Month: March 2018

The three companies announced the groundbreaking collaboration, bringing together some of the world’s foremost experts in electrical and propulsion technologies, at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London. The E-Fan X hybrid-electric technology demonstrator is anticipated to fly in 2020 following a comprehensive ground test campaign, provisionally on a BAe 146 flying testbed, with one of the aircraft’s four gas turbine engines replaced by a two megawatt electric motor. Provisions will be made to replace a second gas turbine with an electric motor once system maturity has been proven. “The E-Fan X is an important next step in our goal of making electric flight a reality in the foreseeable future,” said Paul Eremenko, Chief Technology Officer at Airbus. “The lessons we learned from a long history of electric flight demonstrators, starting with the Cri-Cri, including the e-Genius, E-Star, and culminating most recently with the E-Fan 1.2, as well as the fruits of the E-Aircraft Systems House collaboration with Siemens, will pave the way to a hybrid single-aisle…

AM refers to methods that generate three-dimensional structures layer by layer. Each AM technology is compatible with the specific form of the raw input material, which may be in liquid, powder and sheet form. AM processes are not subject to the constraints associated with traditional manufacturing methods and provide significant opportunities for the design of novel geometries and complex structures, such as cellular structures in particular. Cellular structures possess a number of properties compared to solid structures. For example, the design freedom offered by AM may be used to enhance the strength-to-weight ratio of structural components by transforming solid geometry into a cellular structure or space-filling hollow sections of the model with a cellular structure. The cellular structure within the model may be useful in distributing the loads evenly compared to a hollow model while conforming to the geometric boundaries of the object. This article discusses some of the basic concepts behind the metallic lattice structures manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM)…

Doxa has selected 12 business-minded young achievers from a diverse range of backgrounds for Cadetship. These individuals are motivated, talented, tenacious and have overcome enormous barriers in their pursuit to stay engaged in education. 44% of applicants this year are studying a STEM subject. This CSR-aligned social investment opportunity offers Program Partners a talented STEM undergraduate as part of their team; skilled volunteering opportunities for existing staff; and a chance to change the life of a high-achieving young Australian from a disadvantaged background. Doxa supports Cadetship Program Partners by providing a shortlist of talented applicants relevant to their sector; building a learning and development framework; providing mentoring; and recruitment support as well as on-boarding advice. “We have a diverse range of Cadets, all in great need,” says Doxa CEO, Steve Clifford. “51% live off a family income of below $30,000 per annum, 24% are refugees/newly arrived migrants, 18% come from rural/regional areas. These young people are experiencing significant disadvantage. They don’t have the social capital, financial support or professional networks that you and I…

Established in 1886, Varley is one of Australia’s oldest, most advanced engineering and manufacturing companies. The group manufactures and sells world-class custom emergency service, health, education and rescue vehicles; defence ambulances and arms storage facilities; and industrial and recreational electric vehicles. Its electric vehicles — sold under the EMC Electric Vehicles brand name — include golf carts, resort vehicles, industrial materials-handling vehicles, and utility carts, as well as parts and accessories for each vehicle type. Facing strong competition in the electric vehicle marketplace, Varley needed to find a way to differentiate its range of vehicles and related products. Following a market review that included researching competitors in the US, the company embarked on a digital transformation project — at the centre of which was the creation of an eCommerce option to help stay ahead of the competition. “Varley has five or six key competitors in Australia within the electric vehicle marketplace alone,” says Dean Wiggins, Marketing Coordinator at Varley Group. “So, it’s important to stay a step…

As a longstanding industry leader and innovator in the world of metalworking, Iscar has taken the IQ concept of machining intelligently even further by applying logical improvements to tool development. The result is the LogIQ range of tooling solutions that both predicts and fulfils customer needs. LogIQ represents a smart logical progression in a series of strategic moves to implement Industry 4.0 standards while ensuring continuity and stability. Industry 4.0 directives – to integrate interoperability, technical task assistance and decentralised decision-making into factory practices – challenge machining centres to review their operations and adopt procedures to meet these objectives. Machining logically responds to this need. Iscar provides the tools to make it happen. LogIQ applications have created new tool families, upgraded existing lines, and inspired innovative product ranges to maximise equipment utilisation and optimise performance. Listening to customer concerns and staying ahead of market developments, Iscar’s product managers, research & development (R&D) engineers and designers have combined their expertise and experience to develop highly effective and logical tool solutions that meet today’s machining centre demands. In an industry where…

In his best-selling 2000 book, Malcolm Gladwell defined ‘The Tipping Point’ as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point”. By that definition, direct metal printing (DMP) is standing on the precipice, as it moves rapidly from prototyping to production for mission-critical, risk-averse applications in defence and aerospace, where nothing is left to chance. An example of this mainstream acceptance is a long-term partnership between 3D Systems and Thales Alenia Space to leverage DMP for aerospace components. Based in Toulouse, France, Thales Alenia Space is one of the leading aerospace suppliers in the world, with revenues topping €2bn in 2014. The company has 7,500 employees in eight countries, specialising in space telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, exploration and orbital infrastructures. The collaboration between Thales Alenia Space and 3D Systems can be seen in the production of antenna brackets (190mm x 230mm x 290mm) for a geostationary telecommunications satellite. DMP is now qualified and fully available for Thales Alenia Space’s titanium aerospace applications. Today, for certain products like the satellites, 80%…

The new Lincoln Spirit 400 machine – now operating in the company’s 400sqm plate-processing facility – was specified to deliver industry-best standards of cut quality on standard and specialty steels, including stainless steels and heavy-duty chromium carbide protective plates up to 60mm thick. According to TW Woods’ Managing Director Tom Woods, high-quality, wear and impact-resistant materials are now in high demand as coal and mineral processing plants place new emphasis on long-life products that avoid delays and breakdowns as mines step up production. The same quality, traceability and accountability standards are being required by private and state organisations involved in the energy, marine, oil & gas and defence sectors, where safety and durability are paramount. The investment in state-of-the-art plasma cutting technology has also been complemented by the installation of a new Truflow spray booth and bake oven to deliver best-quality protective finishes for customers in industries including defence, energy, manufacturing, mining, minerals-processing, materials-handling, metals, process engineering, and water and…

In October Penguin Composites had a major win for the business and for Tasmanian manufacturing when it signed an three-year, $8m contract with Thales Australia to produce bonnets and other components for the Hawkei protected mobility vehicle. The deal represents the company’s first major defence related contract and it is expected to create around 15 jobs at its factory in the town of Penguin. Christopher Pyne, the Federal Minister for Defence Industry, congratulated Penguin Composites on the contract and said it would provide a significant boost to Tasmania’s share of the nation’s defence investment. “This contract will not only create new jobs in Tasmania, it will also involve the upskilling of existing personnel to help deliver this work,” said Minister Pyne. “This is a textbook example of how Australian small-to-medium enterprises are building their capabilities and contributing to our sovereign defence industry capability.” Thales signed a $1.3bn contract in October 2015 to supply 1,100 Hawkei vehicles and more than 1,000 trailers, and is now ramping up for low-rate production.…

Like many sheet metal manufacturers, Wilson & Gilkes provides custom-designed solutions for applications as well as off-the-shelf products under their brand names Bosco, Boscotek, Lectrum, Gilkon and Argent. Improving their products to be stronger, safer and more efficient is an ongoing process in their business practice, so it’s easy to overlook as R&D because it’s simply second nature in innovative businesses like theirs. In conversations regarding its product development program, the company’s accountant and advisor William Buck identified the potential for an R&D Tax Incentive claim. Ian Wilson, Director of Wilson & Gilkes, contacted William Buck, which assessed the company’s business processes and projects and found it met the eligibility criteria of the R&D Tax Incentive program, enabling them to receive a sizeable R&D claim. So what constitutes R&D? And how would you know if…

The students gathered with parents, teachers and space enthusiasts to watch the 2017/18 championships of the Zero Robotics international high school programming competition, organised by NASA and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The competition was live-streamed across the globe, including at an on-campus University of Sydney event. The Zero Robotics competition challenged students to test their coding skills on basketball-sized NASA robots known as SPHERES (Synchronized, Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites), which float in zero gravity in the ISS. The competition progressed through multiple rounds of increasing complexity during 2017 before culminating in the final championship event in January, which saw the code that was written by the students being used to move the robots inside the space station, racing against robots controlled by students around the globe, to complete a set of tasks. The NSW schools – Gosford High School, James Ruse Agricultural High School, Mosman High School, Sydney Boys High School and Sydney Technical High School –…

This is particularly applicable to Australia, where businesses are able to claim tax offsets for R&D activities undertaken within the country. The policy demonstrates the Australian Government’s commitment to fostering innovation on Australian shores through R&D. There is a catch, however. Without embracing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, R&D is rendered pointless. True innovation comes from AI as businesses learn more about their industry and customers, and invest in research that will serve to create real business value. Since innovation is typically desirable but frequently hard to define, AI should be employed in R&D not simply to improve products and services, but also to expedite business processes, improve sustainability and customer experience, as well as prioritise customer-led efforts. Why guess when you can know the answer? The major benefit AI offers R&D departments is the ability to access…

Among other things, the new system from acp (advanced clean production GmbH) increases productivity by around a third when machining workpieces made from polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and aluminium. A further advantage is that components and machines stay much cleaner. In recent years, the use of CO2 as a coolant for machining processes has become much more popular as an alternative to conventional cooling lubricant concepts. One of the reasons for this is the higher rate of material removal, which increases productivity and also reduces tool wear and the associated downtimes. The so-called cryogenic cooling method with carbon dioxide therefore decreases production costs. With its quattroClean snow jet technology, acp offers a cooling system that has proved its worth in serial productions. It can also be integrated into CNC machines and machining centres at a later stage. The quattroClean system works with liquid carbon dioxide, which is generated as a by-product from chemical processes as well as from the generation of energy…

February marked a 17th month of expanding or stable conditions for the Australian PMI – the longest run of expansion since 2005 (readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase). For the fourth consecutive month all seven activity sub-indexes in the Australian PMI expanded. Five sub-indexes slowed, however, with only employment (up 5.7 points to 57.8) and exports (up 4.7 points to 56.5) accelerating. Six of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded in February (according to trend data), with the larger sub-sectors such as metal products (up 1.7 points to 58.3) continuing to see a sustained period of expansion and/or recovery. Weaker conditions remain evident in textiles & clothing (an historic low of 33.0 points adding to more than two years of continuous contraction) and printing & recorded media (down 5.3 points to 39.7). “The broad-based expansion in Australia’s manufacturing sector continued in February led by the food & beverage and the petroleum, chemicals &…