Australian Professional Thermography Association Inc. News & announcements

Fluke Platinum Sponsorship

Liam Mitchell — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 02:16:09 GMT

AUSPTA are pleased to announce that Fluke have joined as a Platinum Corporate Sponsor for 2024/2025. We would like to sincerely thank them for their generous support.

AUSPTA November 2024 conference

Liam Mitchell — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 02:15:18 GMT

We are excited to announce that AUSPTA will be holding our November 2024 Conference at Graduate House in Melbourne, Victoria.

The venue is located at 220 Leicester Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053.

Registration includes complimentary morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. There will also be a catered sundowner/networking session afterwards.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE.

Please note: heading into 2025 AUSPTA will be moving to holding one conference per year.
Accordingly the next AUSPTA conference will be held in November 2025 at a location TBC. So, if you are tossing up between attending this event, or one in March 2025, please be advised that the March 2025 AGM will be virtual.

This decision was not taken lightly. In the current inflationary environment the cost and logistics involved in holding two conferences per year, as well as the virtual certainty that attendance is split between the two events, is simply not viable. We are still exploring the possibility of holding an in-person event in the March/April timeslot, however it would be geared more towards a workshop type event and will likely be held on a Saturday to allow those with weekday commitments the opportunity to attend.

New Corporate Sponsor

Liam Mitchell — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 07:07:51 GMT

AUSPTA is pleased to welcome Thermalign as a new corporate sponsor for 2024! We sincerely thank the Thermalign team for their support of the Association.

AUSPTA OCTOBER 2023 CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND FRIDAY 27th OF OCTOBER

Liam Mitchell — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 04:52:08 GMT

We are excited to announce that, in a change of pace (and venue) AUSPTA will be holding our October 2023 Conference and General Meeting at The Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane, Queensland on Friday the 27th of October.

The hotel is located at 23 Leichhardt Street, Spring Hill, Queensland. AUSPTA's event will be in the Leichhardt room on level 1.

Registration includes complimentary morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. As usual there will be a networking session/dinner on the Friday evening, at a location TBC.

A reminder that all AUSPTA events are free of charge to financial members and their guests.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE ASAP.
Timely registrations are essential to allow coordination of logistics.

DISCOUNT ACCOMMODATION IS AVAILABLE

The venue has graciously agreed to provide discounted accommodation for all AUSPTA delegates attending the conference. Where this is of interest please navigate to https://www.grandchancellorhotels.com/hotel-grand-chancellor-brisbane and use the discount code "AUSPTA1023" (all caps, no spaces) and the reduced rate will automatically be applied to your booking.

Changes to AUSPTA CPD requirements

Liam Mitchell — Wed, 31 May 2023 04:51:38 GMT

Historically AUSPTA membership has included a continuing professional development ("CPD") component. This was initially conceived at a time when there was minimal certification available for thermographers practicing in Australia, and so was considered important to our membership. However, as third party certifications become more widespread throughout the industry, the need for AUSPTA to act in this manner has been considerably reduced. Accordingly moving forwards AUSPTA will no longer "enforce" CPD requirements for our membership for the purposes of renewal. All members attending "in person" events will receive a certificate of attendance such that it can contribute to any CPD requirements for other membership organisations that they might have.

If you have any queries around this please just get in touch.

AS4836:2023 has been ratified by Standards Australia

Liam Mitchell — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 04:50:51 GMT

As many members will already be aware, a draft revision of AS4836 "Safe working on or near low-voltage and extra-low voltage electrical installations and equipment" was released for public comment last year. The proposed changes were particularly relevant for our members undertaking electrical thermography inspections and there were some areas of particular concern as the standard sought to introduce requirements/recommendations that made compliance either impractical, unduly onerous, or virtually impossible. AUSPTA, NECA, and other industry groups submitted various comments and suggestions around these concerns. Some were taken up by the Standards Committee, but regrettably many were not.

The new standard, AS4836:2023, can be purchased via Standards Australia's web-store. Unfortunately due to licensing and copyright restrictions AUSPTA is unable to share the full document in it's entirety. We strongly encourage all members undertaking electrical thermography to familiarise themselves with the new Standard and the subsequent impact on regulatory compliance for their operations. This will vary from state to state; some state regulators mandate compliance with AS4836, whereas for others it is a recommendation only.

Thank you to Steve Bowman for years of service to AUSPTA

Liam Mitchell — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 04:49:32 GMT

The AUSPTA executive, committee, and wider family would like to sincerely thank outgoing AUSPTA Vice President for his years of tireless service to the Association. Steve remains an active member and voice within AUSPTA, however as he moves towards retirement in his professional career he has decided to relinquish his role as Vice President and did not stand for re-election at the March 2023 AGM. Our new Vice President is Peter Milligan, who will serve for a 3 year term per the AUSPTA Constitution and Rules.

Happy New Year!

Liam Mitchell — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 01:52:51 GMT

The AUSPTA Executive and Committee would like to wish all our members, associates, subscribers, and their families a Happy New Year. We hope everybody had a fantastic festive season and look forward to a prosperous 2023.

AINDT APCNDT 2023 CONFERENCE AND
AUSPTA MARCH 2023 AGM AND CONFERENCE

We are excited to announce that, in cooperation with our partners and colleagues AINDT, AUSPTA have arranged for our March 2023 AGM and Conference to take place alongside the AINDT APCNDT 2023 conference, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Victoria.

All AUSPTA members will receive free admission/day pass for Friday 03/03, which also includes full access to the APCNDT event (usually valued at $450). The full APCNDT conference runs from Tuesday 28/02/2023 through Friday 03/03/2023 inclusive. Further details are available here.

AUSPTA will also be represented with a booth at the event for the duration. If any members are interested in volunteering their time to assist with manning the booth, then please get in touch.

A reminder that all AUSPTA events are free of charge to financial members and their guests.

Please register online ASAP if you are intending to attend. Timely registrations are essential to allow coordination of logistics.

2023 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS ARE DUE

All members should now have received their 2023 renewal invitation via e-mail. Membership dues can be paid via either credit card, using the secure online portal, or EFT if preferred. If you have any further queries, or have not yet received your renewal invitation, please get in touch.

New AUSPTA sponsor - HIKMICRO

Liam Mitchell — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 01:50:27 GMT

AUSPTA are pleased to announce we have recently finalised a new sponsorship arrangement with HIKMICRO. We thank them for their generous support and look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership moving forwards.

A message from our new sponsor:

HIKMICRO is the new name in thermal imaging cameras.

Offering superb value for money, coupled with leading edge technology and features, HIKMICRO is the smart choice for condition monitoring professionals in ANZ.

With a camera range up to 640 x 480 IR resolution, auto/manual/laser focus, NETD < 35 - 40 mK, up to 50 Hz image frequency, interchangeable lenses and touch screens to suit most applications or budgets.

Our HIKMICRO Analyser software provides a market leading, professional quality, report generation tool, for free with no subscription fees.

Click the logo below to check out our growing range of thermography products or you can contact us in Australia using the ‘Where to Buy’ button.

Business membership bundles have been reinstated

Liam Mitchell — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 01:48:38 GMT

For those members who were missing the business membership bundle it has now been reinstated. Business members can purchase a bundle of 3 full memberships at a discounted cost of $300.00 (usually $150 per membership for a total of $450.00), and each additional membership at $100.00. This option can be selected via the online sign up form, or for those who would like to convert their existing membership over to a business bundle please contact AUSPTA administration directly.

Draft revision of AS4836:2022 is now out for public comment

Liam Mitchell — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 01:52:10 GMT

Many of our electrical practitioners may already be familiar with AS4836 "Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment". There is an increasing focus industry-wide on electrical safety and arc flash mitigation strategies, which are particularly important for electrical thermography where in the majority of cases switchboards must be inspected 'live' and with covers removed.

Accordingly we would encourage all members operating in the electrical space to familiarise themselves with AS4836 in it's current form, and also review the draft Standard and/or submit any comments to Standards Australia as applicable. The draft standard and a link to the Standards Australia portal is available here via NECA.

That's a wrap!

Liam Mitchell — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 00:37:56 GMT

A huge thanks to all members, presenters, and their guests who attended the 11th AUSPTA Annual General Meeting and Conference at Graduate House in Carlton, Victoria on Friday the 25th of March 2022.

The event was a great success and we are now focusing our efforts on planning for the next AUSPTA event to be held in Sydney, NSW on Friday 21st October 2022.

AINDT INDUSTRIAL EYE - GREEN ENERGY ISSUE - THERMOGRAPHY IN ACTION

Liam Mitchell — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 02:52:23 GMT

Another fine edition of Industrial Eye, the official journal of the Australian Institute of Non-destructive Testing, has been released.

This edition includes not one but two articles by AUSPTA members; covering solar pitfalls for thermographers and installers and discussion around building insulation standards. Check it out here.

APT PURCHASING DIRECTORY - CERTIFICATION ARTICLE

Liam Mitchell — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 06:44:35 GMT

The new Australasian Power Technologies Purchasing Directory has been released and features an article by AUSPTA President Shawn Moore on certification of thermographers in the electrical industry.

View the full publication online here.

SAVE THE DATE - AUSPTA MARCH 2022 CONFERENCE AND AGM

Liam Mitchell — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 06:42:33 GMT

We are pleased to announce that, as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed throughout the country and we moved towards 'COVID normal', it is our intention to resume AUSPTA "in person" events in 2022.

The first event will be the annual general meeting and conference, to be held on Friday 25th March 2022 at Graduate House in Melbourne, Victoria.

A reminder that all AUSPTA events are free of charge to financial members and their guests.

Further information will be forwarded in due course.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) REQUIREMENTS FOR 2021 HAVE BEEN WAIVED

Liam Mitchell — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 06:36:24 GMT

As many members would be aware, evidence of continuing professional development (CPD) is required for renewal of your AUSPTA membership every year. However, we wish to acknowledge the difficulty in attaining the necessary CPD points while in-person events have been postponed or cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly the AUSPTA Executive and Committee has made a decision to waive CPD requirements for the 2021 calendar year.

If you have any further queries please get in touch.

AINDT INDUSTRIAL EYE - THERMOGRAPHY IN ACTION

Liam Mitchell — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 07:48:52 GMT

AUSPTA Industry Associate AINDT recently published the following submission from AUSPTA members in their regular feature "Thermography in Action" for the September-October 2021 edition of Industrial Eye.

View the full publication online here.

Remember if you have interesting faults or challenges that you think would benefit other members, send them in!

UNDERWRITERS CONTINUE TO SEE CONSIDERABLE BENEFITS IN ELECTRICAL THERMOGRAPHY AND CERTIFIED THERMOGRAPHERS

Liam Mitchell — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 07:51:40 GMT

Freshly minted AUSPTA committee member Peter Milligan found this article online from insurance giant QBE.

"Prevention is better than the cure; the adage goes. And when it comes to ensuring your electrical equipment is functioning as it should, it’s an adage worth paying attention to.

Faulty electrical equipment is a major source of workplace fires – in fact, a report in the US discovered that 21% of industrial fires came from faulty equipment – and fires in the workplace can have a devastating effect on both a business and its employees.

From not being able to operate for some time to the potential loss of specialised equipment, the impact can be far-reaching. And that’s before you consider injury or loss of life."

Members operating in the electrical space will no doubt already be familiar with the ever increasing uptake of thermography as a recommendation, or often requirement, by the major underwriters. It is encouraging to see major players in the insurance industry giving electrical thermography considerable airtime. It is also notable that QBE is aware of, and specifically addresses in their article, requirements surrounding certification.

"Of course, not just anyone can conduct a thermographic scan of your electrical equipment. Accredited Level I, II or III professionals trained in the use of a thermographic camera, scan analysis and reporting and recommendation of corrective action, should undertake thermal imaging projects for businesses.

Commercial electrical contractors may offer thermal imaging as an additional service – and if not, they should be able to recommend an accredited professional."

QBE have also published a fact sheet that's downloadable in PDF format and provides some excellent content for thermographers to forward onto potential, and current, end-users.

AINDT APCNDT CONFERENCE POSTPONED

Liam Mitchell — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 06:42:59 GMT

“The Australian Institute for NDT wish to advise that the decision has been made to postpone the 16th Asia Pacific Conference for Non-Destructive Testing originally scheduled in October 2021 to be from Tuesday 28th February to Friday 3rd March 2023 in Melbourne, Australia.

The world has been greatly impacted by COVID-19 and given what the current challenges with safety and the accessibility of travel to and around Australia will be in 2021, it was agreed a postponement was the best course of action to take.

Further updates will be provided in 2021 around the event and how to be part of it."