ayres said it is critical that businesses continue to invest in research and development to ensure they can remain globally competitive and create the high-value, high-wage and high-tech jobs of the future.

“Our government is determined to see the Australian industry thrive with a future made in Australia, that’s why we created the largest industry policy in Australia history – a $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund.”

L-R - John Evans, BOC MD, Hon Tim Ayres, Assistant Minister for Manufacturing BOC supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment across the South Pacific region. Its parent company, Linde, is a leading industrial gases and engineering

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AUSTRALIAN MADE

Melton renews Australian Made marketing

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www.bacsystems.com.au 40 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

he City of Melton and the Australian Made campaign have renewed their partnership to support and promote local manufacturing in the region.

Manufacturing is the region’s fifth-largest employer: 9.1% of people worked in manufacturing in 2020/21, up from 4.5% in 2015/16. Australian Made licensees in the area include SleepMaker, an award-winning, family-owned business that makes mattresses, and Great Escape Caravans, also a family business.

The second-fastest growing municipality in Victoria, Melton is home to 26,000 jobs and has an annual economic output of over $8 billion per year.

“The City of Melton is a place with outstanding opportunities for the manufacturing sector,” said City of Melton Mayor, Councillor Goran Kesic. “Local and national businesses are already making the most of our city’s prime location and highly skilled workforce.

“Partnering with the Australian Made campaign is another step we’re taking to support our amazing local manufacturers, to strengthen our economy and to help ensure more local families can find work close to home. We’re proud to build local and buy local. More local manufacturing means better jobs, better goods and a better city for all of us.”

Recent Roy Morgan research has found that 99% of Australians recognise the Australian Made logo, with the vast majority (92%) confident products displaying the logo are made in Australia.

In addition, 97% of Australians also associate the iconic kangaroo logo with the support of local jobs and employment opportunities, 95% with safe and high-quality products, 89% with the use of ethical labour and 78% with sustainability.

For more than 35 years, the Australian Made logo has helped thousands of brands communicate their Australian credentials to consumers, businesses and all levels of government. The Australian Made campaign believes its logo communicates this instantly and clearly, making it a powerful sales and marketing asset for authentic Aussie brands and a helpful shopping aid for consumers around the globe.

Australian Made Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro, said Australian Made was thrilled to be working with the City of Melton to continue to support Australian manufacturers.

“The City of Melton has chosen to leverage the power of the Australian Made logo to demonstrate its support for local industry. From caravans, bollards and car accessories to body care, candles and pet products, Melton has a strong manufacturing sector. We are proud to see the Australian Made, Australian Grown certification trade mark displayed on a wide range of goods manufactured in the region.”

Melton City Council melton.vic.gov.au industryupdate.com.au

INDUSTRY NEWS

Manufacturer voted Victorian regional exporter of the year

V

ictorian chemical and cleaning products company Envirofluid has won Victorian Regional Exporter of the Year Award - so it’s in the running to become a National Export Award winner.

The latest award follows its success as Manufacturer of the Year at this year’s Australian Defence Industry Awards.

This innovator is making worksafe products which save companies million on logistics in an industry where products often date back to the 1960s.

Warrnambool-based Envirofluid develops and exports its range of effective, worksafe, environmentally friendly chemicals which includes industrial cleaning, solvent, sanitation water and wastewater treatment, spill control and other specialised products. Its chemical products are created from renewable resources rather than petroleum resources, and almost all ingredients are sourced in Australia and made at Warrnambool, Geelong, Canberra and Newcastle “Our approach has won contracts and interest from global corporations such as Boeing and Defence Industry Primes, who are supported by the NATO network,” said Envirofluid Director, Ben Ohlmeyer.

“It’s a great reflection of the work we do and the commitment and dedication of our staff.

“I like to say we are a company that develops people-based solutions because we help companies maintain their equipment and care for their workforce through our innovative, safe chemicals.

“Our approach has won contracts … from global corporations such as Boeing and Defence Industry Primes” “In doing so, we seek the best scientific advice to deliver products and services that eliminate workplace hazards and environmental risk.

“Core to what we do is our social responsibility priority — and that of our clients — by assisting organisations in the government, defence, mining and transportation industries to achieve better safety outcomes.”

Envirofluid provides a wide range

of versatile, non-hazardous chemicals that improve worker health, protect the environment, protect surfaces, save storage space, and reduce waste disposal costs.

“While we manage operations in Warrnambool, we have established Australian-owned entities in the US and EU to support global growth and provide short lead times to the emerging global client base,” Mr Ohlmeyer said.

Envirofluid’s success stories include: • Reducing the onboard cleaning inventory of one of Garden Island’s largest navy boats by 80 per cent • Helping airlines save and recycle 1,000 litres of water per plane wash — with an added power saving, as water used in plane washes

supported by our products only needs to be heated to 45 not 80ºC Other Victorian regional export award winners were Spee3D (manufacturing and advanced materials), Green Eco Technologies (small business), BroadSource (advanced technologies), The Natural Patch Company (emerging exporter), Envirofluid (regional), Swisse Wellness (e-commerce), Acclime (professional services), Coolon (resources and energy), Native Tongue Music Publishing (creative industries), OET (international education and training), Rubicon Water (sustainability) and Bubs Australia (agribusiness, food and beverages).

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Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 41

LIGHTING

Multi-station test workstation illumination

Lighting up manufacturing T here are many economically and attractive solutions available for industrial lighting technology, including incandescent halogen lamps, High-Intensity Discharge (HID), fluorescent lamps and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Understanding four key factors helps industrial users choose between the technologies to make the best lighting decisions.

1. Metrics LED, fluorescent, and HID technologies are evaluated using the following metrics.

Lumens (lm): The amount of light emitted, (in all directions) Wattage (W): Electrical power drawn by light and electronics

(ballast or driver) Efficacy (lm/W): Lumens divided by wattage Lux (lm/m2): The intensity of light as it hits a surface in lumens per square meter Zonal Lumen Distribution: Lumen distribution in zones. Establishes spacing and mounting criteria Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT): Light colour appearance from about 2700K (warm) to 6500K (cool) Colour Rendering Index (CRI): How accurately a light source renders colours compared to incandescent light Rated Lifetime: For LEDs the projected number of hours until the light output drops to 70% of original. For traditional technologies the number of hours until 50% of lamps fail

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): Distortion of the electrical current waveform caused by non-linear loads Power Factor (PF): Ratio of real to apparent power When creating a lighting solution, first select the proper illumination level. Lighting cannot be compared solely on wattage because new technologies can be more power efficient.

Test methods for certain metrics are different for LED and non-LED products, so comparisons based on metrics can be problematic. LED directional light and non-LED omni-directional light with similar lumens can have very different levels of apparent brightness.

Users should always evaluate samples of different lighting options in person.

Sources: D&R analysis of lighting replacement costs from IES, The Lighting Handbook, 10th ed., pp. 18.2-18.11 and R.S. Means, Repair and Remodelling Cost Data 2010 and luminaire and lamp costs from proprietary data.

42 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

2. Costs Lighting is a small portion of electrical operating costs (est. 6.8% in 2010), but all savings help the bottom line. Good lighting solutions reduce costs and improve productivity, safety, and efficiency.

Total cost includes initial purchase cost, maintenance costs, lamp replacement costs and energy costs.

Longer life and improved efficiency can provide significant overall savings, even if initial cost is higher.

The graph below shows the costs of different lighting technology over a 15-year cycle, assuming typical costs for the different technologies.

Initial costs: Include housing, ballast or driver and the light (e.g. lamp or LED panel). LEDs usually have higher initial costs than other technologies but are often the most efficient option with the longest lifetime.

Some products are better in challenging environments, which can increase the cost of the equipment, but reduce the risk of damage or injury.

Retrofit or redesign: Retrofits involve replacing existing lighting with more-efficient technology, while reusing existing housing, lighting pattern, and electrical equipment.

Redesigns involve new fixtures, modification of the existing lighting pattern, and partial or complete rewiring of the electrical system.

Both can involve technology upgrades, adjustment of illumination, and/or modified lighting controls.

Redesign is required if the existing lighting solution is in poor condition, has uneven light distribution, does industryupdate.com.au

LIGHTING Lighting Technology

Rated Lifetime (Hrs)

Lamp Lumen Depreciation (LLD) at end of rated life

Halogen Incandescent

3,000 – 5,000

5 percent

Linear Fluorescent

15,000 – 45,000

10 percent

High Pressure Sodium

15,000 – 40,000

30 percent

LED

20,000 – 50,000+

N/A

Source: Rated lifetimes from David L. DiLaura et al., eds., The Lighting Handbook, 10th ed., 13.7; LLD from Illuminating Engineering Society and International Association of Lighting Management Companies, Recommended Practice for Planned Indoor Lighting Maintenance: IESNA/NALMCO RP-36-03, 2.

not suit the uses of the space, or if the desired illumination or distribution is not achievable with retrofit options.

Operating costs: Small changes like downsizing area lighting and using lower power focused task lighting or controls that dim or turn off unneeded lights can create significant savings over the lifetime of a lighting solution.

Efficacy ratings vary significantly across technologies and applications, from less than 15 lumens per watt (lm/W) for 60W incandescent lamps, to nearly 150 lm/W for some LED area lights. LED lighting often has better efficacy than other technologies, but high efficiency fluorescent and HID options provide better or similar efficacies in some applications.

Maintenance costs: Routinely replacing lamps and cleaning surfaces can reduce total maintenance labour and improve workplace safety and productivity. All technologies experience depreciation in lumen values over time, with some technologies depreciating more quickly than others and it is important to try to predict the technology lifetime and how and when deterioration will occur.

Maintenance schedules should reflect the amount of dirt and dust in the environment. Dirt accumulation lowers light output, can skew light distribution, and dirt on reflective surfaces, including walls and ceilings, can reduce illumination. Regular cleaning, painting, and upkeep ensures peak performance.

3. Environment and use Area lighting includes wide-open, warehouse-type applications often needing high-power lights to provide adequate illumination over a large

area. Troffers and downlights for area lighting are common in office environments where evenly spaced fixtures provide consistent illumination.

Task lighting augments area lighting by focusing illumination where the work occurs. Bringing the light source closer

Equipment and power quality: Poor power quality can waste energy and capacity and can harm the system and its devices. Unexpected heat in equipment can indicate power quality issues.

In AC electrical systems the power factor (a number between 0 and 1) is the ratio between real power flowing to the load and the apparent power in the circuit. Low power factor loads draw more current than high power factor loads for the same amount

Multi station indication and lighting

to the work achieves recommended illumination with lower powered lighting.

Task lighting is easier to maintain and replace than area lighting.

Combined lighting and indication is achieved with LED fixtures that can emit multiple colours providing illumination or status information as required.

Recommended lux levels for different industrial applications industryupdate.com.au

Performance standards for: Determining the appropriate level of light is challenging. Not enough can be dangerous, too much creates glare and adds costs. Lighting design usually starts with an inventory of occupants and functions within the space.

impact, exposing workers and equipment to risk and product to contamination.

LED lighting is extremely resistant to vibration and impact.

LEDs are better in cold conditions making them ideal for applications with temperatures as low as -40°C. High temperatures can reduce the efficacy and lifetime of LEDs

Extreme conditions: Comply with standards for commercial lighting systems.

IP67 industrial lighting products suit typical industrial conditions, but sometimes IP69K products are required.

Vibration reduces the lifetime of lighting that uses fine filaments and other delicate components.

Glass fittings can shatter from

of useful power transferred. Power factors below 0.9 are considered low.

Power factor should be assessed on each meter so, when adding or replacing lighting equipment, the lighting designer should make power factor corrections if needed.

Two performance metrics of lighting equipment are power factor and total harmonic distortion (THD).

Power factor must be at least 0.90 for a manufacturer to claim a high power factor. New lighting should have a maximum THD of 20.

4. People Lighting upgrades can save money with efficiency, but high quality lighting also produces substantial benefits by increasing worker comfort and productivity. The average cost of employee salaries and benefits can be 400 times that of lighting, so lighting that reduces eye strain, boosts mood, and protects safety is a good investment.

Continues on next page

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 43

LIGHTING

Lighting up manufacturing

Continued from previous page

Effect of Lighting on Mood and Productivity: Environmental lighting affects the brain and nervous system, influencing alertness and mood. Studies show that the colour of light can have a positive effect, blue light being associated with calm.

While physiological and psychological impacts are important, workers want the brightness, colour, and quality of light that helps them do their jobs. If light levels are too low or too high the result can be eye strain and reduced productivity. Light with a poor colour rendering index (CRI) rating can increase the risk of errors where colour and contrast recognition are important.

Design Recommendations: We should provide enough light to illuminate large, open spaces in industrial facilities while avoiding glare. Solutions include lighting with diffused lenses and shielding and maintaining appropriate levels of reflectance on the ceiling, walls, and floors. Usually, ceilings should be the most reflective surface and floors the least reflective.

Distribution of light to maintain uniformity and vertical brightness

ensures that light levels are consistent throughout the space and prevents the eye from needing to constantly adjust. This is especially important where vertical surfaces need to be illuminated. Because LED technology is directional, a wide variety of specialised lenses can be used to achieve different distributions.

Where areas have multiple tasks, the lighting should provide the most commonly occurring task with the highest recommended illumination.

Where possible, adjust light levels for the time of day with automated lighting controls and/or daylight.

People perceive light and colour differently, so the occupants in a facility can have a range of colour preferences within the white light spectrum.

LEDs have the widest range of CCT and CRI performance levels to cover all requirements.

Conclusion Industrial users must balance many different considerations when selecting a lighting solution.

Lighting industrial workspaces requires understanding the application and tasks in the space and the space’s physical conditions. Lighting

Extruded strip light SP wet application

solutions must provide appropriate illumination, and this often includes both area and task lighting. Using LED products to combine illumination and indication can save costs while also providing increased comfort, functionality, and safety.

Lighting upgrades must also make economic sense. Users should focus on full life-cycle costs of a lighting solution when choosing technologies, recognizing that solutions with high initial costs may be the least expensive overall due to efficiency and lifespan.

Customers must also understand their

own environment and choose lighting that matches their specific needs.

Balancing these considerations can make the selection process complicated, but the right lighting solution can help you ensure that your facility is appropriately lit, productive and safe for everyone who works there.

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SUPPLY CHAIN

Mouser beats supply chain issues The global supply chain was hit hard by the pandemic and worldwide shortages and long lead times still prevail.

Electronic components and semiconductors were among the most pressured product types, affecting almost every sphere of our lives.

I

ndustry Update talked to Mark Burr-Lonnon, Senior Vice President of Global Service & EMEA and APAC Business, Mouser Electronics, about the company’s approach to countering supply chain issues. Part of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies, Mouser is a leading global authorised distributor of semiconductors and electronic components.

IU: What’s the state of the supply chain for these products now, and how does Mouser work around issues to ensure it has stock to distribute?

Mark Burr-Lonnon: Many sectors, including the electronics industry and its supply chains, have been affected by the impacts of the pandemic, causing delays and disruptions.

Manufacturing contractions, rising demand and unavoidable market fluctuations have made on-time sourcing a challenge for the electronics supply chain. With the widest selection of components in the industry, Mouser Electronics is a leading global distributor for more than 1,200 manufacturer brands, offering the most choices for buyers’ BOMs. We work closely with these manufacturer partners to monitor and replenish products, maintaining vast inventory levels.

During the past two years, Mouser teams have been monitoring shortages and working closely with manufacturers to replenish products as quickly as possible and ensure that on-order inventory becomes available to ship out. Our strategy to invest in inventory regardless of business conditions has enabled us to aggregate supply and demand, helping customers tide over supply chain instabilities. Customers can rely on us because of our large inventory and ability to offer the widest product selection in the industry, with 1 million unique part numbers in stock. Although we are not immune to long lead times from manufacturers, our customers know that we are well positioned to help mitigate supply deficits.

Mouser also offers tools and resources to give the design engineer a “best-in-class” buying experience, making it easy to find the newest products for their designs. Mouser’s core value proposition is specializing in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies regardless of market challenges. As the New

industryupdate.com.au

Product Introduction (NPI) leader, we continue to add more inventory and bring in more NPIs, striving to give the design engineer the latest technologies for their designs.

“Now more than ever, the role of distributors has become pivotal in guaranteeing regular supplies of critical components” IU: Global semiconductor revenue is down from 2021 but still expected to grow 7.4% percent in 2022. Have you seen related growth in your business? Where are you seeing demand from for your new components?

Mark Burr-Lonnon: There is a strong demand for electronic components worldwide, and we are shipping hundreds of thousands of components weekly. This escalating demand is being driven by emerging technologies such as electric mobility, 5G, data centres, the Internet of Things, AI, robotics and industrial automation.

Home automation, wearables and introduction of other new technologies will continue to influence markets well into the next decade.

Now more than ever, the role of distributors has become pivotal in guaranteeing regular supplies of critical components. Mouser has always been at the forefront of adapting to market challenges. Over the past several years our inventory levels have grown to well over 1 billion USD, with over 1 billion USD of inventory on order. Our business has grown across every region.

IU: Have chip manufacturers been able to keep up with demand?

Mark Burr-Lonnon: Manufacturers are still facing a challenge keeping up with the increased demand for parts, but we work closely with our partners to help improve supply assurance. As the fastest-growing distributor in our industry, we added a record 113 manufacturers to our product line card last in 2021 and 40 in 2022 so far. We continue to invest in our website and have implemented many digital processes to produce an industry-leading e-commerce website to transact business in 27 currencies across the globe. We are committed to delivering

Mark Burr-Lonnon, Senior Vice President of Global Service, EMEA and APAC Business, Mouser Electronics 100% certified, genuine products to our customers that can be fully traced to each of our manufacturer partners.

IU: How does Mouser support the design engineer community in the face of supply shortages?

Mark Burr-Lonnon: Mouser is a design engineer-focused company. Our commitment is towards introducing the newest products, along with added technical support and resources for the global electronic design engineer and buyer

communities. We enable innovation by being a conduit between the manufacturer and the design engineer, making available the newest products and technical resources for creating new design.

We provide design engineers the fastest and easiest online access to the widest selection of product lines for their designs, including flagging products not recommended for new design (NRND). We collaborate with our manufacturer partners

Continues on next page

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 45

SUPPLY CHAIN

Mouser beats supply chain issues Continued from previous page

and constantly update customers on expected delivery timetables.

Customers can register for notifications, so that they can be informed of a part’s availability in real time. Our online resources, such as order automation and our FORTE Intelligent BOM Tool, simplify the buying process by mapping customers’ requirements while creating a new BOM. Our

website is enhanced with search tools and guides for buyers and engineers.

We work with customers to better understand their project needs and forecast component needs. As the industry’s leading NPI distributor, manufacturers rely on us to introduce their newest products into the global marketplace. In turn, we help engineers and designers innovate with the

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latest components for their upcoming prototypes, instead of having to rely on older parts that are NRND.

“Mouser is a design engineer-focused company ... We enable innovation by being a conduit between the manufacturer and the design engineer” IU: What does Australia’s semiconductor distribution ecosystem look like? How strong is the Australian market for Mouser products and where do you see growth opportunities?

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Mark Burr-Lonnon: Australia is a mature market, driven by B2B demand from manufacturing, health, defence, and telecommunications. Amongst the developed countries, Australia has the 15th largest market size for electronic components, with total demand reaching more than 5 billion USD. Nearly 60% of this demand is fulfilled by imports. So, the industry must rely largely on international suppliers, despite a healthy and largely profitable domestic production. There have been calls for increasing self-reliance, and policies may lead to greater internal production. We see a role that Mouser could play to drive innovation in critical sectors.

IU: Mouser recently expanded its global headquarters and distribution centre to meet the growing needs of the company into the next decade. Where are you anticipating strong growth?

46 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Mark Burr-Lonnon: We already ship products to over 650,000 customers across the world from our 93,000-square-metre Global Distribution Centre and facilities in Texas, United States. We stock more than 1 million components, with no minimum order quantities on most parts. Innovators can order even a single part for a prototype — and we will deliver. Orders can be processed, no matter how diverse or complex, usually within 15 minutes — sealed, labelled, and ready to ship. Our Global Distribution Centre uses advanced automation technologies for storage, stacking, picking, and sealing of shipments, enabling processing up to 14 orders per minute.

Mouser has installed 120 vertical lift modules, the largest such installation in the world. Vertical Lift Modules, or VLMS in short, are essentially giant shelves with automated extractors that bring the parts to the employee’s workstation. This increases efficiency and floor space and reduces an employee’s walking time by 45% or more. Mouser will continue to invest heavily in state-ofthe-art automation that can improve working efficiency and increase accuracy and speed of order processing, helping customers reduce time-tomarket and gain competitive edge.

We’ve just broken ground on a new expansion, which will add another almost 93,000 square metres of warehouse and automation space to further expand our capabilities. This automation allows employees to work smarter while improving accuracy and speed, as well as improving efficiencies.

Mouser Australia au.mouser.com

industryupdate.com.au

FASTENERS

Fasteners still strong 25 years on

M

iro Simikic has been surrounded by mechanical fasteners for more than 40 years, and his own company, LM Fasteners, is celebrating 25 years in business this year.

He is proud of his inventory, which is now between 30,000 and 50,000 lines each year.

“I’ve been in this industry since John Lennon was around and have been researching products all those years; the internet is an unbelievable resource!” says Simikic. “When we started we had … maybe between 2,000 to 5,000 lines.”

“Today there’s many different versions of products … coating, head shape, drill point or tapper, the hardness of the steel - it could be for indoor or outdoor use or be less prone to corrosion, or it could be a steel grade … of a standard to be used in food

industryupdate.com.au

manufacturing equipment so it doesn’t react so much to water or moisture.”

New versions of mechanical fasteners have made a big difference to builders and other tradies.

For example, the old hex-sleeve anchor has been replaced with a much stronger version which bites at several points and can be put in quickly with a high-powered impact gun, suiting a few types of masonry.

There have also been developments in adhesives and glues as alternatives to fasteners: adhesives can bond with more varied surfaces and have faster curing times but Simikic believes the strength of fasteners is an overwhelming advantage whenever strength is needed.

“Glues have improved and become more flexible, they’re quicker to cure ... But if you need a screw, you need a screw; if you need rivets, you need

rivets,” he says.

Customers have changed too, as DIY kits come in and manufacturing firms have decreased, which means dedicated manufacturers’ installers and tradies are now far and few between.

“We used to have so many manufacturers’ employees as customers but now I’ve got many more general tradies and do-it-yourselfers compared with 20 or 30 years ago,” says Simikic.

Independent installers of products such as wardrobes, kitchens or office partitions are frequent customers. “[They] make automotive and truck components and bodies, windows, engineering and mining manufacturers. One customer specialises in tools and machinery for mining and buys heavy duty items such as high-tensile fasteners.”

The team started with Miro and his wife, and now numbers 10 people - all

of whom are knowledgeable about the huge product range. The company has grown steadily over the past twenty-five years.

“The team is always striving to help customers with their fastener needs and problems,” says Simikic, “and I believe we have the best trade counter service in Sydney and New South Wales.

“Our attention to detail has won customers, as have our stock levels, which are one of the best in the industry.

“We work closely with our main suppliers and we keep our focus on innovative products so we can provide the best of the best to our customers.”

LM Fasteners lmfasteners.com.au

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 47

ENERGY, WASTE & RECYCLING

Solar pioneer wins biggest European innovation prize

this excited state for longer, resulting in greater and more efficient energy generation.

As at the end of October, the Australian Energy Market Operator data showed that Australia’s rooftop solar was producing more than all fossil-fuelled generation combined, showing the power of household and business consumers. And it is also remarkable that this occurred during a weekday, as such records usually occur on weekends when there is lower demand.

Prof. Green and his team are now working on combined cell technologies to reach 40% solar cell efficiency by exploring options such as stacking cells on top of each other.

“Solar cells are increasingly used to replace large power stations that use fossil fuels. In 2021, 20 countries or regions including Australia, Chile, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Vietnam and California generated between 8% to 25% of their total

“PERC cells now account for more than 90% of world production of silicon solar modules.”

UNSW Sydney Scientia Professor Martin Green has been awarded the 2022 Millennium Technology Prize for leading teams to develop the world’s most efficient silicon solar cell technology. Image: Anna Kucera

U

NSW Sydney Scientia Professor Martin Green has been awarded the 2022 Millennium Technology Prize for leading the teams which developed the world’s most efficient, and therefore most commercial, silicon solar cell technology.

Prof. Green and his Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) were awarded the biennial prize by Technology Academy Finland. The €1 million prize highlights the impact of science and innovation on society.

The PERC cell technology has helped increase the conversion efficiency of standard solar cells by more than 50% in relative terms from

16.5% in the early 1980s to 25% in the early 2000s.

“The Millennium Prize not only recognises my contribution to photovoltaics [the conversion of light into electrical power], but also the achievements of my students and research colleagues at UNSW, as well as those of the broader photovoltaic (PV) research and commercial community.

“I believe this prize will increase my credibility as a spokesperson for what needs to be done to address climate change. We need to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to sustain the trajectory of human civilisation on our shared planet. A

48 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

huge transformation of historic significance is underway.”

It’s as a result of Prof. Green’s innovations and advances in PV technology that solar energy is now considered instrumental in the global transition to renewable energy and decarbonisation. PERC cells now account for more than 90% of world production of silicon solar modules.

When sunlight – as particles called photons – enters a cell, it excites the electrons within the silicon. In this excited state, electrons can move through the cell, creating electric current. Prof Green’s work improving top and rear surfaces of the PERC cell enables electrons to maintain

electricity supply from solar energy, with this number growing quickly,” Prof. Green said.

“The rapid cost reductions in solar energy that my work has facilitated have come just in time, right at the point when the importance of acting immediately to address climate change has become overwhelmingly obvious.”

UNSW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Attila Brungs applauded Prof. Green for this remarkable achievement.

“On behalf of the entire UNSW community, I extend my warmest congratulations to Martin for this tremendous achievement. The drastic reduction in costs of photovoltaic solar systems in recent years is directly related to the scientific efforts of Martin and his team at UNSW. The PERC technology has had – and continues to have – a transformative impact on the global energy sector and has greatly accelerated the global fight against climate change.

“UNSW leads the world in solar technology development, and the Millennium Technology Prize further cements Martin’s position as the world’s foremost pioneer in this space.”

The 2022 Prize drew 40 nominations from the fields of life sciences, energy and the environment, ICT and smart systems, and new materials, processes and manufacturing. It is regarded as one of the world’s top academic awards on the IREG List of International Academic Awards. industryupdate.com.au

ENERGY, WASTE & RECYCLING

Finkel helps Hysata deliver electrolyser to the world

F

ormer Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel AC is now chairing Hysata’s new global advisory council which will guide the company on how best to deliver its electrolyser technology to international markets.

Dr Finkel spearheaded creation of the national hydrogen strategy and the independent review into the national electricity market. Hysata is an Australian company which is developing an electrolyser based on what Dr Finkel believes is the world’s most efficient electrolysis cell, coupled with simplified plant. Electricity makes up most of the cost of green hydrogen so the lowest cost hydrogen is expected to rely on the most efficient electrolyser.

“Green hydrogen will fill the gaps where electricity falls short,” said Dr Finkel. “It could be in transport to power trains and trucks and long-distance aeroplanes, or it could be used as a chemical to replace metallurgical coal in steelmaking and fertiliser production.”

“The challenge is to minimise the waste when using precious renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen.

The reason I am so excited by Hysata is that they have the highest efficiency electrolyser design and an expert team to take it to commercial reality,”

Dr Finkel concluded.

Dr Finkel will hand-pick a team of international experts in science, technology and policy to make up the remaining council positions.

The council will advise Hysata on its strategy for delivering its electrolyser globally into multiple customer segments including steelmaking, heavy transport and the chemical industry.

The news follows Hysata’s recent announcement of $42.5 million AUD from international investors in its Series A funding round.

“Our mission is to lead the world in green hydrogen production through our high efficiency electrolyser technology (41.5 kWh/kg). We are immensely proud to have such an esteemed chair of our Global Advisory Council as Dr Finkel. His expertise in renewable energy and hydrogen is unparalleled, his international reputation and relationships are well known and we welcome his support and guidance as we accelerate towards commercialisation” said Paul Barrett, CEO of Hysata.

“We have been making tremendous progress on our technology, building our team and interacting with hundreds of customers globally. The next phase of work involves scaling up our

Low-carb aluminium for lean, green manufacturing

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Alan Finkel AC has joined electrolyser company Hysata

technology and deployment into pilot projects as we ready the company to get to commercial scale. We look forward to working with Dr Finkel to deliver our era-defining electrolyser technology,” Barrett said.

Dr Finkel is a distinguished neuroscientist, inventor, researcher, educator, philanthropist and policy advisor. As well as his role as Chief Scientist, Dr Finkel also advised

I

ndustry sectors, including construction, renewable energy, transport and marine, are increasingly looking for lower carbon options for their products.

Capral Aluminium now supports this demand with new LocAl® products boasting up to 75% lower carbon emissions than global averages.

The LocAl® aluminium range includes two lower carbon aluminium options: LocAl® Green with carbon emissions of 8kg CO2e/kg Al* and LocAl® Super Green at 4kg CO2e/ kg Al*, which are amongst the lowest carbon aluminium available.

Capral has committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050 and Luke Hawkins, General Manager Supply and Industrial Solutions, said LocAl signals a shift in procurement strategy.

“In 2022, 22% of the primary aluminium billet Capral uses in its eight local extrusion presses has a carbon content lower than eight kilograms CO2e per kilogram of aluminium,” said Hawkins.

“Approximately 300 tonnes have a certified carbon content lower than four kilograms of CO2e per kilogram of aluminium. The market is looking for this product, and as Australia’s largest extruder of aluminium, we must make it available.”

Aluminium’s versatility and recyclability has earned it a reputation as the ‘sustainable metal’, yet the four aluminium smelters producing

federal government on low emissions technology and established seven key international partnerships to accelerate its development and use.

Hysata hysata.com

primary aluminium within Australia consume approximately 10% of the national energy grid.

The main carbon emissions from aluminium production come from the electrolysis stage in smelting. Around 60% of the aluminium sector’s greenhouse gas emissions are from the production of electricity consumed in smelting.

Michael O’Keefe, General Manager of Marketing & Technology, said the global average carbon emission for primary aluminium production is approximately 16.8 kg CO2e/kg Al.* “At eight kilograms of carbon emissions per kilogram, the LocAl Green has 50% lower carbon emissions than the global average for primary aluminium. At four kilograms, LocAl Super Green is 75% lower.”

As well as lower carbon emissions, the primary aluminium offered under the LocAl® brand is sourced exclusively from Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certified smelters which are committed to raising standards in responsible procurement and sustainable production of aluminium. *Based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emission ex smelter.

Capral capral.com.au

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 49

ENERGY, WASTE & RECYCLING

Circular Australia applauds redirected budget spend

I

ndependent not-for-profit organisation, Circular Australia, has welcomed the federal government’s October budget 2022-23 which it believes has responded well to Australians’ call for action on climate change and climate resilience.

The organisation works with industry, government, research partners and communities to accelerate a transition to a circular economy, which its CEO Lisa McLean believes can unlock $2 trillion in opportunities for Australia.

“A circular economy can unlock $2 trillion in opportunities for Australia” “A circular economy is based on three principles: design out waste, keep materials in the economy for as long as possible — at their highest value — and ensure regenerative systems to promote biodiversity,” said McLean.

“We are inspired to see the federal government lead a uniform commitment to the circular economy across the states and territories and to keep funding intact for important circular economy approaches that can unlock a $2 trillion economic opportunity for Australia.

“This ongoing funding recognises that the Albanese government leaves no stone unturned on Australia’s journey to net zero.”

Circular Australia particularly welcomed funding that was redirected to support core carbon and waste initiatives, and climate and sustainability measures which included $60 million more funding for plastics recycling and a target to reduce hospital plastic waste.

The funding follows a show of unity on the potential for a circular economy

by Australia’s Environment Ministers who last month committed to:

• design out waste and pollution and keep materials in use, fostering markets to achieve a circular economy by 2030; and • to establish a national nature repair market, and conserve 30% of landmass and marine areas by 2030.

Budget benefits for the circular economy include: Made in Australia Circular economy opportunities are supported through industry and manufacturing investment including: • $113.6 million for manufacturing upgrades to reduce carbon output and invest in regions for example: biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and low carbon zinc.

• $15 billion for the national Reconstruction Fund investing in manufacturing technologies to help the transition to net zero emissions.

Recycling and infrastructure • $225M Recycled Modern Manufacturing Fund over four years for recycling infrastructure, including: - An additional $60M for plastic technologies • $8M over four years for Building Australia’s Circular Waste Economy including Implementing a Remade in Australia Scheme • $2.5M over 2 years for Incentivising Recycling Behaviours – supporting small business to adopt the Australasian recycling label • $9M for the Product Stewardship Investment Fund for this financial year with forward funding ending next financial year with a $1.6M allocation, including: - Adding mattresses and hospital plastics to the product stewardship commitments • $90 million to employ and upskill up to 1,000 Landcare Rangers to

50 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

conserve and restore • A new nature repair market will be established (no funding earmarked yet) to reward farmers and other landholders for their work in restoring and protecting nature.

• The budget also provides $141m over 10 years to develop Carbon Capture Storage for industries such as cement manufacturing in hard-toabate industries First Nations leadership Australia’s First Nations peoples have been leaders and designers of circular economy approaches for millenia.

This budget provides: • $105.2 million to support First Nations people in their local response to climate change with the development of a First Nations Clean Energy Strategy and Community Microgrids Program to drive local self-sufficiency in the renewable energy transition.

• A new Torres Strait Climate Change Centre of Excellence will also be established to design and deliver local adaptation and mitigation building on existing initiatives such as the Climate Warriors training program.

Transparent climate action The Government has enshrined in law its emissions reduction targets of 43 % by 2030 and net zero by 2050 with the following allocations: • $47.1m over four years for the Climate Change Authority, which has been expanded after having its funding slashed by the Coalition • $306.5m for community batteries and and solar banks • $275m for electric and zero emissions vehicle charging • $7.1 million going to reduce the Government’s own emissions to net zero by 2030.

• $39.1 million to improve the Australian Public Service’s climate expertise,

including by rebuilding Treasury’s climate modelling capability.

• $42.6 million over four years to restore the Climate Change Authority, expanding its role after the Morrison Coalition cut funding and introducing an Annual Climate Change Statement to Parliament to increase transparency around climate-related spending in the budget.

• $1.9bn “powering the regions” fund to support jobs and emissions cuts in regional areas.

Water, environment, biodiversity • $1.8 billion to protect, restore and manage the natural environment, including: - $91.1 million over six years for the restoration of urban waterways and local biodiversity - $224.5 million to the Threatened Species Action Plan (2022–2032).

This falls shorts of researchers estimates that $1.7 billion is needed per year to recover Australia’s listed threatened species • $224.5 million to help save Australia’s most imperilled native species.

• $91 million for the first round of the $200 million election promise to improve local waterways through the Urban Rivers and Catchment Program.

• $10.8 million to improve ocean and marine park management • $66.5 million to support 10 new Indigenous Protected Areas as part of the pledge to conserve 30% of Australian land and sea by 2030 to be announced at the UN Biodiversity COP meeting in December 2022 • The establishment of a new Environmental Protection Agency to ensure environment laws are enforced industryupdate.com.au

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INDUSTRY NEWS

A GR silent pump fills a DC10 ahead of its firefighting effort in Australia

Fight fires with Gorman-Rupp pumps

A

CT Emergency Services contacted Hydro Innovations when it was searching for a pump to handle flow through three pipes to deliver volume retardant to the DC10 aircraft fighting bushfires in NSW & Victoria in 2019/2020.

The mission Assisting firefighters on the ground, the US-based company Aerial Firefighting-AGAIR was operating three DC10s in Australia in conjunction with many other aerial appliances including the single-engine attack tankers, large air tankers and helicopters.

The situation was critical: capability to fill and turn around the DC10 aircraft as quickly as possible was now the mission. After a successful trial of a Gorman-Rupp 4” pump (T4A3S-B coupled to a diesel engine), this seemed to be the answer.

Fortunately, Hydro Innovations, the Australian distributor for Gorman-Rupp pumps, was able to supply a 6” Gorman-Rupp T6A60S-B pump coupled to a John Deere 4045TF280B diesel engine was made ready for immediate dispatch.

The pump is one of Gorman-Rupp’s ‘Super T’ range of self-priming centrifugal pumps, renowned for their rugged construction, reliability and priming lift capability. They are heavily used by water authorities, councils and industries where reliability is critical.

Once in place with manifolds, valves and associated pipe work, the first fill commenced, taking just 15 minutes to deliver 35,000 litres of retardant into the three tanks mounted under the aircraft.

The results An issue that needed addressing was the tendency of the fluid to foam when delivered at full speed, preventing tanks from being filled to capacity.

This was overcome by the variable speed control system of the pump, which allowed flow rates to be slowed towards the end of the pumping cycle, reduced foaming, and enabled retardant industryupdate.com.au

to be delivered up to the top of the tanks.

Phil Rothheudt from Hydro Innovations had the privilege of commissioning and inspecting the new Gorman-Rupp unit operating at ACT Emergency Services’ Canberra Airport base. He was also given a guided tour of the DC10, and shown how the fire-fighting process comes together.

The aircraft is crewed by five: two pilots (captain & co-pilot), an engineer and two mechanics. The pilot brings the giant DC10 down to just 200 feet above the tree tops and begins his drop, while the engineer controls the release of the retardant.

As the pilot explained, at this point it’s very much “hands-on flying” and obviously precarious.

As the weight of the retardant comes off the aircraft, the plane wants to climb suddenly, which can result in a dangerous stall situation.

So the pilot has his hands full keeping the DC10 level and at the same time avoiding the topography.

Speed and height is critical in the effectiveness of the drop: too low and the retardant doesn’t spread effectively over the fire ground, too high and it thins out too much to be effective.

Likewise, if the aircraft is flying too fast, the retardant can cause a ‘shadow’ effect behind the trees, meaning they’ll continue to burn on their dry sides. If it flies too slowly, again it doesn’t cover enough ground to be effective.

Once each mission is complete, it is back to base for a refill of retardant and a top-up of fuel if required and then back out again. The fast turnaround times enable the planes to quickly continue delivering their precious cargo.

The staff at Hydro Innovations feel privileged to have supplied world-leading Gorman Rupp pumps to support the critical fire-fighting effort.

Hydro Innovations hydroinnovations.com.au

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Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 51

PRODUCTS

The right compressor

I

t’s not surprising there are many types of compressors on the market — most processing, manufacturing and materials handling operations use compressed air as the main energy source to power a wide range of industry applications.

Choosing the right compressor is vital to ensure the right output to match demand at the lowest possible input energy costs. Kaishan’s range of compressors runs from three to 400kW. There are three reasons to buy and install a new air compressor — for new industry installations, to upgrade to meet increased demands or to replace an old, troublesome unit.

New operations

When shopping for a compressor or compressed air system to power a new venture or application you should consider: Types: Rotary screw, single or twostage, tank mounted, compact and/or portable? With the wide selection of types, brands and capacities, it can be confusing to find the right compressor to meet needs.

Environmental conditions: Certified food grade lubricants are used in sophisticated compressors to comply with production and processing requirements. Advanced compact and industrial compressors are made to supply pollutant-free air with minimal noise and vibration.

Larger compressor manufacturers offer custom design and adaptation to suit industries such as mining, marine and scientific applications.

Special casings and component

materials are used to ensure compressors can efficiently operate under harsh conditions.

Calculating ahead: Major air compressor suppliers can assist with trained technicians to assess the air power needs of any installation for current and future demands.

Variable speed: When load requirements fluctuate through varied applications and usage, the energy saving benefits of compressor speed that is governed by demand far outweigh the additional capital cost of variable speed control.

Design the system: Major air compressor suppliers offer an expert design service to meet needs before specifying and installing the right compressor and system to optimise application performance and efficiency.

Upgrading: When current systems are not coping with air power due to growth in demand or additional operations, it is time to upgrade the old compressor and reassess the whole system.

Larger, higher-powered models: Today’s advanced compressor technologies have produced models that deliver higher capacities without necessarily having larger power input.

Two-stage rotary screw configurations, permanent magnet motors, variable speed frequency and orbital scroll technologies are advanced, energy-saving initiatives that deliver higher output air whilst reducing input energy costs.

52 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Integrating a new compressor: Most air compressor specialists will inspect and assess the suitability of a system upgrade. It may be necessary to also replace filters and introduce new, advanced components into your air lines to cope with higher pressures and increased demand.

Integrating variable speed control: VSC, if applicable and beneficial to your expanded operations will not only save you on power bills but will reduce unnecessary load on the entire system.

Adding VSC will reduce costs and maintenance which will more than pay for itself in a relatively short time.

Trade-ins: Compressed air companies can assess and provide a discount on new equipment providing the old compressor is in reasonable condition and can be reconditioned for resale.

Out with the old

Same type, size, brand: Chances arethe old compressor is old technology, so it is best to consider what replacement compressor would improve the system while saving on energy and maintenance costs.

If the system’s output demand has not changed, then it is likely that a modern, efficient, lower-powered unit will do the job while significantly reducing energy bills.

Upgrade to integrate: If you are not increasing the load with a new compressor then there is usually no need to change the components of your current system, however it is

recommended that an expert assessment of the entire system be carried out to ensure it is sound and efficient in delivery of the air output required.

Boosting longevity

Selection: If compressors are inadequate for the demand, they work harder whilst returning poor performance with excessive wear and tear and shortened operating life — whereas the right compressor to meet demand will have a longer life.

Regular maintenance: Choosing the right compressor to suit your application means planned efficiency of operation and minimum wear and tear to compressors, system components and end use machinery.

Small compact and portable workshop compressors need regular checks to make sure they are clean, correctly lubricated and that hoses and fittings are airtight and in good condition. They should be protected from dust, grime and air pollutants where possible and turned off when not in use.

Large industrial machines and systems need regular, professional maintenance to ensure peak performance and minimal downtime. Compressed air technicians will inspect, clean, replace filters and maintain industrial compressors and systems on call or on a contracted schedule.

Kaishan kaishan.com.au

industryupdate.com.au

WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING

The age of disruption for manufacturers

By Margie Smithurst

W

hen Meighan Heard, executive director at Mitsubishi Electric Australia, spoke on a panel of industry experts at the Smart Manufacturing Conference in September, she was the only woman (apart from female federal and state politicians) to take the floor.

“I did make the observation to the organisers at one point — where are the other women on this agenda?”

The challenge, she says, is to identify women in the industry who are ready, able and confident enough to stand up and speak in a public forum.

“I always think there must be more women who are capable of speaking up, so where are they?”

For women in the sector, Heard’s lead is a strong one to follow, and her observations at the conference contributed to a broader analysis of some of Australia’s manufacturing challenges.

have been so resilient and maintained a good sense of humour during this time.

IU: During the Smart Manufacturing Conference, you observed that we are in an age of disruption. How does this rapidly changing situation play out in the manufacturing sector?

“We need to make it easier … for SMEs to explore the opportunities and take the next steps“

Meighan Heard: We continue to operate in an age of significant disruption. Technology is changing rapidly, the geopolitical environment is quite uncertain, there are massive challenges in the sourcing of critical parts and components, and we are all affected by the situation which continues to unfold in China. This means we need to be prepared for the unexpected, constantly on our toes when making decisions and ready to change course at short notice.

IU: What is the impact of this disruption on the workforce in the manufacturing sector?

Meighan Heard: Mitsubishi Electric is both a manufacturer and a supplier to the manufacturing sector. With a factory in Sydney and purchasing arrangements with Mitsubishi Electric factories across the world, we have experienced and continue to experience the same challenges as other manufacturing companies in Australia. It is an uncomfortable and difficult environment to work in. There continue to be significant pressures associated with securing sufficient stock to meet demand. This leads to a level of stress and fatigue in the workforce, and no doubt this has been experienced across the board.

It’s a credit to our teams that they industryupdate.com.au

IU: How does Mitsubishi Electric manage the relationship with its customers in this challenging environment?

Meighan Heard: This can be very difficult. Our customers want to know when stock will be available and when their order will arrive. Sometimes it is very difficult to know. We do our best to communicate openly and transparently about the status of orders and the availability of parts and equipment. Sometimes that information isn’t perfect but we’ve learned it can be better to share imperfect information to allow our customers to make decisions, rather than not share any information at all.

IU: What are your observations regarding the take up of automation in Australian manufacturing companies?

Meighan Heard: There is still some reluctance in Australian companies to embrace the opportunities presented by automation but this is changing. Until recently, there has been a strong concern from the community that introducing automation, robotics and other Industry 4.0 technologies into manufacturing companies will result in unacceptable job losses. The environment is now better for Australian manufacturers to explore and make this change.

With unemployment so low and the need for skilled workers so high, it’s essential that we consciously ensure people can move from low skilled manufacturing jobs to higher skilled roles where there is a greater need in the community. Automation means that this can happen without losing (and potentially gaining) productivity in manufacturing.

IU: Are we making progress?

Meighan Heard: Despite the slower uptake of automation, robotics and data analytics in Australia, we are

Meighan Heard, Executive Director Mitsubishi Electric Australia

making progress. Covid has been a game changer. It has forced manufacturers to consider the alternatives and encouraged all of us to do things differently.

“We need to be prepared for the unexpected, constantly on our toes” There is still a challenge in helping SMEs determine which Industry 4.0 technologies will best suit their needs and support their business objectives. We need to make it easier for the owners of SMEs to explore the opportunities and take the next steps in their companies – they are busy people! Some of the investment decisions are quite difficult and we need to provide the right support to help these companies understand the options, analyse potential solutions and determine which solutions are best for their business. AusIndustry offers some great programs for small businesses and the Advanced

Manufacturing Growth Centre provides excellent support, including through its Manufacturing Academy.

I’m excited by the opportunity to work with SMEs as they grow and achieve their goals by making smart decisions about what to implement.

IU: Mitsubishi Electric is a Japanese company. Are there elements of Japanese business techniques that can support the change that needs to occur?

Meighan Heard: The concept of kaizen continues to be relevant and important for businesses that seek to embrace Industry 4.0 technologies and solutions. Kaizen is about continuous improvement over a long period of time. It involves making the work environment more efficient and effective by improving everyday procedures and activities and involving the workforce in the process. One helpful way for companies to consider approaching investments in new automation technology might be to apply this technique. It’s rarely necessary or practical for businesses to implement everything all at once. Instead we make ongoing continuous and

Continues on next page

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 53

WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING

The age of disruption for manufacturers Continued from previous page

incremental changes that make a difference and become stepping stones for the next investment. Applying kaizen can keep us focused on the need to constantly improve and evolve. It’s a practice I apply to both my professional and personal life, and was a strong attraction in my decision to join Mitsubishi Electric.

“We don’t talk ... about giving the same opportunities to men who take on the role of primary carer” IU: What are your reflections on the presence of women in the manufacturing sector and how are women represented in manufacturing at Mitsubishi Electric?

Meighan Heard: One of the things I love about our automation team is that we have a female leader who has worked in automation for 25 years. Rebecca Gatenby is a qualified electrical engineer who joined our team as a university graduate. She is extremely experienced and knowledgeable about our products and the automation industry.

As a sector, one adjustment we might want to make is to establish a formal association for Women in Manufacturing. In doing so, we could be inspired by NAWIC (the National Association of Women in Construction) which has been operating for a long time. NAWIC is a

powerhouse in terms of advocacy and connectivity for women in construction. They have awards nights to celebrate the achievement of women in the industry and a long running mentoring program. We don’t seem to have anything equivalent in manufacturing, so it begs the question, should we?

IU: Do you have anything else you want to add regarding the topic of women in manufacturing?

Meighan Heard: If we want to see another step change in our ongoing quest for gender diversity and equal

54 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

opportunity in the sector, we need to challenge the status quo and keep trying to look at things differently. As part of this, I’d like to see the sector engage in a meaningful conversation around part-time and flexible work for traditional male roles (such as trades) in construction and manufacturing.

While we have achieved big steps forward in providing flexibility and options for women navigating a career path and parental responsibilities, we don’t talk anywhere near enough about giving the same opportunities to men who take on the role of primary carer. This is a personal issue for me as my husband, who is

a qualified electrician, has held the primary carer role in our household for almost 12 years. When our first child was born, his colleagues in the construction sector said he would never work on a construction site part-time. I just can’t accept this is not possible. If women can hold and job share senior positions in law, accounting, teaching and nursing, it must be possible to implement these models for leading hands and supervisors on construction sites.

So where are these opportunities for men? Perhaps, as women, we need to take up this challenge and advocate for this to change.

industryupdate.com.au

UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH & COLLABORATION

Breathing fire into uniform safety at RMIT

A

$2.3 million modular, flame test chamber is one of the first of its kind in Oceania and will be used by researchers and research students in partnership with industry at RMIT’s Brunswick, Victoria, campus.

Called Flash-Fire Laboratory for Advanced Manikin & Material Evaluation (FLAMME), this insulated steel chamber which is roughly the size of a shipping container houses a mannequin which can withstand the force of 12 ‘super-power’ jet flames without getting burnt.

There is high demand for such a facility to test uniforms, according to Professor Rajiv Padhye, the Director of the Centre for Materials Innovation and Future Fashion at RMIT. Australian industry has been shipping items to Canada for testing, which can mean long waits to get the results back.

“We could test the fire resistance of uniforms for firefighters, as well as soldiers, gas platform workers and steel foundry workers,” he said.

The chamber is designed to be used for textiles, but Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching, Professor Robyn Healy says RMIT hopes to also test the flammability of building and automotive materials.

Outside the FLAMME test chamber is

an operating room with a large viewing window so users can watch combustion tests in progress and adjust tests.

“This new facility will allow manufacturers both locally and from across the Asia Pacific to be there during the testing and make adjustments to the testing protocols where needed,” she said.

Protecting firies Victoria is one of Australia’s most bushfire-prone areas, with 1.5 million hectares of land burnt in the 20192020 bushfire season alone. With the state about to enter another fire season, Healy said it was crucial to ensure Australian firefighters and volunteers have the highest quality uniforms to protect them.

“Firefighters are constantly putting themselves in danger to protect the community. This combustion chamber will help develop and test textiles that are up to the task of protecting them from the dangers of fire,” she said.

Victoria State Manager for the Country Fire Authority’s ( CFA) Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing, Mark Tarbett, welcomed the new facility.

“This new technology will offer our industry access to highly specialised services to assess the

performance of innovative fire-fighting materials and emerging protective garment designs,” said Tarbett.

“This will ultimately lead to safer outcomes for people working in high-risk environments such as fire fighters and other emergency service personnel.”

Materials innovation RMIT’s strong partnerships with the CFA, Fire Rescue Victoria and other firefighting and military uniform makers will encourage high demand for the facility.

The project has been supported with funding from the Australian Research Council, the Defence Science and Technology Group, RMIT, Deakin and Swinburne universities, and garment manufacturing company Bruck Textiles.

Healy said the facility underlined RMIT’s School of Fashion and

The ‘Shorts’ project: cobot design

“It didn’t matter how many bars were on the table, the cobot picked up all the shorts “ are also expected to go up, based on better quality to customers, who’ll appreciate not getting ‘shorts’.

Next steps Thomas expects a roughly 12-month industryupdate.com.au

payback on the $360,000 project cost, which includes capital to industrialise, manufacture, install and commission a smaller, fit-forpurpose version of the cobot at its Sydney Bar Mill (that cost excludes the membership fee paid to be an ACC partner).

Having proven success with a big industrial robot, the smaller cobot will be scaled to have similar reach to a person’s arm.

“We’re looking for an integrator who can take all that research and results, and commercialise it,” says Thomas.

As a co-design between Infrabuild and the ACC engineers, the hook, which looks like a big boat gaffer, is now joint intellectual property.

“Lots of integrators out there

Textiles’ reputation as a leader in textiles research and development, as well as its responsiveness to industry needs.

“We are really excited to now have this chamber operational,” she said.

“It opens up so many exciting new opportunities for research, student learning and industry partnerships, and provides a solution the industry has been crying out for.”

About the Australian Cobotics Centre

Continued from page 25

Furthermore, if technology can make jobs more interesting and attractive to young people, then tech can help keep those industries alive and thereby keep people employed.

It’s especially true, says Roberts, if Australia’s goal is to have sovereign manufacturing capability then “robots and new tech can be part of the solution”.

Morale at Infrabuild is already up, with Thomas reporting staff as more than pleased to get the intense conveyor job off their roster. Sales

A fire-proof mannequin inside the insulated steel chamber.

Credit: RMIT University.

Close up of the bars rotated claim they can do a lot of things — but I haven’t seen any that can do the amount of R&D that ACC has done,” says Thomas.

Australian Cobotics Centre australiancobotics.org

The ACC started in 2021 and is a collaboration between four universities and six industry partners. Together they aim to help Australian industry adopt collaborative robots to solve problems and improve capability in manufacturing. The ACC also trains researchers, engineers, technologists and manufacturing leaders in expertise needed to apply collaborative robotics technology. The research programs address the technological advances and the human and design factors to be considered when implementing new technology. This multi-disciplinary and multi-industry approach will result in improved safety, quality assurance, production efficiency, process innovation and workforce readiness across the industry. Funding for the Centre is via the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Research Program and industry and university partners.

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 55

PRODUCTS

Greater efficiency with the right torque

C

hoosing the most suitable torque sensors from ZHYQ’s range can help to maximise efficiency and accuracy.

Torque is a measure of the force that causes an object to rotate while rotational torque is the force exerted on an object to make it rotate

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CONDUCTOR BAR • • • •

Available in steel & copper Quickly and easily installed Supports required only every 1.5m Also available in a compact cluster range

SIDE PULL PREVENTERS / ROPE GUIDE PROTECTOR Prevents side pulling and protects rope guides and drums on most multi-fall cranes & hoist • Prevent dragging of loads • Easily fitted to any crane/hoist • Helps reduce down time

Liftco Industrial Supplies Pty Ltd

(02) 9829 4411 sales@liftco.com.au

www.liftco.com.au

56 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

spontaneously. The torque sensor is a kind of precision measuring instrument for measuring torque, rotational speed and mechanical power.

Torque sensors use strain gauges that are fitted to the axis of rotation. With this method, a device is required to supply the strain gauge bridge, as well as a device to receive signals from the axis of rotation. This can be achieved by using slip rings or rotary transformers. Nowadays, adjustment electronics and A/D converters are added to the rotating shaft for easier and faster data transfer.

Torque sensors can be used to measure torque in rotating systems and are widely used as automation control tools in various industries.

Static and dynamic are two main types of torque sensors and they’re defined by the way torque or force is measured. A static torque sensor has simpler working principles and measuring methods than a dynamic torque sensor.

Both static and dynamic sensors have a mechanical stop function to improve overload capacity and provide protections in installation and operation process.

There are other common torque

sensors such as reaction torque sensor, rotary torque sensor, proximity torque sensor and magnet-to-restrictive transducer. Choosing the most suitable torque sensors can help to maximise efficiency and accuracy.

ZHYQ’s torque measuring instruments are widely used as process control tools to help manufacturers to maximise productivity. They’re mainly used for: • motor, engine, internal combustion engine and other rotating power equipment output torque and power detection • fan, water pump, gear box, and power detection • detection of torque and power in railway locomotive, automobile, tractor, aircraft, ship and mining machinery • detecting torque and power in sewage treatment system • laboratory or other testing, production monitoring and quality control purpose

ZHYQ zhyqsensor.com

Mix it up in million litre tanks

M

ixquip Series 100 side-entry mixers incorporate the best innovations have developed since the first Teralba side-entry mixer was produced in 1977.

Designed specifically with the high-efficiency Mixquip Hydrofoil impellers, Mixquip side-entry mixers provide the most efficient means of converting energy into fluid motion in large storage tanks – up to 1.1million litres.

Mixquip side-entry agitators are ideally suited for blending products of low-to-medium viscosity. Designed to move liquid away from the tank to create a uniform turnover of tank contents, Mixquip high-efficiency axial flow impellers provide maximum pumping and thrust for maximum agitation, resulting in reduced production times.

Applications include blending, solids in suspension, heat transfer (optimises refrigeration efficiency) and mass transfer. Key industries using high-efficiency side-entry mixers include the wine industry, dairy processing, chemical mixing, cosmetics industry, water treatment, food and beverage, liquid fertiliser blending, wastewater PH correction, product re-suspension and cleaning vessels.

Designed and manufactured in Australia, Mixquip provides robust side-entry mixer solutions. The precision cast stainless steel housing is available in both angular and straight design.

A specialised range of Mixquip

profiled tank-mounting flanges are available with contoured compensation flanges fabricated to suit tank diameters. Mechanical seals are selected specifically for each individual application.

Mixquip provides a clean design solution with all the wetted parts in 316 stainless as standard and positioned in the wash zone of the tank or vessel.

Mixquip side-entry mixers are available with: gear driven (low speed), direct driven (high speed) and explosion-proof motors in 240V or 415V. Motor power (kW) and speed (rpm) are selected suited to your mixing needs.

Mixquip mixquip.com

industryupdate.com.au

POWERED FLOOR CRANES APPLICATIONS

Removing and placing heavy objects from and onto pallets such as 200 ltr drums / castings

Removing engines from vehicles.

Lifting heavy pumps/motors during maintenance.

Lifting dies from racks, placing into presses.

Pulling parts or finished goods from crates.

Placing finished goods into crates.

Loading and unloading tray trucks and utes with awkward and heavy items.

WCR-070

Fixed straight legs

18,400+GST

$

WCF-120

Max Height 3560mm

Splayed legs

Max Hori. Ext. 2500mm

16,800+GST

$

Max Height 3540mm Max Hori. Ext. 2500mm

Load Range

200-700 KG

Load Range

300-1200 KG

WCE-120

Adjustable straddle legs

18,800+GST

$

OPTIONS AVAILABLE

Max Height 3540mm Max Hori. Ext. 2500mm

Load Range

300-1200 KG

Contact us for more information

03 9720 0425

enquiries@packking.com.au

A member of the King Group of Companies Pty Ltd

packking.com.au

PRODUCTS

Tente’s Smiles range of castors will unleash your creativity

T

Controlling lubricants for better bearing

S

eparation of the rolling elements of a ball or roller bearing depends on a continuous presence of an extremely thin – micron-sized – elastohydrodynamic film of lubricant between rolling elements and raceways.

Under high magnification, even the smoothest surface will appear rough but the lubricant nevertheless must be able to maintain separation if the bearing is to work to its full service life.

The coefficient of friction in a rolling element bearing in hydrodynamic lubrication conditions is in the range of: μ ≈ 0.001 – 0.01 If this is not maintained, then mixed friction results.

If there is insufficient lubricant, or if the lubricant has lost its lubricating properties, an oil film with sufficient load-carrying capacity cannot form.

The result will be partial lubrication with metal-to-metal contact – mixed friction — between the rolling elements and raceways, and it will lead to adhesive wear. Mixed friction is μ ≈0.01 – 0.2 In the worst case, where the separating film breaks down completely, there will be boundary friction in the range of μ ≈ 0.1 – 0.25 It’s critical to maintain a separating oil film for friction and to reduce wear. As can be seen from figures above, in approximate terms the hydrodynamic friction coefficient in a rolling element bearing is 10x-20x less than the mixed friction coefficient and 25x-100x less than the boundary friction coefficient.

The presence of separating oil film depends on selecting the correct lubricant with the right properties for a purpose — plus its correct application. This means the lubricant will be replenished at the right rate to maintain the film separating bearing elements.

Discoloured (blue/brown) raceways and rolling elements are a sign of failed lubrication, and mean wear rates will increase. Higher wear rates will in turn create excessive heat — leading to catastrophic failure.

Adhesive wear is a result of lubrication failure under mixed-friction

or boundary-friction conditions.

Microscopic projections on the sliding interfaces between components will weld together on contact and then be torn apart by the sliding forces. This will create minute cavities on one surface and a build-up on the other.

This damage has a compounding effect because, once it starts, the lubrication problems increase due to surface damage problems followed by a higher increase rate of surface damage. Adhesive wear includes scoring, galling, seizing and scuffing.

Skid smearing occurs when rolling elements slide, rather than rotate, as they pass from the unloaded zone to the loaded zone, especially in large bearings — and this will be exacerbated by old or too-stiff grease.

When smearing occurs on roller surfaces and in the raceways of spherical roller bearings and roller rotation is retarded in the unloaded zone, the lower rotational speed then results in sliding and more smearing as the rolling elements then accelerate in the loaded zone.

Correct lubrication depends on: • The right amount of lubricant – less is more. Rolling element bearings in most applications operate at their optimum temperature when the minimum amount of lubricant is used. The quantity of lubricant required also depends on the other functions it must perform, such as in slow moving and/or heavily loaded bearings, corrosion protection, sealing and purging. However if this is a requirement then ideally provision should be made to lubricate the seals separately to the bearings.

• The right lubricant – consideration needs to be given to bearing type, speed, load, vibration, temperature and conditions.

• Clean lubricant Greasemax greasemax.au

58 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

ente’s Smiles castors are a unique and funky way to make your small mobile furniture pieces stand out, and have been awarded the prestigious international Red Dot Design Award.

Ideal for children’s furniture products, the range features Bear, Cow, Cat and Plane designs.

A new Panda design has also just been released, with distinctive black and white colours.

Each castor has an easy-fitting blind hole that works with a range of plug-ins, including Plate, Threaded or Circlip Stems. This installation-friendly approach allows for faster, more efficient assembly.

The robust housing on the 50mm twin wheel castors means high stability with low height.

The castors’ wheel tread is made from non-staining thermoplastic rubber, and can be used on floors made of untreated wood and natural stone.

Smiles castors are tested to comply with European Standards, and made from non hazardous materials - they do not contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or chromium (VI).

Tente can accommodate

customers’ individual design preferences, and can colour match in a range of colours (minimum order requirements).

Tente tente.com.au

Ultrasonic flowmeter a lightweight, quality choice

T

he KATflow 200 is a lightweight flowmeter that’s incredibly easy to use and can be operated onehanded, which makes it an ideal tool for use in confined spaces or when working at height.

Used for non-invasive and non-intrusive flow measurement of liquid and liquefied gases, the KATflow 200 offers performance normally associated with more complex and expensive devices.

The KATflow non-invasive flowmeters work on the transit time ultrasonic principle. This involves sending and receiving ultrasonic pulses from a pair of quality and robust sensors and examining the time difference in the signal.

Katronic uses clamp-on ultrasonic transducers (sensors) that are mounted externally on the surface of the pipe and which generate pulses that pass through the pipe wall.

The flowing liquid within causes time differences in the ultrasonic signals, which are then evaluated by the flowmeter to produce an accurate flow measurement.

The advanced electronics of the flowmeter compensate for and adapt to changes in the flow profile and medium temperature to deliver reliable measurements.

The flowmeter is equipped with one measurement channel to monitor the flow in one single pipe at a time.

The instrument is supplied with an internal data logger and software for the recording and download of measured values.

Additionally, the KATflow 200 can be equipped with an integrated wall thickness gauge to provide further information about the application parameters.

Thanks to its intuitive instrument menu, Setup Wizard, and Audible Sensor Positioning Assistant™ the flowmeter can be set up and its sensors correctly installed in a matter of minutes.

AMS Instrumentation ams-ic.com.au industryupdate.com.au

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PRODUCTS

Flexible, complementary accessories

T

he key requirements for MFB Products’ accessories range are power, air and cable management, and shelving. Accessories complement MFB’s enclosure cabinets and the range offers flexible options.

Stable and reliable power distribution access is key to all server enclosure installations. The MFB range of horizontal and vertical power distribution units (PDUs), can be defined in two categories – passive and active. MFB’s standard passive range of PDUs are available in 10-amp, 15-amp, 20amp- and 32-amp wiring configs with Australian outlets, IEC C13 or IEC C19 Outlets. MFB’s range of plugs include Aust, IEC or Captive (screw lock) fitted to a 2.5 meter lead by default.

MFB’s Australian-designed and manufactured IP Networked (active) range of PDUs are available in a vertical or horizontal format in 230V single phase or three phase. Outlets same as per passive with optional locked IEC outlets.

The Sentinel range has a variety of options to view power, temperature and humidity levels via a web browser or receive SNMP-based alarms when conditions exceed defined thresholds. Information on total amp draw, humidity and temperature are also displayed directly on the PDU via touch screen.

Both the standard range of PDUs and MFB’s custom range are manufactured in Australia in compliance with AS/NZS 3000:2018

Heat build-up in server cabinets demands consideration. MFB offers as standard roof-mounted fan trays, door fan units (Class B&C) and 19” rack mounted fan trays. Using 120mm x 120mm 230V AC fans with an airflow of 87 CFM per fan, MFB fan trays provide an effective airflow solution which draws the heat out of cabinets and directs it to the atmosphere.

Optional accessories include thermostats to regulate the fan cycle according to ambient temperature, and/or optional speed controller to manage the speed of fans reducing airflow and noise.

Cable management is a key attribute in effective server cabinet installation. With increased equipment use, unmanaged cabling becomes a problem when fault-finding and maintaining airflow. Good cable management not only saves time but reduces on-site labour costs.

MFB offers a large range of cable management systems, from 19” rack mount wire management trays, cable retaining hoop panels, to round, square and rectangle lacing rings to sophisticated, ful-llength vertical cable ducts typically designed for excessive cabling. Finally, MFB’s vertical cable trays act as a wire management system, using toolless mounting (No cage nuts or screws required) `To further complement MFB’s enclosure range, shelving is available in both a static (fixed) format, or a telescopic format for regular, easier access. MFB’s standard fixed shelves

are load-rated to 50kgs or for more grunt, out heavy-duty shelves are load rated to 200kgs – with equipment evenly distributed. For telescopic shelves and drawers, MFB uses the Accuride slide systems for their smooth action under heavy loads, for Accuride’s superior features and extreme durability. MFB also offers

front mounting, cantilever shelves for smaller, lightweight equipment.

MFB mfb.com.au

An optimal castor for automated guided vehicles

T

ente’s Scout castors have been manufactured for the specific demands of autonomous transport, or automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

The range features a slimline design to avoid collisions in narrow passages, thereby reducing accident risk.

With an automatic alignment feature, the rollers automatically stand in the direction of travel when the unit is being lifted.

The electrically conductive design protects users from electrostatic discharge and avoids collisions with electrical equipment.

Precision ball bearings provide excellent swiveling under heavy loads.

The large rounded conductivity tracks which run from the tread to the ball bearing ensure that the wheel remains permanently conductive

60 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

– even when loaded.

The swivel bearing is lubricated with long-life grease and fitted with a lubrication funnel for easy maintenance.

And with all metal parts made of stainless steel, the components are permanently washable.

In environments with automated guided vehicles, the Scout optimizes dynamic logistics processes and the ergonomic requirements associated with moving the goods containers.

The castors are available in Fixed, Swivel, Swivel with Wheel Brake and Swivel with Directional Lock Versions in 160mm and 200mm diameters.

Tente tente.com.au

industryupdate.com.au

PRODUCTS

Servo cylinder boosts mineral recovery

Vince Marcucci, Global Accounts Manager, Resources Sector for SMC Corporation ANZ

SMC’s IN-777 air servo cylinder

O

ne of the world’s largest gold mining companies operating in Australia sought a means to improve air cylinder operation for the dart valves in their flotation cells.

They installed new air servo cylinder technology from SMC Corporation Australia|New Zealand and achieved numerous benefits including product recovery.

The SMC air servo cylinder series IN-777 has enabled the reduction and removal of pinch points thus

industryupdate.com.au

improving safety. It has also saved time during calibration and improved positioning, delivering increased froth velocity for enhanced gold and copper recovery.

“The optimised speed of the IN-777 means that it responds quickly to changes in process conditions, maintaining a constant froth velocity,” explains Vince Marcucci, Global Accounts Manager, Resources Sector for SMC Corporation ANZ.

IN-777 in action The IN-777 air servo cylinder is designed for rugged mining applications in mineral processing, and bears IP67 rating (full protection against dust and water). It is predominately used in concentrators, specifically for flotation cells, designed to recover valuable commodities such as nickel, zinc, lead, gold, copper, silver, molybdenum and phosphate.

“The recovery process is achieved through froth,” explains Vince. “A bond

forms between the minerals and the bubbles created during the aeration, agitation, and introduction of specific chemicals to the pulp. The minerals adhere to the bubbles (froth) which float to the top of the cell and cascades over into the ‘Concentrate Launder’.”

The IN-777 features HART Communication protocol, allowing for integration with mining communication systems, for enhanced control, feedback and diagnostics. “In addition, this cylinder delivers high positioning repeatability of 0.5 mm, providing accurate level control for maximum froth velocity, and adjustable speed control levels”. With one-touch stroke calibration, LED diagnostics and failsafe ports, the IN-777 is favoured for its low-maintenance operation.

“SMC is pleased with the outcome of these installations and is proud to partner with the mining industry to increase their extraction rates and improve efficiencies” concludes Marcucci.

SMC Corporation smcworld.com

Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022 | 61

EVENTS

Unlock the power of Analog

D

esign engineers looking for the latest products should check out the Analog Devices (ADI) range now available at Element14.

The wider range will benefit engineers planning and creating for aerospace and defence, automotive, communications, consumer, data centres, energy, industrial automation and healthcare markets.

The broad portfolio of high-performance analogue, mixed-signal and digital signal processing (DSP), integrated circuits (ICs) by ADI is suitable for all types of electronic equipment used in 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), cyber security, radar systems and RF solutions, as well as sensor interfaces and precision technology applications.

Used by over 100,000 customers worldwide, ADI’s signal processing products play a fundamental role in converting, conditioning, and processing real-world phenomena such as temperature, pressure, sound, light, speed, and motion into electrical signals to be used in a wide array of electronic devices.

ADI’s focus is on key markets where its signal processing technology is

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2. What does Volkswagen, the popular German car, mean in English?

8 to 9 December 2022 International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney centreforwhs.nsw.gov.au/ about-us/2022-national-colloquium-for-whs

often a critical differentiator for customers’ products, namely the industrial, automotive, communications, and consumer markets.

ADI produces a wide range of products—including data converters, amplifiers and linear products, radio frequency (RF) ICs, power management products, sensors based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology and other sensors, and processing products, including DSP and other processors— that are designed to meet the needs of a broad base of customers.

Element14 is committed to supporting customers at every point in their journey while they prepare for their next big design challenge. Given the ever changing environment, they understand the importance of working with a partner that can be trusted.

Their partnership with Analog Devices fulfils customer requirements with a wide range of products and services.

element14 au.element14.com

Energy Next 18 to 19 July 2023 International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney energynext.com.au Foodpro 23 to 26 July 2023 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre foodproexh.com

3. What is the name of the biggest technology company in South Korea?

austech

CeMaT Australia

9 to 12 May 2023 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

25 to 27 July 2023 The Dome, Sydney Olympic Park

4. What did the first vending machine dispense?

amtil.com.au/Austech

cemat.com.au

5. In which city is the price of gold “fixed” daily?

Australian Manufacturing Week

Modern Manufacturing Expo

9 to 12 May 2023 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

20 to 21 September 2023 Sydney Showground, Homebush, Sydney

australianmanufacturingweek.com.au

cemat.com.au

6. How old was Bill Gates when he became a billionaire?

7. What is measured in Mickeys?

8. What was eBay.com originally called?

9. A file ending .au features which content?

10. In Home Alone, where are the McCallisters going on vacation when they leave Kevin behind?

Answers: 1 - Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, 2 - People’s car, 3 - Samsung, 4 - Holy Water, 5 - London, 6 - 31, 7 - The speed of a computer mouse, 8 - AuctionWeb, 9 - Audio, 10 - Paris

62 | Industry Update Issue 129 November 2022

Electronics Design and Assembly Expo 10 to 11 May 2023 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre electronex.com.au Workplace Health and Safety Show

Workplace Health and Safety Show 20 to 21 September 2023 Sydney Showground, Homebush, Sydney whsshow.com.au Safety and Health at Work

31 May to 1 June 2023 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

27 to 30 November 2023 International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney

whsshow.com.au

safety2023sydney.com

industryupdate.com.au

VIDEO PRODUCTION Tim Webster

Product Videos / Case Study Videos / How To Videos Manufacturing Current Affairs Videos

NEW

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

2-Part

Documentary

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

Important Online Video Statistics

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.

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

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.

Industry Update youtube.com/c/IndustryUpdate

2,236,395 impressions 978,700 views Since its launch in 2017, Industry Update Video has been a remarkable success, with content spanning the whole of the manufacturing industry.

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 confidence to invest.

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

Some of our Industry Update Video clients

Number one manufacturing publication in Australia Circulation of 19,233 and readership of 76,932 Audited by

02 9439 1288 / sales@industryupdate.com.au

industryupdate.com.au

Be part of Australia’s Manufacturing DNA Showcase your technology and lead the way!

Modern Manufacturing Expo 2023 20 – 21 September, Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park If your business is involved in robotics, AI, factory automation, Industry 4.0, manufacturing software, advanced manufacturing or any other modern technology that is leading the industry into the future, we want to hear from you!

“You need to get your business name out there and The Modern Manufacturing Expo is the best way of doing it… everyone in one location to see and hear what you do, you can’t lose” – APPMA

Limited exhibitor stands & sponsorship opportunities available.

03 9596 9205

•

M M E S A L E S @ I E C G R O U P. C O M . A U

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Exhibit with the industry leaders Workplace Health & Safety Show 2023 31 May – 1 June 2023 - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre 20 – 21 September 2023 - Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

• Australasia’s only dedicated Workplace Health & Safety exhibition • Engage with over 2000 OHS professionals, across industry sectors over two days • Build networks and gather new leads at this well attended leading industry event

Limited exhibitor stands & speaking opportunities available.

03 9596 9205

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W H S S A L E S @ I E C G R O U P. C O M . A U

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WHSSHOW.COM.AU