The first commercial pilot of a molten silicon energy storage system developed by South Australian innovator, 1414 Degrees, is one step closer to commissioning, with large components of the technology making their way to SA Water’s Glenelg wastewater treatment plant this week. 414 Degrees’ biogas Thermal Energy Storage System (GAS-TESS) technology will store energy generated … Continue reading Commissioning of pilot molten silicon energy storage system moves a step closer →

Renewable energy is here to stay but there are technical challenges. Maren Gast and Hans-Peter Pircher from Phoenix Contact explain why. Feeding renewable, and therefore fluctuating, energy into the power grid causes variations in supply voltage and electric load. The use of an energy storage system for control reserve, as implemented at the campus Garching … Continue reading Cost-effective grid stabilisation →

Next-Battery has secured a strategic relationship with China-based Lvchi Automobile Technology, which may see Next-Battery play a significant part in the future development plans of Lvchi as Next-Battery moves towards completing its first advanced prototype battery. Both Next-Battery and Lvchi will proceed with key visits in Ukraine and China during Q1 2019 with a view … Continue reading Electric vehicle producer Lvchi to work with lithium-ion battery developer →

SAGE Automation and Melbourne Water have won the Victorian 2018 Australian Water Award for their internet of things (IoT) monitoring solution. The solution won the Infrastructure Project category which had more than 30 other entrants from across the state. The other finalist was John Holland and Goulburn-Murray Water. The Internet of Things (IoT) solution enabled … Continue reading SAGE Automation and Melbourne win award for IoT monitoring solution →

With automation now heading into a new phase of growth due to Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT), speed is a key ingredient. Having a fieldbus system that can keep up is essential. PACE explains. Beckhoff spent the last two weeks in October travelling around Australia and New Zealand with a roadshow explaining … Continue reading EtherCAT at cutting edge of new technology upgrades in automation →

Mike Wheeler talks to Rafael Koenig, managing director of industrial connectivity specialist Weidmuller, about the company’s approach in a competitive industry. Starting out as a textile factory in Chemnitz, eastern Germany in 1850, Weidmuller reinvented itself in the 1940s as a manufacturer of Staffel terminal blocks. When Germany was divided after World War II, the … Continue reading Consulting an important part of connectivity equation →

Well, like nearly everything else – there’s a wholesale market. It’s a variable market that moves based on supply and demand and your retailer sets your prices for fixed-rate contracts based on what they believe it will do. The prices are publicly available for you to see on AEMO’s website. That’s great until the market … Continue reading Ever wondered where energy retailers buy your power from? →

Protecting less and sharing more is the key to staying on top of cybersecurity according to one cyber expert. Miri Schroeter reports from the Command Control cyber conference in Munich, Germany. To stay on top of cybersecurity, companies should start by doing less. This is the advice given by someone who knows the dark world … Continue reading Experts spill on the best drill for increasing cybersecurity →

La Trobe University has teamed up with Waratah Special Developmental School to conduct a Victoria-first trial of social robots in classrooms. Originally co-created in partnership with NEC Corporation, the robot, called Matilda, has been working across four classrooms to assist teachers in creating positive social engagement and entertaining learning activities for students. Research project manager, … Continue reading Robot assistant trialled in Victorian classrooms →

A high-tech gas turbine engine featuring increased fuel efficiency and greater reliability for the recreational aircraft market and 12 other projects will receive a share of $4.9 million in federal government funds. The government’s latest Accelerating Commercialisation grants are being offered to businesses from Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia take … Continue reading Twelve innovative Australian businesses awarded government grants →

General Electric Additive and the University of Sydney are in discussions to collaborate on establishing Sydney as a global leader in digitally-led metal additive manufacturing, with an industry event being held in Barangaroo next week. The nature of this collaboration supports the creation of the first metal additive manufacturing “total ecosystem” – the complete value chain … Continue reading GE Additive and University of Sydney to hold additive manufacturing event →

The inductive proximity sensor has been at the forefront of factory automation giving reliable switching and feedback on plant and machinery for 50 years. PACE explains. The story behind the humble proximity sensor is extraordinary. The initial quest was to find a replacement to the mechanical limit switch that was good for the times but … Continue reading Proximity sensors for all requirements →

Schneider Electric has helped EastLink, the largest privately operated freeway network in Victoria, achieve global recognition for its ESG sustainability performance. The 2018 GRESB Infrastructure Assessment awarded EastLink the top 5-star sustainability rating for the third year in a row, and the tunnel was ranked 5th out of 280 infrastructure entities around the world for … Continue reading EastLink receives recognition for sustainability performance →

Congatec has showcased its new modular airborne computing platforms for connected aircrafts, passenger infotainment, and augmented reality applications at Aeromart Toulouse. The vendor of standardised and customised embedded computer boards and modules, presented its COM Express Type 7 Server-on-Modules, designed for converged edge servers in aircrafts, working with content delivery applications to seatback screens and … Continue reading Congatec showcases new aircraft computer platforms at Aeromart Toulouse →

Nivus GmbH has released a data logger featuring automatic data transmission via mobile telephone networks. With the NivuLink Micro, the measuring equipment manufacturer offers a solution for energy-optimised sensor systems, cloud-based provision and transmission of data, and evaluation and protocols. The NivuLink Micro represents the telecontrol interface between sensors and systems, with data transmission that … Continue reading Nivus GmbH releases NivuLink Micro data logger →

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration has been assigned the official distributor for Bronkhorst High-Tech B.V. in Australia, following the signing of a partnership between the two companies. The Victoria-based AMS and the Netherlands-based Bronkhorst announced the new agreement in a joint-statement last month. From the beginning of December, AMS will partner for the representation of Bronkhorst … Continue reading AMS becomes Australian distribution partner of Bronkhorst →

At its annual Automation Fair, Rockwell Automation unveiled the company’s new branding and shared announcements about its new products which seek to enhance productivity by harnessing data and information within organisations. The new brand promise, “Expanding Human Possibility” seeks to promote the company’s efforts to connect people, machines and data digitally, with the aim of … Continue reading Rockwell Automation launches new branding and products at Automation Fair →

Wine producer, Australian Vintage, will become the first in Australia to enter a large-scale hybrid renewable corporate power purchase agreement (PPA), through wholesale energy retailer Flow Power. The PPA mixes wind and solar generation to leverage the best of both generation profiles to match Australian Vintage’s energy consumption. It will provide renewable generation to the … Continue reading Australian Vintage signs hybrid renewable PPA with Flow Power →

ICP Electronics Australia has introduced iEi Integration’s new PPC-F-Q370 Series of artificial intelligence ready panel PCs for applications including machine vision and AOI defect classification. The PPC-F-Q370 Series of panel PCs is based on the Intel OpenVINO toolkit and supports Intel 8th Generation Core desktop processors. As an AI-ready solution the panel PCs are prime … Continue reading ICP Electronics Australia introduces iEi Integration’s PPC-F-Q370 Series AI-ready panel PC →

Nord Drivesystems has joined fellow manufacturers SMC Pneumatics, Beckhoff Automation, Balluff, ZI-Argus in an expert panel that will address the complexities of Industry 4.0 and industrial internet of things (IIoT)technologies. The panel, Open IIoT, will seek to not only solve automation challenges but to demonstrate tangible customer savings. Nord Drivesystems managing director, Martin Broglia said … Continue reading Nord Drivesystems joins Industry 4.0 and IIoT expert panel →