Amid growing signs of recovery across Australian manufacturing, and renewed investment in technology, Daniel Fisher of Applied Machinery discusses some of the products generating excitement within his company’s showroom and the industry trends that they reflect.
Market conditions in Australia are changing, though at the core of it all, Australian companies are amongst the most innovative and resourceful in the world. At Applied Machinery, we began seeing signs of renewed optimism from our customers towards the back end of 2015, and it’s with this in mind that the following Top 10 will be where our customers are, and will be continuing to invest their capital.
Pro-Plas CNC plasma cutting systems
With the Pro-Plas series plasma cutting systems from Applied Machinery, we have managed to put together a quality CNC machine, with Hypertherm plasma source and Fastcam software for under $27,000 plus GST. With an edge finish that has to be seen to be believed for a system at this price point, in-house sheet-metal profiling just became accessible to companies where in the past it was just not financially viable. We saw record sales of these machines prior to Christmas 2015 and orders in early 2016 have been looking good.
Yawei PBH Series CNC press-brakes
Yawei CNC press-brakes are going from strength to strength in the Australian market. With a proven track record from over 10 years of sales and well in excess of 150 machines across Australia and New Zealand, including two 1,200-ton, 8,000mm machines, along with 500-ton, 6,100mm and 500-ton, 5,100mm machines, there is a strong, happy customer base for Yawei and it’s not hard to see why. This year, the introduction of the new PBH series machines will represent even better value for money and include all of the premium features that you would expect from Yawei and Applied Machinery, including Lazersafe guarding, Rolleri tooling and Delem DA-66T or DA-52S CNC controllers (Cybelec Modeva CNC controllers are also available on request).
Mitsubishi eX Series CNC laser cutting systems
Over the last 18 months, the Applied Machinery and Mitsubishi Laser partnership has gone from strength to strength. Off the back of a successful Mitsubishi Open Day Event in 2015, Applied has supplied six machines to the Australian and New Zealand market and has a happy customer base who understand the benefits that come with investing in Mitsubishi. Class-leading cutting performance, along with exceptional energy efficiency and an easy-to-use controller, make Mitsubishi a natural fit for top-line manufacturers and sheet-metal shops.
Hans GS fibre laser cutting systems
Applied Machinery, in conjunction with Hans GS, is now supplying one of Australia’s best-value-for-money fibre laser cutting systems. No stone has been left unturned when designing this machine to best meet the need of the Australian market. IPG is the world leader in fibre laser technology, and as such, all Hans GS fibre lasers from Applied Machinery are fitted with an IPG fibre source as standard. The cutting head is by Raytools from Switzerland, another leader in the field. However, it’s really the CNC system that sets the Hans GS series fibre lasers apart from the competition. All machines come with a Beckoff system, which has a massive set of in-built material cutting conditions, allowing you to get to work with precision fibre laser cutting in next to no time. Looking at some of the samples we have cut, featuring perfect 1mm holes, customers can’t believe they were cut on a machine at this price point. Both a 1kW and a 2kW machine have been sold prior to Christmas 2015 and things are looking good for 2016 and beyond.
Cosen NC automatic bandsaws
Whilst Applied Machinery stocks a wide range of Cosen bandsaws here in our Dandenong factory, we have seen a marked increase in enquiries and sales for the range of NC bandsaws including the C-300NC, C-320NC and C-520NC. Customers are seeing the benefits in having automatic NC saws on their shopfloor, which will free up manpower for more productive tasks, rather than manually feeding a bandsaw, or running single cuts instead of more efficient bundle cutting.
Yawei HPE series CNC turret punch presses
Yawei, through a technology partnership with Japanese powerhouse Nisshinbo, has developed a range of turret punch presses that are exceptionally fast, accurate and low cost to operate. The HPE series of servo-drive, energy-saving punch presses has seen solid sales throughout 2014-15, and in 2016 we are seeing them becoming even more popular as more and more organisations in Australia begin looking for more cost-efficient options to replace their existing machinery as it ages.
Hurco CNC machining centres & lathes
Applied Machinery is only a few years into its relationship with Hurco, and we couldn’t be happier. Hurco CNC machining centres and lathes are proving a hit with businesses who demand precision machining, while understanding the benefits of the unique Hurco conversational controller. After record sales in 2015 across the country, including a five-axis machine, things are looking good for continued growth in 2016. As a commitment to the brand and our local customers, we have a five-axis VMX 42SRTi here in stock in Dandenong ready for immediate sale and delivery.
Chen Hsong Easymaster, Supermaster and Jetmaster plastic injection moulding machines
It’s no secret that plastic injection moulding in Australia is becoming less and less prevalent in a contracting market. However we are seeing strong sales in certain sectors of the plastics industry all across the country. Applied has been commissioned to install the largest injection-moulding machine ever in Australia and we look forward to sharing more details over the course of the year. Add to this increased sales for our range of Jetmaster and Supermaster energy-saving machines, and we can see a strong future for Chen Hsong in the ever-changing Australian marketplace.
Genox Vision series shredders
The Vision series shredders from Genox Recycling Technology and Applied Machinery have well and truly become Australia’s preferred solution for all manner of material and waste reduction tasks. Typical applications have included plastics, timber, paper, copper, aluminium, textiles, security destruction and foam, though by no means is that all a Vision series shredder can handle.
Genox plastic washing & drying plants
Dirty plastics are a big problem for manufacturers in the food and beverage space as heavily contaminated material is often not accepted by recyclers. In the previous 2-3 years, we have seen companies of all sizes start to tackle this problem head-on with a range of plastic washing and drying plants from Applied Machinery and Genox. Recent installations at numerous sites for a massive multi-national company in the beverage industry is proof that these plastics washing plants can stand up to the most stringent of check and balances – not only meeting, but exceeding all expectations. There is a lot of momentum in this space and we can’t see it slowing in 2016.
Whilst this selection gives a feel for where things may be heading throughout 2016 and beyond, we’d love any feedback from our customers regarding your thoughts on the equipment listed above. What do you like? What don’t you like, and what you’d like to see more of?