An Australasian-based company plans to help mining companies prepare for the battery boom with robotic bagging systems.
Australia is perfectly positioned to benefit from the battery boom, with easy access to minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, and access to a mature mining industry.
With the Australian Trade and Investment Commission expecting global demand for batteries expected to quadruple by 2030, the Federal Government began funding a National Battery Strategy.
The strategy outlines four opportunities: build stationary energy storage to transition Australia’s grid to renewables, upgrade Australia’s battery minerals into active materials for electric vehicle manufacturing, produce batteries for heavy vehicles and equipment in Australia, and ensure safe and secure operations for batteries with enabling technology.
With millions of dollars of funding flowing through the industry, Aurora Process Solutions sales and marketing manager Braden Goddin has seen shifts in the market.
“We’ve noticed there has been a marked increase in the use of bulk bags for minerals, powders, and other granular materials like lithium and rare earth metals,” he told ABHR.
“It’s likely due to the increased demand for batteries and similar technology, and it’s great to see the Australian economy has taken account of that.
“It’s also seen a spike in semi- and full-automated bulk bagging systems, something we are well positioned to help with.”
Aurora Process Solutions specialises in helping businesses in regional and remote areas improve their operations. It does this through supplying robots and packaging systems to support bag-filling, closing, conveying, palletising, and wrapping applications.
In particular, the company has primarily worked with industries that deal with heavy bags, such as the grain, stockfeed, fertiliser, landscape products, sand, and cement industries.
Goddin said the company is well placed to support the mining industry automate its packaging operations.
“We’ve been working with bulk system for more than 20 years and have supported a diverse range of enterprises with very different materials and needs.”
With the incredible amount of different materials that are packaged across the world, few companies can claim they have worked with every product available.
Aurora Process Solutions uses its network of specialists, engineers, health and safety experts, and more to find the right specifications and technologies. It then develops a turnkey solution for customers looking to automate operations, taking staff out of dull, dirty, or dangerous situations.
Mining is no stranger to automation in Australia. The industry has embraced the technology, using automated trucks, trains, and more to improve productivity and safety.
Goddin said the industry is also looking for ways to minimise the manual handling aspects.
“In a lot of cases, due to the remote locations of these mining and processing sites, there’s a desire to automate processes where possible,” he said.
Related stories:
- Aurora’s Mobile P625 boosts efficiency for client in Methven
- Robotic partners with Aurora to revolutionise wrapping
- Aurora automates major NZ stockfeed manufacturer
“Often when minerals used in battery manufacturing are shifted, it’s in container trucks, so bulk bags make things much easier – especially if there is a long or complex logistic chain involved.”
Aurora Process Solutions can provide highly modular systems that can grow alongside the business, capable of packaging one bulk bag per hour, to up to 80.
It also has access to a variety of different bags, which often have specialised linings to better handle sensitive or dusty products.
The company has also seen an improvement in the technology that is uses for the labelling, barcoding, and tracking of bulk bags, which are further tasks that can now be automated.
Goddin said Aurora Process Solutions puts a lot of its effort on understanding its clients and what they want to achieve.
“We will work with all departments, from engineering, to maintenance, to project management, to find a solution that is fit-for-purpose,” he said.
“That makes all the difference. There’s a lot of drawing, testing, simulations, animated integrative graphics and modelling to ensure we get it right.
“A lot of the problem solving is done upfront, before the problems even eventuate.”
Remote locations aren’t an issue for the Australasian-based company. While it isn’t always possible to get a technician to site immediately, Aurora provides the next best thing through the use of augmented reality glasses. Customers are provided with a Hololens headset, which allows technicians from Australia, New Zealand, and Europe to provide support as if they were standing there with the client.
The system was originally designed for military applications, providing soldiers in the field with easy access to support when needing to repair highly technical equipment, such as generators, GPS, or vehicles.
In addition, the company is always available to answer questions over the phone or through a video call.
Goddin said the team is excited to be branching into the mining industry and growing the business in Australia.
“We have recently onboarded two extra Australian personnel and are looking to increase that soon,” he said.
“Bulk bagging is diverse – one week it could be fish food, the next week it could be neodymium. There’s such a difference in products that it’s a science in itself.
“We make sure we have the fundamentals of bulk material handling sorted, and we have a robust system to make sure every aspect of a project is considered when we design a system. We’re excited to see what the future holds for us.”