industry 4.0

RMIT, Siemens and Festo have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore major areas of cooperation to help drive workforce transformation for Industry 4.0 in the Australasian region, including the establishment of an Industrial Digital Innovation Hub at RMIT. The hub will be designed to enable digital innovation at scale in a collaborative … Continue reading RMIT, Siemens and Festo partner to create a new Industrial Digital Innovation Hub →

Collaborative robots, fondly known as cobots, have come a long way since their inception more than 10 years ago. First viewed as a ‘lab experiment’, these were initially bought, sent off to innovation centres for testing and were never to be seen or used on the production floor. Today however, cobots are the fastest-growing segment … Continue reading Introducing cobots into the workplace: here’s what you need to know →

Queensland manufacturing leaders have held the first Ministerial Manufacturing Council meeting to put forward ideas on supporting the sector during COVID-19. Chairing the online meeting, new Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing Glenn Butcher thanked all council members for their dedication and support for the manufacturing sector. “Queensland’s manufacturing industry employs over 165,000 people and … Continue reading Qld manufacturing leaders hold first council meeting for 2020 →

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 →

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 →

Alongside Industry 4.0, human-robot collaboration (HRC ) is a real hot topic in the industrial sector right now and is gaining more and more media attention with no signs of slowing down. This hype awakens dreams: Protective fences can be removed, efficiency and ergonomics can be improved significantly, and humans are now working hand in … Continue reading Human-robot collaboration with standard end-effectors →

Bin picking is a key technology for Industry 4.0. The art of this application involves reliably gripping and removing chaotically arranged or sorted components from a bin using an industrial robot. This automated process can be run either dynamically or statically. Depending upon the application, bin picking systems are recommended which are equipped with sensors … Continue reading Bin Picking – Pick the Right 3D Sensor →

A new Commonwealth-funded course at Flinders University has opened as part of a $35 billion digital upskilling program to provide further training for ship builders. The Diploma of Digital Technology will combine theoretical approaches to Industry 4.0 technology with hands-on experience to prepare students for work at the state-of-the-art Osborne Naval shipyard in South Australia. … Continue reading Australia launches first digital ship building course →

Although often operating in the background, IBSA has an important role to play in Australian manufacturing. The work of ensuring that vocational education courses are up to date is one that is often unseen or unknown to the wider industry. But it is one that is critical to the future success of the manufacturing industry. … Continue reading Combining flexibility and innovation →

CNC-based machining tools has been widely adopted in the manufacturing business. Especially in the era of Industry 4.0, the new development of manufacturing technology should consider intelligent collaboration, process monitoring and management in real-time. As CNC operators require a set of skills and qualifications, educators and trainers are looking for engaging solutions to build these … Continue reading IoT ready CNC industrial control machines →

Over 60 per cent of Australia’s manufacturing jobs will potentially be impacted by automation technologies over the next 15 years, according to a new report. Thirty per cent of existing manufacturing jobs will be totally automated and 33 per cent of jobs in the sector will be augmented by technological change by 2034, according to … Continue reading Automation to transform manufacturing employment landscape by 2034 →

A total of $2.9 million in funding will help Bae Systems Australia’s shipbuilding business, ASC Shipbuilding, develop and pilot Industry 4.0 manufacturing technologies to build the Hunter class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy at the Osborne shipyard in South Australia. The Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC) will contribute $1.45 million in grant funding … Continue reading $2.9m to drive digital manufacturing in Hunter Class frigates →

In order to address the skills shortage in naval shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing, TAFE South Australia has signed an MoU with French engineering services company, Groupe FIVA towards an industry and educational collaboration relating to engineering skills  in manufacturing design. “Working with experienced industry partners will ensure our curriculum and skills development aligns with the … Continue reading TAFE SA and Groupe FIVA team up to tackle skills shortage →

As the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) gathers momentum, manufacturers are becoming more aware of the commercial benefits of research and development (R&D) collaborations with research organisations. At the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), we’ve seen these collaborations not only stimulate innovation but help companies compete commercially in the rapidly changing world of manufacturing. … Continue reading Effective industry and research collaboration: redefining return on investment →

RMIT has today launched a report into how local manufacturers can embrace Industry 4.0 (I4.0), which revealed widespread hesitation among local advanced manufacturers to embrace game-changing technologies for fears of cost. “The businesses we talked to mostly assumed I4.0 implementation was inherently costly and therefore only within reach of large, cashed-up corporations,” RMIT University’s Dr Ben … Continue reading What local manufacturers can do to get aboard the Industry 4.0 express →

Deloitte has released a report claiming that many senior executives are less prepared for  Industry 4.0 than they should be, despite successful implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies. Business leaders continue to focus more on using advanced technologies to protect their positions than on making bold investments to drive disruption, according to the new report – … Continue reading Business leaders still not prepared for Industry 4.0 →

Ireland has committed to supporting manufacturers in the country to pursue Industry 4.0 strategies. Minister for Business, Enterprise, and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, announced that the government would contribute €23.5 million ($37.8 million) to the Irish Manufacturing Research Centre as part of its new Industry 4.0 Strategy. “The Irish Manufacturing Research Centre plays a pivotal role in … Continue reading Ireland commits $37.8 million to Industry 4.0 →

Brazil will collaborate with the World Economic Forum to enable small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector to access to the technologies of Industry 4.0. The Ministry of Economy of Brazil and the State of São Paulo will work with the Forum to implement policies to drive the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies. … Continue reading Industry 4.0 in Brazil gains international expertise →

Working at the intersection of digital and physical systems, Total Construction is primed to integrate Industry 4.0 into a manufacturing facility. Manufacturers’ Monthly explains. Thinking about installing Industry 4.0 systems in your plant? It’s time to talk to your builder. This is the message from Rob Blythman, general manager, Engineering Construction Group for Total Construction. … Continue reading Early involvement ensures smooth integration →