Month: April 2017

With additive manufacturing continuing to revolutionise every sector of the manufacturing industry, Austech has consistently provided a showcase for the technology as it has developed over the years, to the point where the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion has now become an unmissable part of the show. At Austech 2017, the focus on additive manufacturing is more comprehensive than ever. The Additive Manufacturing Pavilion will feature demonstrations of the latest 3D printers and services from a range of companies and organisations that are leading the field of additive manufacturing. Exhibitors in the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion include: 3D Printing Systems Amaero Engineering Bilby 3D Pty Ltd evok3d ExOne Imaginables Pty Ltd Konica Minolta Objective 3D Pty Ltd Raise 3D Rapid Advanced Manufacturing Australia RMIT University Scan-xpress Thinglab This year, Austech is once again proud to be teaming up with Inside 3D Printing to co-host the Additive Manufacturing Pavilion. Inside 3D Printing will also be hosting an impressive two-day conference…

In its flexible extension ranges encompassing the five-axis machine with its dynamic NC swivel rotary table, the DMU 65 monoBLOCK masters all disciplines in milling technology, from roughing through to finishing at an uncompromisingly high level and at a very attractive price. With its DMU 65 monoBLOCK, DMG MORI is offering a world-class machine for all fields of industry. The uncompromisingly high quality of the DMU 65 monoBLOCK is apparent in its design details. In conjunction with the high-speed rotary axes of the NC swivel rotary table, these have resulted in a remarkable increase in dynamics, and, amongst others, the 45mm wide roller guides maximise process stability. Moreover, the DMU 65 monoBLOCK impresses with its three-point support for shortest possible start-up times. With a footprint of 8sqm, it is the most compact machine of its class. Despite the small space requirement, the DMU 65 monoBLOCK has an extremely spacious machining compartment. With axis paths of 735mm x 650mm x 560mm (in X, Y and Z), the entire NC…

AMT: A prominent figure in South Australian politics, and a vocal advocate for manufacturing, what’s your view of the current situation for the industry in SA? Nick Xenophon: Well, we’re in a state of transition. We’re at the crossroads here in SA, but it’s not just in SA, it is in the rest of the country. We’ve seen a shrinking of manufacturing in this country in the last decade, from about 12% of GDP to just over 6% of GDP. We’re now just bumping above Botswana and Rwanda, where as a percentage of their GDP, manufacturing accounts for 6% and 5% respectively. I mention Botswana and Rwanda not because I have any axe to grind against them, but because they are countries that never had a significant manufacturing base, whereas Australia did. I think we’ve lost our way in terms of advanced manufacturing policy. The closure of the automotive industry in Australia is posing a huge risk and challenge to manufacturing. AMT: What do you see as the biggest…

Banlaw has more than 35 years’ experience in designing and manufacturing fuel management systems for mining, ports (container handling), rail and transport industries, offering complete control of the delivery, despatch, cleanliness and usage of all hydrocarbons for unparalleled control of environmental risks, effectiveness and accuracy. No matter how harsh or remote the operating environment, Banlaw’s systems mean that vehicles such as locomotives, haul trucks, excavators, bulldozers, heavy trucks, buses, container lift machines and storage tanks can be safely fast-filled and individual vehicle usage can be monitored. The system can also help to eliminate fuel theft, cut machinery downtime and provide a safer, cleaner and more environmentally sustainable work place. Looking to the future, Banlaw selected CellPro, a pre-engineered, modular robotic machine tending system for Mazak machines which has been designed and developed by John Hart right here in Australia. For Banlaw’s production requirements, it brings together a Mazak Integrex j-200S CNC multi-tasking machine, a Fanuc M20iA six-axis handling robot and John Hart’s CellPro cell control software. This is…

Based in South Windsor, NSW, Nasa Stones specialises in creating high-quality stone products, from kitchen countertops to fireplaces to marble walls on the inside of elevators. The team at Nasa Stones needed a waterjet system to work as hard and efficiently as they did. Hmoozi visited a Techni Waterjet customer to evaluate a live waterjet, and knew immediately that Techni was the company he had been searching for. “I left the customer’s location and was excited about what I saw. I was impressed with the quality of the Techni product,” says Hmoozi. “Seeing the Quantum NXT electric servo pump and the PAC 60 in operation was truly what I was hoping to find. I’ve been doing my research. Techni Waterjet comes highly recommended.” The seven-year-old company has recently relocated to a larger facility. Incoming power supply was an issue for the new location, but it was not a problem for Techni Waterjet’s Quantum NXT electric servo pump and the Intec 713-G2…

Cutting tool data can in fact be gathered more accurately and used to create precise digital twin representations – a functionality that has become fundamental in the modern workflow to prevent errors at the machining stage. Today, such processes can be fully integrated with the user’s CAM software, and can be completed with a few simple clicks as part of an easy-to-use menu-driven process. In machining applications, it is not individual tool items such as toolholders, cutters and inserts that are used on machines, but tool assemblies. In many instances this creates a somewhat laborious task for the CAM programmer, where there exist several opportunities for error, not least failing to select the optimum tool items in the first instance. Furthermore, many typical tool assemblies can take up to an hour to create. With some components demanding the…

I worked in a machine shop from 14 years old. I did two years of vocational training, and at 16, I worked in a plastic injection moulding business. However, essentially, I’m self-taught. Although I enjoyed my work, my true passion was rallying, as a co-driver and navigator. I competed and won several big competitions, including the Spanish national championships. It was my interest in motorsport that brought Haas to my attention – through the company’s involvement in NASCAR. We only have one Haas machine – an ST-30Y turning centre with motorised tools and Y axis – but it has made a big difference to our activities.…

Making its first appearance in Austech 2013, the Manufacturers’ Pavilion is a specially dedicated area created to shine a light on Australia’s precision engineering and advanced manufacturing industry. This year more than 20 manufacturing businesses have signed up to exhibit within the Pavilion, comfortably surpassing last year’s numbers. “We’ve put a lot of work in over the last few years aimed at making the Manufacturers’ Pavilion an integral part of Austech, and this year that effort seems to be really starting to pay off,” explains AMTIL’s CEO and Exhibition Director Shane Infanti. “It’s not just the numbers of companies that are taking part, or the speed with which they signed up when space first became available. It’s also just the sheer sense of excitement that comes across when you talk to these companies.” The Manufacturers’ Pavilion showcases the capabilities of Australian component manufacturers, precision engineering firms, toolmakers, advanced manufacturers and general engineering companies the opportunity to exhibit their unique capabilities to an expected audience of more…

Leading the Okuma exhibit will be the popular Multus U4000 twin-spindle, twin-turret, 0.001-degree indexable B-axis multitasking turning centre. With 1,500mm between noses, the Multus U4000 features a 40-position tool magazine for the milling turret and a second 12-position tool turret below. The all-new OSP Suite on-board management system will set the standard for machine controllers and adds to Okuma’s award-winning machining navigation system, hobbing, skiving and gear generation, variable spindle-speed control, Okuma’s Collision Avoidance System and Thermo-Friendly Concept, API function and 0.0001mm control increments. Also in focus will be the all-new MU5000 V-L twin pallet, five-axis machining centre, which will feature Okuma’s unique five-axis auto tuning system for the extreme optimisation of all five axes’ alignments. The MU5000V lathe also has a table turning capacity of 800rpm and a maximum work piece diameter of 700mm and a height of 500mm. The MU5000 on display shares similar OSP controller options such as collision avoidance, super nurbs, machining navigation and API function, and is ideally designed for robotic…

Signing in at SPEE3D’s premises in Dandenong, it’s hard not to notice the mini golf green. A strip of astro-turf with a hole at one end, and a putter and ball laid out for anyone to chance their arm. It might seem a little frivolous – the sort of thing you’d expect to see at some inner-city “creative industries” outfit, rather than in the serious, pragmatic world of manufacturing – but it actually does a very neat job of demonstrating what SPEE3D is about. That’s because the head of the putter was manufactured by SPEE3D using its own innovative 3D-printing technology. “The issue today with 3D printing is that it’s too expensive and too slow,” says Byron Kennedy, SPEE3D’s CEO. “When we started this company, it was ‘How do we fix this issue, of both cost and speed, to produce parts?’ So the technology we developed is a very high-speed process and very low-cost.” SPEE3D’s technology can produce 3D-printed…

The UK-based 600 Group has placed high importance on its presence at the exhibition, at this year’s show, held from 7-12 March, it had its top team demonstrating market-leading products from the UK and USA. Leading the charge for Australia was 600 Machine Tools’ Asia-Pacific Managing Director Cliff Purser and South-East Asia Sales Manager Steve Drummond. The two Sydney-based executives were on hand to introduce current and prospective customers from across the Asia-Pacific region to some of the Group’s top executives from the UK and US. These included: Terry Allison, the Group’s new UK-based Managing Director; worldwide Product Development Manager, Mike Berry, from the manufacturing complex in Yorkshire; as well as Don Haselton, Global Chief Operating Officer of the machine tool division, based in Michigan in the US. The turn-mill phenomenon Speaking from the Group’s stand at…

Now in its seventh year, the ATC finds, mentors and develops Australia’s best technology companies with the greatest global potential. The Business Accelerator Program aims to help turn good technologies into great businesses. In 2016, from the 150 entries, 38 companies were shortlisted and provided with opportunities that included: Mentoring support with an expert business advisor assigned to each company to provide advice and connections and improve the company’s opportunities to succeed. Pitch training and presentation opportunities at Technology Showcase events in Melbourne and Sydney. Investor speed dating opportunities with Australia’s leading technology investors. Attending the ATC Trade Mission to Hong Kong and China. Profiling in industry journals and through social media. Whilst there are separate industry awards for manufacturing, energy, agri-tech, mining, oil & gas, medtech, cyber-security and smart cities, most of the shortlisted companies are manufacturing products in Australia. Many of the companies are growing and creating highly skilled local employment opportunities. This stands in contrast to much…

The turnkey robotic solution includes a number of ABB Robots, including the versatile IRB1200 and ABB’s flagship palletising robot, the IRB660. The system, designed and supplied by A&RT Systems, has streamlined the manufacturing, assembly and packaging of Décor’s products. Automating its manufacturing operations has enabled Décor to reduce costs while freeing up the production staff for more productive tasks. Rising demand Décor has been manufacturing plastic homewares products in Australia for more than 50 years. A homegrown success story, the company specialises in a breadth of homewares solutions that combine aesthetics, functionality, affordability and durability. From its base in Scoresby, Victoria, Décor manufactures an innovative range of plastic fridge containers enjoyed by customers around the world – from local department stores and supermarkets, to export outlets across Europe, America, India and Japan. With global demand rising for its fridge container range, Décor required a high-end robotic solution that was reliable and flexible enough to grow with…