The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $23 million in funding to develop an Australian-first energy-from-waste project in Western Australia which will reduce waste going to landfill. Co-developed by Macquarie Capital (Australia) Limited and Phoenix Energy Australia, the $668 million facility will be located in the Kwinana Industrial Area 40 km south of Perth. … Continue reading Australia’s first energy-from-waste plant to be built in WA →

Industry 4.0 implementation is now more possible than ever, Jozef Ceh explains. While it’s not a new concept, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) continues to generate buzz in the industry with the promise of unlocking further opportunity and great value. Naturally, the adoption rate of such technologies hasn’t quite taken off at a rapid … Continue reading IIoT technologies are becoming more ‘real’ →

Condition monitoring is an important factor in many different industries. There is continual pressure to reduce production and maintenance costs, but at the same time uptime, increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).  The conditions unbalance and overall vibration monitoring of plant machines, such as motors, fans and pumps, which are often monitored manually or not at … Continue reading Intelligent low-cost vibration monitoring →

When thinking about cost savings on a power bill, most processing plants look towards more tangible items such as machinery and lighting. The energy costs associated with these products are easily measured and fixed – switch off a light or a piece of machinery and the power bill will shrink, right? But what about something less … Continue reading Saving energy and money with air compressors →

The Oxley Creek sewage treatment plant in South East Queensland was impacted by severe flooding in 2011 causing $32 million worth of damage, forcing part of the treatment plant offline. This prompted a flood resilience upgrade to the facility to reduce the plant’s recovery time in case of future flood events. Oxley Creek sewage treatment … Continue reading Building plant resilience with an upgrade →

Bosch Australia has launched Learn@Bosch, a program designed to “spark enthusiasm for STEM” among Year 6 primary school students. The company aims to achieve this by providing a real-world environment and inspiring context for learning. Rather than sending employees out to schools, Bosch Australia invited students to visit its Clayton headquarters to experience first-hand industry applications … Continue reading Bosch targets STEM students at primary school →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced it was partnering with Monash University and technology partner Indra Australia to trial a microgrid on Monash’s Clayton campus that will see the campus powered by renewable energy. On behalf of the Australian Government, ARENA will provide $2.97 million in funding to Monash University and Indra Australia … Continue reading Microgrid trial will allow Monash University to run on renewables →

Professor Takanori Shibata has been awarded the 2018 Ryman prize in recognition of more than 25 years of ground-breaking research into new technology to help older people. Shibata, an artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics pioneer, was presented with the prize by New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern on October 12 in Auckland. The Ryman Prize … Continue reading AI and robotics pioneer wins prize for therapeutic robot →

Steven Sischy has been with Beckhoff Automation since its inception in 2006. During his time at the company, Sischy has seen a lot of changes develop within the automation and control space. Beckhoff has been at the cutting edge of automation technology including PC-based control and open automation technologies. In 2003, Beckhoff introduced the well-known … Continue reading Speed key to embracing the IoT →

Companies need to start working together to embed cyber security into their plant and machinery. Neil Elliott Smith – vice-president, industry business, Schneider Electric Pacific, explains why. Cyber security is everyone’s business. A cyberattack can have far-reaching implications for a specific company and its customers, but it can also have larger ramifications for industry, consumers … Continue reading The need for industry collaboration for cyber security →

Australian researchers using a CSIRO radio telescope in Western Australia have nearly doubled the known number of ‘fast radio bursts’. The team’s discoveries include the closest and brightest fast radio bursts ever detected. Their findings were reported on October 11 in the journal Nature. Fast radio bursts come from all over the sky and last for … Continue reading CSIRO telescope almost doubles flashes of radio bursts from space →

Ballarat’s new home for digital innovation and entrepreneurship has opened in a win for digital specialists, innovators, technology designers, researchers and students. Victoria’s minister for regional development Jaala Pulford opened Ballarat’s dedicated digital startup space at Federation University’s Flecknoe Building on October 10. The hub was funded with $4.3 million from the Victorian Governemnt. The … Continue reading Ballarat’s new hub for digital innovation opens →

Any Internet of Things (IoT) application requires devices that are able to sense and measure real-time data, as well as hardware instruments to process and transfer the data. Sensors can measure a range of physical parameters such as pressure, flow, temperature, displacement, position, speed, humidity, vibration, motion, acceleration, tilt angle, force, load, torque, level and … Continue reading Sensors and their role within the IoT →

Hidden in the recesses of many pieces of plant and machinery is the humble actuator – that small device that helps drive equipment and plant around a factory floor. There are many types of actuators – pneumatic, electric, mechanical, magnetic, TCP and hydraulic – and without them some manufacturing plants would come to a standstill. … Continue reading Making electric actuators smarter →

Cost-effective automation is the best possible solution for gripping, turning, pivoting and placing items and returning them to their initial position – especially in the case of simple pick-and-place tasks performed over a long period of time. This also applies to small- and medium-sized enterprises that are becoming increasingly exposed to external competitive pressure. But … Continue reading Low-cost modular robotics kit makes automation easy →

Emerson has introduced the Roxar FSM Log 48 area corrosion monitor, a new pipeline integrity management system that provides remote, continuous online corrosion and erosion monitoring, enabling operators to track localised corrosion and ensure cost-effective pipeline health even in challenging environments. The Roxar FSM Log 48 – with 48 referring to the number of pins … Continue reading Integrity management for remote pipelines →

Autonomous vehicle technology company Cohda Wireless has been granted permission to trial driverless cars on city streets for the first time. The South Australian government last week granted permission to trial autonomous vehicles in the central business district of the state’s capital Adelaide. The authorised trial period runs until 30 June 2020 and will be … Continue reading Driverless car trial for city streets →

Engineers at The Australian National University (ANU) have invented a semiconductor with organic and inorganic materials that can convert electricity into light very efficiently, and it is thin and flexible enough to help make devices such as mobile phones bendable. The invention also opens the door to a new generation of high-performance electronic devices made … Continue reading Semiconductor converts electricity into light efficiently →

Instrumentation company Vaisala has introduced the upgraded HPP272 and a new HPP271 measurement probe for the environmentally friendly hydrogen peroxide bio-decontamination processes. Both probe models continue to use Vaisala’s proprietary PEROXCAP sensor for measuring hydrogen peroxide bringing all the benefits of its world leading accuracy, repeatability, and stability into play. The new Vaisala PEROXCAP Hydrogen … Continue reading Measurement probe for ecological bio-decontamination processes →

Students at Bendigo TAFE are gaining access to more training in areas such as drone technology. On the 4th of October, the Victorian minister for training and skills Gayle Tierney announced a $2.2 million boost to deliver 10 courses at the Bendigo campus. Courses have been developed in collaboration with industry, employers and other key … Continue reading More training in drone technology delivered to Benido TAFE →