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Innovative advances in technology, including digitisation, and automation, are significantly revolutionising the mining industry. Technologies such as AI & Big Data, autonomous vehicles, drones, automated sorting, and dewatering technology are reshaping the industry. Their benefits include but aren’t limited to improving mine safety, predicting mine hazards, and sending real-time information.

By creating more sustainable mining technologies and innovations we can be confident the industry will become greener, reducing the overall environmental impacts.

Here is a snapshot of just some of the ways technology is working to transform the industry. 

1. Autonomous Vehicles

Self-driving vehicles are one of the progressions that mining companies are taking to improve the highly volatile sector. For a long time, mining has been faced with problems such as precarious conditions in the mines, lack of skilled labour, and high operating costs. Autonomous vehicles have provided a solution to this because they are safer, cheaper, and reliable. The vehicles integrate technologies such as GPS systems, two-way radio communication, and computing power to make navigation in mines safe and efficient.

2. Automated sorting

The mining industry has incorporated systems to separate valuable mineral ores from waste rock. Mining sorting equipment is not only a practical method to sort particles, but also a way to increase quality, yield, and productivity. The systems manage costs and have low downtime making mining operations highly efficient.

3. AI & Big Data

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data technologies present the mining industry with intelligent machines that work like humans and the benefits of data analytics to improve operations. With these technologies, mining is simplified because the devices can perform a variety of tasks such as drilling, blasting, and sampling. The application of AI and Big data also improves data exchange between users and reduces mining risks to workers because all risks are analysed.

4. Drones

The use of drones in mining solves numerous challenges in the industry by providing faster surveying, better blast optimisation, and improved surveillance of the mines. Data that was inaccessible or otherwise unsafe to reach can now be accessed and sent to the systems.

5. Dewatering technology

Influxes of water caused by weather conditions such as heavy rainfall can significantly slow down open-pit mining. For this reason, dewatering technology is used to handle the maximum inflow of water into the mines. These efforts reduce downtime and prevent the risk of operations.

Examples of Innovative Technology used in Mining

Different kinds of technology will benefit from certain types of mining techniques. For example, underground mines can utilise accurate noise and dust data to minimise health risks for employees or enable location tracking to keep your workforce safe. Meanwhile, surface mining, such as an open pit or open cast miners, can benefit from an automated fleet of remote-controlled equipment to help move materials with ease.

Hetech was involved in the manufacture of LASC (Longwall Automation Steering Committee) products to improve the safety of underground mining employees. 

More details here on the CSIRO website.

We specialise in the advanced manufacturing of IoT technology and electronics that can benefit the mining industry. Our Australian designed and made products can help you future proof your business, so get in touch today to find out more.

Contact Hetech and let us be your Mining Electronics Design & Manufacturing Partner.

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Mining has come out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in excellent shape. Thanks to this, the industry has been able to re-evaluate its focus and identify new opportunities within the sector, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and innovative technology has been identified as the strongest areas for growth.

PWC’s report “Mine 2021”, has highlighted some important lessons from the past 12-18 months and what this means for the future of mining. Although the report focuses on the top 40 mining companies, the lessons and opportunities identified are also relevant to all mining companies, big and small. We’ve summarised our top points from the report for you below. 

1. Move to ESG as growth focus

With the International Energy Agency predicting a significant increase in demand for critical ‘clean energy’ minerals by 2040, opportunities lie in the growth of ESG within mining.

PWC reports that mining companies should begin to embrace more definitive ESG strategies to maintain and increase the value of their businesses, expand their opportunities, and cement their reputations as significant and valuable global players. These efforts to adopt low-carbon and more transparent strategies will open new avenues for investments and capital.

2. Rethink Supply Chains

Reliable access to goods and services is paramount. By bringing suppliers close to their operations, mining companies are able to build supply chain resilience, helping to secure reliable access to goods and services.

3. Embrace Automation

In a COVID-19 world where social distancing could continue to be part of day-to-day life, technologies that reduce the number of people onsite and increase the ability to operate these mines remotely provides an incredible advantage. Along with this, automation is working to reduce the manual labour involved in some tasks to create further efficiencies.

According to the World Economic Forum, 67% of repetitive and manual tasks and about 60% of tasks involving physical labour will be automated by 2025.

4. IOT

The industry is expected to speed up its investment in the Internet of things (IOT) over the next three years, improving health and safety and staff productivity.

At Hetech we have significant experience in supplying high-quality Australian electronics manufacturing and design solutions to the mining industry. Some of our work includes partnering with CSIRO to support their Longwall automation build, and Vanadium on the design and manufacturing of an innovative means of automating spiral splitters.

We will partner with you to develop an end-to-end turnkey solution to take your mining product to market.

Contact us now to discuss further.

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At Hetech, we have made some positive changes to our manufacturing facility in the last 12 months.

We have changed the way we consume energy, reducing our carbon footprint by installing a Tesla car charger, free for all visitors to use and recharge your electric cars and a huge 70KWh solar panel system!

Since installing the solar panels, we are now operating at energy neutrality. On average that’s 42 tonnes of CO2 that we are saving each year.

Numerous companies have embraced the green movement by using less energy and using alternative sources of energy. Hetech is one of the electronic design and manufacturing companies that have taken this step by ensuring proper waste disposal, use of solar energy, and consideration of Design for the Environment (DfE).

The lifecycle of a product through DfE includes three stages: production, consumption, and destruction.

1. Production

When efficient manufacturing processes are used in production, more sustainable products can be made. The use of the right materials is a big part of this phase. A reduction of the variety of materials used can reduce pollution, energy consumed, and the cost of production.

2. Consumption

Products are designed to use only enough power in its current state. This can be achieved by utilizing sleep modes, using batteries that lose energy slowly, combining functions in the integrated circuits, turning off segments of the circuit that are not in use, etc.

3. Destruction

At the end of their lifecycle, electronics must be thrown away, reused, or recycled. However, most electronics are not repairable, making them difficult to reuse. DfE eliminates the effect of this on the environment by recycling the components in factories to create new raw materials.

The benefit of these steps is that they reduce pollution on the environment, improve power consumption and efficiency, and reduce wastage.

Contact Hetech today to discuss how we can design your product for the environment.

There is no room for error in electronics manufacturing.

The components that make up complex systems for sectors like defence, mining and heavy industry must work exactly as they are designed with total reliability over a long period of time.

These exacting standards require a thorough and dedicated approach to manufacturing, overseen by a rigorous Quality Assurance programme.

When looking for a manufacturer to develop or build electronics, it’s vital that the company has a strong in-house QA programme to ensure there aren’t any problems further down the line.

More efficient project cycles

A major benefit of a strong QA programme for electronics design and manufacturing is the ability to develop more efficient processes.

Problems or snags in the design or production phases can be identified and solved quickly, streamlining the entire process so that the production cycle is shortened.

And in a highly competitive market, the ability to get your product made at a faster rate without compromising safety or quality is very valuable.

Higher quality products

Quality Assurance is all about ensuring the end product meets an exacting standard, whether it’s one unit or a thousand and more.

Having a strong QA process to oversee electronics engineering ensures that every component is designed and constructed to an accountable standard that’s rigorously enforced.

Greener manufacturing processes

Another big benefit of Quality Assurance is that every process that gets streamlined reduces the overall environmental impact of the manufacturing process.

This is an increasingly important consideration for electronics manufacturers, who seek to advance the world through innovation while also protecting the environment.

Hetech’s Quality Assurance programme

Hetech has been leading the way for electronics manufacturing for many years and has always strived to the highest standards.

To push our perfection even higher, we have received a number of successfull QA audits from top tier manufacturers like Boeing and Rheinmetall.

And to ensure our high standards continue, we recently appointed an in-house QA manager to allow us to attain even higher accreditations.

So if you want the best possible standards for your electronics manufacturing project, contact us at Hetech and be assured that quality is our highest priority.

When you are designing a new electronic product, the last thing on your mind may be your new product becoming obsolete or ineffective. In reality, shifts in technology and product design trends can cause changes in components and assembly practices which can cause some electronic designs to become obsolete. To avoid this negatively affecting your business, obsolescence management is essential.

What is obsolescence management?

Obsolescence management is an essential stage of electronics design and manufacturing as it analyses all the components used to create a product, and creates a management plan for how to replace the components of a product before they become obsolete. Obsolescence management also involves determining the lifespan of individual components and creates a plan of action for replacing them before they become redundant and begin to have a negative effect on a product or system.

Why is obsolescence management important?

Without effective obsolescence management, certain components may begin to wear and age without the owner realising. The product will begin to become ineffective, eventually creating a negative option of the product and the company that sold it. Obsolescence management looks to replace components with a short lifespan for better quality, cost-effective alternatives, if an alternative cannot be found, they can guarantee replacement services for consumers after a specified period of time.

Obsolescence management for existing PCB assemblies

Obsolescence management services are not only available for new electronic designs, but existing products, such as PCB assembly boards can also benefit from obsolescence services. For example, if you have an assembly board with design flaws or your assembly board is created with products that have been recalled or discontinued, obsolescence management services can help to find and fix the flaw and find an effective replacement solution for discontinued components. If you’re looking to upgrade a PCB assembly board, obsolescence management can be a great place to start.

Contact Hetech today

At Hetech, we are your electronics design and manufacturing partner. Our expertise in electronics design and manufacturing allows us to deliver high-quality obsolescence management services. For more information about obsolescence management or PCB design, contact us today!

If you’ve been researching which electronics design and manufacturing company is the best for your business needs, it’s likely that you’ll have been met with a wall of information about specifications and quality standards that the company adheres to. Particularly if your background is in defence, mining or the industrial industries, you’ll be familiar with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards and what they mean for your business. IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries – is another certification level to look out for.

So why is it that these acronyms are so important for you to get the right results from your chosen design and manufacturing company?

ISO 9001

The most recent version of this ISO, 9001:2015, is an easy way to recognise that quality processes are in place within a business. Created to help companies review their quality management systems, operating to ISO 9001 keeps standards in place within business processes and heightens their efficiency. ISO 9001 also encourages companies to keep improving their systems.

This is a great signifier for choosing the right design and manufacturing company, as it means that you can have total faith that they’re continually striving to bring their customers the best results possible in a well-documented and audited fashion.

IPC Classes

IPC is the classing system specifically for PCB electronics manufacturing. Every circuit board printed must be classified to one of three levels: Class 1, Class 2 or Class 3; Class 1 being the cheapest standard for general electronics. If you enlist a design and manufacturing company that operates to Class 3 as relevant, you’ll always be satisfied with the longevity, quality and reliability of your electronics. This is particularly crucial if your industry is that of the medical field or defence, where failsafe electronics are pivotal to daily smooth and secure business runnings.

Choose Hetech

Thankfully, at Hetech, we readily conform to ISO 9001 and IPC Class 3 and ensure that our standards are always pushed to be their best. If you want to find out more about how our professional electronics design and manufacturing service can help your business, get in touch with our team today.

If you are planning to outsource the design and manufacture of a printed circuit board, you could save time and money by outsourcing your box build services also. So, what exactly are box build services and why are they beneficial?

What is box build assembly?

Box build assembly is a general term given to all assembly processes in electronics design and manufacture chains other than producing printed circuit boards. Sometimes referred to as systems integration, box build assembly can include anything from placing a circuit board into an enclosure to creating a complex electronic, fully-integrated system.

Why is it beneficial to use the same box build and printed circuit board manufacturing company?

By using the same company to both create your circuit board and complete your box build needs, you are eliminating any room for error as you are trusting one company to complete a full system assembly. Communication between two companies may be limited, causing them to complete the box build services incorrectly or damage the circuit board in their manufacturing process.

Utilising one company to complete both services is a much more cost-efficient option as you eliminate the need to transport your products between two manufacturers. This ensures the final product can be created much more quickly and efficiently.

How can box build assembly create a more reliable product?

Often, turnkey products are much more reliable as a prototype of the product can be created by one manufacturer that is subject to tests before mass production and the product being shipped to the end-user. If flaws in the product are found, the manufacturing company can analyse both the printed circuit board and box build processes to find and eliminate the issue. By outsourcing your design and manufacturing needs to one company, you can have total confidence in the end-result of your product, as the product can be tested more accurately and efficiently.

Hetech electronics design and manufacturing

If you would like to outsource both your printed circuit board and box build assembly needs, trust Hetech. We are your electronics design and manufacturing partner and provide complete turnkey services, so you can rely on us to support you from concept to creation.

Could your business’ processes be improved if everything, from design to creation, was carried out by one supplier? Turnkey product development is a method of utilising one reputable supplier to complete a supply chain, rather than having to connect with and hire multiple organisations. From the initial product design to ensuring the product arrives where it needs to, turnkey manufacturing has multiple benefits, some of which we explore below!

Turnkey Product Development
Your Product Development Partner

1. Streamlined communication

When you only have to communicate with one company, communication can be much more efficient and streamlined. Alternatively, if you were required to speak to multiple different designers, manufacturers and distributors, data-transferring will not only be more difficult, but important ideas and instructions may be lost in communication.

2. Dependable design and manufacturing

Rather than having to research multiple companies, with turnkey product development you only have to communicate with one expert company. This will ensure high-quality at every stage of the production process as the turnkey company will create a product design that they know they will have the technology and expertise to manufacture.

3. Cost-effective

Turnkey product development can reduce costs in freight, component supply, electronics manufacturing and engineering time as this will all be managed by one company. All payments can be paid directly to one company, simplifying your outgoing payments and preventing the need to negotiate finances with multiple establishments.

4. Improved speed

When you work with one company, all departments are in sync and have effective lines of communication. Design and manufacturing teams work together to find and solve product development issues, transferring knowledge between departments. Without turnkey development, one company may cause a significant delay as they do not have the information, tools or experience to complete and solve production diagnostics.

5. Simplify your supply chain management

Turnkey product development requires less human resources to keep a product on track. This simplifies your entire electronics design and development and manufacturing process as your products do not need to be constantly transported or introduced to a new company.

Contact Hetech today

If you’d like to learn more about the turnkey product development services offered by Hetech, contact us today. We are an experienced turnkey design and manufacturing company based in Brisbane.

Numerous companies have embraced the going green movement by using less energy and using alternative sources of energy. Hetech is one of the electronics design and manufacturing companies that have taken this step by ensuring proper waste disposal, use of solar energy, and consideration of Design for the Environment (DfE).

Numerous companies have embraced the going green movement by using less energy and using alternative sources of energy. Hetech is one of the electronics design and manufacturing companies that have taken this step by ensuring proper waste disposal, use of solar energy, and consideration of Design for the Environment (DfE).

What is DfE?

DfE is the process of investigating the potential environmental effects of a product and improving the product design to eliminate the possible impact. A product can harm the environment by consuming non-renewable energy or creating a hazardous by-product. The disposal of electronic products can deposit lead, mercury, nickel, and cadmium into water bodies. Recycling of electronic devices at the end of their lifecycle means less environmental pollution. DfE is also concerned with electrical products consuming less energy. Designing products for the environment leads to more efficient manufacturing and the use of cheaper products.

The lifecycle of a product through DfE includes three stages: production, consumption, and destruction.

1. Production

When efficient manufacturing processes are used in production, more sustainable products can be made. The use of the right materials is a big part of this phase. For instance, the thermoset plastic used in the production of a PCB is easy to recycle. However, contamination occurs in the manufacturing phase by adding components such as silicon and copper, which make it difficult to recycle. A reduction of the variety of materials used can reduce pollution, energy consumed, and the cost of production.

2. Consumption

Products are designed to use only enough power in its current state. This can be achieved by utilizing sleep modes, using batteries that lose energy slowly, combining functions in the integrated circuits, turning off segments of the circuit that are not in use, etc. Additionally, fewer toxic materials are released to the environment.

3. Destruction

At the end of their lifecycle, electronics must be thrown away, reused, or recycled. However, most electronics are not repairable, making them difficult to reuse. DfE eliminates the effect of this on the environment by recycling the components in factories to create new raw materials.

The benefit of these steps is that they reduce pollution on the environment, improve power consumption and efficiency, and reduce wastage.

Contact Hetech today to discuss how we can design your product for the environment.

Innovative advances in technology, including digitisation, and automation, are significantly revolutionising the mining industry. Technologies such as AI & Big Data, autonomous vehicles, drones, automated sorting, and dewatering technology are reshaping the industry. Their benefits include improving mine safety, predicting mine hazards, and sending real-time information.

1. Autonomous vehicles

Self-driving vehicles are one of the progressions that mining companies are taking to improve the highly volatile sector. For a long time, mining has been faced by problems such as precarious conditions in the mines, lack of skilled labour, and high operating costs. Autonomous vehicles have provided a solution to this because they are safer, cheaper, and reliable. The vehicles integrate technologies such as GPS systems, two-way radio communication, and computing power to make navigation in mines safe and efficient.


2. Automated sorting

The mining industry has incorporated systems to separate valuable mineral ores from waste rock. Mining sorting equipment is not only a practical method to sort particles, but also a way to increase quality, yield, and productivity. The systems manage costs and have low downtime making mining operations highly efficient.


3. AI & Big Data

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data technologies present the mining industry with intelligent machines that work like humans and the benefits of data analytics to improve operations. With these technologies, mining is simplified because the devices can perform a variety of tasks such as drilling, blasting, and sampling. The application of AI and Big data also improves data exchange between users and reduces mining risks to workers because all risks are analysed.


4. Drones

The use of drones in mining solves numerous challenges in the industry by providing faster surveying, better blast optimisation, and improved surveillance of the mines. Data that was inaccessible or otherwise unsafe to reach can now be accessed and sent to the systems.


5. Dewatering technology

Influxes of water caused by weather conditions such as heavy rainfall can significantly slow down open-pit mining. For this reason, dewatering technology is used to handle the maximum inflow of water into the mines. These efforts reduce downtime and prevent the risk of operations.


Will Technology & Automation Replace the Workforce?

Don’t be afraid of losing your jobs to robots. The goal of automation isn’t to replace workers, it’s to ensure they don’t need to be replaced due to injury or being over-worked by moving them to a safer environment. These technological advances have brought a shift toward sustainable, efficient, and safe mining.

Contact Hetech and let us be your Mining Electronics Design & Manufacturing Partner.

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