For Australian manufacturers to remain competitive, the key message from industry bodies is to work smarter, not harder. In research conducted by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) it was found that the manufacturers in Australia who are globally competitive are those who make smarter use of technology. In its report Advanced manufacturing: A new … Continue reading Automation important for manufacturers to remain competitive →

The most common cause of bearing failure in an industrial plant is improper lubrication. Which is why a multipoint lubrication system is recommended, particularly for large operations such as those typical in the building material manufacturing sector, says lubrication expert Mandar Shivalkar. “The key point to understand is that over-lubrication can be just as damaging … Continue reading Keeping plant operations slick with multipoint solution →

Industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) serves a variety of key applications across industries. It is widely used in the food and beverage industries for carbonation of liquid drinks. It can also be used as a shielding gas in welding processes or as a refrigerant with a lower global warming potential than traditional HFCs. There is an … Continue reading Fuelling the industry with a clean gas →

Industrial robots are commonplace in factories because they provide an effective alternative to manual workers for repetitive, high-volume assembly line tasks. The machines can continuously repeat high-precision tasks for many years with only the occasional interruption for routine maintenance. Boosted productivity ensures a return on the initial high capital investment. But relatively low-cost human workers … Continue reading Collaborative robots: designing for productivity and safety →

The explosive nature of grain and flour dusts is well-documented, with some of the worst industrial accidents in the world caused by explosions from dust clouds. Research published in the United States additionally reveals that 50 per cent of all explosions from combustible dusts in the 20th century occurred in grain silos and flour mills1. … Continue reading Volt belt leads the charge in ATEX environments →

When conveying material, it is often necessary to attach additional conveyor belt products, such as a scraper or flaps, or extend flighting between a pair of parallel chains. In food and beverage (F&B) systems, these can be necessary to ensure the product flows to the right area in the process. And in order to attach … Continue reading Keeping F&B manufacturers on track with Diamond precision →

While BDO has been operating its full gamut of services – spanning audit, insurance, tax, compliance, and advisory services for a range of industries since 1975 – in the last six years, they have amped up their technology and digital focus; allowing them to help manufacturer’s optimise value from their digital implementation. BDO’s technology advisory … Continue reading How to optimise your digital transformation →

Paul Golata, senior technology specialist at Mouser Electronics discusses considerations when designing robotics for industrial or commercial purposes. Successful robotics connectivity only happens by design. Intricate and delicate electronic systems must work to monitor, control, and adjust robotic performance through real-time adjustments. When it is well-designed, the result is a reliable high-performance network of machine … Continue reading High-performance connectivity in robotics →

Justin Farrell from Siemens and Phil Newnes from APS Industrial discuss the recent trends in industrial automation technology and what it takes to move manufacturing businesses forward. Recent trends in automation technology have the potential to be gamechangers in the industrial sector, pushing forward productivity and efficiency and making processes more flexible and adaptable in … Continue reading Building the right game in industrial automation →

The impact of recalls within the automotive parts sector are far-reaching and not only do they affect the manufacturer themselves, but there is an impact on the automotive brands that use them too. From drops in sales, to reputational damage and not to mention customer safety, it has become vital to track and trace an … Continue reading Do not let an unchecked fault drive off with your credibility →

Plastics and rubber play an important role in getting food and food products to our plates. Rubber conveyor belts and rubber/plastic lined chutes, hoppers and grinding mills are all part of the farm produce’s journey from farm to processing plants and to the trucks for transport. When a rubber conveyor belt gets damaged, whether from … Continue reading LOCTITE rubber repair resin cuts curing times →

The food industry needs to operate efficiently to ensure quick delivery of produce, so it is as fresh as possible for customers. To meet this standard, reliable air compressors with a proven track record of success are required. Air compressor faults take time to repair and that downtime also threatens required delivery objectives, especially for … Continue reading Compressing the right information for customers →

Use of collaborative robots (cobots) are forecasted to grow in Australia. Manufacturers’ Monthly spoke to Universal Robots about how automation will improve production lines. In Australia, cobots have traditionally found their largest markets in food and beverage and general manufacturing. Human workers and cobots have worked side by side for duties such as machine tending, … Continue reading Cobots to help Australian businesses adapt →

MathWorks has introduced the new Release 2020a with expanded AI capabilities for deep learning. The release introduces an enhanced Deep Learning Toolbox that helps users manage multiple deep learning experiments, keep track of training parameters, analyse and compare results and code with the new Experiment Manager app. It can also interactively train a network for … Continue reading MathWorks delivers additional AI capabilities to engineers and scientists →

The explosive nature of grain and flour dusts is well-documented, with some of the worst industrial accidents in the world caused by explosions from dust clouds. Research published in the United States additionally reveals that 50% of all explosions from combustible dusts in the 20th century occurred in grain silos and flour mills. Dusts from … Continue reading Volt belt leads the charge in ATEX environments →

Building material manufacturing plants are often equipped with bespoke and uncommon production components that are not readily available locally and, in many cases, not available internationally. Should a lubricant-related failure occur, this can affect the entire production process and ability of the site to manufacture its finished product. “Using lubricants manufactured from high quality ingredients … Continue reading Keeping operations fluid with Shell’s global bespoke lubrication solutions →

Standing at one of the platforms of Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, it’s hard not to admire the massive dune-like roof structure that makes the train station feel like a modern airport. When the landmark station – formerly known as the Spencer Street station – was revamped ahead of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, … Continue reading Efficiency at its peak with the right drill and tap solutions →

During a crisis or challenging economic circumstances, there is an explosive proliferation of information about what to do and what effects the crisis may have. Much of this information is speculation and unfounded rumour, and even the official information is broadly targeted and irrelevant for some. Thus, having accurate information in a crisis is a … Continue reading Insights for intelligence →

Anthony Wong, Regional Director – South Pacific Region, Rockwell Automation Automation and remote operations are on the move. Nowhere was this more clear than at our recent Rockwell Automation On The Move – a unique event where from 3-4 March we saw 119 customers attend 15 breakout sessions in Auckland, New Zealand, engaging with new … Continue reading An intuitive shift towards greater automation →

Key topics such as system availability, operational effectiveness and return on investment come to mind when thinking of an airport’s baggage handling system as a critical asset. Taking into account the initial outlay for a brand new system, alongside the projected operational and maintenance related investments, it is no doubt a long and complex journey … Continue reading Getting the most out of your baggage conveyor system →