Month: June 2018

Registrations have opened for the 2018 AMTIL National Conference, which will be held in Melbourne on 22 August. Early Bird rates are available until 31 July, so don’t miss out. The theme for this year’s AMTIL National Conference will be ‘Strategies for Manufacturing Resilience and Growth’. The one-day event – to be held at Leonda by the Yarra in Hawthorn, Victoria – will take participants on a learning journey that will help them build resilience in their business, look outside their traditional avenues for opportunities for growth, and inspire them to think outside the square. AMTIL has already secured an impressive line-up of speakers. The opening keynote will be given by Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC). For the closing address, the acclaimed athlete Deanna Blegg will be discussing ‘Personal Resilience’, and the incredible adversity she has dealt with and triumphed over in her life so far. Expert speakers Dr Goennenmann joined the AMGC in 2016, with an extensive background managing large manufacturing operations in Australia and Europe. He served as Managing Director of Airbus Group Australia Pacific and Airbus Helicopters, having previously spent six years in Germany with the former European Aeronautic…

Sydney, Australia // 15 June 2018 – GE this week announced more than one hundred Australian schools have been selected for its 2018 GE Additive Education Program, the largest rollout of its kind in Australia. The primary and secondary schools from across the country will receive a polymer 3D printer, supporting software and an education curriculum to give students hands-on additive manufacturing experience. Globally, GE received applications from over 3,000 schools for its 2018 Additive Education Program. Six hundred schools were accepted around the world, of which 103 of those are Australian. At an event at North Sydney Demonstration School, one of the Australian schools selected for the program, President and CEO of GE APAC, Wouter Van Wersch said: “Additive manufacturing will be one of the biggest disruptors in the future of industry, and Australia has a huge opportunity to lead in this globally. “Through our Additive Education Program, GE aims to help build a strong pipeline of additive manufacturing skills – starting from the classroom – so that the next generation are on the front foot to take on future manufacturing opportunities,” said Van Wersch. CEO of GE Australia, Max York said: “Australia has always been early adopters…

One of the traditional issues facing operators of CNC lathes, who are involved with smaller batch sizes, is that of change over time of workholding devices. There is the time involved with disassembly, cleaning, checking and reassembly which all adds to significant time delay and subsequent loss in productivity. The need for shorter part runs and just in time manufacturing has exacerbated the need for versatile and quick change over workholding systems with minimal downtime. There are a number of systems currently in the marketplace which offer quick change adaptors and chucks, but the monetary investment required is, in most cases, prohibitive. There are also marked differences in the amount of time actually saved. This is where Speedgrip’s Quick Change Adaptor comes into play. Using the industry tried and trusted Camlock technology with a carrier and receiver, it provides a solution that is accurate, fast to convert between workholding methods, and importantly very affordable. You can now change over between power jaw chucks, collet chucks, expanding mandrel chucks or your face-driver quickly and easily. As an example, changing from a power jaw chuck to a collet chuck can be achieved in less than 5 minutes – an operation that…

Kaeser Compressors recently announced the launch of its latest generation SM series rotary screw compressors which are now even more efficient thanks to a number of smart product enhancements. For maximum efficiency, the SM 13 and SM 16 compressor models are now equipped as standard with a super-premium efficiency IE4 motor that complies with and exceeds prevailing Australian GEMS regulations for 3 phase electric motors. IE4 motors are the technology of tomorrow, with current regulation introduced in January 2015 only requiring the use of IE3 Class motors. For the end user this translates into best possible compressor performance, reduced energy costs and significantly enhanced compressed air production efficiency - today. For even greater intake volume and efficiency, the latest generation of SM series rotary screw compressors are also equipped with the new SIGMA 06 screw compressor block, featuring even further refined Sigma Profile rotors. Together with the IE4 motor, Kaeser has been able to reduce the energy requirement of these compressors by up to 13 percent. All SM series compressors incorporate a Sigma Control 2. With this internal controller, compressor performance can be precisely adjusted to match respective compressed air consumption for optimum efficiency. The control unit features an…

Proslab is a full service dental laboratory in Canterbury, Victoria. The company was founded more than 30 years ago and has always maintained a keen interest in cutting-edge technology. 15 years ago, Proslab became the first Australian dental laboratory to bring in CAD/CAM processes for metal frames for dentures. Before working with Renishaw, Proslab introduced a partially digital workflow, using 3D scanning and design tools to design dentures. Once designed in CAD, the dentures were printed in resin, then using traditional lost-wax casting were manufactured in cobalt chrome. It was this traditional, uncontrolled process that reduced the accuracy of the parts, despite careful design. Proslab turned to Renishaw to overcome issues with human error and accuracy by incorporating a state-of-the art AM 400 metal additive manufacturing machine. The challenge At Proslab, the lost-wax casting technique started with producing a CAD design of the denture, which was then printed in resin…

Sensor-based automated systems are becoming increasingly important for vehicles used in mining, civil engineering, agriculture and forestry, and with construction, municipal and special vehicles. One area where sensors are used is to provide reliable systems that detect the risk of a collision and warn the driver. The main driving force behind this development is the fact that a large number of collisions and accidents can be prevented if suitable technology is available to support the driver or machine operator. Active warning functions are not enough. The assistance system must also be able to distinguish between different objects depending on their importance for collision warning purposes. The particular challenges involved in these applications not only concern detecting and evaluating objects. The sensor solutions must also be designed to withstand the tough outdoor environments where the machines are used. The Visionary-B active driver assistance system developed by SICK meets all of these requirements. Visionary-B…

Machines, technologies and devices that make our lives simpler excite us all. Much of the time, what attracts us to them first is their functionality, but their simplicity often has us wondering why ‘someone’ hasn’t come up with ‘it’ before. The reality is, for every ‘hit’ that is created, there’s probably a heap of ‘misses’ that failed to see the light of day. An integral part of the procedure in developing the hits and minimising the misses is a process called prototyping. What we mean when we say ‘prototype’ A prototype is essentially a creation that is as close to the finished product as can be made. It’s an essential part of manufacturing that brings an idea to reality. At Integra, we find that customers love to see renders from computers, as well as artists’ impressions, but these are often created without the input of a product or industrial engineer. For us, prototyping is…

The Fipronil scandal originated in the Netherlands but had global effects. Around ten million tainted eggs were imported into Germany, with not only eggs themselves being contaminated, but also egg products such as sandwich fillers. One of the main concerns from the scandal was that authorities in the Netherlands had become aware of the illegal use of the insecticide Fipronil in November 2016, which is not fit for human consumption. Due to a series of administrative errors and a lack of collaboration between authorities, the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), was not informed until July 2017, when the eggs were pulled from shelves across Europe. Another concern was that the two perpetrators of the crime launched their product at a farming convention in March 2016, selling it as a miracle cure for lice infestation in chickens. When poultry farmers asked about the ingredients of the product,…

“However, there are signs the Australian manufacturing industry could be set for a comeback with manufacturing jobs increasing by 40,000 in the last 12 months,” says Greg O’Loan, Regional Vice President, ANZ for Epicor Software. “This suggests Australian manufacturers have found new ways to compete and prove their relevance.” The most successful manufacturers tend to concentrate their efforts in three key areas: Production planning and scheduling Manufacturers must first plan what products need to be produced to satisfy existing orders, then when these products can be made. There are four ways manufacturers can maximise production: Define existing capability for production: A realistic assessment of production capacity includes factors such as the availability of machine time, the flexibility of the various types of machines for different tasks, and the availability of skilled labour within the organisation. Improve accuracy of production scheduling: Organisations must continuously refine both manufacturing processes and…

AMT: Tell us about the TMA and its history. Gary Northover: The TMA is the industry association that represents importers, local manufacturers, dealers and distributors of agricultural tractors and machinery in Australia. We are the only national body that does this and we’ve been doing so for over 70 years now. The Association’s foundations have essentially been the large importers – the brand names you’d be familiar with – John Deere, Case New Holland and the like. As time’s gone on we’ve expanded to include some of the newer brands on the market, and people like Kubota that have entered into agricultural products in a fairly large way; they’re now a key member. We also represent local manufacturers and the dealers of all of that product who are spread right across the country.   AMT: What’s the make-up of your member base? GN: The member base is essentially comprised of the large OEMs or importers, and all of their dealers. So right now there’s a number in the hundreds in terms of dealer representation.…

Cutting tools are by their nature consumable; they wear until they are no longer effective. A traditional approach to metalcutting tool management employs wear analysis alone, focused on manipulating tool materials, geometries and application parameters to improve part output and tool life in a selected operation. Maximising the efficiency of a facility’s manufacturing process, however, involves consideration of a broad range of factors in addition to tool wear. It is essential to examine tool wear – or more broadly, tool deterioration – in light of the overall or “global” manufacturing process. Global Tool Deterioration Analysis (GTDA) goes beyond basic measurement of tool wear to include tooling-related considerations such as time spent in tool manipulation, problems other than wear, production economics, shop organisation, personnel attitudes and assumptions, value stream management, and total manufacturing costs. GTDA is based on regular evaluation of a…

The program offers co-funding opportunities of up to $50,000 for businesses planning manufacturing-related projects directed to: entering new export markets; launching new products in Australia and overseas; or improving internal business processes and systems. Eligible businesses can apply for co-funding to cover project related costs where they utilise the services of one of the Victorian Government’s registered service providers. For example, a business that is looking for advice on intellectual property (IP) issues relating to a new export project could apply for co-funding for strategic IP advice on protecting their IP overseas and maximising commercialisation prospects for their project. The first Boost Your Business application round took place earlier this year and resulted in 111 businesses securing combined total co-funding grants of over $3m. Is your business eligible? Applications in the Boost Your Business Advanced Manufacturing stream are open to businesses that meet the following criteria: Currently engaged in manufacturing, or able to demonstrate a genuine commercial connection to the manufacturing supply chain. Have a substantial operating presence in Victoria (ideally one that…

Jon Norman is a professional engineer with nearly 20 years experience in the power industry, environmental sector, management consulting and government. His company, Hydrostor, is leading the sector in compressed air energy storage (CAES), with the world’s first adiabatic CAES facility operating in Toronto, and the development of a new CAES demonstration project at the Terramin Australia Angas Zinc Mine in South Australia. According to Norman, Hydrostor’s CAES is different from traditional CAES as it doesn’t need to burn gas to put heat into the process when generating electricity, and it doesn’t require existing underground storage cavities, making the selection of sites more flexible. “In our system, we actually take heat from our compression process, and we store it in a thermal management system, we then reinject that heat back into our turbine when we’re generating electricity,” says Norman. “So we don’t require any natural gas, it’s called an adiabatic process. “What we do is quite different…