The Queensland government opened the Townsville Manufacturing Hub on Monday, September 9. The Hub aims to help boost manufacturing and productivity in the city and surrounding region and is located at the TAFE Queensland Bohle campus. Townsville manufacturing businesses contributed $840 million to Queensland’s economy in 2017-2018, according to Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure … Continue reading Townsville hub provides local connection to advanced manufacturing →

Smart materials will have a new application in home care systems for the elderly, through research conducted by Deakin University’s Mediated Intelligence in Design (MInD) Lab. The devices, which incorporate graphene sensing surfaces, will be installed on surfaces such as walls and floors and could provide information on temperature, pressure, and humidity levels. The project … Continue reading Graphene sensors used for home care application →

Thermo Fischer Scientific now offers Fluke Australia’s electronic test tools. Fluke Australia produces tools that can be used for process calibration, power quality, industrial imaging, and infrared cameras. Fluke’s devices are used in fields including industrial maintenance, commercial building, mining, oil and gas, and wastewater. The Everett, Washington, US-headquartered company was established in 1948, and … Continue reading Thermo Fischer Scientific stocks Fluke tools →

A new research post at the University of Queensland will focus on advancing the performance, economics, and uptake of electric vehicle technology. Dr Jake Whitehead will be the dedicated e-mobility researcher, and the position – the Tritium e-Mobility Visiting Fellow – is named after the electric vehicle fast charging company, headquartered in Queensland, which first … Continue reading UQ to be centre for electric vehicle technology →

The University of Sydney, Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), and defence contractor Raytheon Australia have announced their commitment to women in STEM fields. The three organisations are inaugural Champions of the Women in STEM Decadal Plan, launched earlier this year by the Australian Academy of Science. The plan sims to present a shared … Continue reading Champions announced for Women in STEM Decadal Plan →

Hosting an inter-personal networking event at RMIT, senior manager for research partnerships, Quin Chang, highlighted how frank conversations could occur in the informal setting. “This workshop was an opportunity for academics and small business owners to start bringing these two worlds together by better understanding each other’s priorities, and having open and honest discussion about … Continue reading Industry-research engagement program runs pilot meeting →

Engineers Australia announced that Dr Bronwyn Evans will take over as CEO of the engineering body. Having held roles in manufacturing enterprises such as Cochlear and GE Healthcare, while also being CEO of Standards Australia, Evans will lead an organisation in transition, according to Trish White, national president and board chair of Engineers Australia. “Over … Continue reading Engineers Australia appoints Dr Bronwyn Evans as CEO →

SICK takes another step toward Industry 4.0 by offering a new, comprehensive indoor localisation portfolio. Thanks to coordinated sensors and analysis tools, large amounts of data can now be evaluated purposefully and fields of action can be displayed in factory processes or logistics. This makes it possible to manage complex logistics networks, create transparency, and … Continue reading Indoor localisation offers a solution for complex logistics networks →

Swinburne has opened the largest manufacturing research and development centre of its kind in Australia. With $4.9 million in federal funding, the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials (SEAM), opened on Wednesday, September 4. Working in collaboration with the University of South Australia and RMIT University, as well as … Continue reading Centre for surface engineering for advanced materials opens at Swinburne →

TAFE will look to deliver training in digital trades to meet the growth of “blue tech” jobs, such as cyber security, data and analytics, augmented and virtual reality, software engineering, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence. Following from a study tour to Canada and the US, TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) highlighted three themes … Continue reading TAFE looks to prepare students with digital trades qualifications →

A joint project between industry, government, universities, and CSIRO has led to the creation of a new digital ear tag for cattle. Participants involved in the project include the Queensland state government, James Cook University, CSIRO and agricultural technology company Ceres Tag. The tag, supported by $1.5 million funding from the Advance Queensland Innovation Partnerships … Continue reading Low energy electronics produces solution for cattle tag →

With one day left of the World Economic Forum on Africa, the key theme of inclusive growth within the Fourth Industrial Revolution had been explored by leaders in business, government, and civil society. With the ink only just dry on the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, a focus of the conference was closer regional integration … Continue reading World Economic Forum on Africa discusses Industry 4.0 on the continent →

Manufacturers will be able to take advantage of $50 million in funding from the federal government for the purchase of new technology, with the announcement of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund. Launched at Emesent, a start-up that is commercialising drone autonomy and mapping technology, the funding from the government will enable manufacturers to be more competitive … Continue reading New fund to support purchase of technology →

Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking the SAM R30 sub-GHz module from Microchip Technology. The industry’s smallest IEEE 802.15.4-compliant module, the SAM R30 combines an ultra-low-power microcontroller with a sub-GHZ radio in a 12.7 × 11 mm package, enabling long-lasting battery life in space-constrained designs like wireless-networked sensors and controls in home automation, smart city, … Continue reading Microchip’s SAM R30 sub-GHz module for ultra-low-power WPAN designs →

According to the Future of Manufacturing Report, published by St. George, greater collaboration and partnerships are needed to drive the manufacturing sector forward. “The sector is far from fading; automation, artificial intelligence and pure inventiveness are enabling new business models and processes that are transforming an industry which already contributes AU$100 billion to Australia’s GDP,” … Continue reading Connections needed for future manufacturing: report →

The Australian Space Agency has opened consultations for the design of its Robotics, Automation and AI Command and Control Centre. Input is being sought on the objectives of the centre, the mission types for potential users, and overall program design. The Centre will be located in Western Australia and is funded through $4.5 million from … Continue reading Industry invited to set objectives for space control centre →

The Victorian government has ordered the next batch of six VLocity trains, to be built locally at Bombardier’s site in Dandenong. 100 direct jobs will be supported by the current stage of the $340 million project, which will see the manufacturing of 18 new three-carriage trains to serve regional Victoria. “Bombardier are a world leader … Continue reading Order received for locally produced VLocity train sets →

Two M113 AS4 Armoured Personnel Carriers will run using autonomous technologies, in a trial run by BAE Systems and the Australian Army. Developed at BAE’s Edinburgh Parks facility, the trial will run throughout October, as the vehicles conduct experiments to test the applicability of autonomous thinking on the battlefield. “Autonomous technology will assist soldiers to … Continue reading Autonomous vehicles move Army personnel →

Steel manufacturer Molycop has signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with energy retailer Flow Power. Using energy from the Bomen Solar Farm and the Sapphire Wind Farm, both of which are located in NSW, the manufacturer will have more than half of its energy needs met by these two renewable projects. The Sapphire Wind … Continue reading Steel manufacturer offloads electricity to renewables →

Defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin Australia has consolidated its operations to deliver the MH60 Romeo program and other core defence businesses. Focussing its facilities at its Nowra site, the company will close the Brisbane operations of its subsidiary rotor wing company Sikorsky Australia by 31 January 2020. In a statement, Lockheed Martin Australia said that it … Continue reading Lockheed Martin consolidates Brisbane Sikorsky operations →