Month: March 2017

Steven Macdonald, CEO of Albins, tells a great story about the Bathurst 1000, the mecca of Australian motorsport. At the start of the race, every car in the starting grid has the same transmission in the back, a product that his company has been delivering for the Supercars contest since 2013. “As the red lights light up on the starter screen, the drivers sit, nervously anticipating the start,” says Macdonald. “The engines rev at 7,500rpm as they wait for those lights to go out. Then they drop the clutch, and power suddenly gets transferred through two shafts that we make, into that gearbox. The cars launch off the line, they reach 7,500rpm again, and the driver gets hold of the gear-knob and pulls. Once the load reaches about 15kg, the engine stops and the whole driveline relaxes; and that takes about 25-30 milliseconds. Once it relaxes, the change from one gear to the next takes about 12 milliseconds. Once it’s in the next gear, the…

Significant future improvements in metal-cutting productivity, quality and reliability will come from a data-driven fourth revolution in manufacturing technology – the latest stage of a lengthy evolution. The first manufacturing revolution involved the move from home-based crafting activities to production in factories with centralised energy sources powering manufacturing machinery. Mechanical shafts and belts distributed power from water wheels or steam. The more convenient, efficient use of electrical energy followed. The first factories turned out products one by one. In the second revolution, output expanded to mass production. The development of integrated systems such as assembly and transfer lines and automation expedited high-volume production of identical parts. The third revolution in manufacturing technology came with the introduction of numerical machine control, and later computer-based control and automation, increasing accuracy…

CARB-I-TOOL is a premier Australian cutting tool manufacturer specialising in the production of engineering and woodworking tools for the Australian, Asian and European markets. Operating for more than 40 years, CARB-I-TOOL’s headquarters in Moorabbin, Victoria consists of a large factory, showroom and storage facility. Its tools are used in a wide range of industries including automotive, aerospace, marine and general engineering. Over the last few years, CARB-I-TOOL has seen an increase in demand for tools for the machining of plastic and composite materials. To keep pace with this demand, the company has purchased an ANCA MX7 Linear CNC tool grinder to focus on producing its range of compression routers (single and multi-flute) and other solid carbide tooling for materials such as MDF, plastic, carbon fibre, aluminium composite material, as well special tooling for exotic materials. The acquisition of the MX7 Linear complements CARB-I-TOOL’s existing MX7 machine and enables the company to make a first-hand comparison between the two different types of machines and drive systems. The MX7 Linear…

Golden Diversity is made up of five girls, and as their team name suggests all are from very diverse backgrounds. They are: Yara Alkhalili, who comes from an Iraqi background; Hoai Nguyen, Vietnamese; Eleanor Arumugam, Indian; Claire Cameron, Scottish/Australian; and Hollie Johnson, English. All the girls were Year 10 students apart from Cameron, who is in Year 9. Second place went to Hyperdrive, a team of boys from Trinity Grammar School in Kew, Victoria (an all-boys school), while third place went to Instant Transmission, an all-boys team from Queechy High School. Golden Diversity will now lead Team Australia at the 2017 F1 in Schools World Finals, this year being held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at the end of September. The gala awards event was an amazing culmination of four days of competition. As each team of students stepped on to the stage to receive their medallions and awards as their school names were announced, it was evident that Tasmanian, South Australian and Victorian schools are still setting the pace in STEM education. A highlight of the awards…

The drone – a quadcopter with four rotors – was designed, 3D-printed and flown by Phillip Keane, an NTU PhD candidate from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering who is engaged in research at NTU’s Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP). The drone was jointly developed by the SC3DP and Stratasys Asia Pacific. The electronics were incorporated in the drone during the 3D printing process, which employed the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process using Stratasys ULTEM 9085 – a high-strength, lightweight material certified for use in commercial aircrafts. In 3D printing, objects are created digitally layer by layer until completion. However, embedding electronics can be a challenge, as most will not survive the high temperatures of the 3D printing process. Commercial-grade electronics were therefore modified and placed within the drone at the various stages of the printing process. They survived the high-temperature printing, which reached over 160 deg.C, compared to the usual 80 to 100 deg. Only the motors and the propellers were mounted after the entire chassis was completed. “One of the toughest…

“With manufacturing production, employment, sales and exports all growing at a healthy pace, the Australian PMI rose to its highest level in nearly fifteen years in February,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “The period since 2002 has been particularly difficult for Australia’s manufacturers in the face of the phenomenal expansion of China’s manufacturing sector, extended periods of domestic currency strength and volatility in global confidence, activity and trade. So it’s great that Australia is making again.” Six of the seven sub-indexes in the Australian PMI expanded in February, with strong growth in new orders (up 6.9 points to 60.6) and sales (up 7.7 points to 55.3) providing an encouraging outlook. Production jumped from stable conditions in January to strong expansion (up 15.4 points to 65.3), as did employment (up 7.9 points to 57.5). Seven of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors improved…

SA company Supashock has used its expertise in active damping control to design high-quality shock absorbers for the defence industry. Previously used in race cars, its shock absorption technology is being used to increase the safety and stability of tactical military trucks. A well-known name in motorsport, Supashock launched its first product in Germany at the 2013 ADAC GT Masters, taking on racing royalty including BMW, Audi and Mercedes Benz. The new product is being trialled by Rheinmetall Defence Australia, which has installed the shock absorbers in one of its HX series trucks. Supashock Managing Director Oscar Fiorinotto says the company’s background in motorsport dynamics was a key factor in helping it transition from race cars to mining vehicles and now military trucks. “After Formula E we ventured into 4WDs and then progressed into mining and developed an underground system that helps to prevent back injuries,” says Fiorinotto. “It increases productivity but most importantly prevents rollovers, which is a real safety issue. In defence, rollover…

AMT: With the digitalisation of industry, we are seeing a merging of production process with IT systems. Is this simply a continuation of trends that have emerged over recent years, or are we witnessing the dawn of another industrial revolution? Peter Eckberg: The digitalisation of industry has been advancing for quite some time, so we can hardly call it a new development. However, thanks to the enormous advances in data transfer speeds and data storage capacity, the range of potential applications open to us today is certainly new. Whilst the concepts were already there, it is only now that we are seeing them become a reality through the solutions made possible by IT. AMT: What challenges does Industry 4.0 bring to your own company? PE: Kaeser Compressors has always been an innovator. As a leader in the engineering of compressed air technology, we have a long-standing commitment to improving existing technologies, developing new solutions, and constantly pursuing optimisation. Kaeser continues…

Following the successful HLF series launch at EuroBLECH in Hanover, Germany, in October, the first machine (HLF-1530 4kW IPG) arrived in Australia in January. Applied had already been fielding enquiries from a broad cross-section of customers who are keen to get the first look at this premium laser processing system on Australian soil. With more than 25 years’ experience in building premium sheetmetal machinery, Yawei is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC press brakes, CNC turret punch presses and guillotines. Its entrance into the laser cutting market comes off the back of years of R&D and refinement of the machines in the domestic market. Over the course of its 10-year partnership with Yawei, Applied Machinery has delivered and installed well in excess of 150 CNC press brakes, turret punch presses and guillotines across Australia. This brand success is built on Yawei’s commitment to building premium, feature-packed machinery, at a competitive price point, combined with Applied Machinery’s class-leading sales and service network across the country. “We have happy…

According to police, the raid uncovered homemade weapons and ammunition in a workshop manufacturing facility “containing equipment used in the production of fully automatic machine guns, including a 3D printer, lathes, drill presses and other tools”. The Gold Coast Bulletin reported that Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker, of the Drug and Serious Crime Group, said the “Uzi”-style guns, thought to be made with the help of a 3D printer, were “fairly close” to factory quality. One of the home-made weapons was captioned in one media report as being a “3D-printed submachine gun”. This could certainly raise alarm and hint at a new era of disorganised and decentralised weapons production, and a burgeoning “reshoring” of weapon manufacturing as an alternative to importation from overseas. But the fact is that 3D printing technology is not yet at the stage where it can readily produce weapons. Although it can be used to help rogue gunsmiths work their shady trade. Impracticalities The fact is…