Month: November 2016

Based in Heidelberg West, Victoria, Jonda was founded some 30 years ago by John Nikolopoulos and his wife Dani. The company currently offers a wide range of sheet metal products as well as general manufacturing services such as CNC punching, profile cutting, folding and guillotining. Its main specialties are the manufacture and supply of roofing products and rainwater goods. “We started off making box gutter brackets, and then we went to flashings and all sort of sheet-metal goods, and we’re still doing the same today,” says Nikolopoulos, now Jonda’s Managing Director. “We’re still making the brackets we started off with years ago. We’ve got a good product.” Perhaps these brackets are too good - judging by the increasing level of demand for them. While some Australian manufacturers struggle to keep their businesses going, Jonda faces difficulty keeping up with the high demand and fulfilling orders on time. As Jonda’s supervisor Harry Gurlu puts it: “We’re too…

Two key laser-generated processes of powder metallurgy are currently in use: selective laser melting (SLM), and laser metal deposition (LMD).Both have the potential to produce high-quality, high-functionality load-bearing parts from metal powder, but critical to the production process is an understanding of metal powders. While metal in powdered form is certainly not a newcomer to the manufacturing industry, AM requires its own set of understandings associated with the technique of building layer-by-layer using fine powders in a laser-generated environment. Important to this process is identifying the most suitable metal powder, as powders vary widely in particle size and shape, and this affects the processing characteristics. For AM, metal powders should meet the following requirements: Spherical shape. This is important to ensure good flow and ‘coating’ capability. The ‘shape’ of particles is influenced by the methods used in processing the powder. The water atomisation process occurs where high-pressure water is forced into…

Walter AG has a wide range of solutions tailored to its customers’ individual needs. This means that they can always select the best tool and the most cost-efficient machining process. In addition, starting values and cutting data can be determined in a matter of seconds. The user benefits from process reliability and saves valuable time and money. These innovative solutions enhance Walter’s range of machining services and ensure a consistently smooth process – even from outside the production hall. Dramatically reduce wear with the wear optimisation app The latest solution from Walter helps users to get the best use out of their tools by reducing wear rates and therefore associated costs. The app can identify all wear patterns on indexable inserts and solid carbide tools in turning, drilling, threading or milling applications. Each wear pattern is shown with a zoom function, both graphically and in high-quality photos.…

October’s shift to mildly expansionary conditions in the Australian PMI was driven by stronger growth in exports (up 6.0 points to 56.0), sales (up 3.6 points to 55.0) and new orders (up 6.4 points to 54.7). Readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase Three of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded in October (that is, above 50 points in three-month moving averages): printing & recorded media (down 6.0 points to 56.8), machinery & equipment (up 1.3 points to 54.1), and petroleum & chemical products (up 2.7 points to 55.4). The food and beverages sub-sector lost some steam but remained stable (down 2.4 points to 50.4).               The metal products sub-sector slipped back into negative territory (down 4.1 points to 47.2), while textiles & other goods (down 7.9 points to 32.5), wood & paper products (down 9.8 points to 38.8) and non-metallic minerals (down 0.7 points to 45.3 points) all moved further into contraction. “The lift of…

Since 1991, Integra Systems has worked with hundreds of Australian businesses and helped them deliver award winning results that enhance their prosperity in both local and global markets. With innovation as the cornerstone of its culture, Integra has enabled and empowered clients in key areas of industrial design, product design engineering and mechanical engineering, via highly efficient in-house advanced manufacturing systems and project management expertise. Integra TransForm focuses mainly on innovative ways of enhancing business performance. The division was created this year with the acquisition of Integra’s revolutionary Salvagnini L5 fibre-optic laser cutter. The fibre optic laser technology has empowered Integra to manufacture its own new products and bring them to the market. It has also provided Integra with the ability to experiment, co-create and involve their customers in the entire process, from design through to manufacture. Integra TransForm’s most recent releases are the WorkSmart Collection and the Pro-Click Collection. The WorkSmart collection comprises of sit-stand ergonomic solutions, the BioSmart and the AeroSmart, aimed at relieving desk-bound professionals and industrial workers…

Historically, renewable energy technologies could not compete with conventional fossil fuels and were reliant on government subsidies to be competitive. However, continuous innovation and economies of scale have driven down the cost of at least the more mature clean technologies, such as wind and solar, to the extent they are now near parity with conventional electricity production. Another perceived obstacle to large-scale implementation of wind and solar farms is the variable nature of these energy sources. However, fast developing energy storage technologies are addressing this obstacle. A world-first large-scale solar farm with integrated battery storage is being built in the Lakeland region of north Queensland. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)’s CEO Ivor Frischnecht has said: “Battery storage will play a critical role in our future energy systems. The benefit of adding batteries to solar farms is simple; they store energy from the sun for use at peak times and overnight. They can also smooth solar energy…

The company specialises in the production of innovative and modern castings for a variety of different industries, including transport and aerospace. Alphacasting has carved an enviable reputation for the quality, precision, reliability, compliance and on-time delivery of all the casting projects it works on with clients. It is through its commitment to high standards that Alphacasting has perfected a rigorous quality control system to inspect all the parts it produces. The challenge Alphacasting uses traditional tools, such as conventional fixed co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs), X-ray inspection systems, callipers and fixtures, to perform quality control inspections on the parts it manufactured. However, according to Steven Kennerknecht, Head of Engineering for Alphacasting, getting good information quickly on every occasion a part needed to be inspected was difficult at best. In particular, for the development of a recent aluminium casting for the lube and scavenge pump on the passport engine for Bombardier’s Global Express ultra-long-range business jet series, quality control processes were to…